Welcome to the 13th week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:
- Cilantro
- Rainbow Carrots
- Salad Mix
- ‘Summertime’ Crisphead Head Lettuce
- Green Beans
- Eggplant
- Broccoli
- Green Bell Peppers
- Sweet Onions
- Cucumbers – choose from slicers, and picklers
- Summer Squash
- Tomatoes – Pints of cherries and slicers both!
- Asian Pears/Plums
Pig Update: Many thanks for the quick interest in our pork availability that we announced last week. All the pigs are now spoken for, but please let us know if you’d like to be on the back-up list in case someone is unable to follow through with their purchase.
The summer CSA season lasts 27 weeks, so sometime between this week and next we’ll be hitting the halfway mark! In some ways it feels like we just started the season – wasn’t yesterday the end of May? And in others it feels like we’re right where we should be – I certainly feel like we’ve been working very long days for weeks on end. The early season jitters associated with us wondering just what was going to be in the share from week to week have been replaced with a weekly paring down of the long list of available crops. We’re smack dab in the middle of the growing season, and the produce is bumping.
We hope you’ve been enjoying the CSA thus far. We’re looking forward to the continued diversity of crops we’ll be sharing with you over the next weeks and months, as we push through the summer heat towards the fall and through the second half of this CSA season.
This week we survived the heat. We weeded and irrigated and harvested and planted and irrigated some more. We made it through our last major transplanting push of the season as our fall/winter chicories and some fennel and lettuce found a home in the field. Some peppers and celeriac were weeded, apples and pears were picked, and our parsley seed crop was cut to dry for threshing. Ground was worked for fall cover cropping and fields were mowed. The To Do list is long this time of year, and the hot afternoons make progress slow, but we continue to push on and each finished task is celebrated. In the cold and dark of February we’ll be thankful for the work we managed to get done now, the chicories making up winter salad mix and cover crops covering the uncroppd ground.
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:
Fried Eggplant, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems
- 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves with tender stems
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 small green chiles, such as Thai, seeds removed, chopped, divided
- 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
- 3/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 medium eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
- Vegetable oil (for frying; about 2 cups)
- 1 pound small tomatoes (about 8), cut into wedges
- 1/2 pound Persian cucumbers (about 3), sliced
Purée cilantro, parsley, garlic, half of chiles, and 1/4 cup olive oil in a blender or food processor until very smooth; season herb oil with salt and set aside.
Whisk yogurt, lemon juice, and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl; season with salt and set yogurt sauce aside.
Place eggplants in a colander set in the sink; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Let sit 30 minutes to drain, then pat dry.
Fit a medium pot with thermometer; pour in vegetable oil to measure 2″. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 375°.
Working in batches and returning oil to 375° between batches, fry eggplants, turning often, until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggplants to paper towels to drain; season with salt. Let cool.
Combine eggplants in a large bowl with tomatoes, cucumbers, and remaining chiles; drizzle with some reserved herb oil and toss to combine. Season salad with salt.
Spoon reserved yogurt sauce onto a platter, top with salad, and drizzle with more herb oil.
Do ahead: Herb oil and yogurt sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill separately.
From Epicurious via Bon Appétit b
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Blistered Green Beans with Garlic and Miso
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons white miso
- 1 tablespoon coconut or agave nectar
- 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- 1 1/2 pounds haricots verts or green beans, trimmed
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Flaky sea salt, freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Mix garlic, lime juice, miso, and coconut nectar in a small bowl to combine. Set garlic mixture aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add green beans and cook, undisturbed, until beginning to blister, about 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, tossing often, until tender and blistered in spots, 8–12 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat, pour in garlic mixture, and toss green beans to coat. Add red pepper flakes; season with sea salt and black pepper. Transfer to a platter and top with cilantro.
From Epicurious via Bon Appétit b , http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/blistered-green-beans-with-garlic-and-miso
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Zucchini “Noodles” with Eggplant and Tomatoes
- 2 medium zucchini (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks
- 2 medium yellow squash (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup (packed) basil leaves, chopped, divided
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 large long Chinese eggplants (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1/4″ slices on the bias
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, divided
- 1/4 cup pitted cured black olives, halved, divided
- 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced
Place zucchini and squash in a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. salt and toss to combine. Let sit 10 minutes, then shake in strainer, pressing gently, to remove any excess liquid.
Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, honey, pepper, 1/2 cup basil, 3 Tbsp. oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl.
Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic until it begins to sizzle and turn golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with dressing. Increase heat to medium-high, add eggplant and 1 cup tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is browned and cooked through and tomatoes begin to burst, about 6–8 minutes. Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and transfer to bowl with dressing.
Cut remaining 1 cup tomatoes in half lengthwise and add to bowl with dressing. Add zucchini and squash; gently toss to combine. Add 3 Tbsp. olives and 2 Tbsp. basil, then transfer with tongs to a platter, letting extra liquid drain and remain in bowl. Lay mozzarella on 1 end of platter and drizzle with oil. Top dish with remaining 2 Tbsp. basil and 1 Tbsp. olives.
From Epicurious by
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One response to “summer csa share – week 13”
You can put us on the back up list for the pork. We didn’t notice the email last week. Thanks! Brooke and Cliff Serres