Welcome to the 10th and final share of the 2019/2020 Pitchfork & Crow Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Cabbage
• Giant Winter Spinach Mix
• Bok Choy
• Arugula
• Overwintered Cauliflower – This is our favorite time of year to eat cauliflower. Plus let’s just all be in awe of these plants that get started in July, transplanted in August, hang out ALL WINTER LONG then head up into this gorgeous cauliflower in April. Whoa!
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli (PSB) – This is the very last of our PSB planting for 2020. See you next year PSB! Chop it up, stems and leaves and all, and enjoy in any recipe you’d normally use broccoli florets for.
• Cilantro – Don’t mind the bolty look of this winter cilantro. We wanted to eek out one more harvest for you and it’s tasty as ever.
• Celeriac
• Mixed Beets
• Mixed Potatoes
• Hakurei Salad Turnips – Most of you are likely familiar with the salad turnip by now. They’re delicious raw and roasted. And they’ve got bonus turnip greens!
• Leeks – The leeks have begun sending up their springy scape, which if left alone would open into a fun flower burst. Some of the leeks we’re sending out include the scape. The scape is delicious and can be chopped up and used like a leek or even tossed into a batch of pesto.
• Red & Yellow Onions – The onions are coming out of dormancy and wanting to fulfill their seedy potential through re-growth so you may find a green sprout in the middle. As long as the onion is firm and oniony it’s all still edible, just trim around the sprout if you prefer.
• Wolverine’s Orca Dry Beans – A meaty bean that’s great in soups!
• Dried Apples – We grew ’em, we picked ’em, we dried ’em!

Summer CSA Update: The 2020 Summer CSA is officially full! Shoot us an email at farmers@pitchforkandcrow.com if you’d like to be added to the waiting list. Many thanks to everyone who has decided to join us for the season ahead!

Somehow we’ve made it to the end of the 2019/2020 Winter CSA! We never could have guessed back at the beginning of the season how the world around us would shift in these five months. We’re feeling especially grateful for our community of eaters that have chosen to show up week after week for local, organic, seasonal vegetables. Thanks for choosing us all those months ago!

As we approach this week’s pick-up we ask once again for your patience and efficiency. You know the drill by now with the six foot distancing, the washing hands, the staying home if you’re sick or vulnerable to illness. We appreciate everyone’s help with these new realities. Luckily, there’s enough vegetables for everyone and we can all afford to keep other members safe as we gather for the veggie hand-off. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help make your pick-up easier.

As we wrap up this season our focus has shifted to the growing season ahead. Most remaining winter crops have been mowed or are on deck to be mowed shortly. They’ll be flowering by June and it’s time to make way for new plants that will feed us all this summer.

Here on the farm things have been full steam ahead these past couple of weeks. We’re experiencing a warm spring so far, which has meant the fields have dried out faster, making this early season ground prep. easier and less stressful than in wetter years. The first rounds of onions, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, chard, bok choy, spinach, and fennel all made their way into the field last week. The tomatoes also made it into their high tunnel homes. Green beans, fava beans, and carrots were direct sown into the field too. More planting and seeding ahead. We’ve only just begun the months-long planting push and we’re already looking forward to summer eats!

In addition to the big planting event, we’ve also been busy with all the other projects that make it onto the spring To Do list. We’ve been cleaning up the strawberry beds in anticipation of summer berries. The seeding has continued, including summery crops like melons, summer squash, and sweet corn! The sunny weather has been good for crops but also for weeds, so we’ve already been weeding in the peas and carrots in a high tunnel. And lots of ground prep has been happening. Jeff has been spending many of his days mowing, discing, tilling, and fertilizing ahead of the coming transplanting wave.

Although we take a break from harvesting between the Winter and Summer CSA seasons, we don’t get much of a break from the farm. We’ll be doing more of the above plus field cultivating and irrigating and on and on…

It’s a busy time on the farm, but we’ve been enjoying our spring here too. We’ve been thankful that our work has continued uninterrupted during the stay-at-home orders. Although the farm comes with a lot of work, we also know we’re lucky to have so much space to enjoy. The blooming fruit trees definitely make our surroundings that much more enjoyable. Beginning with the plums, then through the pears, the single cherry tree, and now the varying apple varieties, the flowering fruit trees have kept up their cheery explosion over these past few weeks of uncertainty in the world.

And that’s a wrap for our Winter season together. Many of you have decided to join us for the Summer season ahead, thanks! We’ll see you in a little over a month to kick off the Summer CSA season.

