Welcome to the 25th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2022 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Salad Mix – A mix of lettuces.
• Bok Choy
• Collards – Collards can be used like kale or cabbage. They can be cooked down southern style, but they’re delicious in other recipes too. Check out the Collard Quiche recipe below and this vegan citrusy collard recipe we’ve posted in the past.
• Brussels Sprouts – Pop the sprouts off the stalk and enjoy them in your favorite recipes. Don’t forget to check out the recipe index here on our website if you’re looking for suggestions.
• Thyme
• Celery – Yep, more celery. It’s soup season after all.
• Mixed Potatoes
• Carrots
• Yellow Onion
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Poblano Peppers
• Aji Marchant Peppers – These peppers have an intriguing history that you can read about here. Though spicy when yellow and under-ripe they get hotter as they mature to red.
• Candystick Dessert Delicata Squash
• Polenta (aka grits) – We grow a flint corn called Cascade Ruby Gold that grinds partially into flour and partially into polenta when milled. This week we’re sharing polenta and next week we’ll share the flour. You can use this polenta in recipes calling for uncooked polenta or corn grits. We like to cook it in our rice cooker at a 1 cup polenta to 3 cups water ratio. It’s even better if you stir in some butter and cheese once cooked. We’ve heard from members that the rice setting on an instant pot works too.

Frosty mornings have been greeting us this past week. Thankfully the greenhouses and row cover have been keeping the frost at bay for the tender crops still in the field. Back on November 4th we passed into the Persephone period, when we experience fewer than 10 hours of daylight each day. Plants slow their growth almost to a standstill this time of year. Like the plants slowing down, we’re also looking forward to slowing down a little in the coming weeks.

This week we’re saying good bye to half of those members who chose the biweekly share option. It’s the penultimate week for everyone else as next week we’ll wrap up the Summer CSA season for good. Where have the past six months gone? Despite the wet spring and extended hot fall we’ve still managed to eat through a seasonal bounty of vegetables. From snap peas and radishes last June to tomatoes and corn this summer and now to winter squash and potatoes this fall the vegetables have kept coming. We hope you’ve enjoyed the season despite its challenges. As we approach Thanksgiving and officially finish the season next week we’re especially thankful for your continued support. We couldn’t do this without you!

This past week we had just enough dry weather to complete the potato harvest! We now have a cooler full of potatoes that will help see us through the winter months. We also milled dry corn for flour and polenta, which we’re sharing with you this week and next. And we managed to get into a fix with our 90s era Ford F150 requiring a tow and a mysterious issue we have yet to fully diagnose. Now we’ve added an automotive challenge to our end of season To Do list. Fun with 1990s computer technology! Perhaps it’s time to think about updating the fleet.

This week we’ll be preparing for the final week of the CSA season. Here’s our tentative harvest list for next week as you begin your Thanksgiving shopping. This list may change as we get closer to harvest day, but it should look very similar.

We’ll see the majority of you next week for the final share of the Summer CSA!

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

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Collard Greens Quiche

• Filling
• ³/₄ pound Bacon, Diced
• 2 cups Collard Greens, De-Stemmed, Cooked and Chopped
• 1 Small Yellow Onion, Diced
• 6 Eggs
• 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 4 ounces Gruyere, Shredded
• 2 ounces Sharp Cheddar, Shredded
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

• Crust
• 1 Cup plus 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 6 tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed
• 1 Large Egg, Beaten
• Pinch of Salt

In a food processor, combine the flour, butter and salt until the mixture is crumbly.-this should only take a few pulses. Add the egg, and pulse a few more times until the dough resembles little peas.

Remove dough from processor and shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one-hour. When chilled, remove dough and roll out onto a lightly floured work-surface. Roll out the dough to be 2″ larger than the size in inches of your quiche pan.

Fit dough into the quiche pan, remove excess and prick with a fork all over and then refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet, over medium-low heat cook diced bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain. Pour out the bacon grease and add the diced onion to the same pan. Cook onions until soft and transparent. Add the bacon and collards to the onion pan. Toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and add in whipping cream, nutmeg and salt & pepper. Add the bacon mixture. Stir to combine.

Remove crust from refrigerator. Sprinkle shredded Gruyere and cheddar as the bottom (first) layer in the crust. Pour in the cream mixture and spread evenly.

Bake quiche for 40 – 55 minutes until set. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice and serve!

From Food52.com by Table9, https://food52.com/recipes/10180-beloved-greens-quiche

Squash with Parmesan and Walnuts

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 ¹/₂ pounds Delicata squash, cut in half lengthwise, cored, then cut into 1/2 inch moons
• ¹/₂ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
• ¹/₄ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Preheat over to 400°F.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and maple syrup. Place squash moons in a medium-sized bowl and pour olive oil mixture on top. Add salt and toss to coat. Transfer squash to a baking sheet and spread out so it’s in a single layer and there are no overlapping moons. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway, until squash is soft and nicely browned.

In the meantime, toast walnuts in a small saucepan over low heat until they are about a shade darker and smell nuttier, about 5-10 minutes.

Arrange squash on a platter and sprinkle with toasted walnuts, Parmesan, and parsley. Serve immediately.

From Food52.com by Vicky | Things I Made Today, https://food52.com/recipes/63171-squash-with-parmesan-walnuts

10 Minute Garlic Bok Choy

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 5 cloves garlic – minced
• 2 large shallots – minced
• 2 pounds baby bok choy – halved or quartered
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper – optional

Add the oil to a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the entire surface of the pan.  Add the garlic and shallots, stirring continuously for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.

Add the bok choy, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss to coat and cover. Cook for 1-2 minutes, uncover and toss, and then cover and continue to cook until bok choy is cooked to desired doneness (approximately 3-5 minutes more).

Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and serve immediately. Enjoy!

From The Forked Spoon by Jessica Randhawa, https://theforkedspoon.com/bok-choy-recipe/

Northwest Smoked Salmon Chowder

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¹/₂ teaspoon black pepper
1 small onion, diced
2 large leeks, sliced, soaked in water to remove the grit
2 stalks celery, diced fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups potatoes, chopped, preferably Idaho or Russet (450g)
¹/₂ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 15-oz can chopped tomatoes, drained
3 cups fish stock (chicken or veg stock works, too)
3 tablespoons capers, plus 1 tablespoon of brine
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
¹/₂ cup half and half
1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Texas Pete’s)
1 cup hot smoked salmon, shredded
¹/₄ cup flat-leaf parsley, diced for garnish
lemon wedges, for garnish
Sourdough bread bowls for serving, or slices of sourdough bread for dipping

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, celery, salt and pepper and sauté, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the onions turn translucent.

Add the garlic and potatoes and stir. Add bay leaves and fennel seeds, stir. Add tomato paste and let toast for a minute. Stir in chopped tomatoes, stock, and capers. Let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked all the way through.

Remove the bay leaves and add the cream cheese, let it melt into the soup. Add the half & half and stir it until fully incorporated. When the soup just begins to simmer stir in the smoked salmon and stir until heated through. Add the hot sauce and combine.

Serve chowder in sourdough bowls or with sourdough bread on the side for dipping. Garnish with chopped parsley, lemon wedges, and hot sauce on the side.

Pro tip: Chowder tastes better the next day.

From Food52.com by Catherine Lamb, https://food52.com/recipes/75626-northwest-smoked-salmon-chowder