Welcome to the 10th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2025 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Mini Bibb Lettuce Heads
• Mixed Cauliflower
• Red Cabbage
• Thai Basil – Don’t forget that basil doesn’t love cold temps. We like to keep ours out on the counter in a glass of water like a bouquet of flowers.
• Mixed Beets
• Bunching Onions
• Torpedo Onions – Sweeter than other red onions, these Italian onions are often used raw but re also tasty cooked and/or caramelized.
• Sweet Corn
• Cucumbers – Mixed green and silver slicers plus a few lemons too. Shoutout to CSA member Coral R. who shared their go-to refrigerator pickle recipe with us a couple of weeks back and we agree it’s a keeper. The recipe says kirby cucumbers only but we used small-medium slicers and have been eating up the crisp pickles on everything. Check it out here and get some cukes pickling. You won’t regret it.
• Zucchini & Summer Squash
• Purple Bell Peppers – Equivalent to a green bell pepper, these are the under-ripe stage for this variety. Use them as you would a green bell.
• Eggplant – Just a taste this week.
• Mixed Tomatoes – We’ve got tomatoes! Pints of cherries plus all the slicers this week.
• Gravenstein Apples – One of the apples here at the farm that we’re pretty sure we’ve identified. A little tart, not for storage, great fresh, juiced, and for baking.

Hello August! We’ve been grateful for the mild start to this generally warm month. A couple of days in the 70s is just what we needed to keep making progress on all the things that need attention. We’ve been doing this long enough (this is our 16th Summer CSA season!) that we know July is probably going to kick our butts and true to form it has a little. Things get a little wild, the weeds gain an advantage, the long days begin to take their toll. But now it’s August and it’s time to wrangle things back into some semblance of order before it’s too late.

At least we’re eating well while we ride the wave that is the summer farming season. Simple meals are key this time of year when there never quite seems to be enough time in the day and we’re eating dinner at 9pm. Pulling the rubbermaid box we store most of our vegetables in from the bottom shelf of our fridge is always step one to dinner prep. What needs to be used up? Is it time to make a slaw or saute a medley of things to eat with with pasta and fresh sauce or build up a bowl of salad for rice and roasted salmon or is it breakfast burritos for dinner? No matter what it is, hopefully there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

A couple of weeks back we set up a makeshift outdoor kitchen for canning that includes some shade and propane burners and a small table. The arrival of tomato season means it’s time to start getting some of those tomatoes jarred for winter meals and it sure would be nice to keep the heat of the process outside. Success! We’ve got the first 16 quarts of chunky sauce put up in the pantry. More to come as time permits.

Last week we made progress on many of the things. I caught up on accounting then worked on propagation (kohlrabi, winter kale, cilantro, spinach!) while Jeff prepped ground for planting on Thursday. Friday we transplanted chard and beets and rutabaga and fall broccoli. Saturday we weeded leeks and celeriac and tractor cultivated many crops and trellised some tomatoes. Sunday was back to harvesting. The weeks are rolling right along.

In the week ahead we’ll prep for and then hopefully transplant some big fall and winter broccoli/cauliflower/cabbage plantings, we’ll finish up the leek weeding, get to some much needed mowing and weed whacking, and do what we can to prep for maybe the first 100 degree day of the year coming up next week. Yikes!

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:

Red Cabbage Salad with Warm Pancetta-Balsamic Dressing

• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (from about 1/2 medium head)
• 1 3-ounce package thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot (a torpedo onion might sub in here)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Place currants in small bowl. Heat vinegar in saucepan over medium heat until hot (do not boil). Pour vinegar over currants; let soak until currants soften, 15 to 20 minutes.

Place cabbage in large bowl; set aside. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium- high heat. Add pancetta; sauté until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add shallot to pancetta and drippings in skillet; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in currant- vinegar mixture and olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pour pancetta mixture over cabbage and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Add almonds and parsley; toss to blend.

From Epicurious via Bon Appétit, by Maria Helm Sinskey,  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Cabbage-Salad-with-Warm-Pancetta-Balsamic-Dressing-364089

Cauliflower “Couscous” with Basil-Lemon Sauce

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 medium head of cauliflower, stalks and stems discarded, florets finely diced
~ Kosher salt
~ Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Basil-Lemon Sauce (see recipe below)
2 Tbsp. fresh basil chiffonade

1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a chef’s pan or wok large enough to hold all the cauliflower over high heat. Add the onion and sauté until the onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower, stir thoroughly, salt and pepper liberally, and cook until the cauliflower softens, about 10 minutes.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the sauce and cook until tender and fragrant, another 10 minutes. Adjust the salt, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sauce, mix thoroughly, and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with the basil chiffonade.

Basil-Lemon Sauce

• 10 large fresh basil leaves (about 1 cup loosely packed)
• ~ Zest and juice of 2 lemons, preferably Meyer
• ½ cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1. Combine the basil, lemon zest and juice, oil, and maple syrup in a blender. Puree and transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keeps in the refrigerator for about 7-10 days.

From Culinate via The Breakaway Cook by Eric Gower, http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/all_books/the_breakaway_cook/cauliflower_couscous_with_basil-lemon_sauce

Grilled Scallops with Fresh Corn and Tomato Relish

• 1 ear fresh corn, shucked
• 2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• ~ Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish
• ~ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 oz. wild or local scallops

1. Prepare the grill.
2. Cook the ear of corn in boiling water, about 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the corn to cool and cut the kernels off the cob. Place in a bowl with the diced tomatoes.
3. In a food processor or blender, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and basil, and blend until smooth. Pour ¾ of the mixture into the corn-and-tomato mixture and season with salt and pepper.
4. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Grill the scallops 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
5. Divide the corn-tomato mixture between 2 plates and place the scallops on top. Drizzle the plates with remaining basil oil and sprinkle extra basil pieces (torn into small pieces or cut into a chiffonade) on top.
6. Serve with grilled zucchini, asparagus, potatoes, or other summertime vegetables.

From Culinate via Marissa Lippert, http://www.culinate.com/user/Marissa-RD/recipes/marissas_recipes/grilled_scallops_with_tomato-corn_relish