Welcome to the 2nd share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2023 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Leaf Lettuce Heads – We’ve got a green head and two small red heads headed your way this week.
• Lacinato Kale – The cool spring weather made for a nice kale crop this year, but the switch to some hot days brought on the dreaded flea beetles. You’ll see some flea beetle damage on these leaves but it’s still tasty. And obviously organic.
• Cilantro
• Dill – Lots of fronds, some flowers, all great for flavoring pickles or roasted roots.
• Broccoli
• Snap Peas
• Mixed Potatoes – We’re using up the last of last season’s potato crop. Eat them up!
• Carrots
• Storage Beets – The last of our winter storage beets. Good roasted, sauteed, or pickled.
• Leek Scapes – This time of year leeks produce a tall stalk that eventually becomes a flower. Before they become too woody the stalks are a seasonal leeky treat that can be diced up and used in place of leeks or onions.
• Zucchini!

Welcome to week 2 of the Summer CSA season! It was great seeing everyone last week and getting back into the swing of things after our month away from harvesting. This week we welcome the “even week” group of biweekly members to the party. We hope you’re enjoying the start of the season. Hurrah for vegetables!

As we get the season started, here are a few membership stats. This season we’re harvesting 120 shares each week spread over 101 weekly shares and 38 biweekly shares. Of those 120 harvested shares 57 are picked up in Salem, 33 are picked up here at the farm, and the Linn Benton Food Share (LBFS) picks up the remaining 30 shares.

The LBFS has generously purchased shares at a pro-rated price from us for many years now. It’s a great partnership and we’re happy to see the same fresh, organic produce that our members take home also head directly into Lebanon’s Soup Kitchen and food pantry system each week.

This past week we pushed to stay on top of weeding, planting, and watering. Summer weather looks like it’s here to stay and that means plenty of irrigation chores for Jeff in the fields and keeping the plants in the propagation house watered for me. On Wednesday and Thursday Jeff also did some mowing and managed to get the cultivating tractor through many crops and I cleaned up the slicer tomato greenhouse with some trellising and weeding of the paths. Friday I started our fall kale, collards, and parsley plus the next rounds of dill and cilantro while Jeff prepped beds for transplanting. Saturday we transplanted zucchini, cucumber, Brussels sprouts, kalettes, and chard. Sunday we finished up transplanting for the week with the pumpkin patch plus flour corn, dill, and cilantro. After transplanting Sunday morning it was time to harvest peas and wash potatoes. Then of course Monday and Tuesday mornings are harvest days ahead of CSA pick-ups Tuesday and Wednesdays. Whew!

In the week ahead we’ll be up to many of the same tasks. There are carrots to be weeded, winter squash and sweet corn to transplant, requiring more beds to be prepped, plus more mowing and weed whacking on deck, and of course the general battle on weeds continues. I’ll be starting the next rounds of sweet corn, beets, and lettuce too. Looks like June on the farm. It’s time to do all the things.

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:

Eric Korsh’s Farm Lettuces Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

• Dill Vinaigrette
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (25 grams) picked dill fronds (from about 1/2 bunch)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (19 grams) Dijon mustard
• 3 ¹/₂ tablespoons (50 grams) Champagne or white wine vinegar
• ¹/₄ cup neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
• ¹/₄ cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Farm Lettuces Salad
• Lettuces of your choice (see note below)—enough for about 6 cups torn, washed and spun dry
• 1 cup crumbled fresh sheep’s milk feta
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• ¹/₃ cup chives cut into 1-inch lengths

Dill Vinaigrette

Cook the egg in abundant boiling water for 7 minutes and 15 seconds, for barely set yolks and fully set whites. Rinse and peel in cold water to stop it from cooking futher.

Blend egg, dill, Dijon, and Champagne vinegar until smooth. Note: For a lighter-colored dressing with more bits of green in it, you can pulse in the herbs toward the end—this is especially good to do if substituting more strongly flavored herbs like chives for the dill.

Mix canola oil and olive oil and slowly, with the blender running, drizzle oil mixture in until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Any leftover dressing will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, though the color and fresh herb flavor may fade slightly after a day.