We’ll likely begin accepting members for the next Winter CSA in August. We’ll send out an email to current members first so you can jump in if you want to spend another Winter season eating with us.

We hope you all have a safe and healthy summer! Be well, eat good food, and we hope to see you again soon!

Enjoy the vegetables, stay healthy, and we’ll see Summer CSA members the first week of June!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Salmon and Bok Choy Green Coconut Curry

• 4 (6–8-oz.) skinless salmon fillets
• 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1 (14-oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup green curry paste
• 2 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger (from one 2″ piece)
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 head of bok choy (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves with tender stems
• 1/4 cup roasted salted cashews
• 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced (optional)
• Steamed rice (for serving; optional)

Season salmon on all sides with 1 tsp. salt. Let sit until ready to use.

Cook coconut milk, curry paste, ginger, garlic, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until simmering, 5–6 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut bok choy stems into 1/2″-thick slices and leaves into 2″ pieces. Rinse well and drain. Add to coconut milk mixture and stir to coat. Nestle salmon fillets into bok choy in an even layer. Cover pan and cook over medium-low heat until salmon is just cooked through and flesh is opaque, 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat and pour lime juice over salmon.

Scatter scallions, cilantro, cashews, and chile (if using) over salmon and bok choy. Serve with rice alongside (if using).

From Epicurious.com via Epicurious by Anna Stockwell, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/salmon-and-bok-choy-green-coconut-curry

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Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro Coleslaw

1. For the slaw:
   • 1/2 head of green cabbage (about 1/2 pound)
   • 1 small carrot
   • 2 tablespoons lime juice
   • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
   • 1 teaspoon olive oil
   • 1/8 teaspoon salt
   • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2. For the tacos:
   • 1 head cauliflower (about 1 pound)
   • 3/4 cup beer
   • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
   • 1 tablespoon lime juice
   • 11/2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
   • 11/2 tablespoons chipotle hot sauce
   • 1 to 2 garlic cloves, sliced
   • 11/2 teaspoons chili powder
   • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
   • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
   • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
   • Pinch of salt
   • 1 tablespoon olive oil
   • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
   • 6 corn tortillas
   • 1 avocado, sliced
   • Tomato salsa, for serving

Make the slaw:

Cut the cabbage into the thinnest strips you can and make sure those pieces are no longer than 2 inches. This is a great time to get good with your knife if you are looking for a silver f**king lining in all that chopping. Chop the carrot into thin matchsticks of the same length. Got that s**t down now, right? In a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, vinegar, oil, and salt. Add the dressing right before you are going to eat and toss that s**t well. Fold in the cilantro just before serving.

Make the tacos:

Crank your oven to 400°F. Chop the cauliflower into small florets no bigger than a quarter. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the beer, broth, lime juice, tamari, hot sauce, and garlic. Add the cauliflower and simmer for about 90 seconds. Drain.

In a large bowl. toss the spices, salt, and olive oil together. Add the cauliflower and onion and stir ’til those f**kers are coated. Dump it on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until browned, stirring halfway, about 20 minutes.

To assemble the tacos, warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave for a hot minute and then pile them high with the cauliflower filling, slices of avocado, some of the slaw, and top with plenty of salsa.

From Epicurious.com via Thug Kitchen by Michelle Davis and Matt Holloway, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-beer-and-lime-cauliflower-tacos-with-cilantro-coleslaw-51253830

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Potato & Celery Root Gratin with Leeks

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 sprig thyme plus 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 3 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
• Kosher salt
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, very thinly sliced crosswise (1/8″ thick)
• 1 pound celery root, peeled, very thinly sliced crosswise (1/8″ thick)
• 2 cups grated Gruyère
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat cream, garlic, and thyme sprig in a medium saucepan just until bubbles begin to form around edge of pan. Remove from heat; set aside to steep.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add leeks; season with salt and cook, stirring often, until tender (do not brown), 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Butter a 3-quart gratin dish with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Layer 1/3 of potato slices and 1/3 of celery root slices evenly over bottom of baking dish. Cover with 1/3 of leeks, then 1/3 of Gruyère. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme leaves. Repeat layers twice more. Strain cream mixture into a medium pitcher and pour over vegetables.

Set gratin dish on a large rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Carefully remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, 25-30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Tent with foil and rewarm in a 300° oven until hot, about 20 minutes.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit by Susan Spungen, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/potato-celery-root-gratin-with-leeks-368278

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