Welcome to the 1st week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Garlic Scapes – These are the immature flower stalks of garlic.  Grilled or sauteed, they’ll add flavor to any dish.
  
• Salad Mix – a mix of lettuce, arugula, and a little red veined spinach
• French Breakfast Radishes
  
• Carrots
• Spinach
  
• German Butterball Potatoes
• Snap Peas
• Cooking Greens Mix – a mix of baby kale, bok choy, and mizuna
• Strawberries – We’re excited to have salvaged last year’s strawberry plants from the winter weeds!  The recent heavy rains haven’t helped the berries hold, but luckily there’s just enough to share with you this week.  Eat ’em up quick!
  

Welcome to the seventh season of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA!  We’re  so glad you’ve decided to join us for the next 27 weeks of eating seasonally.  We’re excited to welcome back returning members and to welcome many new members to the group.

Everyone should have received an email from us this past week with a link to the CSA Member Resources page where you’ll find CSA member details, tips, and important dates, including those for this season’s upcoming on-farm events.  Please be sure to add those dates to your calendar for future reference.  Also, be sure to let us know if you didn’t receive the reminder email and we’ll get you added to the list.

In future newsletters we’ll attempt to keep you updated on farm happenings and give you a behind-the-scenes look at where your vegetables are grown.  We’ll also always include a few recipes for combinations of that week’s share items.  You can find this week’s recipes at the bottom of this page.  Need more suggestions?  We have an archive of recipes on our Recipe page if you need further inspiration and you can always join in the conversation in the P&C CSA Member Facebook group to query fellow members or suggest great recipes of your own.

Also we’re excited to introduce a new P&C CSA member resource for finding even more recipes, produce storage details, pick-up location information, and more – all in one place!  Thanks to a grant-funded project undertaken by the Siskiyou Sustainable Co-op in Southern Oregon we’re able to offer you access to a new open-source CSA member app/website that we’ve tailored for the P&C CSA.  You can find all the details the CSA Member App page.

As we begin the Summer CSA season, we hope you’re excited for the adventure ahead.  The greens of the spring will inevitably give way to the fruits of the summer over time, and hopefully we’ll have a few surprises along the way.  Thank you for choosing to support our farm as you also choose to eat seasonally, locally, and organically.  We leave you with this first share of the season, knowing you will create and eat good food.

Let’s get this season started!

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:

Radishes Poached in Chicken Stock and Butter

• 2 bunches of breakfast radishes
• 14 Tbsp [200 ml] chicken stock
• 4 1/2 Tbsp [60 g] unsalted butter
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the stalks from the radishes and wash thoroughly in cold water. Shake dry and place in a heavy-based medium pan that is large enough to comfortably hold the radishes and their cooking liquid.

Pour over the chicken stock and add the butter (don’t worry if the liquid doesn’t completely cover the radishes). Add a small pinch of salt and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until the radishes are almost tender, tossing them once or twice to coat in the cooking liquor; this should take no more than 8 minutes.

When the radishes are almost tender, turn up the heat slightly to reduce the liquor down until there is just enough to coat the radishes in a pale, glossy glaze. Spoon the radishes into a warm bowl, add a sprinkling of salt and a generous grinding of pepper and serve.

From The Spledid Table via Spring by Skye Gyngell, http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/radishes-poached-in-chicken-stock-and-butter

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Pasta with Garlic Scape Pesto

• 10 large garlic scapes
• 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound spaghetti

Make the pesto: Puree the garlic scapes, pistachios, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor until very finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the opening. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. (The pesto keeps in the fridge, covered, for 1 week or frozen for a month.)

In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta-cooking water, then drain the pasta. Whisk together 2/3 cup of the pesto and the reserved pasta water and toss with the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away.

From Epicurious via The Farm by Ian Knauer, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pasta-with-garlic-scape-pesto-395769

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Fried Greens Meatlessballs

• 1 bunch greens, about 10 cups loosely packed or 5oz/300g, see notes above
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• salt, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (or try garlic scapes)
  
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• 1 or 2 eggs
• oil for frying

1. Pulse greens in a food processor or finely chop with a knife—they should be small but not puréed or mushy. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil, onion, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cilantro, and cumin seeds. Stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add greens to pan and sauté for a minute or two, until they have wilted. Turn the mixture into a large bowl.
4. Let cool for five minutes, then add the breadcrumbs and feta. Mix well, then taste for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary—this is your chance to get the seasoning right while the mixture is egg-free. Crack one egg into the bowl and mix with your hands to incorporate. Squeeze a small ball of the mixture. If it holds together, begin portioning out the remaining mixture into small balls. If it doesn’t hold together, add another egg. I usually find one egg to be enough.
5. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add balls to pan—they should sizzle when they hit the oil—then turn heat down to medium or medium-low. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Use a fork to flip the balls to the other side and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

From Food52 by Alexandra Stafford, http://food52.com/recipes/37163-fried-greens-meatlessballs

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