Welcome to the 23rd share of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Spinach/Lettuce Mix
• Young Red Ursa Kale
• Cilantro
• Brussels Sprouts
• Red Onions
• Magic Molly Potatoes – Purple skins and purple flesh that keeps its color when cooked!
• Broccoli
• More Broccoli or Cauliflower
• Poblano Mild Chile Peppers – Fresh pepper season is coming to an end sooner than later so I suggest savoring it! Check out the poblanos and potatoes recipe down below as well as this lasagna-inspired recipe from Gourmet over on Epicurious.com.
• Farm Apples – Don’t forget to check the recipes at the bottom of the page for a couple of apple inspired recipes.
• Butternut Squash
• Calico Popcorn – You can knock the kernels off the cob and into a paper bag and pop them in the microwave. Most often we’ll use these directions and pop it on the stove top.

Here on the farm we listen to a lot of podcasts. There are a lot of hours in the day doing semi-repetitive tasks in farming and podcasts help move that time along. We’re glad to be living in this new golden age of audio as the options abound. I have a handful of foodie podcasts on rotation and during an episode I often think “That’s a good tip for CSA members!” Today I thought I’d share a couple that recently sparked that thought.

First up is a newish podcast called Weeknight Kitchen that’s an offshoot of the perennial favorite public radio show The Splendid Table. Weeknight Kitchen features Melissa Clark, a food writer and home cook, actually cooking a quick meal in her kitchen each short episode. She shares tips for meal prep as she’s chopping! This week I listened to an episode in the field on roasting cauliflower on a sheet pan in the oven just before heading inside to roast some vegetables for dinner. Her thoughts on sheet pan sizes had me wanting to add to our collection too.

The second podcast that I wanted to share is Local Mouthful. This podcast is a little longer but also more varied. The hosts generally cover a few different topics including a current food-related media story, what they’re eating for dinner, and what’s in season that they’re enjoying. Both hosts are food writers and avid home cooks and I appreciate the tips and tricks they share as well. A recent episode I wanted to highlight features one of the regular hosts with her husband and they discuss kitchen tips they’ve learned in their own kitchen.

I know not everyone has as much time for podcast listening as we do, but if you also enjoy a podcast now and again finding some that will inspire you to try new things in the kitchen is a bonus. You may feel alone with your fridge full of CSA vegetables, but you’re not! Everyone’s got to eat and some people want to inspire you while they’re at it!

Now I’d like to introduce you to Remi! He’s a 2 year old German Shepard who is new to the farm this week but taking to it quickly. He discovered how fun apples, winter squash, and pumpkins are yesterday as we went about the CSA harvest. He’s still learning about row cover and rows of vegetables and how to be nice to cats but he’ll figure that stuff out eventually. He’s full of energy and a super sweet pup. We’re excited to welcome him to the farm!

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:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apple Salad

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
• 1 apple, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons white miso
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Heat oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet with 1 teaspoon oil. In a bowl, combine brussels sprouts, apple, onion and remaining 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Roast on baking sheet, turning once, until sprouts are brown and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. In a bowl, whisk together tahini, vinegar, syrup, miso, red pepper and 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water until smooth; set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Toast hazelnuts 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Divide spinach, sprout mixture, hazelnuts, blue cheese and tahini dressing among 4 plates. Season with salt and black pepper.

From Epicurious.com via SELF by Andrea Bemis, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-brussels-sprout-and-apple-salad-51188450

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Potatoes with Roasted Poblano Chiles and Mexican Sour Cream

• 5 large poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and veins removed (or not, depending on how spicy you want this to be)
• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes or another waxy potato, cut into 1/2-inch / 12mm cubes
• 1 Tbsp sea salt, plus more as needed
• 1 Tbsp safflower oil
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup / 240g Homemade Mexican Crema or crème fraîche

On an ungreased comal or in a cast-iron skillet over high heat, roast the chiles, turning them over every couple of minutes using tongs or your hands (carefully, so you don’t get burned). You’re looking for uniform blistering, but you don’t want them to become too soggy in the process, especially if you intend to stuff them, since they need to hold their shape. The process will probably take 10 to 15 minutes. Once they are well blistered and before the flesh is completely charred through in any spots, place the peppers in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid or in a bowl that you can cover with a plate (not a towel or anything porous) and set aside to “sweat” for about 10 minutes, or until they are cool enough to handle.

Remove the charred skin from the whole chiles. Once you have removed and discarded the skin and seeds, cut them into rajas, or strips, about the width of fettuccine.

In a small saucepan, cover the potatoes with 2 inches / 5cm water and add the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove one of the potatoes and taste it. The piece should be soft but not falling apart, still holding its cube shape. Cubed like this, they will cook quite quickly, so be attentive. Once they have the right texture, drain the potatoes and set aside in a medium bowl with a lid or cover the pan with a plate to keep them warm.

Using the same comal or skillet in which you toasted your chiles, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it’s hot but not smoking. Add the onion and sauté until it’s translucent but not browned.

In a saucepan, combine the potatoes, chiles, onion, and crema or crème fraîche. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. As the mixture cools, the starches will absorb some of the melted cream and help it firm up. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve as you wish!

From Epicurious.com via My Mexcio City Kitchen by Gabriela Cámara, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/potatoes-roasted-poblano-chiles-mexican-sour-cream-papas-con-rajas-y-crema-acida

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Curried Butternut Squash Bisque

• 2 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped peeled apple
• 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
• 2 14-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 6 tablespoons sour cream, stirred to loosen
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush cut side of squash with oil; place squash, cut side down, on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Scoop squash out into large bowl. Measure 3 cups squash (reserve any remaining squash for another use).

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and apple; sauté 5 minutes. Add curry paste; stir 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, bay leaves, and 3 cups squash. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 1 hour. Discard bay leaves. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to same pot. Stir in cream and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Rewarm over medium-high heat.

Divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with sour cream; sprinkle with cilantro.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/curried-butternut-squash-bisque-237088

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