Welcome to the 1st share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2025 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Spinach
• Red Romaine & Butter Lettuce
• Cilantro
• Broccoli
• Red Ursa Kale
• Mixed Snap Peas
• LaRatte Fingerling Potatoes – We’re using up the last of last season’s potato crop. Eat them up! Also, we suggest storing them in the fridge to slow the sprouting.
• Carrots
• Purple Daikon Radishes
• Leek Scapes – This time of year leeks produce a tall stalk that eventually becomes a flower. Before they become too woody the stalks are a seasonal leeky treat that can be diced up and used in place of leeks or onions.
• Onions from Storage – These are the last onions from last year. We suggest you use them up sooner than later.
• Zucchini
• Tomato Plants – We have enough tomato starts for everyone to take home at least two!

It’s happening! We’re finally kicking off the 2025 P&C Summer CSA season! As we get things underway we’re happy to welcome back previous members (89% of you!) and welcome new members to the group. We’ll see “Even Group” biweekly members next week for your first share of the season.

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 the vegetables we grow on the Secret Member Resources page.

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.

As we begin the Summer CSA season, we hope you’re excited for the adventure ahead.  Thank you for choosing to support our farm as you also choose to eat seasonally, locally, and organically!

Let’s get this season started!

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

Spiced Chickpeas with Wilted Kale and Roasted Carrots

1 pound carrots (I use rainbow carrots when available, they add nice color)
olive oil
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 shallots, peeled and cut into thin half moons (or onions or leek scapes)
1 bunch cilantro
1 teaspoon sumac
¹/₂ teaspoon ground coriander
¹/₂ teaspoon ground cumin
¹/₂ teaspoon ground ginger
¹/₂ teaspoon aleppo chile (substitute 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes if you must)
2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bunch red kale, washed, leaves torn into bite size pieces, stems discarded (substitute any hearty greens)
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons creme fraiche

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Using a chef knife, remove and discard the top of each carrot. Wash the carrots in cold water, but do not peel them (they look beautiful when roasted with the skin on). Cut the carrots into bite size pieces. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the carrots on the rimmed baking sheet in a single even layer. Toss the carrots with olive oil to coat, and season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the edges begin to caramelize. When the carrots are just cooked through and beginning to brown, remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
2. While the carrots are cooking, set a large skillet over medium heat, and add enough olive oil to barely cover the bottom of the skillet. Add the shallots, and season lightly with salt. Cook the shallots until they become soft and start to turn translucent, stirring occasionally.
3. While the shallots are cooking, separate the cilantro leaves from the stems. Save the leaves in the refrigerator for later. Organize the stems into a single even pile (like a bunch of chives) and slice the cilantro stems into very thin slivers. By the time you finish dicing the cilantro stems, the shallots should be soft and translucent. Add the diced stems to the skillet, along with the sumac, coriander, cumin, ginger, and aleppo chile. Stir, cooking for 1-2 minutes, until the oil smells fragrant.
4. Add the chickpeas, and stir to coat them in the flavorful oil. Cook for 2 minutes, to allow the chickpeas to take on some of the flavor of the skillet. Add the kale, and stir to help the kale begin to wilt. Season lightly with salt. When the kale has begun to wilt, remove the skillet from the heat. You do not want to overcook the kale (it will shrink too much). The moment when the kale leaves are no longer raw is the time to remove the skillet from the heat (the kale leaves will soften and darken slightly in color).
5. Add the lime juice and stir. Add the creme fraiche and stir. The residual heat from the skillet should melt the creme fraiche and create a delicate sauce. Taste a few chickpeas and a small piece of kale. Adjust with more salt and/or lime juice as necessary. Add the roasted carrots, and gently stir to incorporate. Serve immediately, or serve at room temperature. Garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro leaves. Enjoy.
6. Optional garnish, crispy shallots: https://food52.com/blog/15587-how-to-make-perfectly-crispy-fried-shallots-without-flour

From Food52.com by Josh Cohen, https://food52.com/recipes/69624-spiced-chickpeas-with-wilted-kale-and-roasted-carrots

Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon-Chili Breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons olive oil
¹/₂ cup breadcrumbs (preferably homemade)
1 small garlic clove, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
Large pinch dried chili flakes
Salt
3 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir until they’re coated in the oil. Toast, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the breadcrumbs deep golden brown.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute until fragrant, then add the lemon zest, chili flakes and a large pinch of salt, stirring to combine. Remove the breadcrumbs from the pan and set aside while you cook the sugar snap peas.
3. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and let it heat for a few seconds. Add the sugar snap peas and a pinch of salt and cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently, until they turn bright green and are just tender but still have some bite to them. Fold in the breadcrumbs and serve immediately.

From Food52.com by Merrill Stubbs, https://food52.com/recipes/13527-sugar-snap-peas-with-lemon-chili-breadcrumbs