Welcome to the 4th week of the Pitchfork & Crow Winter CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share:

• Leeks
  
• Rose Finn Apple Fingerling Potatoes
  
• Mixed Dry Beans – a mix of our green beans gone to seed and dry bean varieties.  Make sure to wash them and discard floaters and debris.
  
• Rainbow Carrots
  
• Rutabaga – these were harvested directly from the field yesterday.  That means they’ve been sweetened by the recent cold temps, but they’ve also been frozen.  They appear to have made it through unharmed, but don’t expect them to store as long as usual.  Eat them up sooner than later. 
  
• Garlic
  
• Candystick Delicata Winter Squash – We are nearing the end of the ideal storage life of the Pepo winter squashes including delicatas, acorns, and pumpkins.  Eat them up before they dehydrate and lose their sweetness and creamy texture.
  
• Black Futsu Winter Squash – perhaps my favorite of the winter squashes, Black Futsu is a Japanese heirloom.  It’s related to butternuts and has a similar but unique flavor.  It’s a good storer and is great in pies, or however you like to use your butternuts.
  
• Yellow & Red Onions
  
• Castelfranco/Chioggia Chicory Mix – please, please, please eat this chicory – even if you don’t think you like chicory.  The recent cold temps have sweetened it beyond belief!  We’ve been mixing chopped chicory with pasta or rice for a warm salad and loving it!
  
• Brussels Sprouts – these may take a little work because the cold temps tend to damage them a little, but it’s worth it for the sweet, tasty sprouts.  Had the weather warmed up sooner, we would have endeavored to get them off the stalk and cleaned up for you.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
  
• Dried Apples – Dried by Jeff!
  

Summer 2017 CSA Membership Open – The planting plan is set, the seeds are ordered, and we’re in it for another season!  We’d love for you to join us for 27 weeks of Summer & Fall vegetables from May through November.  All the details and a link to the sign-up form can be found over on the Summer CSA page.

The last couple of winters were awfully mild, which may be why this winter feels so much more, wintry, in comparison.  The Arctic blasts seem to be on repeat causing the temperatures to hover around freezing.  It seems that we’ve been spared the worst of the weather thus far though.  The farm has been locked in the freezer for a week, but we have friends in Portland that got 12 inches of snow last week and are still waiting for the melt to happen to see how their crops have fared.  Farming in the winter is not for the faint at heart.  We thank you for your dedication to seasonal eating, even through the dark and frozen days of winter.

As the weather outside did its freezing thing, we hunkered down inside and got through the upcoming season’s crop planning.  This annual project is always daunting to begin but it’s also worthwhile time spent reviewing the past season and dreaming of the possibilities in the season ahead.  We now have a giant spreadsheet detailing what crops we’ll be growing, what varieties will be included, when they’ll be started and transplanted, projections for harvest dates, and where they’ll all be growing on the farm.  We’ll be starting the first seeds of the season soon and then we’ll be off to the races.

In broken leg news, Jeff had his 6 week post-surgery check-in this past week.  The new x-rays showed that his bones are beginning to heal and the doctor thought his flexibility, level of swelling, and surgery cuts are all looking good.  He gave him permission to begin putting weight on the broken leg and walking with one or no crutches as his pain levels allow.  He’s slowly getting back in the farming game and was able to help out with the harvest more this week.  It turns out dry bags aren’t just for keeping your valuables dry on a canoeing trip, but they come in handy when you need to keep your spiffy walking cast dry too.

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:

Carrots and Rutabagas with Lemon and Honey

• 1 1/4 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips
• 1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

Cook rutabagas in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Drain.

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add lemon juice, honey, and peel. Bring to boil. Add vegetables; cook until glazed, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Mix in fresh chives.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/carrots-and-rutabagas-with-lemon-and-honey-105812

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Maple-Roasted Delicata Squash with Red Onion

• 3 medium Delicata squash (about 3 pounds), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 2 medium red onions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch rings
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Arrange the racks in the upper and lower rungs in the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F degrees. Place the squash, red onion, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper; toss to coat.

Spread vegetables evenly onto two large, rimmed baking sheets. Bake the squash on the upper and lower racks of the oven, tossing, rotating, and switching the pan positions half way through cooking, until tender and browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Taste and season again with more salt and pepper, if desired.

From Epicurious by Leah Koenig, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/maple-roasted-delicata-squash-with-red-onion-51258430

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Frisee and Endive Salad with Warm Brussels Sprouts and Toasted Pecans

• 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup minced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts (preferably small), trimmed and halved lengthwise (quartered if large)
• 1/2 cup pecan halves, halved lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz frisée, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces (4 cups)
• 3 Belgian endives (1 lb), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices (or sub the chicory here)

Make vinaigrette:

Whisk together vinegar, water, mustard, shallot, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking.

Make salad:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) in lower third of oven, about 3 minutes. Toss sprouts in pan with butter, pecans, and salt. Arrange sprouts, cut sides down, in 1 layer and roast in lower third of oven until undersides of sprouts are golden and nuts are fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes.

Whisk vinaigrette, then transfer warm sprouts and nuts to a large bowl and toss with frisée, endive, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Serve immediately.

From Epicurious via Gourmet, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/frisee-and-endive-salad-with-warm-brussels-sprouts-and-toasted-pecans-107362

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