Welcome to the 18th share of the Pitchfork & Crow 2026 Summer CSA! Here’s what’s in the share this week:

• Lettuce Mix – A mix of four lettuce varieties.
• Cilantro
• Fennel – A little anise flavor for your dishes this week. The fennel bulb is the star of the show here, but the fronds can be used too. The bulb can be sliced and roasted, braised, pickled, or eaten raw shaved into salads. We especially like making a simplified version of the fennel, onion, and cheese galette.
• Broccoli
• Red Skinned Potatoes
• Yellow and Torpedo Onions
• Sweet Corn – Small but tasty ears as we head toward October. Keep an eye out for the earworms this week.
• Dragon Tongue Romano Beans – Use as you would other types of snap beans.
• Summer Squash & Zucchini
• Mixed Cucumbers – Mixed green and silver slicers and some lemons too.
• Mixed Italian Frying Sweet Peppers – These red and yellow Italian frying peppers can be used like bell peppers.
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Poblano Peppers – The classic stuffing pepper, also good for flavoring any dish that is asking for a mild chile kick.
• Mixed Tomatoes – Pints of cherries plus slicers this week.
• Melons – We’re wrapping up melon season with more Honey Orange honeydew melons this week.

CSA Members: We hope to see you Saturday here at the farm for the CSA Farm Day! We’ll have pumpkins, farm touring, member-made music hopefully, and a potluck. Check your weekly member email for the details.

And just like that it’s practically October! Four months down and two to go in this year’s Summer CSA season. After a couple of weeks with rain interruptions we’re happy to see clear-ish skies in the ten-day forecast. We’ve got a lot of things to get harvested in the next couple of weeks and we need some dry weather to make that happen. The popcorn and flour corn are ready to harvest, the potatoes need to be dug, the winter squash needs to be hauled in, and soon we’ll be digging sweet potatoes too. A little dry weather will go a long way in those endeavors.

There are also orange pumpkins out there that need to find homes! It’s time for a CSA Member farm day. Members: check your email for a link to the details. We’ll be cleaning up the farm edges, readying the self-guided farm tour signs, and pre-clipping the pumpkins as we get ready for Saturday’s big event. Come out and share a potluck meal with fellow members and see the farm for yourself. And grab a pumpkin or two for your porch. New this year as suggested by a couple of members, we’re inviting folks to bring musical instruments to share their musical talent in an impromptu music jam session.

Last week we made progress on trellising the fall peas, hoeing in the fall greens in greenhouses, threshing dry beans, mowing, prepping beds for garlic planting, and prepping the final greenhouse for winter greens. A little rain interruption seemed like a good time to catch up on canning tomato sauce and another 30 quarts got added to the pantry shelves. During the 9-midnight night shift Jeff also made some progress on his boat project. He’s got a steering wheel! More of all that, minus the canning project, plus the fall farm visit this week. Come on out and see Jeff’s boat in person!

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:

Roasted Sausage with Broccoli and Fennel

• 12 ounce (about 3 or 4 links) good-quality pork sausage, removed from casings and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 2 small heads of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into thin slices, about 1/4-inch thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
• Finely grated zest and one 1 teaspoon of juice from 1 small lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or a lesser amount of red pepper flakes or cayenne (omit if you’re using spicy sausage)

Heat oven to 425° F.

Combine broccoli florets and sliced fennel in a shallow casserole or baking dish. You want them to fit snugly in a single, even layer. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, whole-grain mustard, lemon juice and zest, and Aleppo pepper. Add to broccoli and fennel and toss well to coat evenly. Nestle the pieces of sausage among the broccoli and fennel.

Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the broccoli and fennel are tender and the sausage is no longer pink. For extra security, you can toss about halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking.

Optional but highly recommended: Heat broiler, and place the pan under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp the sausage and slightly char the broccoli and fennel in spots.

Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Food52.com by EmilyC, https://food52.com/recipes/25869-roasted-sausage-with-broccoli-and-fennel

Cucumber and Fennel Salad with a Chinese Vinaigrette

For the salad

• 4 small Persian cucumbers, very thinly sliced by hand or with a mandolin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 fennel bulb, quartered, and then sliced very thinly with a mandolin
• 1 tablespoon fennel fronds, chopped
• 1 tablespoon white or black sesame seeds, OPTIONAL

For the vinaigrette

• 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoon sugar

Place the sliced cucumbers in a sieve and salt them. Allow them to sit and drain for an hour. Pat dry.

Heat the sesame oil in a small pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the red pepper flakes. Stir for about a minute, and remove from the heat.

Stir together the rice vinegar and the sugar, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the sesame oil. Blend thoroughly.

Place the cucumbers and fennel in a bowl. Add the vinaigrette and stir well. Place in the refrigerator and chill, stirring often.

As an option, sprinkle sesame on the salad after you plate. Serve as a side and enjoy.

From Food52.com by Bevi, https://food52.com/recipes/21383-cucumber-and-fennel-salad-with-a-chinese-vinaigrette

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

• 1 red bell pepper (or Italian Frying Peppers)
• 15 ounce garbanzo beans
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoon tahini
• 3 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Drain beans.

Cut pepper in half and remove stem and seeds. Place on cookie sheet and broil in oven until outside skin is black. Allow to cool in a plastic baggie. Peel off outside skin.

Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth. Adjust spices to taste. Serve with crackers, pita chips, melba rounds or fresh vegetables.

From Food52.com by CRussell, https://food52.com/recipes/6496-roasted-red-pepper-hummus