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

• Mini Red Romaine Lettuce
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Cilantro – This cilantro planting was delayed and the recent heat means it’s going to flower sooner than we’d like. It’s still going to bring some flavor to your cooking this week.
• Broccoli
• Mixed Cauliflower
• Mixed Beets
• Overwintered Onions – Overwintered yellow onions this week. These were planted last October and withstood the winter weather to mature earlier than our spring planted main onion crop.
• Romano Snap Beans – – The pods are larger and flatter but you can use them like any other snap beans or green beans. The color will likely fade when cooked. This particular variety is called Marvel of Piedmont, but can easily be mistaken for Dragon Tongue beans.
• Summer Squash & Zucchini
• Mixed Cucumbers – Mixed green and silver slicers and some lemons too. Last year a CSA member shared a quick pickle recipe that became a go-to for us all summer. It’s pickling season! You can check it out here and enjoy pickles too.
• Purple Bell Peppers – These are the immature coloring for this variety of bell pepper, so treat them like green peppers.
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Mixed Tomatoes – We’ve got tomatoes! Pints of cherries plus lots of big slicers this week.

After a short respite from high temperatures, they’re back! It’s going to be a sweltering couple of CSA pick-up days this week. As we finish up the weekly harvest and get the vegetables distributed it’s all about hydration for us and the fields. Well, actually it’s a delicate balance between staying hydrated and caffeinated all at once.

The past week has been all late nights and early mornings and continually trying to keep the momentum moving forward. The summer triage has continued and we’ve added to the already lengthy To Do list with some cooler troubleshooting and upgrades. Perhaps mid-July isn’t the ideal time to undertake a cooler upgrade, but that’s farming. Thankfully Jeff got through a lot of mowing and weed whacking last week and the farm is looking a little less crazed around the edges. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel of July, and we’re just hoping it’s not another train.

In the week ahead we’ll be doing some cooler maintenance on our second walk-in and endeavoring to transplant the things that we didn’t get to last week. We’ve got the last round of sweet corn headed out plus beans, fennel, basil, cilantro, dill, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Hopefully we’ll also trellis the tomatoes, sow the winter carrots, and finish weeding the eggplant too. A farmer can dream, right?

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:

This recipe comes to us recommended by Elissa A., a CSA member who says her daughter made them and they’re delicious!

Beet Brownies

Beet puree:

• 1 large red beet or two small beets
• ¼ cup buttermilk amount may vary

Beet Brownies:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup beet puree You can reduce this amount if you’re worried about putting that much beet into your brownies
• ¾ cup unbleached flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup dark chocolate chunks

To make beet puree:

1. In oven: wrap 1 large red beet (stems removed) in aluminum foil and roast in 400°F oven for at least an hour until soft to the touch. Alternatively, In Instant Pot: set beets on rack and add 1 cup water. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Instant release pressure.Allow beets to cool enough to handle and peel away skin. 
2. Puree beets in blender or food processor with just enough buttermilk (usually around ¼ cup buttermilk) to allow puree to achieve a very smooth consistency.  Note: only 1 cup of beet puree will be used for this recipe. If you end up with extra puree, you can use extra puree in pancake batter, soups, etc.

To make beet brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease or line a 8x8x2 metal pan with parchment foil paper.
2. Using a medium to large saucepan over medium heat, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter. Stir frequently as it continues to bubble. When there are small brown specs, and it smells like nutty caramel, remove pan from heat.
3. Add 1¼ cups granulated sugar, ¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt to combine.
4. In separate bowl, beat 2 large eggs. After butter mixture has cooled in pot 4-5 minutes, slowly pour eggs into pot with sugar/butter/cocoa powder, stirring constantly until well combined.
5. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 cup beet puree, stir to combine.
6. Add ¾ cup unbleached flour and ½ teaspoon baking powder, stir to combine.
7. Add ½ cup dark chocolate chunks stir to combine.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25-35 minutes in preheated oven or until top no longer looks wet. Enjoy!

From Self Proclaimed Foodie, https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/beet-brownies/#wprm-recipe-container-33229

Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower with Curry Brown Butter

• 1/2 head cauliflower, stem trimmed and cut into bite-sized (1 1/2-inch) florets (about 4 cups)
• 1 large head broccoli, stem trimmed and cut into bite-sized (1 1/2-inch) florets (about 4 cups)
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoon salted butter
• 2 1/2 teaspoon Madras curry powder
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup golden raisins, currants, or raisins
• 1 tablespoon capers, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more for finishing, if desired
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat oven to 425°F with a rack in the center. On a sheet pan, toss the broccoli and cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange in a single layer. (Don’t overcrowd–otherwise, they’ll end up steaming vs. roasting.) Roast, without flipping, until tender when pierced with a fork, and nicely browned and crispy around the edges, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the curry brown butter. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom so they don’t burn, until brown and nutty, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat; add curry powder, almonds, golden raisins, capers, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.

Remove the sheet pan from the oven and immediately add the curry brown butter, tossing until the vegetables are evenly coated. Add cilantro, salt, and a squeeze of lemon to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Food52.com by EmilyC, https://food52.com/recipes/88522-best-roasted-broccoli-and-cauliflower-recipe

Persian Zucchini Stew with Chicken (Khoresh Kadoo)

• 4 tablespoon olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
• 4 zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
• 6 chicken thighs, skinless, bone-in
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
• 3 tomatoes, cut in half
• 3 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan. Fry zucchinis on both sides until golden brown. Set aside.

In the same pan, heat some more olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken thighs, sear them in the pan until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.

Heat another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the same pan and saute the onion until golden and translucent.

Add in the turmeric and saute for another minute. Add in the tomato paste and water. Stir well until the tomato paste has dissolved into the water. Turn the heat up and bring to boil. Turn the heat to medium and let it start simmering. Add salt and pepper.

Add the chicken thighs back into the pan with the sauce. Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Check to make sure the sauce isn’t too thick.

After about 25 minutes, add in the zucchini and halved tomatoes and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until the zucchinis are cooked as well.

Add the lemon juice, taste, and season with more salt if needed.

Put some white rice in serving plates, and top with the zucchini and chicken stew.

From Food52.com by Shadi Hasanzadenemati, https://food52.com/recipes/77265-persian-zucchini-stew-with-chicken-khoresh-kadoo