Winter CSA Share #1

Welcome to the 1st share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2023/2024 Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

Radicchio – Great for robust winter salads with punchy dressings and nuts and strong cheese and citrus. Holds up to a little warming too. We’ll eat it under oven baked salmon, rice, and creamy dressing for a quick dinner. Soaking in ice water can help reduce the bitterness if needed. Click here for some tips if you think radicchio and chicories bring too much bitter to the table.
Romaine Lettuce Bites – Mini romaine heads, peeled down to the best leaves.
Arugula
Lacinato Kale
Brussels Sprouts – Pop the sprouts off the stalk and enjoy them in your favorite recipes. We usually just cut the sprouts in half, toss with a little oil/salt/pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for ~20 minutes. Don’t forget to check out the recipe index here on our website if you’re looking for suggestions.
Pinto Fingerling Potatoes
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
Yellow Onions
Garlic
Mixed Acorn Squash – We’ve got two tasty types of acorn squash this week. Gill’s Golden Pippin are single-serving size and Starry Night PMR are a little bigger. We tend to roast most of our winter squashes by cutting them in half and baking cut side down at 400 degrees until tender.
Pie Pumpkin – Another chance for pumpkin pie baking, or here’s a recipe for a healthy pumpkin bread we tested this last week.
Wolverine’s Orca Dry Beans – A lovely bean with a past. Use as you would other dry beans.
Dried Apples

Reminder: Salem members we’ll be meeting at an alternative location for the first pick-up due to the Magic at the Mill event happening this week at the Willamette Heritage Center. We’ll see you in the parking lot adjacent to 180 Church St SE Salem, OR 97301. This is located behind the United Methodist Church which is at the corner of Church and State Streets.

Welcome to the first week of the Winter CSA! We’re excited to kick off our eleventh winter CSA season and hope you are too! Whether you’re a returning member who is already well versed in seasonal eating or a new member joining us for the first time, we hope you know we’ll be trying our darndest to bring you the best organic vegetables we can grow to each CSA pick-up over the next five months.

As you know already, winter weather can be unpredictable and growing conditions are the most challenging through the winter months. Ice and snow can be game changers. Short cold days mean not much plant growth is happening at the moment so we’re relying on the planning and planting that happened last summer and fall. That’s all to say that while winter may like to keep us on our toes, there will be vegetables to eat and hopefully they’ll include a wide diversity. So far, so good!

^{Harvesting greens for this week’s share.}

Hopefully you’ve been reading the member emails over the past couple of weeks and preparing for the season to begin. (Check your spam or promotions folders if you haven’t been seeing our emails and let us know if you don’t find them there.) By now most of your questions should have been answered by the CSA Member Handbook. Don’t forget, you can find lots of logistics reminders over on the CSA Member Resources page and extra helpful tips and info about vegetables on the Secret Member Resources page.

^{We managed some work during the break between seasons including apple picking and moving some irrigation pipe out of the fields.}

In future newsletters I’ll attempt to keep you updated on farm happenings and give you a behind-the-scenes look at where your vegetables are grown. I’ll also always include a few recipes for combinations of that week’s share items. You can find this week’s recipes at the bottom of this post.

Not sure what to do with a vegetable? Looking for more recipe suggestions?

Check out the archive of recipes on our Recipe page that is sorted by vegetable.
Join in the conversation in the P&C CSA Member Facebook group to query fellow members or suggest great recipes of your own.
Check out the vegetable encyclopedia page for storage tips and a rundown of the various types of vegetables we grow each season.

^{Leo the farm dog appreciates getting off the farm too. Especially when there’s a game of stick.}

It’s time to get back to the CSA routine after our break between seasons. We managed to get off the farm a few times and we also made headway on some lingering projects. It’s been a good re-set after the constant push of the summer season. Now we’re ready to see what this winter has in store for us!

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you here again in two weeks!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Yes We Can Have Sweet Potatoes for Dinner Salad

Salad
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
1 bunch arugula
¹/₂ cup feta, chopped
¹/₂ cup walnuts
¹/₂ cup whole scallions, tops and bottoms, roughly chopped

Dressing
¹/₄ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and chop the sweet potatoes into slightly larger than bite-sized pieces. Toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, generously salt, and place in a large roasting pan; if they look claustrophobic, use another pan. Roast for about a half-hour, gently turning every 10 minutes or so. You want them golden and toothsome, but not mushy. During the last five to ten minutes of roasting, add the walnuts to the oven in a separate pan, toasting until fragrant.

Meanwhile, place the arugula in a large bowl and add the feta and scallions. Put the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake well; remove the garlic clove.

When the sweet potatoes and walnuts are just out of the oven, dress the salad. Then scatter the warm sweet potatoes and walnuts over the top. Serve.

From Food52.com by EmilyC, https://food52.com/recipes/19441-yes-we-can-have-sweet-potatoes-for-dinner-sala d

Pasta with Gorgonzola, Radicchio, Walnuts, and Orange

1 cup chopped walnuts
kosher salt to taste
¹/₂ to ³/₄ pounds pasta, such as penne or gemelli, see notes
¹/₄ cup olive oil
1 to 2 heads radicchio, preferably Treviso (if you can find it), cut into 1-inch-wide ribbons, see notes
freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces crumbled gorgonzola or other mild blue cheese
¹/₂ cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
zest of 1 orange, plus the juice (optional)
grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving, optional

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast them over medium-low heat for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently so they do not burn. Remove and set aside. Wipe out skillet.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and return to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce: Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the radicchio and season with salt and pepper. Cook the radicchio until it begins to wilt and brown, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the gorgonzola and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water directly from the pot and simmer for 3 minutes more. The water should emulsify the cheese and create a velvety texture.

Scoop the cooked pasta directly into the skillet (alternatively, drain, reserving plenty of the pasta cooking liquid) and toss to combine the pasta with the sauce. Add the walnuts and parsley and toss again until glossy, adding 1/4 cup of pasta water or more (up to 1 cup), as needed to loosen up the sauce. Add the zest and toss to combine. Taste. Adjust as needed with more salt and pepper. I’ve been juicing the orange directly into the pot—I like the acidity/flavor/sweetness—but this is optional.

Plate in bowls and pass the grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiana Reggiano.

From Food52.com by Alexandra Stafford, https://food52.com/recipes/74469-pasta-with-gorgonzola-radicchio-walnuts-and-orange

Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts with Honey & Sriracha

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon sriracha (or to taste)
3 tablespoons honey
Juice of 1 large lime
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying

Trim the stem end of the sprouts and gently separate the leaves with your fingers, collecting them in a large bowl. When you reach the heart of the sprout (where it’s tough to pry off the remaining leaves), add the heart to the bowl with the leaves.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sriracha, honey and lime juice. Taste and add more sriracha or honey if you like. Set aside.

Set about 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Heat until a Brussels sprout leaf begins to sizzle and crisp as soon as you add it to the oil. Fry the sprouts in batches, using a screen to protect you from sputtering oil and keeping your face away from the pot as the sprouts cook. Remove the sprouts with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds to a minute, when crisp and brown. Drain them on a double layer of paper towels while you fry the rest of the sprouts.

Once all the sprouts are fried, transfer them to a large bowl and sprinkle them generously with salt. Toss gently to combine. Working quickly, drizzle some of the sauce over the sprouts and toss again to coat lightly. Taste, add more sauce if necessary, and serve immediately, before they wilt!

From Food52.com by Merrill Stubbs, https://food52.com/recipes/10813-crispy-fried-brussels-sprouts-with-honey-and-sriracha