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

• Green Leaf Lettuce Heads
• Broccoli
• Purple & Orange Cauliflower
• Dill
• Sweet & Torpedo Onions
• Beets
• Sweet Corn – We’ve moved on to the second variety in the first succession of corn and we saw fewer corn earworms during harvest compared to last week. They are sneaky though, so be warned that you may see a worm or two in your corn again this week.
• Eggplant
• Mixed Cucumbers – Including a new-to-us burpless Asian variety called Tasty Green F1, our standby green slicer called Poinsett 76, a yellow slicer called Silver Slicer, and the classic lemon cucumbers.
• Mixed Zucchini & Summer Squash – Choose from green and yellow zucchinis and a few yellow straightneck summer squash.
• Mixed Purple Sweet Peppers – These are the immature coloring for this variety of bell pepper, so treat them like green peppers.
• Mixed Cherry Tomatoes & Slicer Tomatoes

We woke up to a light rain this morning, a pleasant shift from the heat of the past few weeks. After a quick rolling up of truck windows we were able to fully appreciate the damp start to the day, especially the reduced dust. Though not enough rain to replace any upcoming irrigation needs, it’s still nice to be reminded that the rains will return eventually.

After last week’s notes about all the elevated pest pressure we’ve been seeing here on the farm, this week I’ve been trying to also see the non-pest friends we’re sharing this space with. I was able to snap some photos of a couple of swallowtail butterflies and native sweat bees in the zinnia patch. I’ve been noticing the dragonflies zooming around overhead whenever we’re in the field too. And the ladybugs and lacewings doing their things. Of course the flea beetles and cucumber beetles are still out in force, but it’s not all doom and gloom.

A big bright spot on the farm at the moment can be found in the slicer tomato greenhouse. There’s a little more color in there each day as new varieties ripen. I’m feeling optimistic that we hit upon a good mix of slicer tomatoes that are happy growing in the greenhouse, which has been a challenge over the years.

In addition to those labeled above we’re growing several other red globe varieties that are still mostly ripening (of which Jet Star and Caiman are leading the pack), a pink/red Brandywine, and Striped German, a large yellow/orange type. There are thirteen varieties total. While most of the red types are hybrids and not great for seed saving, the various colored varieties are all open pollinated and will most likely grow true to type if you were to save their seeds.

On another bright spot note, a check-in on the potato patch shows that things are looking up. The gaps left by our initial planting efforts during the May heatwave have filled in thanks to our re-planting efforts in June. Members who pick-up here at the farm will see the potato plants looking good there in the front field. We’ll have to wait until harvesting to see what our true success rate has been, but at least we’re not staring at all those missing potato plants any longer.

We’ve found our stride here in late July. Each week we’re harvesting, cultivating, propagating, weeding, transplanting, and harvesting some more. The week ahead will look much the same. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, or so we keep telling ourselves.

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:

Sweet and Smoky Beet Burgers

1 yellow onion
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus extra for searing
1 cup peeled and grated raw beets (approximately 1 small beet)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup walnuts
¹/₂ cup golden raisins
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
¹/₂ cup cooked green lentils, rinsed and drained
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice or white sushi rice, at room temperature
1 egg

Slice the onion to a thickness of 1/4 inch. In a medium skillet, sauté the onion in the oil over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until it starts to darken and caramelize. Turn down the heat slightly and add the beets along with the garlic, walnuts, raisins, and paprika, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor and pulse several times until chunky. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture with the lentils, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Replace the food processor without washing and add the rice and egg, and pulse to form a coarse puree. Add the rice mixture to the onion-lentil mixture and mix well with your hands.

Lightly oil your hands and divide the dough into 8 portions. Shape each portion into a patty just under 1 inch thick.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add oil to coat the bottom. Place the burgers in the skillet and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Gently flip the burgers and turn down the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the burgers have a firm, brown crust. Serve hot with your favorite condiments.

From Food52.com by Louisa Shafia, https://food52.com/recipes/22553-sweet-and-smoky-beet-burgers

Dilled, Crunchy Sweet Corn Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

• For the salad:
• 1 clove shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 3 ears of fresh, uncooked corn, the kernels scraped from the cobs with a sharp knife (about 2 3/4 cup)
• 4 Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 long red sweet pepper, seeded, ribs removed and diced
• 1 small handful fresh dill (about 4 smallish sprigs), minced
• ¹/₄ cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 handful crumbled Feta cheese, rinsed, as a garnish

• For the dressing:
• ¹/₄ cup buttermilk
• ²/₃ cup plain European style thin yogurt, stirred
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1 small clove garlic, minced and mashed with a pinch of salt
• ¹/₄ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Salt the shallot slices in 1/2 t. salt and allow to sit about 20 minutes to draw out any harshness. Rinse well with water and pat dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl toss the corn kernels lightly to separate them, add the shallot and the remaining salad ingredients and toss again to combine.

In a smaller bowl combine the buttermilk, vinegar, onion, yogurt, and garlic and whisk to combine. Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking, until amalgamated. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

Serve the salad slightly chilled, garnished with the feta cheese. Pass the dressing separately.

From Food52.com by CreamTea, https://food52.com/recipes/12928-dilled-crunchy-sweet-corn-salad-with-buttermilk-dressing

Easy Summer Pasta

• 1 ³/₄ cups (300 grams) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs (I like herbes de Provence)
• 1 pinch kosher salt, plus more
• 2 ³/₄ ounces (75 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into medium strips
• 1 ¹/₂ cups (150 grams) dried whole-wheat penne pasta (or 3 cups/300 grams cooked penne)
• 3 tablespoons crème fraîche or ricotta cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 350°F. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the tomatoes for garnishing. On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange the remaining tomatoes. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut into half-moons about 3/4 inch thick. Add to the baking sheet with the tomatoes, along with the eggplant, oil, herbs, and a big pinch of salt. Toss to combine and roast, tossing halfway through, for about 1 hour, until the vegetables are nicely caramelized. After 45 minutes, scatter the mozzarella over the top of the vegetables and return to the oven for the final 15 minutes so the cheese melts.

Meanwhile, if you’re using dried pasta, place in a medium pan and cover with boiling water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (this will generally be the shorter cooking time on the package directions). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and return the pasta to the saucepan.

To the saucepan with the pasta, add the vegetables and cheese along with the crème fraîche and a splash of reserved pasta water (or tap water if you’re using precooked pasta). Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine. Divide the pasta mixture between 2 plates. Scatter the reserved tomatoes over the pasta.

From Food52.com by Izy Hossack, https://food52.com/recipes/77184-easy-summer-pasta