Welcome to the 11th share of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Butterhead Lettuce
• Romaine Lettuce
• Sweet Corn
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Parsley
• Red or Green Cabbage
• Mixed Summer Squash & Zucchini
• Mixed Cucumbers
• Torpedo Onions
• Poblano Peppers
• Green & Yellow Bell Peppers
• Eggplant
• Mixed Tomatoes – Cherries and slicers all around!
• Strawberries
• Tuscan Melon or Cantaloupe
• Red Farm Apples – Big red tasty apples of an unknown variety that grew on two trees in our back apple orchard. Mysterious and delicious!

We’re now accepting members for the upcoming Winter CSA! Go check out the Winter details and sign-up to join us for more seasonal, organic vegetables December-April!

The weather over the past week has been a welcome reprieve from the few hot days we had. Though it may not seem especially summery, we’ll take overcast and 75 any day of the week! The cool mornings over the weekend reminded me of mornings at summer camp as a kid. I went to a camp in the coast range every summer, and my memories run the gamut of hot and dusty afternoons and rainstorms that seemingly lasted the whole week (swimming, canoeing, hiking in the rain!). So many of those early mornings were overcast and damp though, smelling of the forest and the earth, before the clouds burned off for the day. Most mornings on the farm these days we wake to a bright sun peeking through the trees on the eastern horizon. This past week though, was all summer camp mornings.

As I mentioned in last week’s update it was time to gather the onions for storage and begin the apple harvest. We endeavored and those things happened. The week ahead will bring more apple harvesting, a little more seed sowing, definitely some cultivating and weeding. It’s also time to begin thinking about preserving some of this summer bounty. Tomato sauce doesn’t can itself I’ve learned.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you next week!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Penne with Grilled Tomatoes and Eggplant

• 1 1-pound eggplant, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1 pound tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• Nonstick olive oil spray
• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed
• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 ounce)

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Spray both sides of eggplant slices and tomato halves with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill eggplant slices until brown and tender and tomato halves until charred, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes for eggplant slices and about 7 minutes for tomato halves. Cool.

Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut tomatoes into 1-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta. Return pasta to same pot.

Add eggplant, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and garlic to pasta and toss to blend. Stir in grated cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead.)

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/penne-with-grilled-tomatoes-and-eggplant-4234

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Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon-Parsley Dressing

• 1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into florets, including tender leaves
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cauliflower and 4 tablespoons oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 25–30 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse parsley, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a food processor until very finely chopped; season with salt and pepper. Toss cauliflower with lemon-parsley mixture and top with lemon zest.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit by Dawn Perry, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-cauliflower-with-lemon-parsley-dressing-51198450

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Corn and Tomato Salad with Lemon Thyme and Roasted Poblano Chili

• 1 fresh poblano chili
• 1 medium zucchini
• 2 scallions
• 5 garlic cloves
• 3/4 pound assorted vine-ripened cherry tomatoes (about 1 pint)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups fresh corn (cut from about 8 ears)
• 2 tablespoons small fresh lemon thyme sprigs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

Roast and peel poblano chili .

Finely chop poblano and zucchini and thinly slice scallions. Mince garlic and halve tomatoes. In a large non-stick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté zucchini and corn with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until corn is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and stir in poblano, scallions, garlic, and thyme. Cook mixture, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and immediately add tomatoes and coriander, tossing well. Cool corn salad. Corn salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

From Epicurious.com via Gourmet, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/corn-and-tomato-salad-with-lemon-thyme-and-roasted-poblano-chili-100734

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