Welcome to the 24th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2023 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Escarole – A little hardier than lettuce, escarole will stand up to wilting or a little cooking. We like to use it as a base for warm pasta or salmon topped with your favorite sauce/dressing.
• Tatsoi – Mild Asian greens related to bok choy, good in salads, tossed in soups and pasta to wilt, or lightly sauteed.
• Cilantro
• Lacinato Kale
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Rutabaga – Pairing well with potatoes and other roots, we like to add rutabaga to mashes and roasted root dishes.
• Huckleberry Gold Potatoes – Purple outside, white inside, great all around potatoes.
• Spaghetti Squash – The classic noodle substitution squash, check out the spaghetti squash and kale pesto recipe down below. Also, we’ve put together a new winter squash page with details and recipe suggestions for all of the types we grow. Check it out here: https://pitchforkandcrow.com/winter-squash/.
• Rosemary
• Mixed Sweet Peppers – Mixed Bell and elongated/pointy Italian Frying Peppers, different shapes but similar in taste and use. Some with more color than others (these varieties ripen to red and yellow) but all are sweet with no heat.
• Numex Suave Low Heat Habanero Peppers – Bred by the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University to have all the habanero fruity flavor but only some of the heat!
• Farm Apples – Same type as last week, tasty for fresh eating and cooking.

The farm weather station has logged nearly three and a quarter inches of rain since the start of November, just a week ago. Needless to say we’ve been working around the rainstorms this week. Outside work during the dry hours, inside or under cover work during the rain. The oranges and yellows of the changing leaves of the fruit trees really bring a feel of fall and in the aftermath of the rainstorms we’ve seen some lovely rainbows, in addition to muddy fields.

It’s a rewarding and beautiful time of year as the harvested crops pile up in storage. Thanks to a rather dry couple of days this past week we managed to make another dent in the remaining potato harvest. Another six beds harvested and stored in the walk-in cooler to help get us through the coming winter months.

Sometimes we think about how different farming would be if we didn’t continue the CSA through the winter months. We wouldn’t need so many storage crops squirreled away now, meaning we wouldn’t have to grow them through the summer months. Fewer potatoes, winter squash, onions, garlic, leeks, all the roots really, less kale, and purple sprouting broccoli, and overwintering cauliflower, and the list goes on. It’s difficult to imagine how the work would shift, and also difficult to imagine what we’d be eating through the winter. So I think we’ll continue navigating the winter harvests for the time being. This year we’ll be joined by 80 intrepid Winter CSA shareholders, enjoying the seasonal bounty through the dark months.

In the coming week we’ll be spending some time weeding in a greenhouse full of fall/winter greens and hopefully make another (final?) push toward finishing the potato harvest for the season. Though we harvested some more apples this past week, there are more out there, waiting for room to open up in the fruit cooler. We might be able to squeeze some more in after this week’s CSA distribution. The harvest goes on as we work to wrap up this season for good. Just two more weeks of the Summer CSA after this one!

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

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

.

Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Spaghetti Squash with Kale Pesto and Burrata

• 3 cups cubed day-old bread
• ¹/₂ cup loosely packed parsley leaves
• Olive oil (split three ways: 1 1/2 teaspoons, plus 1/2 cup, plus extra for roasting the spaghetti squash)
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, de-stemmed and washed
• ¹/₄ cup freshly grated Parmigiano
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice of one lemon
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 ball burrata cheese

Preheat the oven to 300° F. Place the cubed bread on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet, and dry the bread in the oven for approximately 1 hour. To test if the bread is ready to remove from the oven, break a cube in half. If it is completely crunchy and dry, it is ready. If it is still soft in the middle, cook it longer. You are making breadcrumbs, so the bread must be completely dry and crisp. If the bread starts to get too dark and toasty, turn the oven down to 275° F. When the bread is done cooking, cool it on a rack, and transfer it to a food processor. Pulse until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the parsley leaves along with 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil, and pulse until the parsley is blended in with the breadcrumbs. Transfer to a sealed container and set aside. These breadcrumbs can be made several days ahead of time and stored in a cool, dry place.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a large mixing bowl ready with ice water. Blanch the kale for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is wilted. Transfer the wilted kale to the ice water. When the kale is chilled, remove it from the ice water. As you remove the kale from the ice water, squeeze out all excess water. Take an extra minute on this step and really do a good job of squeezing out all the excess water from the kale. This will improve the taste and texture of your pesto.

