Welcome to the 6th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2025/2026 Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Radicchio Mix – Several varieties of radicchio mixed and bagged. Great for robust winter salads with punchy dressings and nuts and strong cheese and citrus. Holds up to a little warming too. We’ll eat it under oven baked salmon, rice, and creamy dressing for a quick dinner. Soaking in ice water or light cooking can help reduce the bitterness if needed. Click here for some more tips if you think radicchio and chicories bring too much bitter to the table.
• Spinach
• Lacinato Kale Rapini
• Kalettes – These are a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts. Pop the kale sprouts off the stalk and enjoy them in your favorite kale/Brussels recipes. We usually just cut the sprouts in half, toss with a little oil/salt/pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for ~20 minutes, just like Brussels. Note that some of these stalks have bonus kalette rapini too! Delicious! And yes, they do resemble shrubbery.
• Yukon Gem Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes – In an effort to prolong their storage life we’re giving these out unwashed. You may want to give them a soak pre-scrubbing. Also, we don’t suggest refrigerating sweet potatoes as their ideal storage temp is between 55 & 60 degrees F.
• Beets
• Bunching Onions
• Yellow Onion
• Garlic – We ask a lot of our storage crops. We harvest them in early fall and then let them sit and wait and wait until they make an appearance in the share. We’re getting better at selecting long storing varieties but there’s just only so long garlic wants to store sometimes. That’s to say, eat your alliums before they sprout because spring is just around the corner.
• Butternut Squash
• Ancho Poblano Dried Peppers – Ancho chiles are fully ripe and dehydrated poblano peppers. They can be ground into a chile powder, or blended with roasted onions, garlic, and tomatoes into enchilada sauce, or simply tossed into a soup or stew for chile flavoring.
• Dried Apples – Wanting to extend the dried apple train we purchased some apples from Washington through the 4 Seasons Farmers Market store just down the highway. They are certified organic Fujis and dried by us.

We’re wrapping up February with another round of dry weather in the forecast. What a strange winter we’ve had. There have been some big deluges of rain but more lovely blue sky days than anything else. We’ll take it! The winter CSA is a little different each time around based on what the winter weather sends our way. We’re thankful the ice and snow haven’t hit us yet this season. Fingers crossed our luck continues.

It’s been another productive two weeks since we last met but with few photos to share. While I tackled our business taxes and prepared for our upcoming organic inspection Jeff flipped some greenhouse beds from fall/winter greens to be ready for winter/spring greens. He tilled, he fertilized, he tilled again. Then we managed to transplant and direct sow the first crops of the year. Spinach and bok choy got transplanted and radishes and kale and carrots all got direct sown. It’s nice to have some things to look forward to in a couple of months.

For a change, our week between harvests included a number of business-y off-farm happenings. We met with our insurance agent to review all of our policies. We met with the folks at the Linn Benton Food Share to discuss the upcoming season logistics thanks to them buying shares from us for distribution to local food pantries and soup kitchen for the eleventh year! We met with a muffler repair guy to discuss fixing the exhaust leaks on our F150 truck (which took longer than you’d think). And we picked up a new washing machine with a spin only cycle to upgrade our lettuce spinning/drying process. We made important progress each day but didn’t make much of a dent in our To Do list.

As we look ahead we’re ready to get back to tackling some winter projects. On Thursday we’ll have our annual organic inspection and then it’s time to prioritize projects. Will we finally get to some orchard pruning? How about upgrading the hardening off space near the prop house with some gravel? Hopefully yes to both. And we’ll also weed the spinach and start some brassicas like kale, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. I’m sure there’s more but we’ll start there.

Also, it’s willow harvesting season and in the evenings Jeff has been busy weaving. He’s been taken by a birdhouse design from one of his basketry books. He’s made quite a few and he’s offering them up for $20 each at this week’s CSA pick-ups. They’re covered with a dried corn husk roof and include a wire hanger. They’ve made for an adorable birdhouse village in our living room. Hit him up at the pick-up if you’ve got $20 and a need for a cute birdhouse.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you here again in two weeks!

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

This first recipe was shared by a CSA member who said they’ve been enjoying it on repeat. Thanks for sharing Diana and Nat!

