Welcome to the 8th share of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Red Cabbage
  
• Orange Beets
  
• Cauliflower – orange and white this week
  
• Mixed Cucumbers – Persian, picklers, and lemon!
• Fennel
  
• Salad Mix – a mix of several lettuces
  
• Sweet Onion
  
• Mixed Summer Squash – choose from Dark Star zucchini, Magda cousa, and yellow straightneck summer squash
• Sweet Corn
• Shishito Peppers – Just the first handful of of these delicious little ‘roulette’ peppers. Some are hot, most are not.  They are delicious however you eat them, but blistered in hot oil and tossed with a little salt is our favorite.  Click here for that recipe.
• Tomatoes – slicers and cherries!
  

First off, many thanks to the folks that made their way out to the farm for the open house.  It was a fun afternoon of good food, kite flying, kiddie pool fun, and a farm tour.  Hopefully you had a good time too!  We’ll do it again the first weekend in October, so if you didn’t make it this time you’ve got another chance.

This past week has been a blur of weeding and harvest and irrigating.  July is the height of the season as the planting continues, the weeds take over, and harvesting can be epic.  Lucky for me Jeff got our Farmall Cub cultivating tractor back in action and I was able to take it through some beds that otherwise would have needed the hoe.  Any efficiencies found in July are welcome!  The week ahead will be more of the same.  It’s time to dig deep and wrestle some measure of control back into the farmscape.

Enjoy the vegetables!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Roasted Cauliflower with Onions and Fennel

• 1 medium head of cauliflower (about 1 1/4 pounds), cored, cut into 1-inch florets
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 medium onions (about 1/2 pound each), halved lengthwise, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges with some core still attached, peeled
• 2 fresh fennel bulbs (about 1 pound total), halved lengthwise, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide wedges with some core still attached
• 8 small garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 15 fresh marjoram sprigs

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Toss cauliflower and 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to rimmed baking sheet.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet. Add onion wedges. Cook until browned on 1 side, about 3 minutes. Using spatula, carefully transfer onions to baking sheet with cauliflower, arranging wedges browned side up. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet. Add fennel; sauté until fennel softens slightly and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to same baking sheet. Scatter garlic and marjoram over vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are caramelized, about 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-cauliflower-with-onions-and-fennel-237336

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Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

• medium red beets, tops trimmed
• 2 medium golden beets, tops trimmed
• 3 blood oranges
• 1 medium navel orange (preferably Cara Cara)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline
• 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced on a mandoline (about 1/3 cup)
• Good-quality extra-virgin olive, pumpkin seed, or walnut oil (for drizzling)
• Coarse sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro and/or chervil leaves

Preheat oven to 400°. Wash beets, leaving some water on skins. Wrap individually in foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from all oranges; discard. Working over a medium bowl, cut between membranes of 2 blood oranges to release segments into bowl; squeeze juice from membranes into bowl and discard membranes. Slice remaining blood orange and Cara Cara orange crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in bowl with the segments. Add lemon juice and lime juice.

Peel cooled beets. Slice 2 beets crosswise into thin rounds. Cut remaining 2 beets into wedges. Strain citrus juices; reserve. Layer beets and oranges on plates, dividing evenly. Arrange fennel and onion over beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over, then drizzle salad generously with oil. Season to taste with coarse sea salt and pepper. Let salad stand for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish salad with cilantro leaves.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit Test Kitchen, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/blood-orange-beet-and-fennel-salad-378345

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Beet and Red Cabbage Slaw

• 6 medium beets, trimmed
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2/3 cup corn oil
• 8 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about half of large head)
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh dill
• Lettuce leaves
• 3 large carrots, peeled, coarsely grated (about 3 cups)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets in foil, enclosing completely. Bake beets until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool. Peel and coarsely grate beets. Whisk vinegar, sugar, mustard and caraway seeds in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Add cabbage, onion and grated beets to dressing and toss to coat. Let stand 45 minutes, tossing occasionally. Stir in dill. Season generously with salt and pepper. Line large bowl with lettuce. Mix 2 1/2 cups carrots into cabbage mixture. Spoon salad atop lettuce in bowl. Sprinkle remaining grated carrots over and serve.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/beet-and-red-cabbage-slaw-101845

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