Welcome to the 26th week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Fall Salad Mix – we’ve got a mix of mizuna, arugula, and tatsoi this week.  Feel free to quickly saute this mix for a warmer option.
  
• Cipollini Onions
  
• Cooking Greens Mix – a mix of chard and several types of kale
  
• Celeriac
  
• Chioggia Beets
  
• Parsley – we’ll make the case for parsley any day.  Such a flavorful and versatile herb, we love it in salad dressing, added to sauteed greens, alongside eggs, or in pretty much anything.
  
• Red Cabbage
  
• Carrots
  
• Sweet Peppers
• Shishito Peppers – The last of the roulette pepper for this season!
• Black Futzu Winter Squash – A slightly nutty squash from Japan that’s related to Butternut but has it’s own unique flavor.  I used a Black Futzu to make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese this week thanks to a CSA member passing along the recipe and it was delicious!
  

CSA members: Are you looking for for more vegetables for your Thanksgiving meal or hoping to stock up on some staple items before the end of the CSA?  We’re offering a holiday harvest for pick-up next week. Check your weekly email for the details.

Here’s our sketch of what should  be in next week’s share to help you with your order:

Leeks, Garlic, Pie Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Celery, Apples, Corn Flour, Chicory, Sage, Potatoes.

As we wrap up the end of the 2015 summer CSA season with just one week left it’s a good time to reflect on the whole season.  We’ve put together an end-of-season survey for members and we’d love to hear your thoughts on this year.  How did the CSA work on your end?  Was it a good experience, or a little too challenging?  What suggestions can you share to help us improve the CSA in future seasons?  Click here for the survey.

Also, we’ve added an incentive this year as we’d like to hear from as many of you as are willing to share.  Complete the survey and you can choose to be entered to win your choice of a P&C pork roast or a farmer-preserved gift basket!

In an effort to evaluate the season based on the vegetables we made up a spreadsheet detailing share contents by week.  Here are some details we found:

• Average share size was 12 items (up 1 items from last year)
  
• Average share value based on rough market prices was $34/week (up $2 from last year).
• If purchased at market, the season’s share value would have cost roughly $930 (compared to $860 last year).
• Top 10 share items: Peppers (19), Salad Mix (18), Tomatoes (15), Onions (15), Summer Squash (13), Carrots (12), Cucumbers (12), Winter Squash (11), Strawberries (11), and Broccoli (9)
• Confounding vegetables we try to give you a taste of: Beets (7), Cabbage (7), Fennel (3), Kohlrabi (2), Bok Choy (2), Sunchokes (1)
• Items not grown by P&C: Just the u-picked Blueberries!

We know there’s a lot more to the CSA than just the vegetables.  We hope you’ll take a few minutes to complete the member survey to help us understand a little better how things have gone on your side of things.  We’ll share the available results next week so you can compare your experience to what other members have to say.

Reminder: Just one more week of the Summer CSA!

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:

Parsleyed Celery Root Fritters and Lemon Aioli

For Aioli

• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beer (not dark)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
• a 1-pound celery root (sometimes called celeriac)
• about 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
• about 12 fresh small flat-leafed parsley sprigs

Make aïoli:

Mince garlic and in a bowl stir together aïoli ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. (Aïoli may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.)

Make batter:

In a bowl whisk together batter ingredients and pepper to taste. With a sharp knife peel celery root and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

 

In a deep large heavy skillet (about 12 inches wide by 3 inches deep) heat 1 inch oil over moderately high heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375° F. Working in batches of 3, coat celery root slices in batter, letting excess drip off, and immediately press a parsley sprig into batter on one side of each slice. Carefully drop coated slices, parsley sides up, into oil and fry, turning them once, until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer fritters as fried with tongs to brown paper or paper towels to drain. Return oil to 375° F before next batch.

 

Serve fritters immediately with aïoli.

From Epicurious via Gourmet, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/parsleyed-celery-root-fritters-and-lemon-aioli-14492

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Braised Beets and Red Cabbage

• 3/4 pound red cabbage (1/2 small head), cut into wedges, cored
• 4 medium beets (about 2 inches in diameter), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup (or more) water
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Working in batches, coarsely grate cabbage and beets in food processor fitted with grating blade. Set aside.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until brown, about 15 minutes. Mix in cabbage and beets. Add 1/2 cup water and vinegar. Cover; simmer until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally and adding water by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; top with parsley.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/braised-beets-and-red-cabbage-3191

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Root Vegetable Hash with Poached Eggs and Parsley Pesto

Pesto

• 2 cups (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves (from 2 bunches)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled

Hash

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound)
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled parsnips (try celeriac instead)
• 2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled rutabagas
• 1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled carrots
• 1/2 cup 1/2-inch dice red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 4 large eggs

For pesto:

Blend all ingredients in processor until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

For hash:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss potatoes and next 5 ingredients on prepared sheet; spread in single layer. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring and turning occasionally, about 45 minutes. Stir in garlic; roast 5 minutes longer. Mix in green onions. Fill large skillet halfway with generously salted water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to maintain steady simmer. Crack eggs, 1 at a time, into custard cup, then slide eggs into simmering water. Poach eggs until softly set, about 3 minutes.

 

Divide hash among 4 plates. Using slotted spoon, top each serving with 1 poached egg. Drizzle with pesto.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Chef Annie Somerville , http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/root-vegetable-hash-with-poached-eggs-and-parsley-pesto-108564

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