Welcome to the 9th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2022/2023 Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Spinach
• Arugula Rapini
• Mixed Brassica Rapini – We’ve finally got some bunchable rapini outside including kohlrabi, cabbage, and kale rapini bunches.
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli
• Purple Cape Brociflower – Somewhere between broccoli and cauliflower, definitely a tasty seasonal treat.
• Kalettes – Pop the kale sprouts off the stalk and enjoy them in your favorite recipes. We usually just cut the sprouts in half, toss with a little oil/salt/pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for ~20 minutes, just like Brussels. Note that some of these stalks have bonus kalette rapini too! Delicious!
• Cilantro
• Parsnips
• Diana Radishes
• Rutabaga
• Potatoes
• Bunching Onions
• Mostly Yellow Onions
• Garlic – We ask a lot of our storage crops. We harvest them in early fall and then let them sit and wait and wait until they make an appearance in the share. We’re getting better at selecting long storing varieties but there’s just only so long garlic wants to store sometimes. That’s to say, eat your alliums before they sprout because spring is just around the corner.
• Dried Ancho Poblano Peppers – Ancho chiles are fully ripe and dehydrated poblano peppers. They can be ground into a chile powder, or blended with roasted onions, garlic, and tomatoes into enchilada sauce, or simply tossed into a soup or stew for chile flavoring.
• Corn Flour – 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 flour and next time we’ll share the polenta. You can use this flour in any recipe calling for corn flour or cornmeal. We like to use it for perfect cornbread.
• Dried Apples – Wanting to extend the dried apple train we purchased some apples from Washington through a local produce market. They are certified organic Fujis and dried by us.
• Tetsukabuto Winter Squash – – A rare cross between butternut and kabocha = the best of both worlds!

We’ve made it to the penultimate share of the Winter CSA season, with just one share remaining in two weeks. We never know quite what to expect when we begin any CSA season, but especially winter seasons. The winter weather is always an unknown that can make or break it. As we edge closer to the end of the season we begin to reflect on making it through another season with vegetables to share. It’s been a cold few months, resulting in slower growth in the field, but luckily we haven’t seen crop killing single digit temperatures this season. And we’re thankful for greenhouse space and the January-sown greens that are seeing us through these final shares. It looks like we’re going to make it through another Winter CSA season!

Our attention now turns to ramping up production for the Summer CSA season ahead. The first starts of the season are hardening off just outside the propagation house to be ready to transplant into the field in the next dry weather window. Jeff was able to prep some beds late last week so we’ll be ready to jump to transplanting when the sun shows up again. Fingers crossed we don’t have to wait too long.

In between scanning weather reports for predictions about dry weather on the horizon we’ll be keeping busy in the coming week flipping greenhouses from winter to summer crops. Harvested beds of mustards and lettuce will get cleaned up to make way for tomato planting. Soon the beds of spring greens we’re enjoying now will get flipped for May eggplant planting. In the interim there are beds of carrots to weed, peas to start trellising, seeds to start for future transplants, and the list goes on. Thankfully we’ll be eating well this week too!

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you here again in two weeks!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Kabocha Fried Rice

• Neutral oil, for cooking
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• Salt, to taste
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and diced
• 1 pound (about 3 cups) peeled kabocha squash cubes
• ¹/₂ cup vegetable stock
• 4 cups cooked long-grain rice, cooled
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 handful chopped scallions
• Chile oil, for serving (optional)

Set a wok or large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shallot slices and fry until golden brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the shallots to a paper-towel-lined plate. Season with salt.

Using the same skillet with the remaining oil, sauté the shiitake mushrooms over medium heat until fragrant and browned, about 3 minutes, adding more oil along the way if the pan looks dry.

Add the kabocha and toss in the oil (you can add more oil if needed). Arrange the cubes to sit in a single layer. Pan-fry, flipping occasionally, until the kabocha is starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook until the kabocha is fork-tender and the stock is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer about half of the kabocha to a plate.

