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

• Mixed Spinach
  
• Hakurei Salad Turnips – These mild turnips are excellent raw in salads!
  
• Kohlrabi – A versatile vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked. Check out the pickle recipe at the bottom of the newsletter.
  
• Carrots
• Broccoli
  
• Red Ursa Kale
  
• Leeks Scapes – If left on the leeks, these stalks would eventually form flowers and seed.  Harvested at the scape stage they are a delicious spring treat that you can chop up and use just like you would onions or leeks.
  
• Sugar Snap Peas
  
• Spaghetti Squash – More of last fall’s winter squash on tap this week.
  

Hopefully your first week with the CSA was successful!  It was fun to see everyone last week at the pick-ups and to get this show on the road after so many months of planning and planting.  When it came time to put this newsletter together, I realized I didn’t have many photos from the past week, but it was another busy one here on the farm.

After harvest and distribution early in the week, it was time for our annual organic inspection on Thursday.  That means four hours of reviewing all the farm records including planting, seed purchasing, ground work, and fertilizing and a farm tour.  We went through the records and traced a crop (radishes this year) from the seed purchase in February to sowing in early May to harvest last week.  We also used the records to trace our organic fertilizer use from purchase to spreading in the field.  I was thankful for accurate records and systems that we’d put into place in years past!  I always look forward to the opportunity to have our records and systems reviewed by a third party and it was another successful inspection.

This weekend’s rain was a welcome change after not having any precipitation for weeks.  I definitely appreciated nature’s willingness to help get the farm caught up on irrigation.  I think we ended up getting around an inch and a quarter overall.  I’ll take it!  Rainy days are good for getting the next round of transplants started and catching up on paperwork.  Now it’s back to the fields!  The next succession of broccoli and cauliflower plus the Brussels sprouts are ready to find a home in the ground this week.  And this is the weediest time of the season, as we head toward the summer solstice and the days are still getting longer.  I see some cultivating in my future!

Enjoy the vegetables!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Sugar Snap Peas and Pasta

• 1 lb sugar snap peas, trimmed and strings discarded
• 1 lb penne
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup) plus additional for serving

Cook sugar snaps in an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes, then transfer 1 cup sugar snaps to a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Transfer cooled sugar snaps to a cutting board. Cook sugar snaps remaining in pot until tender, about 2 1/2 minutes more, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Measure out and save 1 cup cooking water, reserving remaining water in pot.

Return cooking water in pot to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, then drain in colander. While pasta is cooking, cut 1 cup sugar snaps (on cutting board) crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Purée half of sugar snaps from bowl, half of garlic paste, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 cup cheese, and 1/4 cup saved cooking water in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then force purée with a rubber spatula through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Purée another batch in same manner, forcing through sieve into bowl, and add cut sugar snaps.

Toss hot pasta with sugar snap sauce and, if necessary, enough of remaining 1/2 cup saved cooking water to thin sauce to desired consistency, then season pasta with salt and pepper.

From Epicurious via Gourmet, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sugar-snap-peas-and-pasta-231793

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Kohlrabi Pickles with Chile Oil

• 1 pound small kohlrabies, peeled, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chile oil
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Toss kohlrabies and salt in a large bowl to coat; chill, tossing occasionally, 30 minutes. Drain, then toss in a clean large bowl with garlic, cilantro, vinegar, chile oil, lime zest, lime juice, sesame seeds, fish sauce, sugar, and sesame oil to combine.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit by Andy Baraghani, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kohlrabi-pickles-with-chile-oil

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Spaghetti Squash Fritters

• 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash, strands separated (from 1 large squash)
• 1/3 cup arrowroot starch/flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 green onion, sliced (try the leek scapes here)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 large eggs
• 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut oil or cooking fat of your choice

Place the squash in a large bowl. If it’s too moist, wrap it in some paper towels and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Add the arrowroot starch/flour, salt, green onion, and bacon and stir to combine well.

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl, then add them to the squash mixture and stir to combine.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the pan, and when it’s hot, spoon the squash mixture to form fritters of your desired size; 1/4 cup per fritter works well.

When the fritters are crispy and browned on one side, about 5 minutes, use a spatula to flip them and continue cooking on the other side until crisped, about 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.

From Epicurious via Weeknight Paleo by Julie Mayfield & Charles Mayfield, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spaghetti-squash-fritters

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