Welcome to the 21st share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2024 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Spinach – Big adult spinach headed your way this week!
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Yukon Gem Potatoes
• Onions – Red and Yellow storage types this week.
• Bunching Onions
• Shishito Peppers – Known as a roulette pepper, 1 in 10 might be hot. They’re great with eggs, or anything else really, but traditionally blistered in hot oil and eaten with a little salt.
• Poblano Mild Chile Peppers – Jeff says these are like sitting by a warm fire, but in your mouth. Spicy enough to know you ate some hot pepper, but not in an emergency sort of way. Hotter towards the stem and seeds.
• Sweet Peppers – Mixed bell and Italian roasting peppers of varying colors. These varieties ripen to red or yellow.
• Tomatoes – We eeked out some tomatoes! These may very well be the last of them, so enjoy!
• Sweet Corn – We found a little more corn out there. One last ear before we say goodbye for the season.
• Zucchini – And one more zucchini too!
• Winter Blush & Winter Sweet Kabocha Squash – Pale pink and pale blue kabocha varieties. These are sweet and flaky on the inside, great in pie, curries, soups, or just on their own. Check out the winter squash page with details and recipe suggestions for all of the types we grow here: https://pitchforkandcrow.com/winter-squash/.

Just as we’ve gotten reacquainted with the rain this week, now we’re expecting the first frost of the season headed our way in a couple of days. We’ve had a good run with the summer crops, but it’s time to say goodbye until next year. Ahead of the impending cold snap we’ll harvest the last of the peppers to enjoy over the coming weeks. We’ll also break out the row cover to keep some crops (like lettuce, bok choy, and celery) safe from a potential freeze. That first frost is always a pivotal point in the season and we’re ready for it. Or we will be after we cover some stuff.

Where does the week go? This past week was all about finishing up the planting for this season. On Thursday we transplanted lettuce, Napa cabbage, and some experimental fennel into a greenhouse for winter harvest. We also direct sowed cilantro, bok choy, arugula, tatsoi, and kale in a greenhouse. Friday I finished up prepping garlic for planting while Jeff defoliated the sweet potatoes ahead of harvesting them. Saturday we planted garlic, green garlic, and fava beans all for harvest next summer. Sunday we were on to harvesting potatoes and starting to prep for this week’s share. We continue the fall push to get all the things done.

On another note we’ve heard news that our one-time employee Daniel, who is now farming near Sweet Home, is selling turkeys for Thanksgiving through First Alternative Co-op in Corvallis. He’s raised them on pasture using non-GMO soy and corn-free feed. If you’re looking for a turkey and want to support a local young farmer, ring up First Alternative’s deli department at either the north or south store and pre-order soon.

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

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Chicken Quesadilla with Broccoli

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped broccoli
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup roughly chopped spinach or kale
¹/₂ teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (optional)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (see Author Notes)
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded white cheddar, or another type of combo or shredded cheese
Guacamole, sour cream, and salsa, for serving

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable or olive oil. Add the onion and broccoli, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the spinach, garlic, and chili powder and stir for another minute until you can smell the garlic, the spinach is wilted, and everything is well combined. Stir in the cilantro if using, turn the mixture into a bowl, and stir in the chicken until everything is blended.
2. Wash and dry the skillet (or grab a new skillet). Place the skillet over medium heat and add a half teaspoon of butter. Place a tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over half of the quesadilla, and distribute 1/8 of the chicken and vegetable mixture over the cheese. Top that with another 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. Flip the bare half of the tortilla over the filling, cover the pan, and sauté for about 2 minutes until the bottom is golden and the cheese has started to melt, then use a spatula to flip the half-moon quesadilla. Continue to cook, uncovered, until all of the cheese is melted and the underside is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. You can cook two at a time, if you nestle them in the pan with the flat sides of the half moons abutting each other.
3. Remove the quesadilla to a cutting board and let it sit for a minute before you slice into 2 or 3 wedges. Repeat until all of the quesadillas are cooked. Serve with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

From Food52.com by Katie Workman, https://food52.com/recipes/82745-chicken-quesadilla-with-broccoli-recipe

One-Pot Squash & Barley Bowl with Miso

1 tablespoon untoasted sesame oil or olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
¹/₂ cup pearl barley, soaked in 1 cup of water for 4 hours (or up to 12)
1 ¹/₂ pounds kabocha squash (about half of a medium squash), seeded, peeled, and cut into ¾-inch pieces (4 cups)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons mellow or sweet white miso
2 cups chopped leafy greens, such as chard, spinach, baby kale, or tatsoi
2-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
1 teaspoon tamari, plus more as needed

1. Warm the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently for 8 to 10 minutes or until the onion is soft and golden.
2. Drain and rinse the barley and add to the pot along with the squash, 3 cups filtered water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the barley is soft.
3. Remove ½ cup of cooking liquid and place in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Stir the miso into the cooking liquid until dissolved. Set aside.
4. Stir the chard into the barley mixture and cook for 3 minutes, or until wilted.
5. Using your hand, squeeze the grated ginger into a small bowl to extract the juice. Compost the ginger pulp (or use in tea). Stir 1 tablespoon ginger juice and the dissolved miso mixture into the pot. Cook until the mixture is heated through but not simmering, then remove from the heat. Season with tamari to taste (start with 1 teaspoon and increase from there) and serve hot.

From Food52.com by Amy Chaplin, https://food52.com/recipes/86602-squash-and-barley-bowl-with-miso-recipe

Red Pepper and Cauliflower Chowder

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 cups roughly chopped cauliflower
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• ¹/₄ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¹/₂ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¹/₄ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• For serving:
• Grated parmesan
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and continue to cook until the pepper is softened, 5 minutes.
2. Add the potato, cauliflower, stock, milk, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, cumin, and coriander. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally and mashing a bit with the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potato and cauliflower are tender. Turn off the heat. Let cool slightly
3. Ladle about 2/3 of the vegetable chunks and a little bit of liquid into a blender and blend until smooth (or use an immersion blender and leave some chunkiness un-blended). Be careful! This is hot! Duh. Return the blended soup to the pot; heat over medium and stir to combine, heating everything through.
4. Serve the soup with black pepper and parmesan on top.

From Food52.com by Kendra Vaculin, https://food52.com/recipes/31659-red-pepper-and-cauliflower-chowder