Welcome to the 26th week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Red Cabbage
  
• Orange Beets
  
• Sugarloaf Chicory – on the sweeter end of the bitter chicories, sugarloaf can be chopped into a salad or drizzled with olive oil and roasted whole.
  
• Rainbow Carrots
  
• Chard
  
• Rutabaga
  
• Mixed Sweet Peppers
• Onion
• Leeks
• Spaghetti Squash
  
• Curly Parsley – We enjoyed the beet/parsley recipe down below this past week!
  
• Pears – we’ve had reports of some issues with past pears.  These are the last of our pears in storage and seem to be softer and riper.

One more week to fill out our annual CSA member survey.  Please take a few minutes to tell us how the CSA season has gone for you and how we might improve the experience.  Click here to head to the survey.

Also, are you looking for for more vegetables for your Thanksgiving meal or hoping to stock up on some staple items before the end of the Summer CSA?  We’re offering a holiday harvest for pick-up next week. Check your weekly member email for the details.

Here’s our sketch of what should  be in next week’s share to help you with your order:

Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, Carrots, Pie Pumpkin, Onion, Garlic, Celery, Collards, Corn Flour, Fall Salad Mix

There’s mountain snow in the weather forecast and we’re expecting our first frost of the season Friday morning.  We usually expect a frost in mid-October and plan and plant accordingly but the past few years have seen a delay in the arrival of the first frost.  As we’ve waited for the cold weather, we’ve watched our fall and winter field crops continue to grow.  We try to time our plantings of overwintering crops to be developed enough to hold through winter, but not so tall that they’re vulnerable to low temperatures.  At this point it’s a gamble and we’ll just have to wait and see how the winter weather plays out.

Ideally we would have several frost events before our first hard freeze,  helping plants acclimate over time to the cold weather ahead. Last year our first frost was followed the next night by a hard freeze, which was shocking to us and to the vegetables.  In recent weeks we’ve spent some time harvesting and washing root vegetables for storage and will be ready when the cold weather finally arrives.  For now, we’ll embrace the first frost of the season and simultaneously appreciate the the flowers and herbs that have yet to be frosted out.

This week has been full of chores and projects that have been patiently waiting in the wings.  Jeff and our employee Daniel began the end-of-season work of cleaning up the tomato house.  The plants are removed, the trellising dismantled, the drip tape stored away until next year.  I worked to consolidate the winter squash haul, freeing up a little space in the barn and getting a good handle on our numbers as we shift CSA seasons.  It’s also that time of year when I start spending time organizing our records and making notes about the tax season ahead.  Small farming is also small businessing, and business always means paperwork and records.  Jeff spent much of this weekend as farm mechanic, attempting to figure out why our 1947 Farmall Cub cultivating tractor suddenly decided to stop starting.  Luckily a friend and CSA member with mechanic skills was able to spend Sunday afternoon here at the farm and help out.  By Sunday evening the Cub was running better than ever.  Success!  Now we’re ready to use the tractor to grind corn for next week’s share!

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you next week for the last Summer CSA pick-up!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Tagliatelle with Shredded Beets, Sour Cream, and Parsley

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups (packed) coarsely grated peeled uncooked beets (about 3 large)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 12 ounces tagliatelle or fettuccine
• 1 8-ounce container sour cream (we made this with plain yogurt this week and it was just as tasty!)
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided

Melt butter with oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; stir until pale golden, about 1 minute. Add beets and cayenne; reduce heat to medium-low and sauté just until beets are tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in sour cream and 4 tablespoons parsley, then beet mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and serve.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tagliatelle-with-shredded-beets-sour-cream-and-parsley-109365

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Spaghetti Squash with Sausage Filling

• 1 3 3/4- to 4-pound spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups purchased marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Wrap squash halves in plastic wrap. Cook 1 at a time in microwave on high until tender, about 8 minutes. Pierce plastic to allow steam to escape. Cool. Meanwhile, sauté sausage, bell pepper, onion and garlic in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage browns and vegetables are tender, breaking up sausage with back of spoon, about 12 minutes. Mix in marinara sauce.

Using fork, pull out squash strands from shells, leaving shells intact. Mix squash strands into sausage mixture. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon filling into squash shells. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover; refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange filled squash halves on baking sheet. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake uncovered until heated through, about 20 minutes (30 minutes if previously chilled). Cut each squash half in two and serve.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spaghetti-squash-with-sausage-filling-5673

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Root Vegetable Hash with Poached Eggs and Parsley Pesto

Pesto

• 2 cups (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves (from 2 bunches)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled

Hash

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound)
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled parsnips
• 2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled rutabagas
• 1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled carrots
• 1/2 cup 1/2-inch dice red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 4 large eggs

For pesto:

Blend all ingredients in processor until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

For hash:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss potatoes and next 5 ingredients on prepared sheet; spread in single layer. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring and turning occasionally, about 45 minutes. Stir in garlic; roast 5 minutes longer. Mix in green onions. Fill large skillet halfway with generously salted water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to maintain steady simmer. Crack eggs, 1 at a time, into custard cup, then slide eggs into simmering water. Poach eggs until softly set, about 3 minutes.

 

Divide hash among 4 plates. Using slotted spoon, top each serving with 1 poached egg. Drizzle with pesto.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Annie Somerville,  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/root-vegetable-hash-with-poached-eggs-and-parsley-pesto-108564

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