Welcome to the 6th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2020 Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Salad Mix – Just lettuce this week.
• Cabbage – choose from red or green
• Broccoli – lots of broccoli this week!
• Cucumbers – choose from green and white slicers, lemons, and picklers too.
• Zucchini & Summer Squash – Zucchinis, yellow straight neck, and yellow pattypans all around!
• Celery
• Torpedo Onions
• Leek Flowers – Pluck off the tiny florets from these leek flowers and add to salads or sautes for a delicious oniony garnish.
• Radishes
• Beets – don’t forget to eat the greens too!
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes – A mix of slicers and cherry tomatoes. Your choice!

Last night Jeff showed me a series of photos he’d taken of the farm back at the beginning of June. Gosh, what a difference a month makes. June is a blur of planting and cultivating and the first harvests of the season. In those photos the winter squash was just getting established, the second round of corn just planted, the tomatoes just half a t-post high. Today the winter squash is beginning to set fruit, the third round of corn is now in the ground, and many of the tomato varieties have topped out their t-post trellises.

June is the culmination of all the winter planning and early spring seed sowing. The days were lengthening to match the to-do lists and somehow we managed once again to do enough to make it through to the other side with vegetables today and more on the horizon. While June is the on-ramp to the season, July is the open highway. We’re up to speed now and just need to keep this rig on the road.

Every winter, between the wrapping of one season and the crush of the next, I dream of a couple of projects for the season ahead. First I always think that this is the year I’ll figure out how to grow flowers. Second I spend too much time thinking about farm merch design possibilities. While I still haven’t figured out all the flower logistics, thanks to a new CSA member with a screen printing shop, that second project is finally coming to fruition!

The design features our little 1947 Farmall Cub cultivating tractor, which is a big part of the team here, and our tagline: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of vegetables!” If you’re in the market for a tractor-themed t-shirt or tote bag we’re taking pre-orders for the first run for delivery later this month at a future CSA pick-up. Pre-orders are due by Friday July 10th. We will have some extras available for future purchases but colors and sizes will be limited. Click here to head to the order form.

As we look ahead this week we’ve got lots more of the same on deck. I’ll be seeding the fourth round of sweet corn, several plantings need to be cultivated using our Cub tractor (you know, the one on the shirt), and we’ve still got a big transplanting push. If you need us, we’ll be out in the field.

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:

Beet and Red Cabbage Slaw

• 6 medium beets, trimmed
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2/3 cup corn oil
• 8 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about half of large head)
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh dill
• Lettuce leaves
• 3 large carrots, peeled, coarsely grated (about 3 cups)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets in foil, enclosing completely. Bake beets until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool. Peel and coarsely grate beets. Whisk vinegar, sugar, mustard and caraway seeds in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Add cabbage, onion and grated beets to dressing and toss to coat. Let stand 45 minutes, tossing occasionally. Stir in dill. Season generously with salt and pepper. Line large bowl with lettuce. Mix 2 1/2 cups carrots into cabbage mixture. Spoon salad atop lettuce in bowl. Sprinkle remaining grated carrots over and serve.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/beet-and-red-cabbage-slaw-101845

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Big Green Salad

• 2 medium heads romaine (or salad mix)
• 1/2 seedless cucumber
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon mild honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Tear romaine into bite-size pieces and put in a salad bowl. Halve cucumber lengthwise, then thinly slice diagonally and add to romaine along with celery.

Whisk together remaining ingredients with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl until emulsified. Add to salad and toss to coat.

From Epicurious.com via Gourmet by Ian Knauer, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/big-green-salad-241515

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Coconut Zucchini Noodles and Spiced Meatballs

1. For the spiced meatballs:
   • 1 pound ground pasture-raised lamb
   • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
   • 2 scallions, sliced paper-thin
   • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
   • 1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari
   • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (Red Boat is a Clean-approved brand)
   • 1 tablespoon lime juice
2. For the noodles:
   • 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil
   • 1/2 cup sliced onions
   • 2 garlic cloves
   • 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
   • 1 red chile pepper, minced (optional)
   • 1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
   • 1/4 cup water
   • 1 broccoli crown, cut into small florets (about 2 cups)
   • 3/4 to 1 pound zucchini, ends removed and sliced lengthwise with a peeler or mandoline into long pappardelle-like “noodles”
   • Sea salt to taste
   • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
   • 1 lime, cut into wedges

First, prepare the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and mix them thoroughly with your hands or a wooden spoon. Wet your hands, then form even-size balls. I usually go for about the size of a golf ball.

Heat a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Melt the coconut oil, and once it’s nice and hot, add the meatballs. Cook them for 30 to 45 seconds on each side, until they are all nicely browned. When they are about halfway done browning, make some space in the center of the pan and add the onions, garlic, lemongrass, and optional red chile. Continue to cook the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes, then move the meatballs back into the center of the pan and add the coconut milk and water. Cover the pan and simmer for about 5 more minutes before adding the broccoli. Within a few minutes the broccoli should be tender and the coconut milk reduced and starting to thicken. Carefully fold in the zucchini noodles and allow them to cook in the liquid. Cook them just until the zucchini is tender. Salt to taste.

Serve with a garnish of cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

From Epicurious.com via Clean Eats from Alejandro Junger, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/coconut-zucchini-noodles-and-spiced-meatballs

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