Welcome to the 21st week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Salad Mix – whoa, slime batman!  keep an eye out for any slugs that we missed during the field washing of the salad mix this week!
  
• Bunching Onions
  
• Broccoli
  
• Cauliflower
• Haricot Vert Green Beans – Back on July 31st Jeff sowed some beans.  Now on October 13th we’ve got them to share with you!  October green beans folks! 
  
• Beets
  
• French Fingerling Potatoes
  
• Liebesapfel Sweet Pimento Peppers
• Dill
  
• Black Forest Kabocha or Potimarron Winter Squash
  
• Tomatoes
  
• Apples

Did you know we’ve got a CSA member farm visit this Saturday?!  It’s true!  Come out to the farm for pumpkin picking, cider pressing, and scarecrow making!  Find the details in this week’s weekly member email.

This past week on the farm was much like the previous couple of weeks.  There was weeding, harvesting, irrigating, seed cleaning.  Not much new to report from these parts.  I didn’t even seem to take many photos this week to share with you.  We did get Tim to snap a photo of us in the field of fall kale.  So there we are.  And I was so impressed with the October green beans that they needed to be documented.  Otherwise, we’ve just been chipping away at the To Do list and enjoying the amazing fall weather, including that impressive rain we had last weekend.

This week we’ll be spiffing up the place in anticipation of Saturday’s big CSA Farm Day!  We’d love to see you Saturday for all the fun fall activities.  The apple presses will be set up, the pumpkins are already cut from the vines, and we’ll get some hay in the trailer for tractor rides.  And we’re adding a scarecrow making contest this year.  Bring some scarecrow clothes for a standout scarecrow.  We’re still working on some prizes, but we’re looking forward to seeing some fun scarecrows Saturday!  Bring a potluck dish to share and come out for fall farm fun!

My lack of photo taking on the farm this week was made up for on a hike we took Sunday with friends, so I thought I’d share some photos from off-farm.  We’re still learning about all the fantastic hiking in this area and we were excited to discover a new trail.  Getting off the farm is a big deal during the growing season, and heading to the forest is even bigger.  It was nice to step away for half a day and appreciate all that amazing nature out there.

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:

Cauliflower with Horseradish Sauce

• 1 (2 1/2- to 3-lb) head of cauliflower, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
• 2 tablespoons bottled horseradish (not drained)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a 5-quart wide heavy pot. Steam cauliflower in a steamer rack set over boiling water in pot, covered, until just tender, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Serve cauliflower topped with sauce.

From Epicurious via Gourmet, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cauliflower-with-horseradish-sauce-236411

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Lobster Salad with Green Beans, Apple, and Avocado

• 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
• 10 ounces slim haricots verts (green beans), trimmed at both ends and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 1 tablespoon imported French mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (do not peel)
• 1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 pound (2 cups) cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Equipment: A 5-quart pasta pot fitted with a colander; 4 chilled large dinner plates

1. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

2. Fill the pasta pot with 3 quarts of water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the coarse salt and the beans, and blanch until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. (Cooking time will vary according to the size and tenderness of the beans.) Immediately remove the colander from the water, letting the water drain from the beans. Plunge the beans into the ice water so they cool down as quickly as possible. (The beans will cool in 1 to 2 minutes. If you leave them longer, they will become soggy and begin to lose flavor.) Drain the beans and wrap them in a thick kitchen towel to dry. (Store the cooked beans in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.)

3. In a large, shallow bowl, combine the yogurt, mustard, and fine salt and whisk to blend. Taste for seasoning. Add the green beans, chives, apple, avocado, and lobster. Toss to coat. Arrange on the plates and serve.

From Epicuious via Salad as a Meal by Patricia Wells, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lobster-salad-with-green-beans-apple-and-avocado-364850

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Roasted Beet Soup with Potato and Dill Salad

• 1 1/2 pounds beets (about 5 medium), tops trimmed
• 12 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat (1%) milk
• 4 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
•  Fresh dill sprigs

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets and potatoes separately in foil; seal tightly. Roast on oven rack until tender when pierced with skewer, about 45 minutes for potatoes and 1 1/2 hours for beets. Unwrap and cool completely.

Peel beets; cut into 1-inch pieces and place in blender. Add milk, 2 tablespoons onion, 2 tablespoons chopped dill and vinegar; blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate soup until cold, about 1 hour.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Place in medium bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons each of onion and chopped dill. Fold in yogurt. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover beet soup and potato salad separately and refrigerate.) Ladle beet soup into 4 bowls. Top with potato salad; garnish with dill sprigs.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-beet-soup-with-potato-and-dill-salad-103762

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