Welcome to the 27th and final week of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share:

• Brussels Sprouts
  
• LaRatte Fingerling Potatoes – We ran short on time and these potatoes are unwashed.  Thanks for understanding!
  
• Mizuna
  
• Carrots
  
• Celeriac (that didn’t make into the photo, whoops!)
  
• Pie Pumpkin
• Blue Kuri (Salem) or Buttercup (Lebanon) Winter Squash – Both varieties have dry flesh and a sweet, rich flavor.  Great roasted or for pie or soup.
• Yellow Onion
• Garlic
• Collards
• Corn Flour/ Cornmeal – We use this in the cornbread recipe below and love it!  This week’s corn flour is a mix of several types of dry corn we grew, so it should be unique and thanks to the diversity of the corn it will be an array of colors!
  

Given this is our final week of the 2016 Summer CSA season, I’d meant to have a lengthy discussion of some stats we’ve kept this year and the member survey results.  Unfortunately, time is short and it’s just not going to happen this week.  Hopefully most of you got one or more of our messages via email or Facebook about Jeff’s accident last night.  I don’t think there’s a good time to break your leg, but at the end of the CSA season may be the best timing if we had to choose.

Although this final share may not be exactly what we’d hoped a week ago, we feel it’s our best effort given the circumstances.  Gladly we had worked over the weekend to get some items ready to go, like grinding the corn flour.  But really this share wouldn’t have been possible without harvest help from our friends Sarah and Jo!  These two ladies volunteered their day to harvest your Brussels sprouts, collards, and mizuna while Jeff and I attempted to track down surgeons, medical records, prescriptions, and crutches via phone and a half day drive that had us at medical offices in Springfield, Albany, and finally Corvallis.  We found success at the end of the day, and Jeff heads into surgery bright and early Friday morning.

One CSA member noted that this “sounds like a major disturbance to your winter plans” and I couldn’t have said it better.  You just never know what’s around the corner.  Please know that we’re committed to our Winter CSA members and will do whatever is necessary to transition to the Winter CSA season without a hitch.  Luckily we’ve got a couple of weeks to figure out just what that means.  For now we appreciate all the kind words and offers of help.  I feel stronger just knowing we have this community surrounding us.

Enjoy the vegetables!  We’ll see Winter CSA member in two weeks for the first pick-up of the season!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Perfect Cornbread

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 – 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cooking oil or melted butter
• Honey (optional)

 

• Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• Add the 1 tablespoon butter to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, a 9×1 1/2-inch round baking pan, or an 8x8x2-inch square baking pan. Place in the preheated oven about 3 minutes or until butter melts. Remove pan from oven; swirl butter in pan to coat bottom and sides of pan.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour batter into hot skillet or pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cut into wedges or squares. Serve warm. If desired, drizzle with honey. Makes 8 to 10 pieces.

From Better Homes and Gardens, http://www.bhg.com/recipe/quickbreads/corn-bread/

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Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux

Coarse sea salt
2 large bunches collard greens, ribs removed, cut into a Chiffonade, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

In a large pot over high heat, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoons salt. Add the collards and cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water to cool the collards.

Remove the collards from the heat, drain, and plunge them into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking and set the color of the greens. Drain by gently pressing the greens against a colander.

In a medium-size sauté pan, combine the olive oil and the garlic and raise the heat to medium. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the collards, raisins, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add orange juice and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Do not overcook (collards should be bright green). Season with additional salt to taste if needed and serve immediately. (This also makes a tasty filling for quesadillas.)

From Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine, Bryant Terry

Also available here: http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/sides_citrus_collards.shtml

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Quick Winter Squash Soup with Spicy Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1. For soup:
   • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
   • 3 shallots, finely chopped
   • 2 (12-ounce) packages frozen winter squash purée, thawed
   • 3 cups chicken stock
2. For pumpkin seeds:
   • 1 tablespoon olive oil
   • 3/4 cup raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds
   • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
   • Pinch of cayenne pepper
3. To finish:
   • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest
   • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1. Make soup:
   1. In large saucepan over moderately high heat, melt butter. Add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in squash and stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until soup thickens, about 30 minutes.
2. While soup simmers, make pumpkin seeds:
   1. In small skillet over moderately high heat, heat oil. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until seeds begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cumin and cayenne pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl and season with generous pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt.
3. Finish and serve:
   1. When soup has thickened, remove from heat and stir in lime zest and juice. Season with kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ladle into bowls, garnish with pumpkin seeds, and serve.