Welcome to the 10th, and final, share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2023/2024 Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Spinach – Two big bunches of spinach this week! Thanks to an abundance of spinach we’ve had this baked spinach pasta recipe on rotation recently, though we’ve substituted cottage cheese for the ricotta and home canned tomato sauce for the passata. Quick and tasty!
• Lettuce Mix – One of the standard ingredients we pair with rice and baked salmon and caesar dressing weekly. Speaking of which, it’s Salmon CSF (Community Supported Fishery) sign-up time over at Iliamna Fish Co. where we source our salmon in case you’re interested in checking them out.
• LaRatte Fingerling 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.
• Hakurei Salad Turnips – Great raw in salads or roasted. And bonus turnip greens are tasty too!
• Parsnips – Great roasted or mashed with other roots but our favorite winter parsnip treat has got to be parsnip cake. I can’t smell parsnips without dreaming of that cake.
• Rutabaga
• Carrots – These are the last of our winter carrots and Jeff insisted we get them out to you. Straight from the field, they withstood the winter weather, but may be best for cooking at this point.
• Beets
• Purple Bunching Onions
• Leeks – Some of these leeks have developed the scape in the center that would eventually become a leek flower. The scape is edible and can be used just like the rest of the leek.
• Onions – Mixed bags of small to medium onions headed your way this week. We suggest getting them out of the plastic bags ASAP for best storage conditions.
• 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.
• Tetsukabuto 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
• Corn Flour – 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 flour and last time we shared the polenta. You can use this flour in any recipe calling for corn flour or cornmeal. We like to use it for perfect cornbread. I recently came across this historical recipe for “Indian Pound Cake, 1827” that seems like an intriguing way to use this corn flour too.

First off, we want to thank everyone for the kind words and condolences two weeks ago when we shared the news about the death of our farm dog Leo. He was a big presence here on the farm and we’re missing him a lot. We’ll be looking for another dog in the coming weeks, though we know it will be difficult to replace Leo.

Many thanks for joining us this season. We hope you enjoyed the past five months of local, seasonal eating. The weeks since we started back in December have flown by and it’s hard to believe we’re already wrapping up another season. Every winter is different and we never know how it’s going to unfold when we begin. Somehow it all came together for another vegetable-filled Winter season.

We’ll see most of you the first (or second for some biweekly members) week of June for the start of the Summer CSA season and we hope to see everyone again next winter. We’ll be sure to reach out to all of you in late summer when we’re ready to sign-up members for next year’s Winter CSA.

The weather has been mostly in our favor the past couple of weeks and we’ve made some good progress on the season ahead. The onions got planted, the tomatoes got trellised again, the cucumbers and tomatillos were started. We also transplanted the first round of summer lettuce and kohlrabi and spinach and green beans (yes, even green beans). While Jeff got ground prep underway I kept busy with propagation tasks including soil mixing, flat filling, and seed sowing. So far things seem to be generally on track.

Perhaps the biggest win last week was the successful fixing of a problem with our 1947 Farmall Cub cultivating tractor. This tractor is an important piece in keeping weeds under control throughout the season, but is also key to our annual planting of a mile of potatoes. Both of these tasks require some specialized tools that attach to the toolbar on the belly of this tractor and we don’t currently have a backup process in place for achieving the same results. Anyhow, after a winter of strong performance it suddenly wouldn’t start. Jeff reluctantly put on his tractor mechanic hat and followed the facts that he was seeing spark at the points but not at the spark plugs and diagnosed a faulty coil within the magneto. If none of that makes sense, you’re not alone. Luckily it makes sense to Jeff and he was able to order new parts from Steiner Tractor (whose tagline is ‘new parts for old tractors‘) out in Michigan. The parts arrived, he made the switch, and it started right up. Amazing!

With the last Winter CSA harvest finished we’re now looking ahead to the Summer CSA and the work that needs to happen before it begins. Although we will be taking a break from harvesting for the next five weeks we’ve got plenty of other things to keep us busy. There’s ground to prep, transplants to plant, seeds to sow, grass to mow, peas to trellis, carrots to weed, garlic to cultivate, and the list goes on.

Thanks again for joining us for this past winter of vegetables! We couldn’t do this without you and we’re routinely humbled by your willingness to sign on to this adventure in eating. Thanks for letting us grow your food!

