Welcome to the 11th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2020 Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Head Lettuce – Mostly butterhead with some red romaine rounding out the choice.
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Sweet Corn
• Chioggia Beets – The heirloom bullseye beet is back!
• Parsley – Though I’m sure you have a favorite use for parsley, one of my favorites is to riff on this Tagliatelle with Shredded Beets, Sour Cream, and Parsley recipe.
• Yellow Onions
• Cucumbers – choose from green and white slicers, lemons, and picklers too.
• Zucchini & Summer Squash
• ‘Green’ Peppers – These are a mix of bell and Italian frying varieties in their under-ripe stage. Use them like green bell peppers.
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Tomatillos – Tomatillos make for tasty fresh salsa verde. I’ve referenced a recipe below that also incorporates apple. Other than eating tomatillo salsa with corn chips, my favorite use is enchilada casserole. Last week I layered up corn tortillas with tomatillo salsa, sweet corn, zucchini, cheese, and chicken for a quick dinner one night.
• Slicer Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Farm Apples
• Milan Tuscan Melon – A type of muskmelon and cantaloupe with thicker ribbing but the same sweet interior.

A couple of weeks back we received a note in the mail from our organic certifier, Oregon Tilth, congratulating us on ten years of organic certification. I had been rifling through the mail, organizing envelopes in order of priority and sorting the catalogs and credit card offers from the bills and CSA payments, but this note from Tilth made me pause.

First I counted the seasons. Isn’t this our eleventh season being certified? I guess we’re wrapping up some sort of tenth certification year, like a fiscal year. No matter. Then my thoughts drifted to that first year of organic certification back in 2010. It was our second year trying our hand at this large scale growing food thing. We were leasing two acres out on Grand Island, north of Salem, from the farm we’d been CSA members of for several years. Somehow we’d worked up the courage to start a CSA (and four of those original fifteen members are still with us this year). The farm has evolved so much since then it’s difficult to even remember what we were thinking. (In fact I decided to look it up so here’s a taste of August in 2010. Whoa!)

I do remember that first organic inspection though. We met in our house in West Salem to go over our records and we included our backyard greenhouse on the organic plan, because that’s where we grew our starts. (That first “greenhouse” structure now covers our wash station where we wash and hydro-cool many of the vegetables.) After hours of record reviewing we drove out to the leased acres for the tour part of the inspection. We walked the plot, discussed our growing methods, and the inspector measured out the distance between us and the neighboring farm along our only border that wasn’t certified organic on the other side. It all felt very official. This organization was deeming us an organic farm!

Our annual organic inspections have continued on much the same over the years. We’ve had that first inspector several more times through the years and it’s always fun to reminisce with him. This year’s inspection has been delayed due to the pandemic and we’re currently working to get a Zoom inspection scheduled. Hopefully soon enough we’ll have our eleventh certification renewal finished up!

Also after ten years of the CSA we’ve finally got some merch to share! We’ll have tote bags and t-shirts featuring our little 1947 Farmall Cub cultivating tractor for sale at the pick-up. We’re asking $10 for a tote bag, $15 for a shirt and we’ll take cash/check/card. Adult shirts are available in sizes S-2XL but limited in color/size combos. We have lots of youth shirts available though. Hit us up at the pick-up!

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:

Roasted Apple and Tomatillo Salsa

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 3 green apples, such as Granny Smith, quartered
• 1/2 medium white onion
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Put the tomatillos, 2 of the apples, the onion, garlic, and jalapeño chile on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 20 minutes.

3. Peel the garlic, then transfer all of the ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Chop the remaining apple into 1/4-inch cubes and stir into the salsa before serving.

From Epicurious.com via Mexican Made Easy by Marcela Valladolid, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-apple-and-tomatillo-salsa-395249

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Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Zest, Parsley, Capers, and Jalapeno

• 1 head cauliflower, quartered, cored, and cut into bite-size florets
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 large handful fresh parsley (about 1/2 cup/25 g), roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
• Flaky sea salt, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with the oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast the cauliflower, tossing the florets halfway through, until they are deep golden and crispy, 30 to 35 minutes total.

While the cauliflower is roasting, use a vegetable peeler to peel 3 strips of zest from the lemon. Cut each strip crosswise into very thin slices. Cut the lemon in half, reserving one half and storing the other for another use.

Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a serving bowl. Top it with the parsley, capers, jalapeño, and sliced lemon zest. Squeeze the mixture with the lemon half and drizzle it with more oil. Toss to coat all of the ingredients, and sprinkle with a pinch or two of the flaky salt.

From Epicurious.com via Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-cauliflower-with-lemon-zest-parsley-capers-and-jalapeno

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Italian Parsley and Beet Salad

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
• 2 1/4 pounds assorted beets with greens (such as Chioggia, white, golden, and red; 1 1/2 pounds if already trimmed)
• 1/4 small red onion
• 1 1/4 cups Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves (from 1 bunch), torn if desired

Whisk together juices, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Trim beets, leaving 1 inch of stems attached, then peel.

Using stems as a handle, slice beets paper-thin (less than 1/8 inch thick) with slicer (wear protective gloves to avoid staining hands), then cut slices into very thin matchsticks.

Thinly slice onion with slicer.

Toss beets, onion, and parsley with dressing and season with salt. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 30 minutes to soften beets and allow flavors to develop.

Toss again and season with salt and pepper before serving drizzled with additional oil.

From Epicurious.com via Gourmet by Kay Chun, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/italian-parsley-and-beet-salad-354973

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