Welcome to the 10th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2023 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Red Romaine and Butter Lettuce Heads
• Cauliflower
• Green Cabbage
• Thai Basil – Reminder: basil doesn’t like cold temperatures so we suggest skipping the fridge and keeping it in a glass of water on the countertop.
• Sweet & Torpedo Onions
• Garlic
• German Butterball Potatoes – Once again, we didn’t wash these potatoes this week. Though the skins are a little more developed than the previous lot, we think they’ll store a little longer this way.
• 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.
• Mixed Cucumbers – Including green slicers, 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.
• Green & Purple Sweet Peppers – These are the immature coloring for these varieties of bell peppers, so treat them all like green peppers.
• Shishito Peppers – Known as a roulette pepper, 1 in 10 might be hot. They’re great with eggs, or anything else really, but traditionally blistered in hot oil and eaten with a little salt.
• Mixed Cherry Tomatoes & Slicer Tomatoes

Welcome to week 10 of the Summer CSA season, and welcome to August! Somehow we’ve found ourselves in deep summer, surrounded by the vegetables we dream of in late winter. The tomatoes, the cucumbers, the peppers, the sweet corn! Dinner doesn’t get much easier.

Yesterday during the cabbage wash and pack Jeff said something about hoping members were ready to make slaw and the term Slawgust was born. Get it? August, the month of slaw, thus Slawgust? Maybe we need more sleep.

A couple weeks back I was noting the elevated pest pressure, and last week I attempted to focus on the native and beneficial insects we’ve been seeing around. This week it seems like we’ve crossed paths with a number of larger farm friends like frogs and snakes and quail and rabbits and squirrels in addition to the deer and turkeys that seem ever present.

The squirrels are a new one to us and they seem to be a piece in a mystery puzzle we’ve been attempting to solve. The back corner of a field we hadn’t grown in for a few years didn’t seem to be thriving last fall and then again this summer. Is it quail, or deer, or turkeys taking out small plants we asked? Or maybe an irrigation issue or tree shade? And then Jeff noticed the six squirrels romping around the edge of that back corner while we were transplanting in an adjacent field. Though we have oak trees here and on our neighbor’s property we don’t often see squirrels. Evidently they’ve been enjoying the salad bar we transplanted for them.

Perhaps Slawgust could also be Slog-ust, as we continue the slog through the busiest part of the season. We’re continuing the transplanting for summer, fall, and winter crops, maintaining it all, and trying to keep up with the current harvests. Last week we transplanted the winter cabbage and fall lettuce. Once again the week ahead will look similar as we aim to get the overwintering cauliflower and purple sprouting broccoli in the ground for Winter CSA shares next March thru April. Hopefully we’ll also get to some more weeding (finishing the leeks and carrots), bulk harvesting (carrots, beets, and apples!), and general cultivating of everything.

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:

Sheet Pan Roast Chicken and Cabbage

1 teaspoon neutral oil, for greasing
1 tablespoon sesame oil
¹/₄ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or other)
1 tablespoon Sriracha, optional
8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 pinch kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 head cabbage, 2 to 3 lbs.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Pour a teaspoon of neutral oil over a rimmed sheet pan. Rub to coat.

In a small bowl, stir together the sesame oil, coconut oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sriracha, if using. Place chicken in a large bowl. Season all over with salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 cup of the prepared mixture over the chicken and let marinate while the oven preheats. (Chicken can marinate longer, too, but try, if time permits, to bring it to room temperature before cooking—the coconut oil will solidify in the fridge and look clumpy, which is fine.)

Cut the cabbage in half through the core. Cut again through each core and repeat this process until you are left with many wedges, no greater than 1-inch wide. Place the wedges in a large bowl, season all over with salt and pepper, and toss with the remaining dressing.