Transfer the kale to a food processor. Add the Parmigiano, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Pulse in the food processor until it looks like pesto. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pulse. Taste. Adjust as necessary with more salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice. Set the finished kale pesto aside. This pesto can be made a day or two ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Drizzle olive oil over the flesh of the squash so that it is barely coated with oil. Season with salt. Place the squash flesh-side down on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Roast the squash for approximately 50 minutes, until the flesh feels tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the squash from the oven, and when it is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the flesh of the squash. As you scrape the flesh of the squash, it should loosen and look like tangles of noodles. Transfer these tangles of squash to a large mixing bowl. Discard the skin of the squash. Toss the squash with the kale pesto. Taste it, and adjust with salt and/or lemon as necessary.

To serve, arrange small nests of squash on a plate, leaving some negative space. Tear small pieces of burrata cheese and place the pieces of cheese in the empty spaces on the plate. Sprinkle a light dusting of breadcrumbs over the dish. Save any extra breadcrumbs for another use. Garnish with a thin drizzle of olive oil. Serve and enjoy.

From Food52.com by Josh Cohen, https://food52.com/recipes/40388-spaghetti-squash-with-kale-pesto-and-burrata

Stewy White Beans with Escarole, Garlic, and Sizzled Rosemary

• 1 medium head escarole, about 1 pound (or substitute curly kale or mustard greens)
• ¹/₄ cup olive oil
• 1 large sprig rosemary, plus more for frying (optional)
• 2 dried chiles de arbol (or substitute ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• Salt, for seasoning
• 2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• Rind of Parmesan, Grana Padano, or pecorino (optional)
• ¹/₂ of a lemon
• Any of the above cheeses, for garnishing
• Canola oil, for frying (optional)

Cut the head of escarole in half lengthwise, then cut each length crosswise, into 1 1/2-inch strips. Place in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Use your hands to swish the leaves around, loosening up the dirt. Let the escarole sit undisturbed for 5 or so minutes so that the soot settles to the bottom. Lift the escarole out of the bowl, then repeat the washing process. (Escarole is very dirty—washing it twice is critical.) Don’t worry if the leaves are still a little wet. (If you’re using kale or mustard greens, clean and remove the center ribs. Then give the leaves a rough chop.)

In a large Dutch oven with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat, Once hot, add the rosemary sprig and the chiles de arbol. Let sizzle for about 1 minute, then turn the heat to medium and add the garlic. Stir until it’s soft and golden on the edges.

Add the escarole a handful at a time. Stir it and let it wilt before adding the next handful and season with salt as you throw in each new addition.

When all the escarole has wilted, add the beans, the stock, and the cheese rind (if using), season with more salt, and stir to mix everything together.

Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover, lower the heat to maintain a slow simmer, and cook until the greens are tender and the liquid has thickened, about 20 minutes. (If you don’t want the dish to be soupy, you can remove the lid and simmer it for about 5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced.)

Before serving, season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Garnish with grated cheese and a swirl of olive oil. Serve over slices of toasted sourdough, polenta, or al dente ditalini.

Optional: If you’d like to add a bit of flair, garnish with a fried rosemary sprig. Heat about an inch of canola oil in a high-sided pan. When it’s shimmering (about 375° F), add the rosemary sprigs. Fry for about 30 seconds, until crisp, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt while warm.

From Food52.com by Sarah Jampel, https://food52.com/recipes/74318-stewy-white-beans-with-escarole-garlic-and-sizzled-rosemary

Harissa Chicken with Leeks, Potatoes, & Yogurt

• 1 ¹/₂ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 ¹/₄ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 by 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• ³/₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons harissa
• ¹/₂ teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 ¹/₂ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts, halved lengthwise, rinsed, and thinly sliced into half-moons
• ¹/₂ teaspoon grated lemon zest
• ¹/₃ cup plain yogurt, preferably whole-milk (if using Greek, thin it down with a little milk to make it drizzle-able
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 cup mixed soft fresh herbs such as dill, parsley, mint, and/or cilantro leaves
• 1 splash fresh lemon juice, as needed

Combine the chicken and potatoes in a large bowl. Season them with 2½ teaspoons of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the harissa, cumin, and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Pour this mixture over the chicken and potatoes, and toss to combine. Let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the leeks, lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and the remaining 1½ tablespoons olive oil.

Heat the oven to 425°F.

Arrange the chicken and potatoes in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes. Then toss the potatoes lightly, and scatter the leeks over the baking sheet. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and everything is golden and slightly crisped, 20 to 25 minutes longer.

While the chicken cooks, place the yogurt in a small bowl. Grate the garlic clove over the yogurt, and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Spoon the yogurt over the chicken and vegetables in the baking sheet (or you can transfer everything to a platter if you want to be fancy about it). Scatter the herbs over the yogurt, drizzle some olive oil and lemon juice over the top, and serve.

From Food52.com by Melissa Clark, https://food52.com/recipes/68405-harissa-chicken-with-leeks-potatoes-and-yogurt