Welcome to the 9th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2024/2025 Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Spinach
• Mixed Bok Choy Rapini
• Collard or Cabbage Rapini – The brassicas are going to flower, which means rapini season! Treat these shoots and leaves like kale or broccoli. Also note, rapini is also known as raab or rabe in some recipes.
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli – We know we’ve turned the corner on winter when the PSB shows up. If you’re new to this one, just treat it like broccoli but eat the stems and leaves too.
• Overwintered Cauliflower
• Mixed Winter Cabbages
• Carrots
• Watermelon Radishes – An unassuming greenish on the outside, these are a lovely red on the inside, hence the watermelon name. They’re tasty sliced or grated raw in salads but also delicious roasted with other root veggies.
• Pinto or French Fingerling Potatoes
• Purple Bunching Onions
• Yellow & Red Onions
• 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.
• Polenta – 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 time 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.
• Dried Apples – These are organic apples we purchased through the produce store down the road, 4 Seasons Farmers Market. We dried them here at the farm.

Spring is springing here on the farm. It’s turning out to be one of those blustery, wet springs that feel a tad manic. It’s sunny, no it’s rainy, but here comes the wind, but now it’s calm and 70 degrees again. The pears are in full bloom though, and the turkeys are strutting their stuff, and the plants are all putting on a burst of growth every time the sun comes out. There’s no doubt that we’ve turned the corner on winter, now it’s just dealing with whatever spring tosses our way.

The biggest news here is that we’re continuing to wait on the return of our big tractor. Perhaps this will be the week it comes back from the mechanic? We’ve been trying to stay productive in the meantime. We’ve been weeding carrots and spinach in greenhouses on the rainy days and weeding onions outside on the sunny days. And of course the weekly trellising of peas has begun. And the continued propagation push is now in full swing. The first round of transplants are ready for the field just as soon as the next dry window hits and the transplant train will be full steam ahead after that. If the tractor doesn’t come back this week I think we’ll be getting serious about renting one next week to get some plants in the ground.

Speaking of keeping busy, it was time to get the tomatoes in the greenhouses last week. Without a tractor for prepping the ground, we decided it was time to invest in a new walk behind tiller. Turns out that’s not the easiest prospect. We attempted to buy one from our local small engine shop but the model we wanted was already broken and it was unclear how long the wait would be to get another in stock. We decided to pivot and down grade to buying one from the Home Depot but it wasn’t up to the job and it too was broken within 24 hours of purchasing. Thankfully we were able to return that one. Then we turned to the local rental company and were able to rent a beast of a machine that helped finish the job. With beds finally flipped and fertilized we managed to get the 488 tomato plants in the ground. Then came pounding the 160 t-posts and placing the drip tape. Jeff powered through it all, though I think he’s still feeling those t-posts.

We’ll continue on the same track in the coming weeks. More propagation, more weeding, and hopefully more transplanting. We’re now off to rescue some of our seed potatoes from a shipping fiasco in Eugene. Aww, spring…

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

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Slow-Cooker Moroccan-Spiced Lentil Soup

2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
¹/₄ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¹/₄ teaspoon ground pepper
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
3 cups chopped cauliflower
1 ³/₄ cups French green lentils or brown lentils
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups chopped fresh spinach or 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
¹/₂ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Combine onions, carrots, garlic, oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until well combined.
2. Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 4 to 5 hours on High or 8 to 10 hours on Low.
3. Add spinach to the slow cooker. Stir, cover and cook on High for 30 minutes.
4. Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

From Food52.com, https://food52.com/recipes/78164-slow-cooker-moroccan-spiced-lentil-soup

Buttermilk White Beans with Eggs & Greens

Extra-virgin olive oil (or unsalted butter)
5 sprigs thyme
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
10 garlic cloves, minced
¹/₂ pound dried white beans (such as cannellini, gigante, or great northern)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 cups buttermilk
1 bunch (10 leaves) hearty greens (such as kale, chard, or rapini), cut into ribbons
¹/₄ teaspoon chile flakes (optional)
¹/₂ cup white wine
4 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a medium to large saucepan, heat several glugs of olive oil or knobs of butter over medium heat. Add the thyme sprigs and fry until fragrant and the leaves have stopped making the popping sound, about 1 minute. Add the onion and half the garlic, then reduce the heat to low and sweat until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the beans and enough water to cover by 2 to 3 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the beans are completely tender and creamy, and the water is mostly absorbed. This should take 45 to 75 minutes, depending on the variety and age.
2. When they’re done, remove the beans from the heat and add the rest of the garlic, the salt, and buttermilk. Stir to combine, cover, transfer to the fridge, then allow the beans to cool in the buttermilk—at least 30 minutes, but ideally overnight.
3. Before serving, remove the sprigs of thyme (don’t worry if some leaves break up into the broth) and gently warm the beans over low heat. When the beans are warm, taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
4. In a large frying pan, heat a glug of olive oil over high heat until almost smoking, then add the greens and a big pinch of salt. Sautée the greens until they are bright in color and starting to soften. Add the white wine and chile flakes (if using) and allow the wine to evaporate by half.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and make four divots in the greens. Drizzle more olive oil into the greens and crack an egg into each divot. Season the eggs with salt and black pepper. Cover the pan with a lid to steam the eggs—5 to 6 minutes, checking frequently toward the end so they don’t overcook.
6. Dish the beans into serving bowls. Scoop a nest of greens and an egg from the pan and nestle on top of the beans. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and serve on its own, or with a thick slice of toast.

From Food52.com by Abraberens, https://food52.com/recipes/82876-white-beans-with-buttermilk-recipe

Crunchy Japanese Cabbage Salad with Miso-Ginger Dressing

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons miso paste
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons water
3 cups finely shredded cabbage (about ¾ pound cabbage)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, toasted

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ginger, garlic, miso, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and water. and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, carrots and sesame seeds together with the dressing. Serve immediately if you like it very crunchy or let it sit covered in the refrigerator for up to a few hours if you prefer it more slaw-like.

From Food52.com by Weird & Ravenous, https://food52.com/recipes/20537-crunchy-cabbage-salad-with-miso-ginger-dressing