Welcome to the 2nd week of the Pitchfork & Crow Winter CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share:

• Lacinato Kale – mixed bunches of my favorite two lacinato varieties: Dazzling Blue & Black Magic
  
• Yukon Gold Potatoes
  
• Celeriac (aka Celery Root) – After so many years of looking forward to celeriac season, I forget when folks are new to this particular root vegetable.  With the consistency of a potato or turnip, but an amazing celery flavor, this is one of my favorite winter eats in soups, mashed with potatoes, and roasted with its rooty friends.
  
• Carrots
  
• Garlic
  
• Calico Popcorn – You can knock the kernels off the cob and into a paper bag and pop this in the microwave.  We’ve had fun watching them pop on the cob too!  Most often we’ll use these directions and pop it on the stovetop.
  
• Pie Pumpkin
  
• Doran Round Butternut Squash
• Red Onions
  
• Brussels Sprouts
  
• Winter Salad Mix – mixed spinach, arugula, and tatsoi this week
  
• Dried Apples – Dried by Jeff!
  

Salem Members – Don’t forget that we’re meeting in the Willamette Univ. Sparks Center parking lot this week!  You’ll enter the parking lot from Bellevue St, across from The Ram restaurant and next to the soccer field.  Click here for a map.  Our usual location is going to be overrun with Magic at the Mill enthusiasts so we’re switching spots for this one pick-up.

Tomorrow  marks the Winter Solstice!  We’ve made it through the darkest days of this year and we’ll see a little more daylight each day going forward.  Although the Solstice is the beginning of winter, I’d say winter has already arrived in full force and I look forward to the longer days ahead.

After a couple of mild winters I’m remembering what winter farming can mean in the ice and snow.  This past week has been mostly a waiting game, hoping the thaw would arrive in time for this week’s harvest.  The warm rain showed up right on schedule, melting the snow and ice and making a Monday field harvest possible.  I admit I questioned the sanity of winter farming this week as the ice lingered.  The weather gods came through though, and the winter eating season continues.

Santa came to the farm early last week (ahead of the snow and ice) and brought a basket weeder!  Well, actually we bought it from our friend Marco who decided to sell it, but he did deliver.  We’ve talked about getting a basket weeder for a couple of years and when Marco was selling we couldn’t pass it up.  It’s ready to attach to our 1947 Farmall Cub cultivating tractor come spring!  We’re excited to add another tool to our weeding arsenal and use our tractor even more in an effort to minimize hoeing and hand weeding.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!  This year we’re especially thankful for your support as we strive to deliver on our Winter CSA commitments in the midst of Jeff’s broken leg and the uncertain winter weather ahead.  We can’t say it often enough that we appreciate you joining us at this seasonal eating party.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you in two weeks!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Roasted Celery Root, Red Onions, Mushrooms, and Sage

• 3 medium red onions (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 3 pounds celery root (sometimes called celeriac)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 pound small white mushrooms
• 1/2 pound assorted fresh exotic mushrooms such as chanterelles and Portobellos
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Cut onions into 1-inch pieces. With a sharp knife peel celery root and cut into 2- by 1/2-inch sticks. Divide celery root between 2 large roasting pans and toss each half with 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Roast celery root in upper and lower thirds of oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through roasting, 25 minutes total.

In a bowl toss mushrooms and onions with sage, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide mushroom mixture between pans, tossing with celery root, and roast, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through roasting, about 30 minutes total, or until all vegetables are tender and golden.

Season vegetables with salt and pepper.

From Epicurious via Gourmet, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-celery-root-red-onions-mushrooms-and-sage-14454

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3-Ingredient Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

• 1 pound whole wheat short pasta (such as penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or shells)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup pure pumpkin purée (you can bake your pie pumpkin, or any winter squash, for this purée)
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, bring cream to a simmer in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Whisk in pumpkin purée; season with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.

Add pasta and 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to skillet and cook, tossing to coat, until sauce has reduced, 3–4 minutes. Season with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Top with freshly ground pepper before serving.

From Epicurious by Dawn Perry, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/3-ingredient-creamy-pumpkin-pasta

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Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

For the Caesar dressing:

• 1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) canola oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the Brussels sprout salad:

• 1 1/4 pounds (570 g) Brussels sprouts
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) pieces
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 8 fresh chives, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces

Make the dressing:

In a blender, combine the cheese, egg yolks, anchovies, garlic, vinegar, the lemon zest and juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Blend until smooth and season with the salt. With the blender running on high, slowly drizzle in the canola oil until it is completely emulsified. The dressing should be very thick. Gradually add up to 1/2 cup (120 ml) water to thin it out; it should be looser than mayonnaise, but thicker than vinaigrette. Season with pepper and refrigerate until you prepare the salad. This will make 2 cups (480 ml) dressing that will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Make the Brussels sprouts:

Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C) and place a clean baking sheet in the oven to warm. Trim the bottoms of half of the Brussels sprouts and quarter them lengthwise. In a large bowl, toss them with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer them to the hot baking sheet and roast until they’re golden brown, about 15 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through cooking to flip the Brussels sprouts. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large work bowl with salted ice water. Cut the stems off the other half of the Brussels sprouts and separate the leaves. Blanch the leaves in the boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes, until they are bright green and barely tender, then remove them immediately to the ice water. Drain and place them on a clean dish towel to dry.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until browned, about 8 minutes. Drain off the fat and add the maple syrup to the pan. Stir to coat the bacon; remove it from the heat and set aside. When it is cool, break it into pieces.

Bring a small pot of water to boil and fill a bowl or another pot with cold water with a few ice cubes. Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Cook at a low boil for exactly 7 minutes. Remove the eggs to the cold water, then gently crack their shells; leave them submerged until completely cooled before peeling them and setting them aside.

Assemble the salad:

In a large salad bowl, toss the roasted and blanched Brussels sprouts with 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the dressing. Taste for salt and pepper. Transfer them to a serving plate and sprinkle with the bacon and chives. Slice the eggs in half and arrange them on the salad.

From The Splendid Table via Good Fork Cookbook by Sohui Kim with Rachel Wharton, https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/brussels-sprouts-caesar-salad

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