Welcome to the 9th week of the Pitchfork & Crow 2015/2016 Winter CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share:

• Cilantro
  
• French Breakfast Radishes
  
• Pentland Brig Kale with Rapini
• Fingerling Potatoes
  
• Cipollini Onions
  
• Salsify – Our friend’s at Adaptive Seeds told us that salsify was a staple of their Winter CSA back in the day so we added it to the  rotation this year.  It’s an enthusiastic grower and supposedly tastes of oysters when cooked, though we didn’t notice that ourselves when we ate it with eggs and tortillas this morning.  Give it a try and let us know what you think.
  
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli – A winter treat!  Sowed in July, transplanted in August, this sprouting broccoli waits through the darkest months to make an appearance now!
  
• Garlic – We’ve noticed some of the garlic is beginning to sprout after a winter of dormancy.  We’ve culled the sprouters when we saw them, but feel free to use them as you would non-sprouters, they’ll be just as tasty!
  
• Cabbage Rapini – The overwintered brassicas, including cabbages, are bolting on their way  to flowering and making seed.  Grabbing up the sweetened tender stems before they get tough is something we look forward to every year and cabbage may be my favorite of all.
  
• Arugula
• Autumn Crown Winter Squash – A miniature long island cheese type winter squash, it’s similar to butternut squash.
  
• Farm Apples – As with all the fruit at the farm, we’re just not sure about varieties, but they’re tasty.  Jeff says make pie.
• Dried Apples

Did you know we’re accepting new members for the Summer CSA program?  It’s true!  You can find all the details on the Summer CSA page.  We’re well on our way to filling up for the upcoming season, so sign up soon to make sure you’ve got a spot.

The mild winter and continued rain this spring has been a good reminder that indeed we live in Oregon.  I haven’t compared historical data, but the weather we’ve been having reminds me a lot of what it was like growing up in the Willamette Valley.  Rain pouring down while waiting for the bus or walking to school.  Rain forcing indoor recess in the gym or classroom.  Rainy soccer games on Saturdays and rainy soccer practices during the week.  Sunny days were precious things in spring and sunny/warm days that much more so.

As I re-load the weather forecast each day, searching for the elusive 5-day sunny day window, I’m thankful for our greenhouse space.  Covered space is precious on the farm and like a kid with a scooter board during recess in the gym in elementary school, I’m happy to retreat into a greenhouse full of growing things for weeding and harvesting.  Jeff worked hard to close in the ends of one our field houses this past week  and we’re already seeing the benefits of the increased warmth and decreased wind.  Hurrah for progress even when the weather has other ideas!

Happy spring equinox!  This past weekend marked the transition to longer days and shorter nights.  Longer days must mean more sun, right?!  The beekeepers brought 16 hives of bees back from their California adventure in the almond orchards last week and in the sunnier moments they’re hard at work buzzing around the flowering pear trees.  It’s certainly feeling like spring around here.  We’re keeping busy sowing seeds in the propagation house and hopefully we’ll be ready when the next sunny day window arrives.

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

Your farmers,
Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

.

Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat cheese Salad

• 3/4 cup French green lentils*
• 6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin) (or Autumn Crown)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika**
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Place lentils in small bowl. Cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain.

Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Ross Dobson, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spiced-pumpkin-lentil-and-goat-cheese-salad-355212

.

Roast Chicken with Broccoli Rabe, Fingerling Potatoes, and Garlic-Parsley Jus

• 1 4-to 4 1/2-pound chicken, large deposits of fat removed, heart and gizzard reserved
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 6 large fresh parsley sprigs
• 1 lemon, halved
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound broccoli rabe (rapini), stems cut into 1/4-inch pieces, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 pound fingerling potatoes or baby Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 3/4 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle chicken all over with 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt. Place chicken, breast side up, on rack set in roasting pan. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.

Place parsley sprigs and 1/2 lemon in chicken cavity. Tie legs together. Place reserved heart and gizzard and garlic cloves under rack in roasting pan. Drizzle 2 teaspoons oil over chicken breast. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Place broccoli rabe and potatoes in large bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup oil; toss to coat. Transfer vegetables to large rimmed baking sheet and spread out in even layer.

Roast chicken on center oven rack 25 minutes. Add 3/4 cup broth to pan with chicken and place potatoes and broccoli on lower oven rack. Roast chicken until instantread thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if pan is dry, 45 to 55 minutes longer. Let rest 15 minutes.

Continue roasting vegetables until potatoes are tender and slightly browned and broccoli rabe stems are crisp-tender and leaves are crisp but not browned, tossing occasionally, about 10 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Tilt chicken to allow juices from cavity to pour into roasting pan. Discard heart and gizzard. Strain pan juices into heatproof measuring cup, pressing on solids to force garlic through strainer into cup. Spoon fat from surface of juices. Add wine to pan juices. Return mixture to roasting pan. Stir over medium heat until jus is heated through, scraping up browned bits, about 1 minute. Squeeze enough juice from second lemon half to measure 2 teaspoons; add to jus. Stir in chopped parsley. Season jus to taste with salt and pepper.

Carve chicken; divide among plates. Spoon potatoes and broccoli rabe alongside. Drizzle jus over chicken and serve.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Molly Stevens, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roast-chicken-with-broccoli-rabe-fingerling-potatoes-and-garlic-parsley-jus-355199

.

Massaged Kale Salad with Radish, Apple, Avocado, and Roasted Sunflower Seeds

• 1 bunch kale
• 1/2-1 teaspoons sea salt
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice (one whole lemon)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 apple (cored and sliced)
• 6 radishes (sliced)
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds

1. Rinse off the kale, Cut crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces, including stems if using dinosaur kale. Sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and begin to squeeze the kale and salt vigorously with your hands so that the kale softens and moisture begins to sweat out. Taste it to see if you need any more salt, which you probably will. Massage the kale until it’s moist and tender.
2. Mix together the lemon juice, honey, and ginger, and combine with the kale. Toss together. Slice up the apple into small chunks, the radish, the avocado, add the roasted sunflower seeds and some pepper–toss it and serve.
3. *to roast sunflower seeds, put into a shallow pan, preheat your oven onto 350 degrees F and bake for 10-15 minutes. For lighter a roast, 10 minutes, for a darker roast, 15 minutes. Enjoy!

From Food52 by ‘Eating is Art’, http://food52.com/recipes/8753-massaged-kale-salad-with-radish-apple-avocado-and-roasted-sunflower-seeds#comments

.

.