Summer CSA Share #20

Welcome to the 20th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2025 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

Romaine Lettuce
Mixed Cauliflower
Broccoli
Dill
Potatoes
Shunkyo Semi-Long Radishes – A red, half-long daikon-type radish from Northern China. They’re not too spicy and a little sweet. We sauteed both the roots and greens for our ramen lunch today. Also good in salads, pickled etc.
Mixed Onions
Mixed Snap Beans – Use as you would other types of snap beans.
Cucumbers – These are very likely the last of the cucumbers for the season!
Thai Hot Peppers – A locally adapted Thai pepper that is quite hot.
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.
Sweet Peppers – Mixed bell and Italian roasting peppers of varying colors. Most this week ripen to red.
Eggplant – This may very well be the last eggplant of the season. Enjoy!
Farm Apples – More, but different, unidentified apples headed your way. These are a crisp and juicy variety that are good fresh or cooked.
Butternut Squash

^{The flowers up front are fading, but the strawflowers, zinnias, and cosmos are hanging on. Do you see the hummingbird sitting on the sunflower stem in the bottom photo?}

When we plan out the season we think of mid-October as the first frost date. Every year is a little different but right around this time we expect the cold weather to return, taking out the most sensitive crops like basil and peppers and cucumbers. Although I’ve been keeping an eye on the weather forecasts and didn’t see it coming, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by the sudden frost warning appearing yesterday. Many of the summer crops were already played out, so we didn’t worry too much. We did run some irrigation on the peppers to hopefully keep the frost at bay until we’re able to clear out the patch later this week.

^{We got the garlic and overwintering onions planted! We cracked about 100lbs of garlic to get what we needed for planting.}

In addition to watching the weather for frost this time of year, I’m also watching for rain. It’s time to get the garlic and overwintering onions in the ground and that’s easier when things are dry. This time around we pushed ahead with slightly less than ideal conditions but managed to get it done last week. Now if all goes well we’ll be harvesting these onions next June and garlic next July for summer shares!

^{Snapshots from the week including a sunrise from last week, the bean harvest yesterday, and Nugget getting some pets on a rainy day.}

In the week ahead we’ll be continuing the fall push. We got some apples harvested last week but there are more to get into storage for winter drying. There are lots of potatoes yet to harvest. There are sweet potatoes to harvest. The peppers need to be cleared from the field, the winter radishes and beets are ready to go into storage, the winter squash needs to be moved to the barn. It’s time to get serious about squirreling things away for fall and winter eating.

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

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Spicy Miso Eggplant & Broccoli Salad, From Deliciously Ella

For the Salad

2 medium aubergines (eggplants), chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 large head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 pinch of Chile flakes
1 handful of coriander (cilantro), chopped
1 handful of sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Miso Dressing

4 tablespoon miso paste
1 lime, juiced (you’ll use the juice)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoon sesame oil
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 240°C (464°F, fan 220°C) .

Step 2 For the dressing, blitz the miso, lime juice, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and some salt and pepper in a blender until smooth. If you don’t have a blender, dissolve the miso paste in a tablespoon of boiling water then stir through the other dressing ingredients.

Step 3 In a large baking tray, mix the aubergine with the dressing and roast for 30-35 minutes. At this point, remove the tray from the oven and switch the oven over to the grill setting. Mix the broccoli florets with the aubergine, then place the tray back in the oven for another 10 minutes until the broccoli is lightly charred on top and the aubergine is soft and golden.

Step 4 Once cooked, remove from the oven, place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with the chili flakes, coriander and sesame seeds before serving.

From Food52.com by Ella Quitner, https://food52.com/recipes/80941-spicy-miso-eggplant-broccoli-salad-from-deliciously-ella

One-Pan Maple Balsamic Pork Loin with Butternut Squash and Potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1/2 cup white wine
2 1/2 pound boneless pork loin roast or tenderloin
2 cup peeled, cubed butternut squash
1 pound baby potatoes, scrubbed clean and dried
Olive oil, salt, and pepper, as needed

Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with foil.

Step 2 In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, garlic, rosemary, white wine, salt, and pepper.

Step 3 Optional step: Brown the pork roast in a pan with some olive oil. Deglaze the pan with an additional 1/2 cup of white wine. Pour the wine over the roast after placing it on the sheet pan.

Step 4 Put the pork roast in the middle of the sheet pan and scatter the butternut squash cubes and potatoes around it.

Step 5 Pour the balsamic mixture over the pork roast and the vegetables. Drizzle a little olive oil over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Step 6 Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145°F. The vegetables should be cooked through at this point. If the veggies need more time, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees and put the tray back in the oven to continue cooking while the pork rests.

Step 7 Remove from oven and let the pork rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables and pan juices.

From Food52.com by Leith Devine, https://food52.com/recipes/65444-one-pan-maple-balsamic-pork-loin-with-butternut-squash-and-potatoes

Thai Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Coconut-Lime Cream

4 cup butternut squash, chopped
2 cup red apples, chopped
1 cup sliced onion
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5.6 ounce can of whole coconut milk
2 limes
2 cup chicken broth or stock
1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger
1 teaspoon Sriracha
2 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
1 cup red apple, diced
Pepitas, for serving

Step 1 Preheat oven to 375° F.

Step 2 Toss butternut squash, the chopped apples, and the onions with a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 15-20 minutes until tender.

Step 3 Open up the can of coconut milk and scoop out the coconut fat and two tablespoons of the liquid into a small dish. Squeeze the juice of one lime and add a pinch of salt. Whisk and place the coconut-lime cream aside.

Step 4 Combine stock, roasted squash mixture, remaining coconut milk, ginger, Sriracha, Thai curry paste, and juice of one lime into a saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste for salt. Blend until smooth (in batches, if needed).

Step 5 Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and add the diced apple. Sauté for 5-6minutes. Place aside.

Step 6 Toast pepitas in a dry pan until some brown color develops and they slightly puff up.

Step 7 Serve the soup toped with the coconut-lime cream, sautéed apples, and pepitas.

From Food52.com by BeyondTheBayou, https://food52.com/recipes/63635-thai-roasted-butternut-squash-and-apple-soup-with-coconut-lime-cream