Welcome to the 9th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2023/2024 Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Collard Rapini – The brassicas are going to flower, which means rapini season! Treat these shoots and leaves like kale or broccoli.
• Tatsoi Rapini – Timing spring planted crops for winter shares is tricky given the variations in weather and the bi-weekly harvest schedule. This tatsoi is already bolting some thanks to the recent warm weather, but it’s still good eating. We’ll usually saute a bit or throw it directly into ramen to wilt.
• Arugula Rapini
• Spinach – More teenage and adult spinach headed your way this week. This time with the addition of the beautiful red veined Beaujolais variety we love from Uprising Seeds.
• Lettuce Mix – We’re experimenting with a new salad spinner, so you may notice that your lettuce is a little drier this week. It’s an extra step that adds about an hour to the bagging process, but it makes for some nice lettuce mix.
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli – Whoa! We managed to pull off enough PSB for everyone to get a taste, again! The ice storm knocked out most of the plants but enough pulled through that all is not lost. Cook it like regular broccoli, but enjoy the stems and crowns.
• Pinto Potatoes – As with many other plants this time of year, we noticed a little sprouting on some of the potatoes this week. Please make room for them in your fridge to maximize their storage length.
• Sora Red Radishes
• Parsnips – Great roasted or mashed with other roots but our favorite winter parsnip treat has got to be parsnip cake. Have you made some yet?
• Beets
• Shallots – A touch drier and generally less pungent than yellow or red onions, shallots can be used in recipes calling for onions or shallots.
• Garlic – This is the point in the winter that I start to remind you to use up your garlic and onions. It may not feel like it everyday, but we’re headed toward spring and these guys want to sprout. They’re generally still edible if you see a small green sprout but eat ’em up sooner than later.
• Tetsukabouto Squash – A rare cross between butternut and kabocha = the best of both worlds! We’re coming to the end of winter squash season. Use ’em up sooner than later.
• Dried 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.

This week we’re coming to you with a big German Shepherd-sized hole on the farm. This past Saturday we lost our good buddy Leo to a tragic accident on the highway in front of the farm. It’s been a shock for both of us to no longer be sharing this space, this life, with him. Our only solace is that he didn’t suffer.

Leo has been our constant companion these past four years and I don’t think we could have asked for a better farm dog. I can’t quite communicate how big his presence was in our daily lives. He worked with us and played with us and we’re missing him dearly. Seeing his paw prints in a muddy spot of the tomato house or one of his abandoned tennis balls along the farm road over the past few days has been tough.

I’ve found I don’t have enough photos of just him, but he’s often there in the background of photos, patiently waiting for one of us to throw his ball. Those of you that pick-up here at the farm know that stance well too and we know he loved Wednesday afternoons when you all visited him, especially the kiddos. Please give your loved ones, including your pets, an extra hug today in remembrance of our best buddy Leo.

It’s hard to remember just what we’ve been up to these past couple of weeks. It’s all a bit of a blur honestly. I know we transplanted the tomatoes into a greenhouse and also got through the first field transplanting ahead of this last round of rain. I started the first round of sweet corn, cilantro, and basil and the next succession of lettuce. This week we’ll get the onions in the ground if the weather holds. And all of our seed potatoes have arrived, so soon enough they’ll get planted too. It’s April, and it’s go time, and we’re thankful for the work to give us something to focus on other than this past week’s sadness.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you here again in two weeks for the last Winter share!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Roasted Beet Soup with Beet Green Polenta Croutons

• Polenta Croutons
• 1 cup cornmeal (or how about this week’s polenta, though it may take a tad longer to soften.)
• 2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup nutty, Dutch cheese (aged gouda), shredded
• 1 cup beet greens (or chard), finely chopped (or substitute for tatsoi and/or spinach)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Roasted Beet Soup
• 2 pounds beets, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (use gloves to keep your hands from getting stained)
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves in peels
• 4 thyme sprigs
• ¹/₄ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• ¹/₂ cup roasted, salted pistachios (I use the Everybody’s Nuts Salt & Pepper)
• ¹/₂ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• Sour cream, for serving

Polenta Croutons

• Bring broth and water to a simmer and slowly add cornmeal, whisking until incorporated. Stir continuously for about 10 to 12 minutes until mixture has thickened and pulls away from the pot. Stir in greens for a couple minutes until wilted. Add cheese and butter and stir until cheese has melted.
• Pour mixture into a buttered 9-x-9-inch baking dish, let cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.
• Remove plastic, run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and brown in a pan with your choice of oil or butter. Alternately, the squares can be brushed with a bit of oil or melted butter and broiled until brown