Farm Lettuces Salad

In choosing the lettuces, the salad should be bright and fresh. The leaves should be light, but stout enough to hold the other ingredients. Use red oak, green oak, and/or butter lettuce.

Just before serving, toss the lettuce with dressing to taste (it should be just enough to lightly coat the leaves), plus feta, scallions, and chives.

From Food52.com by Genius Recipes, https://food52.com/recipes/37034-eric-korsh-s-farm-lettuces-salad-with-dill-vinaigrette

Spiced Chickpeas with Wilted Kale and Roasted Carrots

1 pound carrots (I use rainbow carrots when available, they add nice color)
olive oil
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 shallots, peeled and cut into thin half moons
1 bunch cilantro
1 teaspoon sumac
¹/₂ teaspoon ground coriander
¹/₂ teaspoon ground cumin
¹/₂ teaspoon ground ginger
¹/₂ teaspoon aleppo chile (substitute 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes if you must)
2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bunch red kale, washed, leaves torn into bite size pieces, stems discarded (substitute any hearty greens)
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Using a chef knife, remove and discard the top of each carrot. Wash the carrots in cold water, but do not peel them (they look beautiful when roasted with the skin on). Cut the carrots into bite size pieces. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the carrots on the rimmed baking sheet in a single even layer. Toss the carrots with olive oil to coat, and season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the edges begin to caramelize. When the carrots are just cooked through and beginning to brown, remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.

While the carrots are cooking, set a large skillet over medium heat, and add enough olive oil to barely cover the bottom of the skillet. Add the shallots, and season lightly with salt. Cook the shallots until they become soft and start to turn translucent, stirring occasionally.

While the shallots are cooking, separate the cilantro leaves from the stems. Save the leaves in the refrigerator for later. Organize the stems into a single even pile (like a bunch of chives) and slice the cilantro stems into very thin slivers. By the time you finish dicing the cilantro stems, the shallots should be soft and translucent. Add the diced stems to the skillet, along with the sumac, coriander, cumin, ginger, and aleppo chile. Stir, cooking for 1-2 minutes, until the oil smells fragrant.

Add the chickpeas, and stir to coat them in the flavorful oil. Cook for 2 minutes, to allow the chickpeas to take on some of the flavor of the skillet. Add the kale, and stir to help the kale begin to wilt. Season lightly with salt. When the kale has begun to wilt, remove the skillet from the heat. You do not want to overcook the kale (it will shrink too much). The moment when the kale leaves are no longer raw is the time to remove the skillet from the heat (the kale leaves will soften and darken slightly in color).

Add the lime juice and stir. Add the creme fraiche and stir. The residual heat from the skillet should melt the creme fraiche and create a delicate sauce. Taste a few chickpeas and a small piece of kale. Adjust with more salt and/or lime juice as necessary. Add the roasted carrots, and gently stir to incorporate. Serve immediately, or serve at room temperature. Garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro leaves. Enjoy.

From Food52.com by Josh Cohen, https://food52.com/recipes/69624-spiced-chickpeas-with-wilted-kale-and-roasted-carrots

Kale and Potato Frittata

3 cups coarsely chopped kale (remove ribs), about ½ bunch
½ lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
1 small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced (perhaps sub for leek scapes)
9 to 10 eggs
¼ cup grated Pecorino cheese
3 Tbsp. olive oil
~ salt
~ pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Beat eggs and cheese in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium. Add onions and potatoes. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes begin to brown and are just cooked through. Add garlic, saute briefly. Begin adding kale, a cup at a time. Stir, let the kale wilt, then add the next cup. Cook until all the kale is wilted and is a bright green.
4. Turn off heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Add eggs, turn heat back on to medium. As the eggs begin to set, use a spatula to lift up the mixture around the edges of the pan and allow the eggs to flow underneath. Cook until the eggs set on the edges but the middle is still runny. Place skillet in oven and bake until the frittata is slightly browned and puffy, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes. Carefully slide frittata onto a serving plate. If the frittata is sticking to the skillet just serve from the skillet. The skillet will be hot so use an oven mitt or potholder.

From Culinate, via Hillsdale Farmers’ Market, http://www.culinate.com/market/hfm/recipes/recipes_by_season/kale_and_potato_frittata