Welcome to the 21st week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Romaine Head Lettuce
  
• Carrots
  
• Mustard Greens – Pork and beans and mustard greens, you cannot go wrong – says Jeff
  
• German Butterball Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
  
• Tomatillos
• Korean Hot Peppers
• Shishito Peppers 
• St. Helens Garlic – A family heirloom variety from Washington, St. Helens garlic is hot when eaten raw but has a more subtle, nutty flavor when roasted.
  
• Cilantro
• Slicing Cucumber
• Asian Pears

Our year-round farming efforts result in year-round harvests, but October really feels like the big harvest month.  Many of the long-season crops that have been growing and maturing all summer are ready to harvest now.  We started our winter squash back in May, transplanted it into the field in June, and this past week we brought it all in from the field for winter storage.  This harvest will see us through the remainder of the Summer CSA and (with good storage and a little luck) into 2017 through much of the Winter CSA.  We brought in 11 pallet bins of winter squash this year, including 13 different varieties, and we’re excited to start sharing them with you next week.

This weekend we also planted our garlic and overwintering onions.  I spent Saturday cracking garlic heads for the 4,200 cloves we needed.  We currently grow seven different varieties of garlic and it’s always a fun project to evaluate each type in turn as we get ready to plant again.  It’s also an interesting project to figure out how much garlic we’ll want to harvest next summer including what we’ll need for the CSA and what we’ll need for planting stock next fall.  Will 4,200 heads be enough next year?  I guess it might have to be now that we’ve planted it out.

The weather looks awfully wet this weekend, so we’ll see what projects we get to in the days ahead.  Likely there’s some greenhouse work and barn organization on tap.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you next week!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Chicken with Tomatillo and Cilantro Sauce

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked
• 3 serrano chiles, stemmed (or how about this weeks Korean Hot Peppers?)
• 2 whole skinless chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds), halved
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, toasted 5 minutes in dry cast-iron pan over medium heat

Move broiler rack into position closest to flame. Set broiler to medium. Place tomatillos and chiles on a rimmed baking sheet; broil until soft and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Turn; broil other side 5 minutes. Remove from broiler and transfer to a food processor; blend. Increase broiler heat to high. Place chicken on same baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil chicken until browned, about 9 minutes. Turn; broil other side 9 minutes. Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat; cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add pureed tomatillos and chiles; simmer uncovered, 2 minutes. Add cilantro and 1 teaspoon salt. Gently place chicken in sauce. Simmer, covered, until meat is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cilantro. Serve with Roasted Kabocha Squash With Cumin Salt .

From Epicurious via SELF adapted from Peter Hoffman, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-with-tomatillo-and-cilantro-sauce-243589

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Thai Coconut, Broccoli and Coriander Soup

• 1/3 cup store-bought green curry paste
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
• 3 cups water
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 pound broccoli florets, chopped
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves, plus more to serve
• 2 cups cilantro leaves
• 2 scallions, shredded
• Store-bought crispy shallots or onions, to serve

Place the curry paste in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Remove from the heat and add the spinach leaves and half the cilantro.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Divide among serving bowls and top with the extra spinach, remaining cilantro, scallions and shallots.

From Epicurious via Donna Hay Magazine by Donna Hay, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/thai-coconut-broccoli-and-coriander-soup-56390092

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Mashed Potatoes with Greens

• 1 9- to 10-ounce smoked ham hock
• 4 cups cold water
• 3/4 pound kale, stems removed and reserved, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1/4 pound mustard greens, stems discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, quartered
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup (about) whole milk
• 4 green onions, chopped

Combine ham hock and 4 cups cold water in large saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until ham is tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer hock to plate; cool. Remove meat from bone; chop meat.

If necessary, boil ham broth until reduced to 3 cups. Add kale stems. Cover and simmer over medium heat 10 minutes. Add kale leaves. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add mustard greens; cover and simmer until all greens are tender, occasionally submerging greens in broth, about 20 minutes. Uncover; simmer until broth is reduced almost to glaze, about 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Return potatoes and reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid to pot. Add butter and 3/4 cup whole milk. Mash potatoes until almost smooth, adding more milk if dry. Season potatoes to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon potatoes into large bowl. Make well in center of potatoes; spoon greens into well. Sprinkle with chopped ham and green onions and serve.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mashed-potatoes-with-greens-104293

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