Winter CSA Share – #3 – pitchfork & crow

Welcome to the 3rd share of the Pitchfork & Crow Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

Rainbow Chard
LaRatte Fingerling Potatoes
Hakurei Salad Turnips – Salad turnips are delicious raw in salads or on their own, but they’re also tasty roasted or in soups.
Brussels Sprouts
Spinach/Tatsoi Mix – Similar to the spinach mix of two weeks back, but with a little more tatsoi in added this time.
Cilantro
Shallots
Leeks
Blue Kuri or Sweet Mama Kabocha Winter Squash
Dried Ancho Poblano Peppers – Dried ripe poblano peppers are known as ancho poblanos and are used for making sauces and chile powder. Check out this recipe for Ancho Chile Sauce!

It’s January and in the world of CSAing that means making plans for the season ahead and swinging open the CSA membership doors to welcome folks to join up for the vegetable adventure ahead! So here we go: 2019 Summer/Fall CSA memberships are officially open! You can find all the details and a sign-up form over on the Summer CSA page.

2019 P&C Summer CSA Season at a Glance:

$728 for 6 months of local, seasonal, organic vegetables (26 weeks, June thru the week of Thanksgiving)
A mix of 8-12 vegetables and fruits each week
A diverse selection of vegetables, including many open-pollinated varieties
Two convenient pick-up options: near downtown Salem, at the Willamette Heritage Center, and in Lebanon at the farm.

After some debate about changing things up, we’ve decided to keep the CSA much the same as it has been. We’ve added a week to the season, to extend it from the beginning of June through the week of Thanksgiving, but otherwise things should look very familiar to current and past members. We’ll continue to have two market-style pick-up options, one in Salem and one here at the farm in Lebanon. We’ll continue to grow a wide range of vegetables for seasonal diversity. We’ll continue to invite you out to the farm a couple of times throughout the season and post newsletters each week to keep you up-to-date on farm happenings.

Perhaps the biggest change on the farm this next season will be the return of Jeff! As I mentioned in the last update, we’ve decided the farm could benefit from more Jeff and beginning in March he’s planning to return to the farm full-time. He’s looking forward to getting outside and growing things for you again! I’m hoping he’ll bring back the carrot mojo and I look forward to a carrot-filled 2019!

We hope you’re enjoying this current CSA season and you’ll consider joining us for the season ahead!

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

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Smashed Baby Red Potatoes with Ancho Chiles and Dry Jack Cheese

2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, halved, seeded
3 pounds baby red potatoes (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup grated dry Jack cheese or 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place chiles in small bowl; cover with hot water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain; chop. Transfer to mini processor; process to coarse puree (or finely chop chiles). Measure 1/4 cup puree and set aside (reserve any remaining puree for another use). DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Bring potatoes to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 16 minutes. Drain. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Heat oil in same saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup chile puree and garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add potatoes; stir to coat. Using back of wooden spoon, smash potatoes until largest pieces are about 1-inch cubes. Stir to heat through. Stir in cheese, 1/2 cup parsley, and cilantro. Transfer to bowl, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, and serve.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit by Michael Lomanaco, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/smashed-baby-red-potatoes-with-ancho-chiles-and-dry-jack-cheese-240407

Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Salt Pork

1 cup 1/4″ cubes salt pork or pancetta (about 8 ounces)
2 large shallots, peeled, quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, trimmed, halved
1-2 tablespoons juice from jarred dill pickles

Blanch salt pork in a large saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer salt pork to a paper towel- lined plate to drain. Set aside. DO AHEAD: Salt pork can be blanched 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Cook salt pork in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until about 3/4 cup fat is rendered, 10-12 minutes. Carefully strain drippings into a small bowl; return 2 tablespoons drippings and pork to pan.

Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until salt pork is browned and crisp, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Reduce heat to medium. Add 2 tablespoons drippings to skillet; add shallots, cut sides down. Cook, turning once or twice, until tender and browned, 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer shallots to a serving platter.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons more salt pork drippings to skillet. Working in 2 batches and adding 2 more tablespoons drippings between batches, cook brussels sprouts, turning occasionally, until tender and browned. Transfer brussels sprouts to platter with shallots. DO AHEAD: Shallots and brussels sprouts can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm shallots and brussels sprouts together in same skillet over medium heat before continuing.

Drizzle shallots and brussels sprouts with 1 tablespoon pickle juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon more pickle juice, if desired. Scatter salt pork over.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit by Victoria Granof, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/brussels-sprouts-with-shallots-and-salt-pork-51124240

Seared Rainbow Chard with Leeks

2 (1-lb) bunches rainbow chard or red and green Swiss chard
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Cut stems from chard (if leaves are large, cut out coarse portions of rib), then cut stems crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Stack chard leaves and roll into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-thick strips of leaves.

Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté chard stems and leeks with sea salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally, until slightly soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add chard leaves and continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until wilted. (If greens begin to brown before they wilt, sprinkle with a few drops of water.)

From Epicurious.com via Gourmet, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/seared-rainbow-chard-with-leeks-103721