Welcome to the 25th (and penultimate) share of the Pitchfork & Crow Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Mizuna– similar to mustard greens but milder, great in salads, soups, sauteed etc.
• Tatsoi – an Asian green that makes for a good spinach substitute, check out this article from Food52 all about Tatsoi.
• Carrots
• Lacinato Kale
• Leeks
• Sunchokes – These are roots of a sunflower variety.  We enjoy them shredded and sauteed but they’re good raw, roasted, and in soups too.  Please note that they contain high levels of the carbohydrate inulin, which is difficult for some folks to digest, but is thought to be a good alternative for diabetics looking to avoid starch.  Here’s a post about how one fellow CSA member learned to love the sunchoke back in 2017.
• Mixed Beets
• Aji Marchant Hot Peppers
• Poblano Mild Chile Pepper
• Thyme
• Farm Apples
• Kabocha Winter Squash – Dry, rich flesh that makes great pies, is excellent baked and mashed, or cubed and roasted.

Thanksgiving/End of Season Harvest – Are you interested in ordering a little extra for your Thanksgiving meal or stocking up as the CSA season comes to an end? Check your member email for details on bulk orders for delivery at next week’s CSA pick-up.

We’ve fallen into a late season routine as I’ve been referencing these past few weeks. This past week was more of the same, getting to some of those projects that have been waiting in the wings. Jeff managed to get a few trees planted that various friends had gifted us this year. The sugar maple from a friend who works at a nursery and will hopefully one day be harvested for maple syrup; the evergreen that came with a friend’s new house that already had enough trees; the weeping willow that is a match to a willow friends have at their farm; and the Japanese maple newly gifted from CSA members last week and now acting as a greeter to members who pick-up their shares at the farm. New trees on the farm are fun, especially when they remind us of those who gifted them to us.

We managed to eek out a few other small projects too. I harvested a plethora of carving pumpkin seeds for future pumpkin patch planting. Though we don’t save most squash seeds because the varieties will cross with each other I decided I’m okay with some pumpkin crossing, and next year we’ll see if any pollinators made the rounds from the winter squash field up to the pumpkin patch. We also spent some time preparing for and giving a quick presentation to some local parents at the medical school in Lebanon. We talked about community supported agriculture and I don’t think we bored them too much.

On Sunday we made a quick trip over the mountains to Bend to see my nephew and niece. I suggested a hike just east of town and it was fun catching up with them as we meandered through the sagebrush and juniper trees. I don’t envy the farmers on the east side growing in the desert. It’s nice to visit though!

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you next week for the final summer share!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Maple-Braised Butternut Squash with Fresh Thyme

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
• 1 3- to 31/2-pound butternut squash, cut lengthwise in half, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes (or any winter squash really, like this week’s kabocha!)
• 1 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (or more) black pepper

Melt butter in heavy large deep skillet over high heat. Add squash; sauté 1 minute. Add broth, syrup, thyme, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until squash is almost tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer squash to large bowl. Boil liquid in skillet until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Return squash to skillet. Cook until tender, turning occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with more pepper, if desired.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit by Diane Morgan, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/maple-braised-butternut-squash-with-fresh-thyme-361835

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Crispy Jerusalem Artichokes with Aged Balsamic

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds small Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), scrubbed, quartered
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron (you’ll need a lid), over mediumhigh heat. Add Jerusalem artichokes and 1/4 cup water and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until Jerusalem artichokes are fork-tender, 8–10 minutes.

Uncover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until water is evaporated and Jerusalem artichokes begin to brown and crisp, 8–10 minutes longer; transfer to a platter.

Add rosemary and butter to skillet and cook, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns, about 4 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits. Spoon brown butter sauce and rosemary over Jerusalem artichokes.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/crispy-jerusalem-artichokes-with-aged-balsamic-51255110

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Carrot, Yellow Beet, and Apple Slaw with Caraway Seed Dressing

• 6 medium multicolored carrots (about 10 ounces), peeled (or maybe just orange carrots, if that’s what you’ve got)
• 4 small golden beets (about 8 ounces), peeled
• 1 Fuji apple
• 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 3/4 teaspoon whole caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 5 leaves Tuscan kale, thick stems removed, thinly sliced crosswise

Using the coarse grater disk on a food processor or the largest holes on a box grater, coarsely grate carrots, beets, and apple into a large bowl.

Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, caraway seeds, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in another large bowl until smooth.

Add carrots, beets, apple, and kale and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

From Epicurious.com via Epicurious by Katherine Sacks, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/carrot-yellow-beet-and-apple-slaw-with-caraway-seed-dressing-56389807

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