Welcome to the 5th week of the Pitchfork & Crow Winter CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share:

• Kale/Chard Mix
  
• Carola Potatoes  – Creamy, yellow-fleshed taters great for baking or frying.
  
• Carrots – Some of the sweetest carrots we’ve ever grown!
  
• Hakurei Salad Turnips – Our favorite when it comes to turnips!  A mild, juicy turnip we prefer to eat raw.
• Elephant Garlic – Don’t let the large cloves fool you!  Elephant garlic is related to leeks, and thus milder than the other varieties of garlic we grow.
  
• Gill’s Golden Pippin Winter Squash – These pepo varieties are beginning to lose their sweetness but are still tasty enough to enjoy without adding anything.  Eat up your pumpkins, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash before they’re past their prime.
  
• Butternut Winter Squash
  
• Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes) – These are roots of a sunflower variety.  We enjoy them shredded and sauteed but they’re good raw, roasted, and in soups too.  Please note that they contain high levels of the carbohydrate inulin, which is difficult for some folks to digest, but is thought to be a good alternative for diabetics looking to avoid starch.
  
• Red Onion
  
• Radicchio/Spinach/Lettuce/Tatsoi Mix
  
• Red Cabbage
  
• 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.

January is a strange time on the farm.  We’re still in the grip of winter, with temps often falling below freezing, but spring feels closer each day.  Although the days are lengthening and the few sunny days have been enticing, January means paperwork on the farm.  Crop planning, seed orders, business and personal taxes, farm loan paperwork.  From one thing to the next, there’s lots of forms and lots of screen time.  It’s also time to get back to the routine of farm work: seeding, planting, weeding.  We started the first seeds of 2017 this past weekend, which is always a momentous occasion.  Just a little spinach to start things off.  Soon we’ll be sowing tomatoes and onions and lettuce and the list goes on.

Last week a belated birthday gift arrived from Jeff for me.  He bought maple tapping equipment!  It’s been fun to tap into our single maple tree, a bigleaf maple at the front of the farm, and watch the sap slowly accumulate.  After the first 48 hours we’d collected a quart of sap, which we boiled down to two tablespoons of sugary goodness and promptly ate over pancakes.  Yum!

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:

Crispy Jerusalem Artichokes with Aged Balsamic Vinegar

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds small Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), scrubbed, quartered
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron (you’ll need a lid), over mediumhigh heat. Add Jerusalem artichokes and 1/4 cup water and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until Jerusalem artichokes are fork-tender, 8–10 minutes.

Uncover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until water is evaporated and Jerusalem artichokes begin to brown and crisp, 8–10 minutes longer; transfer to a platter.

Add rosemary and butter to skillet and cook, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns, about 4 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits. Spoon brown butter sauce and rosemary over Jerusalem artichokes.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/crispy-jerusalem-artichokes-with-aged-balsamic-51255110

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Corsican Greens Pie with Butternut Squash and Three Cheeses

• 12 ounces all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
• 3 celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (about 8 ounces) or mix of other greens like kale, beet tops, turnip tops, or spinach, stemmed, leaves coarsely chopped, and stalks sliced 1/2-inch thick
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped sage
• 2 tablespoons torn mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 6 tablespoons fresh ricotta, divided
• 12 wide, long ribbons of peeled butternut squash
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out pastry to 1/8-inch thickness, then cut it into a 12-inch-wide circle. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add onion, celery, chard stems, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a hearty grind of black pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chard leaves, garlic, and sage and cook until chard leaves are wilted, about 5 minutes more. Transfer vegetable mixture to a large bowl and stir in mint, parsley, feta, Pecorino, pine nuts, lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons of the ricotta. Set aside to cool, about 10 minutes.

Toss the squash ribbons (if using) with remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Spread vegetable mixture onto the pastry, leaving 1 1/4-inch border. Dollop remaining ricotta on the vegetable mixture and top with squash ribbons. Roll the pastry edges up around the side of the filling and pinch edges together to form a secure edge around the tart. Brush pastry with beaten egg and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Bake tart until pastry is golden and cooked through at the bottom, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

From Epicurious via Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/corsican-greens-pie-with-butternut-squash-and-three-cheeses-51253450

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Bratwurst and Red Cabbage

• 1 pound uncured bratwurst
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 12-ounce bottle Pilsner or other lager, divided
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1/2 medium head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red beet, peeled, coarsely grated
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoons ground allspice
• Freshly grated horseradish (for serving)

Prick bratwurst in several places with a knife and place in a large skillet. Add oil and half of beer, then add water until liquid comes a little over halfway up sides of sausages. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, turning once, until just barely cooked through, 12–15 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high; cook until liquid is evaporated, 5–10 minutes. Roll sausages to edge of skillet and add onion to center. Cook, turning sausages often and stirring onion occasionally, until sausages are browned and onion is soft, 5–8 minutes. Transfer sausages to a plate.

Add cabbage and beet to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until cabbage is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar, brown sugar, allspice, and remaining beer. Cover; cook until tender, 20–25 minutes. Serve sausages with cabbage mixture, topped with horseradish.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Claire Saffitz , http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/bratwurst-and-red-cabbage-51263820

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