Welcome to the 2nd share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2020 Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Adult Spinach
• Bok Choy
• Lacinato Kale
• Broccoli or Cauliflower – Just a bit this week, but hopefully before too long we’ll have more to share.
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Leek Scapes – Like last week’s garlic scapes, these leek scapes came from our overwintered leeks that have bolted and are ready to flower. We harvested them for tasty leeky goodness. Chop them up and use them in place of leeks or garlic.
• Bunching Onions – Call them scallions or green onions if you want, they’re all the same to us. Cut off the roots and eat the rest.
• Kohlrabi – The classic CSA vegetable, kohlrabi is often new to folks who are new to CSAs. Why else would you come home with such a strange looking vegetable? We like them chopped up and raw, like a carrot stick, but they can be roasted, or added to mashed potatoes, or shaved super thin into salads. I’ve heard kohlrabi and peanut butter can be a pretty great snack too.
• LaRatte Fingerling Potatoes – These are some of the last of 2019’s harvest from storage. We’ll be into new potatoes soon enough, but enjoy these storage sweetened taters this week.
• Zucchini
• Seascape Strawberries

And now for week two! We hope you ate lots of delicious vegetable filled meals this last week and are ready for more. Maybe strawberries and shortcake saw you through another day of pandemic life, or you grabbed some sugar snap peas to snack on when you ventured outside to a protest or on a hike. Either way, we’re glad you’ve chosen to join us for this CSA season. Hopefully we can be a bright spot in your week as you figure out how to navigate all the other things life is throwing your way right now.

Our thanks to everyone for a successful first week of summer pick-ups in the era of COVID-19. We appreciate your patience and kindness as we all made it through the process. Thanks for keeping your distance and respecting each other’s space.

June is crunch time on the farm. In May we began the ramp up of farm work with a whole lot of planting and cultivating. Those tasks continue in June as we add back the harvesting days and double down on crop maintenance. As we head towards the summer solstice in a couple of weeks the days will continue to lengthen, and the weeds will continue to grow.

Between the rain storms we’re planting, and trellising, and irrigating, and cultivating, and sowing seeds, and the list goes on. This past week was a big planting push as we transplanted the next round of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, and spinach plus the Brussels sprouts, and kalettes! Hopefully we’ll find a dry window to get more beets and chard in the ground this week, and a succession of green beans, the dry beans, and the carving pumpkins for fall jack-o-lantern fun!

So far we’re off to a great start to the season, though the mild winter seems to have resulted in lots of slug and early flea beetle pressure. Overall the fields are looking good and we’re excitedly watching crops grow for future tasty goodness. Before we know it we’ll be flush with sweet corn and tomatoes and melons!

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

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Sauteed Kale with Kohlrabi

• 1 1/4 pound kohlrabi, bulbs peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds kale (2 bunches), stems and center ribs discarded
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or try some scapes here instead)
• 1/3 cup salted roasted pistachios, chopped

Very thinly slice kohlrabi with slicer.

Whisk together lime zest and juice, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss kohlrabi with dressing.

Finely chop kale. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sauté garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add kale by the handful, turning and stirring with tongs and adding more kale as volume in skillet reduces. When all of kale is wilted, sauté with 1/2 teaspoon salt until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. 3Toss kale with kohlrabi and pistachios.

From Epicurious.com via Gourmet by Ian Knauer, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sauteed-kale-with-kohlrabi-354974

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Spicy Salmon Teriyaki with Steamed Bok Choy

• 5 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 2 Tbsp. hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 lb. skinless salmon fillet, cut into 3×1 1/2″ strips
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 small heads baby bok choy (about 1 lb.), trimmed, quartered
• Steamed rice (for serving; optional)
• 3 scallions, very thinly sliced on a diagonal
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, chili paste, and honey in a small bowl; set aside.

Season salmon with 1 tsp. salt. Place on a plate and sprinkle with cornstarch, turning to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook salmon in a single layer, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, 2–3 minutes. Turn and cook until other side is lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Pour sauce over salmon and continue to cook, gently turning salmon halfway through, until sauce is thickened slightly and clinging to salmon, about 1 minute. (Sauce will bubble aggressively when first added and will then calm down.)

Meanwhile, set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with about 1″ salted water. Cover pot and bring water to a boil. Place bok choy in steamer basket, cover pot, and steam until just tender, 5–7 minutes. Season with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt.

Place rice (if using) and bok choy on a platter. Arrange salmon over and drizzle bok choy and salmon with any remaining sauce in skillet. Top with scallions and sesame seeds.

From Epicurious.com via Epicurious by Anna Stockwell, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spicy-salmon-teriyaki-with-steamed-bok-choy

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Mashed Potatoes with Spinach and Cheese

• 4 6-ounce bags fresh baby spinach
• 4 pounds white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces (here’s a chance to use up some celeriac too, if you’ve still got one kicking around)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 1/4 cups (or more) warm whole milk
• 3 cups grated Gruyre cheese (about 12 ounces)

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add baby spinach from four 6-ounce bags and cook 1 minute. Drain well. Squeeze out as much water as possible from spinach. Set spinach aside.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well. Return potatoes to pot and mash until almost smooth. Set pot over low heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups milk, mashing until smooth. Add cheese and reserved spinach and stir until cheese melts. Thin with more milk, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to bowl.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mashed-potatoes-with-spinach-and-cheese-104725

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