Welcome to the 26th, and final, share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2023 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Red Ursa Kale – Our favorite variety of red Russian kale, this is very tender greenhouse-grown kale that would make for a tasty salad if that’s your thing.
• Mustard Greens – Spicy greens to add a little punch to any recipe calling for mixed greens or mustards.
• Baby Romaine Lettuce Heads
• Celery
• Sage
• Onions
• Garlic
• Sweet Potatoes – In an effort to prolong their storage life we’re giving these out unwashed. You may want to give them a soak pre-scrubbing. Enjoy!
• Carrots
• Mostly Pinto Potatoes – Red and white skins with gold creamy flesh good for frying, roasting, or steaming.
• Butternut Squash
• Long Pie Pumpkin – Like an elongated pie pumpkin with smooth flesh and sweet/savory flavor; more pumpkin for your pie needs!
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Farm Apples
• Polenta (aka grits) – 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 polenta and next week we’ll share the flour. You can use this polenta in recipes calling for uncooked polenta or corn grits like this one or this one. We like to cook it in our rice cooker at a 1 cup polenta to 3 cups water ratio. It’s even better if you stir in some butter and cheese once cooked. We’ve heard from members that the rice setting on an instant pot works too.

Welcome to the final share of the 2023 Summer CSA season! As we wrap up this CSA season and also celebrate Thanksgiving this week I wanted to take a moment to say thanks. Thank you for supporting our farm this season. Thank you for choosing to eat local and seasonal vegetables for the past six months. Thank you for showing up week after week. We appreciate your willingness to make the CSA a part of your lives.

As you head to winter markets and the grocery store produce department in the coming weeks we hope you’ll take some of your CSA experience with you. Perhaps you’ll look for a new or unusual vegetable to experiment with. Perhaps you’ll investigate further where your food was grown and by whom. Maybe you’ll be traveling and you’ll have the opportunity to experience regional foods in new places. We know there are many choices to be made when it comes to what you eat and we thank you for choosing our farm this past season.

Here are some quick season stats: This year each weekly share consisted of an average of 17lbs per week for 26 weeks. That’s 442 pounds of organic vegetables for each weekly share over the season. All combined that means Jeff and I grew and distributed approximately 52,592lbs of produce this season. That’s 4,230lbs more than last season, or over 2 tons more produce distributed. Through our paid partnership with the Linn Benton Food Share, 13,258lbs of those organic vegetables went directly to the Lebanon Soup Kitchen, food pantries, and gleaners. Not bad for a two-person operation, if I do say so.

As usual, we’ve been busy this past week as we worked to prepare for this final share, wrap up the growing season, and start in on the winter to do list. We finished the last of the potato harvest on Thursday with the final two beds of muddy spuds packed away into the cooler. On Friday morning we had our annual organic inspection which consisted of lots of paperwork reviewing, process discussion, and trace back audits plus a walk around the farm. Friday afternoon Jeff worked on closing in greenhouse ends while I filled sand bags for weighing down winter row cover in case of future cold temps. Saturday saw more greenhouse end closing for Jeff while I took a couple of different hoes through the winter salad house to kill the weeds before they got too established. Then Sunday we focused on harvesting for your last share. Carrots were dug, potatoes were washed, garlic was cleaned, squash and pumpkins were counted and boxed. Whew! Another full week.

We’ll see many of you in a few weeks for the start of the Winter CSA. We’re excited to see what the winter season has in store for us and hope you are too! For everyone else, we hope you have a fantastic winter! Keep an eye out for an email from us in early January as we gear up for the 2024 Summer CSA! Hopefully you’ll consider joining us for another round of local, seasonal, organic vegetables.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the vegetables! We’ll see Winter CSA members on December 19th (Salem) & 20th (on-farm) for the beginning of the Winter season.

