Welcome to the 18th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2020 Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Lettuce Mix
• Rainbow Chard
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Basil
• Kohlrabi – Kohlrabi is great shaved into salads or roasted with other root vegetables. And don’t forget about kohlrabi sticks and peanut butter! Plus, check out the kohlrabi fritter recipe I’ve included down below.
• Sweet Corn
• Large Bunching Onions
• Mixed Onions
• Spaghetti Squash
• Eggplant
• Mixed Snap Beans
• Mixed Hot Peppers – Choose from mild habaneros and hot Carrot peppers this week.
• Mixed Sweet Peppers
• Slicer Tomato

CSA Members! It’s time to take a visit to the pumpkin patch! We’re inviting you out to the farm for an abbreviated fall farm visit. Come see your food growing in the field and snag some pumpkins! Check you member email for the details.

We harvested the majority of the winter squash this week. Beginning the squash harvest always feels a little overwhelming but the progress is easy to see as beds empty and the colorful fruits begin to pile up.

The process entails one of us clipping the fruits and moving them into groups and the other coming behind and picking them up and piling them into pallet bins. As they’re picked up they’re also counted so we can compare harvest quantities to past and future harvests and know how many are available to be doled out in the coming weeks and months in CSA shares. We’re up to just over 4,000 fruits so far, with only the butternut left in the field for another week of ripening.

The piles of squash in the barn make us feel a little more secure as we come ever closer to the end of the growing season. There will be food this winter!

It was a week of harvesting as we also managed to bring in the dry beans for drying down, make some more progress in the potatoes, and harvest our meager apple/pear crops. This was not a great tree fruit year for us sadly. The quality of the fruit we did harvest makes it best for preserving, which is a good thing for dried apples this winter, but not so great for fall CSA shares.

We’re pretty happy to see the sunshine return this week! After weeks of smoke followed by rainy fall-like weather we’ll take some warm temperatures and sunny days. September has been a very weird month. Hopefully this week’s sun will help us eek out some more tomatoes for you.

This week we’ll be harvesting more potatoes, bringing in the butternut, and prepping for Saturday’s CSA pumpkin patch. We look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday! There are lots of pumpkins to choose from!

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:

Thai Red Curry Soup with Chicken and Vegetables

• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
• 12 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 4 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 2 small Japanese eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 3 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add curry paste; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken; stir 2 minutes. Add green beans and eggplant pieces; stir 1 minute. Add broth, coconut milk and fish sauce; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and serve.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/thai-red-curry-soup-with-chicken-and-vegetables-4260

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Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Parmesan

• a 3-pound spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, reserving one half for  another use, and the seeds discarded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves plus additional for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup thinly sliced cherry tomatoes

In a glass baking dish arrange the squash half, cut side down, pour 1/4 cup water around it, and cover the dish tightly with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Microwave the squash at high power (100%) for 12 minutes, or until it is soft when pressed, and let it stand, covered, for 3 minutes. In a large bowl whisk together the oil, 1/4 cup of the basil, the oregano, and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, stir in the tomatoes, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. While the squash is still warm scrape it with a fork to form strands, add the strands to the tomato mixture, and toss the mixture until it is combined. Divide the mixture between 2 bowls, sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan over it, and garnish it with the additional basil.

From Epicurious.com via Gourmet, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spaghetti-squash-with-tomatoes-basil-and-parmesan-12841

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Kohlrabi Fritters

• 2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and chopped (about 16 oz.)
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup (about 2 7/8 oz.) all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup applesauce

Step 1

Using the grating disc attachment of a food processor, process kohlrabi until finely shredded. Squeeze grated kohlrabi between paper towels to remove excess liquid. Place squeezed kohlrabi in a medium bowl. Add egg, 2 tablespoons of the flour, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt to kohlrabi, and stir to combine.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Using floured hands, pat kohlrabi mixture into 12 (3-inch) flat discs. Sprinkle remaining flour on both sides of discs. Fry fritters in two batches until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with chives and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; serve with sour cream and applesauce for dipping.

From CookingLight.com by Ivy Odom, https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/kohlrabi-fritters

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