Radicchio Risotto and Burrata

• 180g arborio rice
• 1 bay leaf
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 small or 1 large shallot 
• 100ml of medium to full-bodied red wine 
• 750ml vegetable stock plus extra
• Half of a large radicchio
• 2 tbsp of salted butter
• 70g Grana Padano PDO
• 1 burrata 
• 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar 
• 3 tbsp toasted hazelnut

1. In a large saucepan add the arborio rice along with the bay leaf and toast for 4-5 minutes on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the rice releases a nutty aroma.
2. Meanwhile heat the stock and keep warm on a medium heat. Peel and thinly dice 2 shallots. 
3. Once the rice is toasted set a side and discard the bay leaf. In the same pan add the diced shallots and cook slowly, stirring occasionally to prevent them from catching, until they are soft and golden brown, about 3 minutes.
4. Once the shallots are caramelised, stir back in the toasted rice and season with a good pinch of salt. Turn the heat to a medium high and add the wine. Let it simmer for a minute or two until slightly reduced.  
5. Keeping the pan on a medium / medium- high heat and gradually start adding the vegetable stock to the rice, one ladle at a time, stirring continuously until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. 
6. Prepare the radicchio. Remove the root and roughly chop it into 1 cm slices. Stir it into the risotto about half way through the cooking process. Keep adding the vegetable stock to the rice and stirring continuously.
7. When the rice is fully cooked, turn the heat off and stir in the butter, the grated Grana Padano cheese and another ladle of stock. Mix well until the cheese and butter are fully melted and incorporated. Cover the risotto with a lid and let it sit for 2 minutes. 
8. Now taste and adjust the consistency of the risotto. It should be creamy, so add another 1/2 ladle of stock if it needs to be loosened up. Serve up each risotto with half a burrata on top, a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar and the crushed toasted hazelnut. Enjoy! 

From Our Cooking Journey, https://www.ourcookingjourney.com/recipe-pages/radicchio-risotto-and-burrata

Herbed Butternut Squash Chips

• 1 small butternut squash, about 1 pound
• 2 teaspoon chopped mixed fresh herbs (I used sage, thyme and oregano)
• 4 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Step 1 Heat the oven to 250 degrees F and put a rack in the middle of the oven. Peel the squash and cut it in two, separating the thin end without seeds from the bulbous end. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard them (or save and roast them if you’re feeling energetic).

Step 2 Slice the squash finely with a mandoline, about an 1/8-inch thick. You’ll have nice neat rounds from the seedless end, and pretty rings from the other end.

Step 3 Toss the squash in a bowl with the herbs, olive oil and salt. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and spread out the squash slices in a single layer on the parchment. Bake for an hour, then flip the slices using tongs or a spatula. Bake for another hour. Turn the slices again, lower the heat to 200 degrees and bake for another hour. Turn off the oven and let the chips cool in there for several hours, or overnight. Remove from the parchment and serve, or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

From Food52.com by Merrill Stubbs, https://food52.com/recipes/25143-herbed-butternut-squash-chips

Miso, Ginger, and Scallion-Crusted Sweet Potatoes

• 4 very large sweet potatoes, about 3 1/2 pounds total
• 4 tablespoon butter or neutral oil such as safflower
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 8 to 9 scallions, finely sliced or 1/2 shallot, minced
• 1-2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 4 tablespoon chunky brown-rice (or any other) miso (available in health-food stores)
• Hot water
• 4 tablespoon butter or coconut oil (for a vegan version)

Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°.

Step 2 With a small, sharp knife, pierce each sweet potato in several places.

Step 3 Place in oven and bake until tender when pierced with a long sharp knife or skewer, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Step 4 While potatoes are baking, warm oil in medium skillet (I used cast-iron) over medium-low flame. Add garlic, scallions, and ginger and sauté until fragrant and sizzling.

Step 5 Place miso in a small, heat-proof prep bowl and add enough hot water to form a loose, thick paste—maybe 4 to 5 tablespoons. Whisk until fully incorporated.

Step 6 Add miso mixture to skillet and stir and scrape until reduced, thickened, and darker in color, about 3 minutes. Swirl in the coconut oil (or butter), stirring until melted. Remove from the heat.

Step 7 Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using a rubber scraper, coat the miso paste mixture evenly over cut edges. Place under broiler and broil until topping is crisp and browned, about 4 to 5 minutes (keep an eye on them to avoid burning).

Step 8 Serve it forth, either as a side or as a main.

From Food52.com by CreamTea, https://food52.com/recipes/26805-miso-ginger-and-scallion-crusted-sweet-potatoes