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see many of you in June for the start of the Summer CSA!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Toasted Farro Salad with Roasted Leeks and Root Vegetables

2 leeks
2 medium turnips, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into 1/2 inch-thick half moons
1 large rutabaga, trimmed, peeled, and sliced into 1/2 inch-thick half moons
¹/₄ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Sea salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
³/₄ cup dry farro
Zest of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons juice
¹/₄ cup minced parsley, divided
2 tablespoons minced dill, divided
¹/₄ cup crumbled farmer’s cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Move oven shelf to the top third of the oven. For easy cleanup, line one large and one small baking sheet with parchment.
2. Trim the dark green section from the leeks, and halve lengthwise. Immerse leeks in water and shake out any sand and excess water. Trim the roots, and cut each half into 3-inch segments. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the leeks with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Spread the leeks out on the small baking sheet.
3. In the same bowl used for the leeks, toss the turnip and rutabaga half moons with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Spread out on the large baking sheet.
4. Slide both baking sheets into the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the turnips and rutabagas. The leeks should roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until quite soft with browned edges. Roast the turnips and rutabagas until edges are nicely browned, 30 to 35 minutes total.
5. Meanwhile, cook the farro. Set a large pot of salted water over high heat to boil. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the dry farro, and, shaking the pan frequently, toast just until farro browns slightly and is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add farro to the salted water and simmer for 20 minutes, or until farro still has a little bite. Drain, toss with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 3 tablespoons minced parsley, and set aside.
6. Toss the farmer’s cheese with 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest, sea salt, pepper, and a tablespoon each minced parsley and dill.
7. To plate the salad, toss the farro with the roasted turnips and rutabagas. Top with roasted leeks, crumbled farmers cheese, and remaining dill and parsley, and toss gently.

From Food52.com by Elizabeth Stark, https://food52.com/recipes/34082-toasted-farro-salad-with-roasted-leeks-and-root-vegetables

Bhaate-Bhat (Bengali Mashed Vegetables and Rice)

³/₄ cup red lentils (masuur dal)
3 or 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large pieces
1 pound trimmed spinach or baby kale leaves
4 eggs
1 cup basmati or kalajeera Rice
2 tablespoons clarified butter or ghee, divided
2 tablespoons mustard oil or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium red onion, finely chopped and divided
2 or 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, divided
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
2 or 3 green chiles, minced and divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (optional, to taste), divided

1. Place the red lentils in a small pot with about 1 cup water, bring to a simmer, and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the water is absorbed. You should be able to mash the lentils into a paste.
2. Bring 3 pots of water to a boil on the stove for the potatoes, squash, and spinach (or, alternatively, cook the vegetables one at a time). Boil the quartered potatoes until soft, about 7 to 8 minutes. At the same time, boil the butternut squash in a separate pot until soft.
3. Blanch the spinach leaves and set aside. (You could also blanch these in the pot you’ve just cooked the squash in.)
4. In the meantime cook the rice in a pot of plenty of boiling water (as you would pasta), for about 20 minutes. At the last five minutes of simmering, add in the eggs. Remove the eggs and set aside. Drain the rice.
5. Mash the lentils with about 1 1/2 teaspoons each of the oil and clarified butter. Add in some chopped red onion, cilantro, salt, green chile, and about 2 teaspoons of lime juice and mix well. Repeat with the cooked potatoes and cooked squash (you can either add lime juice or omit it—I prefer to leave the lime juice out of the potato and squash mashes so that only one component, the lentils, are citrusy).
6. Heat the remaining oil and add in the remaining onions and chiles. Add the blanched greens and salt and sauté until all the moisture is absorbed.
7. To serve place some rice in the center of the plates, and surround with mashed lentils, potatoes, spinach, and squash.
8. Peel the eggs, carefully cut them in half, and place on the plates. If you are feeling indulgent, add another dollop of clarified butter. Enjoy!

From Food52.com by Rinku Bhattacharya /Spice Chronicles, https://food52.com/recipes/66726-bhaate-bhat-bengali-mashed-vegetables-and-rice

Chilled Roasted Beet and Carrot Soup with Parsley Lime Cream

1 ¹/₂ pounds (about 6 medium) beets
¹/₂ pound (2 or 3 large) carrots
¹/₄ cup olive oil
Sea salt
6 cups vegetable stock (homemade or low sodium) or water
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 large sprigs parsley, leaves finely chopped and stems reserved
¹/₂ large sweet onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 limes
Freshly ground black pepper
¹/₃ cup crème fraîche or sour cream

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the beets and carrots and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet, toss them with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle them generously with salt. Roast the vegetables until they’re soft (the carrots should brown a little), turning them once or twice with a spatula; this should take about 45 minutes.
2. Put the stock or water in a medium saucepan, add the ginger and parsley stems and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the stock infuse while the beets and carrots cook.
3. Put the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan and set it over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for another minute, and then add the beets and carrots.
4. Remove the ginger and parsley stems from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the vegetables. Bring to boil and lower the heat so the soup is simmering. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Puree the soup until smooth, adding a little water if it seems thick. Add salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (If you prefer hot soup, just keep going with the directions from here.)
6. In a small bowl, combine the creme fraiche or sour cream, lime zest, chopped parsley and a generous pinch of salt. Serve the soup in individual bowls with a dollop of the creme fraiche.

From Food52.com by Merrill Stubbs, https://food52.com/recipes/28436-chilled-roasted-beet-and-carrot-soup-with-parsley-lime-cream