Welcome to the 16th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2026 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Mayan Jaguar Romaine Lettuce
• Cilantro
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Sweet and Torpedo Onions
• Sweet Corn – Tiny but tasty this week!
• Dragon Tongue Romano Snap Beans
• Summer Squash & Zucchini
• Mixed Cucumbers – Mixed green and silver slicers and some lemons too.
• Mixed Bell Sweet Peppers – These sweet peppers ripen to red.
• Mixed Italian Frying Sweet Peppers – These are at various stages of turning red and yellow. Italian frying peppers can be used like bell peppers.
• Shishito Peppers – A Japanese variety known as a roulette pepper, 1 in 10 might be hot. They’re great with eggs, or anything else really, but traditionally blistered in hot oil and eaten with a little salt.
• Poblano Peppers – The classic stuffing pepper, also good for flavoring any dish that is asking for a mild chile kick.
• Tomatillos – A little like green tomatoes, tomatillos make excellent salsa verde and enchilada sauce. Need some recipe inspiration? Click here for 18 delicious suggestions.
• Mixed Tomatoes – We’ve got tomatoes! Pints of cherries plus lots of slicers of all sizes this week.
• Melons – Honey Orange honeydew melons this week.

First off, many thanks to everyone who jumped into the Winter CSA when we opened up memberships on the 4th. We filled up in record time! We very much appreciate your continued support. Choosing to stick with us through the months of December into April is only for the most intrepid of seasonal eaters and we’re glad to have you along for the journey. Shoot us an email if you missed out on snagging a spot and we’ll see what we can do. Also, we’ll be in touch via email with everyone in January for the start of the Summer CSA sign-up season.

That all said about the winter season, we’ve still got ten more weeks of this Summer CSAing ahead of us. We’re just getting into the best part of pepper season and it’s time to double down on enjoying the summer treats. Tomatoes are winding down, zucchini is winding down, cucumbers are surely winding down. Eat them all up while we’ve got them!

We’ve been digging the cooler weather this past week or so. The push to get things done is on and the lower temps have made the work a little easier. Last week we transplanted our last outdoor lettuce succession. We’ve still got greenhouses to plant out and in a month or so we’ll get the garlic and overwintering onions in the ground to wrap up planting for the season, but planting the last outdoor succession of greens feels like a seasonal milestone.

We also got the dry beans harvested. We’d thought we may have damaged them in the last big rainstorm but our luck continued and now we’ve got a big pile of beans drying down and ready to thresh. Last week there was also cultivating and mowing and fall pea trellising and the last of the propagation on the schedule.

In the week ahead we’ll be prepping a greenhouse for planting and hopefully getting some bok choy and bunching onions and spinach in there. The To Do list also includes more cultivating and mowing and getting some potatoes into storage. Heavy harvest season is upon us as we start to squirrel things away for fall and winter shares. We’ve also got an eye on the winter squash that are beginning to die back and will be making their way into storage in the coming weeks too. Plus our niece had to delay her visit last week and we may be seeing her and her boyfriend this weekend. Fun! Finally, don’t forget to mark your calendars for the CSA Member Farm Day on Saturday Oct. 3rd. We’ll have more details on that event in the coming weeks.

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:

Slightly Exotic Skillet Broccoli and Cauliflower

• 7 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced (pole to pole)
• 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and separated into florets, large florets cut in halves
• 1 head of romanesco or broccoli, trimmed and separated into florets, large florets cut in halves
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped, and divided
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon brine from preserved lemons
• 1 preserved lemon, rinsed
• 12 to 15 Castelvetrano olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 2 small to medium red peppers, roasted, seeded, peeled, and diced
• 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 to 3 tablespoon cilantro leaves (or substitute Italian parsley)

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron or other non-stick skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add sliced onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and romanesco/broccoli, and evenly distribute in a single layer. (The pan should be crowded, but if you cannot create a single layer remove a few florets.) Take a minute to wiggle each piece into place to get some surface contact on each floret. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and all but 1/2 teaspoon of the chopped garlic over the brassicas. Season with ground black pepper, and sprinkle on the brine from the preserved lemons. Set a timer for 25 minutes.

While the brassicas are cooking, prep your lemon and make your dressing. Quarter the preserved lemon, and use a spoon to scrape out the pulp. Remove the seeds from the pulp and put the pulp in your blender. Coarsely chop one quarter of the peel, and add it to the blender. Dice the remaining peel and set aside. To the blender add the reserved chopped garlic, all but 1 heaping tablespoon of the diced red pepper, sherry vinegar, cumin, and paprika. Blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender jar, then while running slowly pour in the remaining olive oil. Taste and add a splash or two more of vinegar if the dressing isn’t tangy enough. Set aside. (NOTE: This step could also be done ahead, just re-blend dressing prior to serving if any separation has occurred.)

