Welcome to the 25th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2025 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Mixed Small Head Lettuces
• Arugula
• Lacinato Kale
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Low-Heat Habanero Peppers – A new-to-us variety of no-heat habanero peppers. These have all the flavor of a habanero without the heat!
• Poblano Peppers – The classic stuffing pepper, also good for flavoring any dish that is asking for a mild chile kick. Don’t forget you can easily freeze peppers for future use if you’re feeling like you’ve got too many at the moment.
• Sweet Peppers – Mixed bell and Italian roasting peppers of varying colors. Most this week ripen to red.
• Butternut Squash
• Corn Flour – 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 flour and next week we’ll share the polenta. You can use this flour in any recipe calling for corn flour or cornmeal. We like to use it for perfect cornbread.

This week we’re saying good bye to half of those members who chose the biweekly share option. It’s the penultimate week for everyone else. Next week we’ll wrap up the Summer CSA season for good. Where have the past six months gone?

From snap peas and leek scapes last June to tomatoes and sweet corn this summer and now to winter squash and potatoes this fall the vegetables have been plentiful. We hope you’ve enjoyed the season. As we approach Thanksgiving and officially finish the Summer CSA season next week we’re especially thankful for your continued support. We couldn’t do this without you!

This week we’ll be preparing for the final week of the CSA season. Here’s our tentative harvest list for next week as you begin your Thanksgiving shopping. This list may change as we get closer to harvest day, but it should look very similar.

We’re mustering our remaining end-of-season energy to push through these final weeks. Just one more harvest ahead of us before we take a short break between the Summer and Winter seasons and we’re ready for it. Last week included some potato and carrot harvesting, some bunching onion weeding, closing in greenhouse ends, and flint corn milling and sifting and bagging. I’m sure there was more but that’s what I recall. In the week ahead we’ll be focused on the final CSA harvest and attempting to make more potato harvesting progress. Let’s see what the weather allows.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you here next week for the last share of the summer season!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Fall Weeknight Pasta

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounce guanciale (or thick-cut bacon, if you can’t find guanciale), cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 8 ounce butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 pound orecchiette
• Freshly grated Pecorino Romano, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Step 1 While the oven is preheating at 400°F, cut up the guanciale and butternut squash. Toss them onto a sheet pan, drizzle with the olive oil, shmoosh them around a little, and roast for 30 minutes. At this point, take the sheet pan out, stir in the kale, and place back into the oven to roast for another 10 minutes.

Step 2 Meanwhile, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette according to the box’s instructions, usually 9 to 11 minutes or al dente. Drain and add back to the pot. Tip the contents of the sheet pan into the pasta pot and toss with the Pecorino Romano. Salt and pepper to taste.

From Food52.com by Eric Kim, https://food52.com/recipes/77856-fall-weeknight-pasta

Chicken Stew with Potatoes, Carrots, & Celery

• 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig thyme
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 32 ounce low-sodium homemade or store-bought chicken stock
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

Step 1 In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Sear the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side, until browned. Transfer to a cutting board and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

Step 2 In the same pot over medium heat, cook the onion and garlic, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until translucent and softened; season with salt. Add the rosemary and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until translucent.

Step 3 Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, until all of the vegetables are coated and the raw taste has cooked off. Slowly pour in the stock, stirring to break up any lumps of flour.

Step 4 Add the chicken, potatoes, and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the chicken and potatoes are fully cooked and the liquid has slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the seasonings; discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs.

Step 5 Divide the soup among bowls. Garnish with the parsley.

From Food52.com by Rachel Gurjar, https://food52.com/recipes/84569-best-chicken-stew-recipe

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Chimichurri and Poblano Creme Fraiche

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

• 1 head cauliflower, sliced, including the core
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 leek, light green parts only, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cup water (up to 3 cups, as needed)
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream

Chimichurri Sauce and Poblano Creme Fraiche

• 1 serrano chili, seeded, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped or smashed
• 2 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoon mint leaves
• 5 tablespoon olive oil (up to 6 tablespoons, as needed)
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 poblano or pasilla pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon creme fraiche
• 1 pinch sugar

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the slices of cauliflower on a dry cookie sheet and roast until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Step 2 In a large heavy pot, heat the butter and oil until hot. Saute the onion, leek, garlic, and celery in the butter oil mixture until soft and very aromatic. Add the salt. Add the roasted cauliflower and toss with a large spoon until the cauliflower is completely covered with the onion mixture. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Step 3 Add the broth and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Puree in a blender until fairly smooth. If you want it completely smooth, you’ll need to use a food mill, but having some texture to it adds to the rustic nature of the roasted flavor. Pour back into the pot and reheat to a simmer. Add the parmesan cheese and cream. Stir in the chimichurri sauce until well incorporated. Serve hot in soup bowls. Drizzle some poblano creme fraiche over the soup.

Chimichurri Sauce and Poblano Creme Fraiche

Step 1 To make the chimichurri, place the first 7 ingredients in a blender and process until finely chopped. This is a very versatile chimichurri – I’ve used it on pork, in omelets with Manchego Spanish cheese, and in this soup.

Step 2 To make the poblano creme fraiche, combine the next seven ingredients starting with the roasted poblano or pasilla pepper in a blender and process until very smooth. Once smooth, I put it into a squirt bottle that allows for different pipe tips, and squeeze the creme fraiche on the soup. This creme fraiche also works well as a spread on sandwiches.

From Food52.com by TheWimpyVegetarian, https://food52.com/recipes/2133-roasted-cauliflower-soup-with-chimichurri-and-poblano-creme-fraiche