Summer CSA Share #21

Welcome to the 21st share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2025 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

Mini Romaine Lettuce
Butter Lettuce
Tatsoi – Mild Asian greens related to bok choy, good in salads, tossed in soups and pasta to wilt, or lightly sauteed.
Mixed Cauliflower
Broccoli
Celery
Carrots
Hakurei Salad Turnips – Great raw in salads or roasted. And bonus turnip greens are tasty too!
Yellow Onion
Garlic
Jalapeno Peppers
Poblano Peppers – The classic stuffing pepper, also good for flavoring any dish that is asking for a mild chile kick.
Sweet Peppers – Mixed bell and Italian roasting peppers of varying colors. Most this week ripen to red.
Tomatoes – Perhaps the last of the tomatoes, seriously, probably.
Spaghetti Squash

We were notified this morning by a member that their kids very likely got E. coli from the unpasteurized apple cider pressed at the farm event a couple of weeks back. We want other members to know this happened and to consider pasteurizing or pouring out any remaining cider they may have from the event.

We want everyone to stay healthy and hope no one else has developed any symptoms from this event. This is the first time we’ve had something like this happen and hope everyone knows we take this very seriously and we’ll be reevaluating how we proceed with the farm events going forward. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

^{Frosted lettuce and clover last week (top) and late-flowering black-eyed susans (bottom).}

October has thrown a little bit of everything our way. We’ve had the return of the rain, but some dry spells too. We’ve had frosty mornings, but mild, sunny afternoons. Through it all we’ve been in full squirrel mode as we work to get things harvested and into storage. It’s time to harvest all the things for late fall and winter eating.

^{Drone shots from the front of the farm including the farmscape looking east (top), future broccoli (bottom left), and chicories (bottom right).}

It seemed like a good time to take stock of the fall farm. I flew the drone around yesterday evening to get a few shots to share. The long shadows of a late October evening remind me that the days are getting short this time of year, even though I still see plenty of doing that needs to be done. These photos from above also provide an opportunity to step back from the imperfections and weeds so obvious when walking the fields. Viewing the farm from this distance reminds me of the larger project that sometimes gets lost. Fundamentally it’s a landscape dedicated to growing food. What a concept!

^{Drone shots from the back of the farm including the back overview (top), cover crop sowing lines (bottom left), kale and overwintering cauliflower (bottom middle), and dried cornstalks (bottom right).}

The transition of the farm from summer to autumn is evident. There are lots of hardy brassicas out there. We’ve got kale and broccoli and cauliflower and collards and kohlrabi and cabbage all on deck. But there is evidence of summer crops too. Corn stalks and pepper plants and frosted out cucumbers and zucchini. And, unlike at the height of the summer season when the farm is mostly planted out, there are open areas just seeded to cover crop for the winter.

^{The winter squash is in the barn (top) and we harvested peppers and potatoes last week (bottom).}

Our focus this past week was on getting the winter squash into the barn after drying down some in greenhouses for a couple of weeks. We spent Wednesday morning tractoring pallet bins of squash and organizing it just so to get it in and accessible for the coming months. We then spent Thursday salvaging peppers after frost. We’d run the irrigation to keep them safe from the cold and it seemed to work. We’re happy to say we should be sharing peppers for many weeks yet. Friday we planted fava beans and then Jeff worked on getting a couple of acres sown to cover crop for the winter while I hoed in the fall/winter greens greenhouse to clean up some weeds. And then Saturday we made a small dent in the potato harvest. It sure feels good to have food filling up the barn this time of year!

^{One of those fall sunsets (top and bottom left) and the late fall/winter greens got cleaned up (bottom right).}

In the coming week we’ll be doing more gathering and storing. It looks like we’ve got some big rains headed this way later this week, so we’ll see which projects rise to the top of the list. Will we bring in the last of the apples? Harvest more potatoes? Start in on the sweet potato harvest? Clear out greenhouse space for the last transplanting of the season? Only time will tell.

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:

Spaghetti Squash with Chiles, Lime, and Cilantro

3 pound spaghetti squash (about 1 squash)
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 hot chile, finely diced
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoon melted coconut oil or olive oil
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus more to taste

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 375° F. Place squash in a buttered baking dish or sheet pan. Use a sharp knife to puncture the skin in several places—this will prevent it from exploding in the oven. Roast for 60 to 75 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly.

Step 2 Meanwhile, place the onion and chile in a small bowl and cover with 2 tablespoons of the lime or lemon juice. Season with a pinch of kosher salt.

Step 3 When squash has cooled slightly, cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds and reserve for another use. Drag a fork across the flesh of the squash, pulling up the strands. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. You should have about 3 cups. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Pour the macerated onion and chiles over top. Pour over 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil and all of the cilantro. Toss and taste. Add more salt, if necessary, and another tablespoon of lime or lemon or coconut oil to taste.

From Food52.com by Alexandra Stafford, https://food52.com/recipes/63142-spaghetti-squash-with-chiles-lime-and-cilantro

Chunky Giardiniera

1 large head cauliflower, cut into large florets
4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 sweet peppers (any color), seeded and cut into large chunks
2 medium hot peppers, seeded and cut into large chunks
4 celery stalks, including leaves if attached, cut into large chunks
1 garlic head, cloves peeled and sliced
1 cup cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and sliced
¼ cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed
2 cup white vinegar
2 cup light olive oil

Step 1 In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, carrots, sweet peppers, hot peppers, celery, and salt. Add enough cold water to completely cover the vegetables. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

Step 2 After brining, drain the vegetables in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Transfer the vegetables to a large mixing bowl and add the sliced garlic and sliced olives. In a large jar or plastic container with a lid, combine the vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes, black pepper, dried oregano, celery seeds, and crushed fennel seeds. Shake well until completely emulsified and pour over the vegetables. Toss well to coat all the vegetables evenly.

Step 3 Pack the giardiniera tightly into sterilized jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace. Top each jar with enough white vinegar to completely cover the vegetables. Seal the jars tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 days, or up to 2 weeks, to allow the flavors to meld.

From Food52.com by César Pérez, https://food52.com/recipes/90380-chunky-giardiniera

Andrew Feinberg’s Slow-Baked Broccoli Frittata

10 large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
40 turns of a black pepper mill
7 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
1 medium (1-pound) head of broccoli (4 cups once trimmed)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 heaping tablespoon chopped garlic
1/8 teaspoon plus 1 large pinch of dried red pepper flakes
1 squeeze fresh lemon juice, to taste

Step 1 Heat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cheese, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper; set aside.

Step 2 Trim ½ inch off the stem of the broccoli. Using a knife, separate all the florets from the base, leaving the stem attached. Cut the florets in half (you can cut any especially large ones into quarters so all are evenly sized).

Step 3 In a 10- to 11-inch oven-safe sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm ¼ cup of the oil. Cook the broccoli, mostly undisturbed to develop a nice brown color on one side, then turn and season with salt. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender.

Step 4 In another 10- to 11-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onions, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned.

Step 5 Once the broccoli is roasted, return the pan to the stovetop and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

Step 6 Heat the broccoli over medium heat, then add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Carefully cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, so as not to burn the garlic. Add the onions to the broccoli and mix well to combine. Add the egg mixture, increase the heat to high, and cook for 30 seconds.

Step 7 Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the eggs are just set. Using a rubber spatula, turn out the frittata onto a serving plate. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano.

From Food52.com by Genius Recipes, https://food52.com/recipes/32139-andrew-feinberg-s-slow-baked-broccoli-frittata