Add the rice to the pan. Stir in the soy sauce. Toss until the rice is coated, using the back of a spatula to press and break apart any rice clumps. Taste and season with more salt or soy sauce if needed.

Fold in most of the fried shallots and scallions and turn off the heat. Garnish with the reserved kabocha and remaining fried shallots and scallions. Serve with a side of chile oil, if you’d like.

From Food52.com by Woonheng Chia, https://food52.com/recipes/86754-kabocha-fried-rice-recipe

Potato, Chorizo, and Cheddar Breakfast Tacos

• For the tacos:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, de-seeded and finely diced
• 2 potatoes, par-boiled and cubed
• 10-12 ounces Mexican chorizo
• 12 small corn tortillas
• 8 eggs
• Salt, to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• For topping:
• Scallions, thinly sliced
• Avocado, sliced and then cut into chunks
• Lime wedges
• Cilantro, torn
• Salsa roja or pico de gallo
• Sliced radishes
• Hot sauce
• Sour cream or crema

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeño (if using), and potato. Salt and pepper to taste, then sauté until the potatoes get a little crispy.

Wipe out the pan and add chorizo. Sauté until cooked through, breaking up the chorizo as you stir. Drain and combine with potatoes.

Meanwhile, in another pan on medium heat, toast the corn tortillas one or more at a time, just until they have a little bit of brown on each side. Set aside.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and add salt & pepper. Lightly scramble.

Wipe out one of the pans and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the eggs to pan, and using a fork or spatula, gently toss around pan to form very loose curds. Add shredded cheese when almost done and let melt.

Top tortillas with a scoop of egg and a scoop of the sausage-potato mixture. Add more cheese if you’d like, and top as you please.

From Food52.com, https://food52.com/recipes/76747-potato-chorizo-and-cheddar-breakfast-tacos

Broccoli Rabe, Potato, and Rosemary Pizza

• 2 uncooked pizza crusts (recipe below)
• 1 large yukon gold potato, very thinly sliced
• Salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• ¹/₂ pound broccoli rabe, washed, ends trimmed (or brassica rapini or purple sprouting broccoli or kalettes)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced, plus 2 garlic cloves lightly smashed but still intact
• ¹/₄ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
• ¹/₂ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Rosemary sprigs for garnish

• Pizza Dough Recipe
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast
• ¹/₂ cup lukewarm water
• 3 ¹/₂ cups all-purpose flour
• ¹/₄ cup semolina flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ³/₄ cup cold water
• ¹/₄ cup olive oil

Broccoli Rabe, Potato and Rosemary Pizza

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Arrange potatoes in one layer on a baking tray. Bake until edges begin to turn golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Increase oven temperature to 475 F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add broccoli rabe and blanch 30 seconds; drain. Plunge broccoli rabe into a bowl of ice water. Cool and drain again. Lay in one layer on a kitchen towel to thoroughly dry. Cut in 2″ pieces.

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté briefly, 30 seconds. Add broccoli rabe and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté one minute. Remove from heat. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Assemble pizzas: Lightly brush pizza crusts with olive oil. Rub all over with smashed garlic cloves.

Arrange one layer mozzarella cheese over crusts. Top with one layer of potatoes and broccoli rabe. Sprinkle one tablespoon rosemary over each crust. Top with grated Pecorino cheese.

Bake on pizza stone or on tray on lowest rack in oven until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with fresh rosemary leaves and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Pizza Dough Recipe

Stir yeast and lukewarm water together in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and semolina. Mix well. Let sit until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Combine remaining flour and salt in another bowl. Add to yeast with cold water and olive oil. Mix well to form a dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead with hands until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Or use a mixer with a dough hook, and knead about 5 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat all sides with oil. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours. Punch dough down, and let rise another 45 minutes.

Divide dough into 2 equal disks (or 4 if you would like small pizzas.) Let rest 30 minutes before shaping. Lightly flour a work surface. Using your fingers or heels of your hands, stretch the disks out to 10″ shapes.

From Food52.com by TasteFood, https://food52.com/recipes/2611-broccoli-rabe-potato-and-rosemary-pizza