Roasted Beet Soup

• Heat oven to 400° F.
• Toss beets, onion, and garlic with olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. If you use red and golden beets, keep them separate on the pan. Sprinkle with salt and thyme sprigs. Roast 45 to 60 minutes (until beginning to brown), stirring a couple times, and removing garlic about halfway through.
• Peel garlic and add it with beets, onion and broth to a blender and blend until smooth (again, you can do the beets separately just by dividing the onion/garlic/broth). I used about 4 1/2 cups of the broth, but you might want it a bit thicker or thinner. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add to a pot (or two) to simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Rinse blender and add pistachios, 1/4 cup of the orange juice, 1 tablespoon of the zest, the vinegar, and oil. Pulse to blend and season with salt and pepper. Alternately, you can hand chop the nuts and parsley and just mix with the oil and vinegar which might make a prettier drizzle.
• Pour soup into a bowl, drizzle with vinaigrette and sour cream, and top with just-cooked croutons.
• *This soup could be made vegan by using vegetable stock in the soup and by omitting the cheese and butter in the polenta.

From Food52.com by SavorThis, https://food52.com/recipes/24077-roasted-beet-soup-with-beet-green-polenta-croutons

Parsnip Biscuits with Black Pepper and Honey

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
³/₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¹/₂ cup puréed parsnips (just simmer small chunks of parsnip until quite tender, then purée)
5 tablespoons honey
¹/₂ cup cold buttermilk, plus more as needed

1. Heat your oven to 425F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and black pepper until combined. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, blend in the cold butter until there’s a combination of coarse crumbs and pea-sized chunks.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the parsnip puree, honey, and buttermilk until well blended. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and dump the wet ingredients into it (you’ll probably have to use a rubber scraper to get all the honey out of the mixing bowl, it likes to stick), and stir just until you have a shaggy dough. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little more buttermilk one spoonful at a time until the mixture comes together in a sticky, shaggy dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it out into a 1-inch thick (or so) square. Cut the square in half, place one half on top of the other and pat it back down to 1-inch thick. Cut in half and stack again, pat it back down. Cut in half and stack one more time and pat it down to a 3/4 or 1-inch thick rectangle. Cut the rectangle into square(ish) biscuits (I prefer this to cutting circles so I don’t have to bother with rerolling scraps). Transfer biscuits to a baking sheet.
4. Bake the biscuits until they’re golden brown and puffed, about 13-15 minutes. Take out of the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Eat these guys warm spread with butter and honey or as the foundation for an epic breakfast sandwich.

From Food52.com by FiveAndSpice, https://food52.com/recipes/27211-parsnip-biscuits-with-black-pepper-and-honey

Pan-Braised Radishes

2 large bunches radishes and their greens
1 shallot
4 teaspoons butter, or more or less, divided
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Water
1 bunch fresh tarragon
Splash Vinegar (optional)

1. Trim the greens from the radishes, leaving a bit of the green stem intact. Place greens and radishes in a large bowl of cold water and let soak for at least five minutes. Remove greens and set in a colander to drain. Dry off radishes and slice in half. Note: Quarter larger radishes; leave small ones whole.
2. Mince the shallot. In a large sauté pan, melt three teaspoons of the butter and sweat the minced shallots over medium heat for a minute or so — you don’t need any color here. Add radishes to the pan and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in water to almost cover the radishes — the top surfaces should be peeking out a bit. Bring to a simmer, partially cover the pan, and cook until the radishes are knife tender, about 5 to 8 minutes depending on the size of the radishes. Remove the lid and add the greens to the pan. Cover and cook for a minute or two more, until the greens have somewhat wilted. Use tongs to stir them a bit. Transfer greens and radishes to a large mixing bowl leaving juices remaining in pan.
3. Bring juices to a simmer, and reduce until no more than a quarter cup remains. Add a teaspoon more of butter and stir to incorporate it with the juices.
4. Finely chop the tarragon and add it to the bowl. Pour reduced juices overtop and toss to coat. Taste. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Add just the smallest sprinkling of vinegar for a touch of brightness if necessary. Transfer greens and radishes to serving platter.

From Food52.com by Alexandra Stafford, https://food52.com/recipes/29162-pan-braised-radishes-and-greens