Welcome to the 2nd week of the Pitchfork & Crow 2015/2016 Winter CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share:

• Sweet Potatoes –  We keep on trying to grow these sweets.  Some of them might look rough but we wanted to give out as many as we could.  Enjoy!
  
• Cilantro!
  
• Poblano Peppers – Not bad for a month in storage!  We chopped some up at lunch and loved their flavor.
  
• Beets
  
• Yukon Gold Potatoes – straight outta the damp earth!
  
• Onions
  
• Brussels Sprouts
  
• Mostly Kale Mix
  
• Castelfranco Chicory – We’ve been topping sandwiches and stuffing burritos with this sweet/bitter chicory.  Castelfranco is probably our favorite from the chicory patch.  Perfect for salads or quickly sauteed and mixed with pasta.
  
• Garlic
  
• Pie Pumpkin
• Butternut Winter Squash
• Dried Apples – We grew them, we dried them!  They might make a fun addition to this Clif Bar recipe that we’ve been enjoying.
  

COMP-NW members –  Rumor has it that the campus is closed during our next pick-up on December 30th.  We don’t want you to miss a pick-up!  If you’re in town that week, you can pick-up at the farm.  If not, let’s arrange for you to pick-up when you return.  Please send us an email to let us know what you prefer before December 28th.

When last we met we’d just seen the first real wintry weather on the farm.  Since then it’s been one deluge after another, but luckily the ice and snow have held off for the time being.  Our thoughts have been with friends who have seen creeks and rivers rise into their fields in the past week.  Each summer I dream of a farm on the river for mid-day swim breaks.  But each winter I’m thankful for this piece of land that’s safe from the overflowing waterways.

We woke up last Monday morning and realized it was the first week since May that we didn’t have a CSA harvest to get after.  Whoa.  What to do with ourselves.  Our week away was filled with the first of the winter farmer meetings, bowhunting, irrigation fixes, apple drying, a LifeSource harvest, and making plans for winter projects.  Evidently there was plenty to keep us busy without a CSA harvest in the mix.

Hopefully you had a great first week of the Winter CSA and are ready for more vegetables.  A member asked a question about the share size at the last pick-up that stuck with me.  He had been part of the weekly summer program and wondered if the bi-weekly winter pick-up was supposed to be two week’s worth of vegetables or was it a similar share size to a summer week.  I confirmed that we keep winter shares roughly the same size as summer shares, though the portions might be slightly larger during the winter.  We do bi-weekly shares in the winter to give us all some breathing room.  It allows us to take a little time away from the weekly routine of harvest and delivery.  It also allows members who spent the summer picking up weekly shares to catch up on the pile of winter squash on the counter and to not be overwhelmed with the less diverse offerings of the winter season.  As the season progresses we’d love to know your thoughts on the winter season and share sizes.  Would you like more vegetables in winter?  Would you prefer weekly pick-ups?

We used our first weekend “off” to make a trek to the woods.  Getting away from the farm always gives us such perspective and an overnight, albeit a rainy and wet overnight, was just what we needed at the end of this long, hot season.  We camped out along the Little North Fork of the Santiam and explored the Opal Creek area.  We’ve got a lot of projects lined up for the farm this winter, but hopefully there will be more winter exploration of our amazing state too.  Stay tuned for adventure updates in addition to vegetable news.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you in two weeks!

Your farmers,
Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Poblano-Cilantro Relish

• 3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 3 poblano chiles
• 1 cup cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus more for seasoning
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Light a grill and preheat for for at least 10 minutes or preheat a grill pan. Skewer the garlic. Grill the garlic and poblanos over moderately high heat, turning frequently, until the garlic is charred and softened, about 5 minutes, and the poblanos are blackened all over, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to a plate. Peel the garlic and transfer to a food processor. Peel the peppers, then core them and discard most of the seeds. Cut the peppers into strips and transfer to a food processor.

Pulse the garlic and peppers until coarsely chopped. Add the cilantro, fish sauce, sugar and 1 tablespoon of lime juice and pulse to a chunky puree. Add the vegetable oil and process until incorporated. Season the relish with more lime juice, if desired, and serve.

From Epicurious by Kristin Donnelly, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/poblano-cilantro-relish-51240010

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Kale and Potato Spanish Tortilla

• 1 lb boiling potatoes
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 lb kale, center ribs discarded
• 7 large eggs

Peel potatoes and cut into 1/3-inch dice (2 1/4 cups). Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then reduce heat to moderately low and cook potatoes, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Blanch kale while potatoes cook:

Cook kale in a 4- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain again, squeezing handfuls of kale to extract excess moisture, then coarsely chop.

Add kale to potato mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain vegetables in colander set over a bowl, reserving drained oil, and cool 10 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl, then stir in vegetables, 1 tablespoon drained oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 tablespoon drained oil to skillet, then add egg mixture and cook over low heat, covered, until sides are set but center is still loose, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 15 minutes.

Shake skillet gently to make sure tortilla is not sticking (if it is sticking, loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula). Slide tortilla onto a large flat plate, then invert skillet over tortilla and flip it back into skillet. Round off edge of tortilla with plastic spatula and cook over low heat, covered, 10 minutes more. Slide tortilla onto a plate and serve warm, cut into wedges.

From Epicurious via Gourmet, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kale-and-potato-spanish-tortilla-107743

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Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash

Herb oil:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Hash:

• 6 1-to 1 1/4-inch-diameter golden baby beets with green tops attached (about 1 bunch)
• 6 1- to 11/4-inch-diameter candy-canestriped (Chioggia) baby beets or golden baby beets with green tops attached (about 1 bunch)
• 1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 pound garnet yams or other yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For herb oil:

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.

For hash:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut greens and stems off all beets; discard stems. Coarsely chop enough beet greens to measure 4 loosely packed cups. Bring medium saucepan of salted water to boil. Add greens and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain well. Set aside. Scrub beets; place in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour half of herb oil over beets; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover baking dish with foil and roast beets until tender when pierced with small sharp knife, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let beets stand until cool enough to handle. Peel beets; cut into 1/2-inch pieces and reserve. DO AHEAD: Beet greens and beets can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Combine squash, potatoes, and yams in large bowl. Add remaining herb oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread vegetable mixture evenly on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until vegetables are tender when pierced with knife and lightly browned around edges, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, about 50 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Stir beets and beet greens into roasted vegetables; dot with butter cubes and continue to roast just until beets are heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer vegetable mixture to large bowl and serve.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Josie Le Balch, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/potato-and-autumn-vegetable-hash-355757

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