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Caramelized Butternut Squash Wedges with Sage-Hazelnut Pesto

• Sage, Hazelnut, Ricotta Salata Pesto
• ¹/₄ cup sage, chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (up to 5 tablespoons)
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• ¹/₃ cup hazelnuts, toasted
• ¹/₄ cup ricotta salata, 2 tbsps of which should be medium fine crumbles (to be used as a finishing topping with the pesto).
• 1 pinch salt

• Butternut Squash
• 2 butternut squashes [about 3.5 lbs total when unpeeled]
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹/₄ teaspoon cayenne, depending on taste (up to 1/2 teaspoon)

Preheat the oven to 500 and place a rack in the lowest slot in the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Peel the butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut each squash half in half widthwise, right where the slender part curves out to the bulge. Cut each quarter into about 1 inch wedges (see picture) and place in a bowl.

Toss squash with olive oil, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Place in a single layer on baking sheet.

Roast for 10 to 15 minutes until caramelized. Remove from oven and flip over. Bake another 10 to 15 minutes until caramelized on the other side and cooked through. The pieces on the edges of the baking sheet will caramelize first so you want to move around during the baking time.

While the squash is roasting, make the pesto: Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil, sage, and garlic in a small pan over very low heat just until the oil bubbles. Pour in a small bowl, reserving the garlic clove. Place the toasted hazelnuts in mini food processor along with the garlic clove and process until a fine crumble and add to the bowl (alternatively, you can do by hand or in a mortar and pestle). Add the cheese to the bowl along with 1 to 2 tablespoons more olive oil and stir until combined and salt to taste. This is not a traditional pesto — more nutty than herby and not so much oil.

Once the squash is roasted, place in a large bowl and toss with pesto to taste. Dig in.

From Food52.com by MELISSAV, https://food52.com/recipes/7374-caramelized-butternut-squash-wedges-with-a-sage-hazelnut-pesto

Chicken Stew with Potatoes, Carrots, and Celery

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig thyme
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ¹/₄ cup all-purpose flour
• 32 ounces low-sodium homemade or store-bought chicken stock
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
• ¹/₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Sear the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side, until browned. Transfer to a cutting board and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

In the same pot over medium heat, cook the onion and garlic, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until translucent and softened; season with salt. Add the rosemary and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until translucent.

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, until all of the vegetables are coated and the raw taste has cooked off. Slowly pour in the stock, stirring to break up any lumps of flour.

Add the chicken, potatoes, and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the chicken and potatoes are fully cooked and the liquid has slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the seasonings; discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs.

Divide the soup among bowls. Garnish with the parsley.

From Food52.com by Rachel Gurjar, https://food52.com/recipes/84569-best-chicken-stew-recipe

Mustardy Grilled Cheese

• For the mustard greens
• 1 bunch mustard greens, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pinch salt and pepper, to taste

• For the sandwiches
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 slices thick-cut bread (I prefer brioche)
• 6 tablespoons stoneground mustard
• 24 to 28 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• ¹/₄ red onion, thinly sliced

First, cook your mustard greens. Clean and trim the leaves, then heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add in the greens and stir until wilted, about 5 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the inside of the pan with a paper towel.

Butter both sides of each slice of bread, then reduce the pan’s heat to medium and add in 4 slices of bread at a time (or however many slices your pan can hold) and toast one side. Flip two of the slices of bread (so that the toasted side is up) and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of mustard, followed by 3 to 4 slices of cheese, 1/4 of the mustard greens, a few slices of red onion, and an additional 3 to 4 slices of cheese. Top these two pieces with the other two slices of bread, placing them toasted side-down onto the cheese. Use a spatula to press down on the sandwiches, then cover the pan lightly and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove the cover, flip the sandwiches, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, pressing down again with a spatula. Remove the sandwiches from the pan when the cheese is gooey and melted, then finish with the remaining sandwich ingredients (you can keep the sandwiches warm in a 250° F oven). Serve warm.

From Food52.com by CREPESOFWRATH, https://food52.com/recipes/30822-mustardy-grilled-cheese