Place chicken on prepared sheet pan spreading it out evenly. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and nestle cabbage wedges all around the pieces, tucking it under if necessary—it will feel like a lot of cabbage. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes more or until chicken is golden and cooked through. Remove pan from oven, transfer chicken to a platter to rest. Return cabbage to the oven to roast for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until juices have reduced and edges of cabbage wedges are caramelized.

From Food52.com by Alexandra Stafford, https://food52.com/recipes/64451-sheet-pan-roast-chicken-and-cabbage

Cauliflower Paprikash

• 1 head cauliflower
• ¹/₄ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced or Microplaned
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¹/₄ cup paprika (mixed to taste; I did 3 tablespoons smoked, 1 tablespoon hot)
• Ground cayenne, to taste
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups water
• ³/₄ cup whole-milk Greek yogurt, room-temperature
• Chopped, flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
• Buttered egg noodles, for serving

Halve the cauliflower lengthwise (from flowery top to stem). Halve it again lengthwise. Trim any leaves from the bottom but leave the core in tact. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a very wide, high-sided pan/pot. (This will be your one-stop shop for searing, then making the stew.) Set the pan over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower quarters and brown on all sides (even the flowery tops!). We’re just going for the color here—we don’t need it to cook through. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt. Leave the pan on the heat!

Add another 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and bell pepper. Season with salt and stir. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramelize. Add the garlic and stir. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the butter. Let melt, then stir to incorporate. Add the paprika and cayenne and stir. Cook for a couple minutes to toast the spices. Add the flour and stir. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the water and stir.

Drop the heat to medium-low and nestle the cauliflower quarters in the paprikash sauce. Cover the pan. Simmer until the cauliflower is as tender as you like it. Season the sauce to taste with salt. Just before serving, stir in the yogurt. Garnish with parsley. Serve with buttered egg noodles.

From Food52.com by Emma Laperruque, https://food52.com/recipes/75590-cauliflower-paprikash

Green Cabbage Slaw

1 medium-sized green cabbage
1 quart water
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus extra if needed
4 tablespoons white vinegar
White ground pepper (or black pepper), to taste
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as safflower or canola

Trim the core out of the cabbage and shred it finely into a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl.

Boil the water with the salt. Pour the boiling salted water over the cabbage, and let sit until the water cools, 30 to 60 minutes.

Drain the cabbage using a colander. Press down on the colander with a slightly smaller plate in order to force out as much water as possible. Return the drained cabbage to a clean, dry bowl.

Put the vinegar and pepper in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly add the oil until blended with the vinegar. Pour the vinaigrette over the cabbage, tossing gently to distribute evenly. Taste for salt, adding more if needed. The slaw will be ready to eat immediately, though the flavor and texture will mellow and improve if allowed to stand for an hour or more.

Variation: Prepare steps 1 through 3 above, then add the following to the cabbage in the bowl: 2 carrots, shredded on the large holes of a box grater; 1 small shallot, minced; 1 bunch arugula, chopped small; and1 to 2 tablespoons fresh marjoram, minced. Then continue with step 4 above.

From Food52.com by Sonya Gropman, https://food52.com/recipes/31608-green-cabbage-slaw-krautsalat

Persian Cucumber Salad with Red Onion & Thai Basil

• 6 Persian cucumbers
• 1 medium red onion
• 4 tablespoons chopped Thai or sweet basil
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
• 2 ¹/₂ tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¹/₂ teaspoon soy sauce
• salt + pepper to taste

Cut onions into thin rings, then soak in water for 10-15 minutes to reduces the pungent bite.

In the meantime, cut cucumbers into rings, then cut into half moon shapes (or whatever shape your heart desires).

Chop basil.

To make the dressing, combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, salt, pepper, honey (limit salt since you have sodium from the soy sauce).

Slowly add in Sesame oil and while whisking at the same time. This helps emulsify the dressing so it won’t separate.

Toss Cucumber, onion, basil + dressing together and enjoy!

From Food52.com by Basil and Roses, https://food52.com/recipes/69603-persian-cucumber-salad-with-red-onion-thai-basil