Welcome to the 2nd share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2026 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Butterhead Lettuce
• Dill – Looking for ways to use up your dill? Jeff likes to blend it into sour cream for a ranch-like dip/dressing. You can also use it for baked salmon or roasted potatoes. And of course you could use it in a quick pickle of scapes or radishes etc.
• Purple Cauliflower
• Red Ursa Kale – This is very tender kale straight from a greenhouse. It won’t take long to cook or could be delicious raw.
• Bok Choy
• Mixed Snap Peas – A mix of three snap pea types including a purple podded variety called Sugar Magnolia we’re trialing this year. It’s not as sweet as other snap peas but sure is pretty.
• Fava Beans – For the true fava experience you’ll want to shell the beans, blanch them, then remove the outer skin and eat the bright green inner bean. We often skip that last step and eat the shelled beans sauteed over pasta or in salads. Also, grilling or roasting the entire pods make them quicker to shell and the beans get steamed inside, so they don’t need to be blanched for shelling.
• Carrots
• Yukon Gem Potatoes – We’re using up the last of last season’s potato crop. Eat them up! Also, we suggest storing them in the fridge to slow the sprouting.
• Radishes
• Leek Scapes – This time of year leeks produce a tall stalk that eventually becomes a flower. Before they become too woody the stalks are a seasonal leeky treat that can be diced up and used in place of leeks or onions.
• Bunching Onions
• Torpedo Onion
• Tetsukabuto Winter Squash – We’re using up storage crops from last season. A rare cross between butternut and kabocha = the best of both worlds!
• Zucchini
• Tomato Plants – We have enough tomato starts for everyone to take home at least two!

Welcome to week 2 of the Summer CSA season! It was great seeing everyone last week and getting back into the swing of things after our month away from harvesting. This week we welcome the “even week” group of biweekly members to the party. We hope you’re enjoying the start of the season. Hurrah for vegetables!

As we get the season started, here are a few membership stats. This season we’re harvesting 120 shares each week spread over 92 weekly shares and 56 biweekly shares. Of those 120 weekly harvested shares 59 are picked up in Salem, 31 are picked up here at the farm, and the Linn Benton Food Share (LBFS) picks up the remaining 30 shares.

The LBFS has generously purchased shares at a pro-rated price from us for eleven years now. It’s a great partnership and we’re happy to see the same fresh, organic produce that our members take home also head directly into Lebanon’s Soup Kitchen and food pantry system each week.

This past week we’ve been keeping busy getting plants in the ground and trying to keep those plants happy between rainstorms. It’s crunch time as we push to get some season-long crops growing including Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, winter squash and the pumpkin patch. We didn’t get it all done last week so we’ll play a little catch-up this week. We’ve also got all the corns (popcorn, flour corn, sweet corn) and cucumbers on deck for transplanting too. Plus it looks like summer temperatures are headed our way as we ramp up to a couple of 90 degree days next Sunday/Monday. Let’s see how much catching up we can do in the next few days.

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

Your farmers,
Carri Heisler & Jeff Bramlett

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Peanut Tofu Lettuce Wraps

• 1 head butter lettuce
• 1 pound extra firm tofu
• 3 tablespoon peanut oil
• 6 ounce assorted mushrooms (at least half shiitake), minced
• 2 carrots, peeled, julienned
• 1/2 zucchini, julienned without seeds
• 1/2 small yellow onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 2 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 lime
• hoisin sauce
• roasted, salted, peanuts

Cut tofu into 4 pieces, place on clean kitchen towel and weigh down to remove excess liquid. If I think of it I drain the tofu in the morning. Grate the tofu on the round holes of a box grater.

Heat 1 T oil in a wok over high heat and cook carrots and onions, tossing often until slightly charred but still crispy. Remove to a bowl.

Heat 1 T peanut oil in a hot wok or cast iron pan and cook tofu, tossing often until starting to brown. Add another tablespoon of oil and cook mushrooms until softened. Add ginger and garlic and cook another minute. Add to carrots. Add remaining peanut oil and cook tofu until starting to brown. Add back vegetables. Mix soy, mirin, sesame oil, chili garlic and peanut butter (it won’t mix all the way) and stir into wok tossing quickly until just incorporated (you don’t want the soy to burn). Remove all to a platter. Squeeze lime juice and drizzle hoisin on top. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve with lettuce leaves for wrapping. Sliced, fried jalapeños are also a great addition.

From Food52.com by SavorThis, https://food52.com/recipes/57482-peanut-tofu-lettuce-wraps

Hearty Kale Salad with Kabocha Squash, Pomegranate Seeds, and Toasted Hazelnuts

• 1 Large bunch curly kale, stems removed and discarded, torn into bite sized pieces, washed, and spun dry
• 1 Small kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin), halved and seeded and cut into 1.5 inch pieces
• 4 tablespoon Olive oil, divided into 1 tbsp and 3 tbsp
• 3/4 cup Pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup Skinned hazelnuts
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon Sea salt
• Black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the squash in 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-35 minutes, or until golden, stopping halfway through to stir.

While squash is roasting, place the hazelnuts in a shallow baking dish (or a pie pan) and toast in the oven for 4-6 minutes, or until they are golden. Check them frequently and remove them the moment they start to get brown. Once they’ve cooled a little, chop them roughly and set aside.

Whisk together the remaining olive oil, mustard, lemon, maple syrup, sea salt, and pepper. Pour 3 tbsp over the kale to begin with, and “massage” the kale well with your hands, till it’s coated in the dressing and taking on a soft, almost wilted texture. Add the remaining dressing as needed and according to tastes. Add pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts.

Once the squash has finished cooking and has cooled for 10-15 minutes, add it to the salad and serve.

From Food52.com by Gena Hamshaw, https://food52.com/recipes/20161-hearty-kale-salad-with-kabocha-squash-pomegranate-seeds-and-toasted-hazelnuts

Butter Seared Sole with Snap Peas, Dill, & Capers

• 4 tablespoon salted butter4 (4-ounce) skinless Dover sole fillets
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 ounce snap peas, trimmed
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dill
• 2 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Meyer or regular lemon juice, to taste

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high until foamy and beginning to brown. Season fish with salt and pepper. Gently arrange fish fillets in skillet in a single layer, making sure that the pan isn’t crowded. (If necessary, cook the fish in two batches.) Cook fish, turning once with a thin spatula, until golden brown and crisp, 6 minutes. Remove fish to a platter or plates. (Reserve skillet and butter in pan.)

Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add snap peas to skillet and cook, tossing, until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in dill, capers and lemon juice. Serve fillets with snap peas.

From Food52.com by Caroline Wright, https://food52.com/recipes/22066-butter-seared-sole-with-snap-peas-dill-capers