Welcome to the 25th and penultimate share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2020 Summer CSA!  Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Kalibos Red Cabbage
• Sugarloaf Chicory– Though some dislike the bitterness of chicories, we think of them as the salad greens of winter and an excellent excuse to break out the creamy salad dressing. Dressing a chicory salad with citrus or vinegar dressings, dried fruit, roasted nuts, and/or strong cheeses can help to cut the bitter. Sugarloaf in particular also makes for a tasty roasted or grilled side too.
• Rainbow Chard
• Rutabaga – We’ve got another odd root vegetable for you this week. A true fall and winter staple, the rutabaga brings hardiness and flavor to roasted roots and mashes of all kinds.
• Rose Finn Apple fingerling Potatoes
• Leeks
• Yellow & Red Onion
• Thyme
• Black Futsu Winter Squash – Related to butternut, black futsu has a smooth orange flesh and thin edible skin. It’s a versatile squash that is tasty roasted, pickled, thinly shaved into salads raw, and in pies. It turns from dark green to bluish brown in storage.
• Shishito Peppers – We’re eeking out the last of the peppers from storage. This week we’ve got the last of the shishitos, those roulette peppers where 1 in 10 might pack a little heat.
• Polenta – – We grow a dent corn that grinds partially into flour and partially into polenta when milled. Next week we’ll send you home with some corn flour, but this week it’s polenta. We like to cook this polenta in our rice maker using the same 1 part polenta to 2 parts water ratio we use with rice. Many polenta recipes call for more liquid and longer cooking, which I’ve read will help develop the flavor more.

It looks like we’re in for a blustery and wet CSA pick-up this week. Grab your rain jackets and come down for a load of tasty fall vegetables and the penultimate share for this season. That’s right, just one more week to go until we officially wrap up this summer CSA season. We’ve got vegetables for you right up until you’re prepping for Thanksgiving dinner.

Here’s a list of what we plan to include in next week’s share to help with any grocery buying you may be doing for the holiday:

As both the weather and the vegetable selection in the share has shifted toward the fall season we hope you’re enjoying the benefits of eating seasonally. Just as we couldn’t face another zucchini it was time to start eating winter squash! We’re big fans of fall vegetables, perhaps because we find we have more time to cook and eat them.

One of my favorite ways to use up a few cups of roasted winter squash is Mac & Cheese. I make a simple roux with butter, flour, and yogurt and then whisk in a little cheese for flavor. In goes a few cups of pre-roasted squash, scraped from the skins, salt and pepper to taste. Mix that in with pasta and sauteed greens and it’s a bowl of comfort food packed with vegetables.

Don’t forget to check out the P&C CSA member Facebook group for more inspiration. Members have been sharing all sorts of delicious meals starring recent CSA offerings. If the root vegetables and winter squash are piling up in your kitchen I doubly suggest heading to the member group for ideas. Luckily we’re also nearing the end of this season so you’ll be caught up in no time.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you next week for the final share of the season!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Orecchiette with Sausage and Chicory

• 1 pound orecchiette
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (casings removed)
• 2 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 pound chicory or escarole (coarsely chopped and washed)
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• ¼ cup grated pecorino (plus more for serving)
• 2 tablespoons shredded mint

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well. Step 2

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook over moderately high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate. Step 3

Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicory with any water clinging to the leaves and season with salt. Cover and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until the chicory is tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes longer. Step 4

Add the pasta to the skillet along with the sausage, chicken stock and pecorino and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid is slightly reduced and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mint and serve right away, passing extra cheese at the table.

From Foodandwine.com by Michael White, https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/orecchiette-sausage-and-chicory

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Vegetable Pot Pie with Wine Sauce and Polenta Crust

1. Filling
   • 15 pearl onions
   • 2 large carrots
   • 2 russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled
   • 2 rutabagas (about 6 ounces each), peeled
   • 1 red bell pepper, seeded
   • 1 leek (white and pale green parts only), chopped
   • 10 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
   • 2 tablespoons olive oil
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbs de Provence
   • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
   • 1 cup canned vegetable broth
   • 1 cup dry red wine
   • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
2. Polenta
   • 2 cups canned vegetable broth
   • 1 cup water
   • 3/4 cup cornmeal
   • 1/2 teaspoon salt
   • 1 tablespoon freshly grated Romano cheese

For filling:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Blanch pearl onions in large pot of boiling water 2 minutes. Drain onions and cool. Peel onions.

Cut carrots, potatoes, rutabagas and bell pepper into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in heavy large baking pan with onions, leek and mushrooms. Add olive oil and herbes de Provence and toss to coat. Roast until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Transfer vegetables to 8-inch square glass baking dish. Stir in peas. Season vegetables to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate.)

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Mix 1 cup vegetable broth and 3/4 cup dry red wine in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer. Stir remaining 1/4 cup red wine and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in small bowl until smooth. Add to broth mixture and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Pour sauce over roasted vegetables.

For polenta:

Combine vegetable broth and 1 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil. Gradually stir in cornmeal and salt. Cook until polenta thickens and pulls away from sides of pan, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes. Pour warm polenta over vegetable mixture. Using spatula, smooth top, covering vegetables completely. Sprinkle polenta with Romano cheese.

Bake pot pie until polenta is firm to touch and vegetable mixture is heated through, about 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Broil pot pie until polenta is golden, about 4 minutes.

Spoon pot pie onto plate; serve hot.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/vegetable-pot-pie-with-wine-sauce-and-polenta-crust-1549

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Red Cabbage Salad with Warm Pancetta-Balsamic Dressing

• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (from about 1/2 medium head)
• 1 3-ounce package thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Place currants in small bowl. Heat vinegar in saucepan over medium heat until hot (do not boil). Pour vinegar over currants; let soak until currants soften, 15 to 20 minutes.

Place cabbage in large bowl; set aside. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium- high heat. Add pancetta; sauté until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add shallot to pancetta and drippings in skillet; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in currant- vinegar mixture and olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pour pancetta mixture over cabbage and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Add almonds and parsley; toss to blend.

From Epicurious.com via Bon Appétit by Maria Helm Sinskey, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/red-cabbage-salad-with-warm-pancetta-balsamic-dressing-364089

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