Welcome to the 8th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2025/2026 Winter CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Lettuce Mix
• Spinach
• Arugula
• Tatsoi – Mild Asian greens related to bok choy, good in salads, tossed in soups and pasta to wilt, or lightly sauteed.
• Lacinato Kale or Collard Rapini – The brassicas are going to flower, which means rapini season! Treat these shoots and leaves like kale or broccoli. Also note, rapini is also known as raab or rabe in some recipes.
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli – We know we’ve turned the corner on winter when the PSB shows up. If you’re new to this one, just treat it like broccoli but eat the stems and leaves too.
• French Breakfast Radishes – We had some germination/slug issues when we sowed these radishes, so just a handful this time around.
• Yukon Gem Potatoes
• Rutabaga – Roast it, mash it, stew it, or add it to potatoes.
• Mixed Small Onions – 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. That’s to say, eat your alliums before they sprout because spring is just around the corner.
• Bunching Onions
• Butternut Squash
• 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.

Welcome to spring! We marked the passing of the spring equinox this past weekend by transplanting peas, which feels like the right thing to be doing. The days are officially longer than the nights and it feels like the growing season is taking off already. We’ve had some unseasonably warm days recently too. It seems like many of the plants in the field grew visibly, including much of the kale rapini that’s now done for the season. With two more Winter CSA shares remaining after this week we’ll be interested to see what we’ve got to share with you. That’s winter CSAing for you.

Our attempts at productivity this past week took us all over the farm. We weeded spinach in one of the greenhouses at the back of the farm. We started kohlrabi and lettuce and spinach and beets and eggplants in the germ chamber. We mowed and disced last season’s pepper and potato ground to start prepping for spring planting. We cut back the towering eucalyptus trees threatening the gutter on the shop. We upgraded the hardening off area just outside the propagation house to improve path drainage (ie shoveling gravel) and replace degrading pallet tables. We weeded carrots in another greenhouse. We planted those peas next to the carrots and set up drip irrigation for them. We also finished up our taxes. It must be March.

In the week ahead we’ll hopefully get through our first field transplanting of the season. The broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and cabbage for early summer CSA shares is ready to find a home in the field. Propagation and mowing and greenhouse weeding will all continue. We’ll transplant tomatoes into greenhouse beds. Our first 12 pallets of organic fertilizer will be delivered. And I’m sure there will be more things to report on next time we meet.

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:

Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), halved vertically* and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ½ cup chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot bulb) (or any onion you’ve got)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 to 4 cups (24 to 32 ounces) vegetable broth, as needed
• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butternut squash on the pan and drizzle each half with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the squash on the inside (about ½ teaspoon each). Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

Turn the squash face down and roast until it is tender and completely cooked through, about 40 to 50 minutes (don’t worry if the skin or flesh browns—that’s good for flavor). Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering (if your blender has a soup preset, use a medium skillet to minimize dishes.) Add the chopped shallot and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot has softened and is starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Transfer the contents to your stand blender (see notes on how to use an immersion blender instead).

Use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into your blender. Discard the tough skin. Add the maple syrup, nutmeg and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper to the blender. Pour in 3 cups vegetable broth, being careful not to fill the container past the maximum fill line (you can work in batches if necessary, and stir in any remaining broth later).

Securely fasten the lid. Blend on high (or select the soup preset, if available), being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Stop once your soup is ultra creamy and warmed through.

If you would like to thin out your soup a bit more, stir in the remaining cup of broth. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, to taste, and blend well. Taste and stir in more salt and pepper, if necessary.

If your soup is piping hot from the blending process, you can pour it into serving bowls. If not, pour it back into your soup pot and warm the soup over medium heat, stirring often, until it’s nice and steamy. I like to top individual bowls with some extra black pepper.

From CookieAndKate.com, https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-butternut-squash-soup/

Mashed Potato Soup

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes
• ½ cup cheddar cheese
• shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, green onion/chives, sour cream, for serving

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour, salt and pepper.

Use a whisk to mix everything together and cook for 1 minute.

Slowly pour the chicken broth into the pan, whisking constantly.

Add the milk, mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese.

Cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly just until the soup reaches a simmer.

Continue cooking until desired thickness is reached.

Serve with optional toppings.

From TheCountryCook.net, https://www.thecountrycook.net/mashed-potato-soup/

Grilled Broccolini Salad with Basil-Walnut Vinaigrette

Broccolini salad

• 2 bunch broccolini, cut into 1-inch pieces (use rapini or purple sprouting broccoli)
• 1/4 small red or green cabbage, cored (about 8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (about 8 ounces)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Basil-Walnut Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Basil-walnut vinaigrette

• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves (or how about arugula instead)
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup olive oil (I use a mixture of olive and avocado, but all of either would be fine)

Broccolini salad

Step 1 Heat grill to medium (about 350°F) with a grill basket resting on grates. Cut cabbage lengthwise into 1-inch wedges; cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Combine broccolini, cabbage, and walnuts in a medium bowl; toss with olive oil and generous pinches of salt and pepper until well-coated.

Step 2 Add salad ingredients to grill basket; cover grill and lower temperature to medium-low. Grill, covered, until vegetables are slightly charred around edges but crisp and nuts are a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. Return cooked vegetables to bowl.

Step 3 Drizzle salad with vinaigrette and serve warm.

Basil-walnut vinaigrette

Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Scatter walnuts over a baking tray in a single layer and toast, tossing once, until fragrant and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Step 2 Combine walnuts, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper and about 1/4 cup oil in a blender jar; blend until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in remaining olive oil. Scrape dressing into a jar or other airtight container and store, refrigerated, up to 2 weeks. (It will become solid when refrigerated.) To loosen dressing, set it out at room temperature for a few hours or place sealed jar in a mug of hot water for 10 minutes.

From Food52.com by Caroline Wright, https://food52.com/recipes/82045-grilled-broccolini-salad-recipe