Welcome to the 23rd week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Salad Mix
  
• Carrots
  
• Broccoli
• Celery – best used in soups or stews
• Cauliflower
  
• Mixed Tomatoes
• Kennebec Potatoes
• Sweet Peppers or Poblano Peppers
  
• Leeks
  
• Brussels Sprouts
• Potimarron Winter Squash – a denser squash with a flaky texture, great for soups and even pie!
  

The sun made an appearance for a brief moment after a grey, drizzly harvest day.  It brought with it a sliver of blue sky and an attempted double rainbow.  Not bad for a Monday.

We’re excited for this week’s selection.  Like the shift in weather, this week’s share is a shift in seasonal eating.  We’ve got a great line-up of fall vegetables headed your way including Brussels sprouts, leeks, celery, and Potimarron winter squash.  Time to fire up the oven for roasting your way through the share.  Or perhaps the damp weather calls for soup, stew, curry, or chowder.  Either way we hope you’re excited to get cooking with some new ingredients  added in with the staples.

This past week we’ve jumped into project mode here on the farm.  Jeff and our (super part-time) employee Daniel finished clearing out the summer crops and drip irrigation from two of our field houses and managed to replace the plastic on both.  It’s amazing what some shiny new plastic can do for a greenhouse, they almost look brand new.  Now let’s hope the winter weather in the months ahead doesn’t take too much of a toll on the new plastic.  Jeff worked on adding end walls to these houses over the weekend.  For years we’ve only had open-ended field houses but we’re hoping to extend their cold weather usefulness by adding ends to them.   Covered space is premium on the farm, especially in wet weather, but closed in dry space is that much better.

While Jeff worked on the field houses, I tackled the shelling of our flour corn.  Those of you with kids who have come to one of the fall CSA potlucks might recall our hand crank corn sheller.  It’s a beast that makes the work of getting kernels off dried corn easier, but still requires a lot of cranking.  I’m happy to report our corn is taking up a lot less storage space now that it’s off the cob.  We look forward to sharing corn flour with you in upcoming CSA shares.

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:

3-Ingredient Sweet and Smoky Brussels Sprouts

• 4 ounces bacon (about 4 slices), cut crosswise into 1/4″ strips
• 2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
• 1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup dates, pitted, chopped

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until partially crisped, 5–7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels, reserving fat in skillet.

Add 2 Tbsp. oil to fat and heat over medium. Working in batches and adding more oil if needed, add brussels sprouts in a single layer, cut side down, and sear, without stirring, until well-browned, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, toss to coat, then stir in bacon and dates. Stir in 3/4 cup water, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, mashing dates with the back of a wooden spoon, until dates have dissolved and brussels sprouts are well-glazed, about 2 minutes.

From Epicurious by Molly Baz, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/3-ingredient-sweet-and-smoky-brussels-sprouts

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Cream of Cauliflower Soup

• 2 leeks, including 2 inches of green, roots trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 celery rib, with extra leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (more if necessary)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 head cauliflower, cored and broken into florets
• 1 cup half-and-half
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Cut leeks in half lengthwise. Wash to remove dirt. Pat dry and thinly slice crosswise.

2. Heat the oil with the butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Wilt the leeks and celery with leaves until softened, 10 minutes; add garlic during the last 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the curry powder and ginger, and cook over very low heat to permeate the vegetables, 1 minute.

4. Add the broth, lemon juice, and cauliflower florets. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

5. Purée in a food processor until very smooth, adding half-and-half through the feed tube. Add extra broth for desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

From Epicurious via Parade by Sheila Lukins, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cream-of-cauliflower-soup-350616

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Winter Squash Agrodolce

• 1 (2 pound) kabocha squash (such as Potimarron), peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1″ wedges
• 2 delicata or dumpling squashes, seeds removed, cut into 1″ wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 2 Fresno chiles, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped
• 1 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place kabocha and delicata squash on separate large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until squashes are golden brown and tender, 30–35 minutes for kabocha and 20-25 minutes for delicata.

Meanwhile, bring chiles, vinegar, honey, raisins, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until syrupy, 8–10 minutes.

Brush half of warm agrodolce over warm squash. Transfer to a platter.

Just before serving, reheat remaining agrodolce, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen. Spoon over squash.

Do ahead: Dish can be made 3 hours ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Chris Morocco, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/winter-squash-agrodolce

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