After your timer has gone off, check a couple of florets for caramelization. If needed, cook an additional 5 or so minutes. Otherwise scatter the reserved red pepper, diced preserved lemon, and chopped olives over the brassicas. Cover the pan and allow to steam for 5 to 10 minutes as needed to cook the florets through, but still maintain some texture.

Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with cilantro just before serving. Drizzle with dressing, and serve the rest on the side. (Note: The brassicas will be under-seasoned without the dressing.)

From Food52.com by hardlikearmour, https://food52.com/recipes/24362-slightly-exotic-skillet-broccoli-and-cauliflower

Smoky Southwest Chicken Thighs with Charred Corn & Poblano Gnocchi

FOR THE SMOKY SPICE BLEND:

• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoon chili powder

FOR THE CORN & POBLANO SAUCE:

• 4 corn on the cobs, charred and stripped from cob, 1 cup reserved
• 1 poblano, charred
• ½ white or yellow onion, skin on, charred
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ½ cup sour cream or Mexican crema
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

FOR THE CHICKEN THIGHS:

• 5 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon smoky spice blend

FOR THE GNOCCHI:

• 16 ounce refrigerated or frozen gnocchi
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ cup prepared corn & poblano sauce
• 1 cup reserved charred corn kernels

FOR SERVING:

• 1 lime, zest & juice
• 2 ounce queso fresco or Cotija cheese
• Cilantro, freshly chopped
• 1 pinch prepared smoky spice blend

For the Smoky Spice Blend: In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients and set aside.

Prepare the Vegetables: Over a gas burner or under a broiler, char the corn, poblano pepper, onion, and garlic. (Optionally, trim the top off of a head of garlic and wrap in aluminum foil along with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.) Once everything is charred, place the poblano in a small bowl covered with a plate or plastic wrap and allow it to sweat for 5 minutes. Remove from the bowl, peel off the charred skin, and roughly chop. (Optionally, remove the seeds.) Using a small upside down bowl as a base inside of a larger bowl, carefully stand each corn cob on its end and run a knife down the side to strip the kernels. Reserve one cup of corn kernels and set aside. Remove the paper from the onion and roughly chop.

Make the Corn & Poblano Sauce: To a blender, combine the remaining corn (except for the cup of reserved kernels), poblano, onion, garlic, sugar, sour cream or crema, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Make the Chicken Thighs: Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season with salt, pepper, and one teaspoon of spice blend. Place chicken skin side down in the skillet and cook until golden brown. Flip over and cook for 5 minutes before transferring the skillet to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken registers 165° on an instant read thermometer. Remove the skillet from the oven and set the chicken aside. Drain all but one tablespoon of fat.

Make the Gnocchi: Place the skillet back over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi and cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes to sear. Add 1 ½ cups of the corn & poblano sauce, the reserved charred corn kernels, and stir occasionally until heated through and the sauce is thickened. Add more sauce if needed. Arrange the chicken thighs on top of the gnocchi and remove from heat. Garnish with lime zest & juice, queso fresco, chopped cilantro, and a pinch of smoky spice blend.

From Food52.com by César Pérez, https://food52.com/recipes/90311-smoky-southwest-chicken-thighs-with-charred-corn–poblano-gnocchi

Fried Oniony, Garlicky Green Beans

• 2 to 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cup regular green beans or haricots verts, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• A few tablespoon water
• 1 cup evenly diced onion
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 clove garlic, zested with microplane
• 2 splash soy sauce
• 1 to 2 lemon wedges
• 1/2 handful chopped cilantro, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on a medium heat, and add the beans. Let them cook for about 4 minutes (it might be significantly less depending on the type of bean you’re using and the strength of your burner). The heat should be high enough that the beans are sizzling. They should be getting brown and a little wrinkled, but they should not burn.

Continue to cook, adding a tablespoon or so of water and swishing it around. Push the beans all around the edges of the pan to create a space in the middle. Place the onions into the space you have created and sprinkle a little salt on top. Let the onions cook for a few minutes, then slowly start to mix everything together. At this point everything should be getting pretty brown. Add the garlic and mix it in as you stir.

When the onions are nice and brown, which should take 5 to 7 minutes, add a splash or two of soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon. Cook for two more minutes and serve, garnished with chopped cilantro.

From Food52.com by navahfrost, https://food52.com/recipes/31211-fried-oniony-garlicky-green-beans