Welcome to the 15th week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Salad Mix – The mix this week has a little mizuna.  Fun with greens!
  
• Bunching Onions
  
• Cauliflower
  
• Carrots
  
• Shishito Peppers – Best served blistered in hot oil with salt just like this recipe.  Beware: 1 in 10 is hot!  It’s a game of pepper roulette.
  
• Liebesapfel Pimento Peppers – Meaning “love apple” this pimento pepper has thick sweet flesh that makes a great stand in for bell peppers.  Use fresh or dehydrate them and grind them into paprika!
• Sweet Corn
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Cucumbers
  
• Green Beans
  
• Honey Orange Melons – Technically a honeydew, these melons are orange on the inside and taste similar to cantaloupe.
  

Without much fanfare last week we passed the halfway point of the Summer CSA.  In some ways it’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the season.  Where did June, July, and August go?  Those months are all just a hot, dry memory now.  And can you believe we still have half the season in front of us?  What vegetable adventures will the autumn months bring us?  Only time will tell.

In an effort to beat the rain this past weekend, we set the weeding aside for our Tim-time on Friday morning and instead focused on harvesting the somewhat neglected popcorn and flour corn from our back field.  Every spring we revel in the possibilities of dry corn and then we proceed to plant it and ignore it for much of the season.  It’s just never a very high priority in the middle of summer.  However, our harvest was better than I’d expected it to be and you’ll be seeing both varieties in future shares because we got it in before the RAIN!

This weekend’s stormy weather was just what we needed.  The farm appreciated a good dousing and we appreciated a reason to take a day off from field work.  Jeff even went on an overnight canoeing adventure in the rain thanks to the serendipitous overlap of stormy weather and the start of bow hunting season.

The arrival of the first blustery fallish storm has us thinking more about the season ahead.  September is here, so winter can’t be all that far off.  We’ve been planting overwintering crops for a month and a half and we’re feeling good about the prospects for the Winter CSA shares.  The field crops like cabbages and sprouting broccoli are sizing up.  The storage crops like winter squash and potatoes are looking plentiful.  We’re ready to begin accepting members for the Winter CSA and we’d like to give current CSA members a first shot.  You can see all the Winter CSA details on our website here: https://pitchforkandcrow.com/wintercsa/.  Check your weekly CSA member email for more information.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you next week!

Your farmers,
Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Green Beans with Bacon and Red Bell Peppers

• 6 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut in half
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips (use the Liebesapfel pimentos here)
• 1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add green beans and bell pepper to skillet. Toss vegetables over medium-high heat until coated with drippings, about 1 minute. Add broth. Cover and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Gertrude Burnom, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/green-beans-with-bacon-and-red-bell-pepper-104723

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Green Beans Braised with Tomatoes and Basil

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 2 large plum tomatoes, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup water

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion softens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add green beans, tomatoes, basil leaves, and 1/2 cup water. Cook until beans are crisp-tender, stirring and tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/green-beans-braised-with-tomatoes-and-basil-232101

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Grilled Lime-Curry-Rubbed Hanger Steak with Fresh Melon-Cucumber Chutney

For chutney:

• 2 cups chopped firm-ripe honeydew melon (10 ounces)
• 1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño including seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

For steak:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 pounds (1-inch-thick) hanger steak or chuck blade steaks

Make chutney:
Stir together honeydew, cucumber, onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with spices and let chutney stand while grilling steak.

Grill steak:
Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium heat; see Grilling Procedure .

Stir together lime juice, oil, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Coat steak with curry mixture.

Oil grill rack, then grill steak, covered, turning once, 9 minutes total for medium-rare. Let rest on a cutting board 5 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. Serve steak with chutney.

Serve with:
basmati or jasmine rice

Cooks’note: Steak can be cooked in a lightly oiled 2-burner grill pan, 14 to 16 minutes total for medium-rare.

From Epicurious via Gourmet by Melissa Roberts, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/grilled-lime-curry-rubbed-hanger-steak-with-fresh-melon-cucumber-chutney-353669

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