We are jubilant to have successfully completed this final harvest of the year! Both Derek and I are satisfied simply by having all our limbs still in place, coming through unscathed for the most part. Not to say it hasn't been an exciting time, replete with our share of delights, trials, and hair raising surprises. We often think back to the memorable moments of the season, like that time the tractor's engine ignited in flames, or when the newly purchased potato digger split apart in the field. Everyone remember the mountains of cucumbers, celery, and fennel? Or the the mysterious relative absence of summer squash? Who has ever heard of there being a summer squash shortage? We sure have had a time of it this summer and we're glad to have shared in it with you; both the challenges of the season and the good fortune. We hope you have enjoyed the ride too. As we enjoy the fall bounty of greens and sweet potatoes we are thankful to you for choosing us to grow your vegetables and fruits. Now, as the soil rests, we too will rest our bodies and prepare for next summer's surely riveting journey. Have a happy and healthful winter and see you next year!

 

We plan to offer garlic, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, sweet potatoes, kale, collards, bok choy, radishes, mustard greens, daikon radishes, mizuna, arugula, broccoli raab, potatoes, and senposai. Some items will be a choice. For the final pick-up week of the season, u-pick will be perennial herbs. Half shares, Week A and Week B are both welcome to come.

 

The last newsletter of the year is making me think back over the season. This year, I was able to spend a lot more time in the barn on pick-up day meeting and speaking with fellow members. My discussions with several of you helped me decide what crop or crops I should focus on each week -- thank you for taking a few extra minutes in the barn! Thanks also to those who took the time to send me recipes. Having recipes that are already tested certainly makes my job easier, and some of the recipes sent were really wonderful! Thanks specifically to Luke for thinking of all of us and bringing in the mushrooms -- they are great!

Finally and especially, thanks to D&D for your commitment to our community of members. Your dedication and hard work assured that, even with the weather challenges faced this year, we had an amazing variety of very high quality produce each week. Thank you also for going the extra mile to bring in "add-ons" -- paw paws, chocolate, mushrooms, apples, and of course the eggs. This added to your already monumentous workload and we all appreciate it. Looking back at how great you have done in your first year at Anchor Run makes me even more excited about next year -- thank you and have a wonderful and much deserved break.

EVERYONE: Have a safe and healthy winter and I look forward to seeing all of you next spring!

 

One of my favorites will be offered this week -- Brussels sprouts. As Recipe Coordinator, I say this every year "if you don't think you like Brussels sprouts, but have never had an Anchor Run Brussel sprout, try them. They are great! And not at all like the supermarket ones that have sat for weeks waiting to be used." There are many types of recipes for them on this site -- roasted, with bacon, with apples and nuts, and as a salad. So, please enjoy these fresh and extra-tasty vegetables.

 

This week also brings us the last harvest of greens. Please check out the anchorrunfarm.com website for many different ways to use them. I know that many of you like to make beautiful salads of the greens, especially the arugula and mizuna. But, these favorites are also very good cooked, tossed into the final steps of pasta or soup recipes.

Today, for my final recipe, I have chosen Sweet Potato Casserole. A friend sent this to me saying that she served it to a large crowd and everyone loved it. I can't wait to try it....maybe for Thanksgiving.

 

Have you filled in the membership survey sent out via email last week? So far, over a hundred of you have! If you haven't, there is still time to share your thoughts on the past season and make suggestions for next year. A quick peek at this year's results (completely anonymous--don't worry!) shows some interesting responses. For example....

 

Quantity of vegetables received each week: just right--79%; too little--13%; or too much--8%.

90% of you are interested in buying additional local, sustainable, and/or organic foods in the pick-up room.

Comments: just as many people said "too much lettuce" as said "too little lettuce." (We really need to get these members together!)

And... my personal favorite: those who read the newsletter every week--87%!

Thank you to all and have a happy winter.

 

In the autumn of 2004, when my family first heard of the newly created Anchor Run Farm CSA, we had no idea what a CSA was. And this fall, at the end of the 2009 growing season, I know that we are STILL learning how to make the most of this amazing relationship between farmers and food-conscious community. Just the other night, my husband, kids, and I were reviewing some of our early CSA experiences and how we get better and better at this every year. For example...

Year One: The year we had no idea what we had really signed up for. We thought we were supporting local farmers and open space in our township. So, who are all these vegetarians talking about organics? Greens? So many greens? What do you do with them? How do you even get them into the refrigerator? I'll admit it: that first year saw some wasted greens that ended up as compost. We were sad about it, but vowed we would do better next year.

The Next Year: Guess what? GREENS again--that first crop of the season, of course! This year, we knew the solution. Use the greens first--sometimes the same day we brought them home. We searched for recipes and found an amazing number of both exotic and fast/easy recipes. And our 2 stand-bys were always "add them to soup" or "cook them in olive oil with garlic."

Year Three: Are we slow learners or what? This was the first year we really got into the whole concept of "seasonal eating." In other words, those recipes that want you to combine spring peas with summer squash are NOT a reality when you are eating fresh from the farm. If we were going to avoid grocery-store vegetables, we were going to eat only what was in the pick-up that week. That was the hardest lesson: EAT WHAT YOU HAVE; don't pine for what's not available.

 

I think year three was also the year that we finally started getting creative with herbs too. We would bring home clippings of sage or basil and just do an internet search... maybe "recipe, sage, squash" and see what would come up. Or, we would get crazy and make something up.

That was also the first time my husband tried making preserves... basil jelly and a garlic/rosemary preserve. Those beautiful little jars were our Christmas gifts to our relatives that year.

Year Four: Now, we are getting picky. WHAT do you mean; ONLY ONE CELERIAC??? (Never mind that we didn't even know what it was Year One.) How can we make soup with just one? This was the year that we learned to "hang out" near the Share Box in the pick-up room. When the newbie members were saying "Yuck--celeriac," we could pounce on the rejected roots and take them home where they would be loved. (And conversely, we could also toss our unwanted lettuce in that same box, knowing that "people too busy to cook" can NEVER get enough lettuce and would be happy to take "our" lettuce home with them.)

This Year: Still learning. Cucumbers. TOO. MANY. CUCUMBERS. You can't freeze them and I can take only so many salads and soups made of them. But taking a hint from previous gluts, we figured it out once again. At Anchor Run, we loved the year of "too many beets." We made sauce all summer long in the "summer of too many tomatoes." We actually mailed potatoes to my mother during the amazing "year of the potato."

So, for the year of the cuke, we learned to make pickles. It was scary the first time, but my daughters love dill pickles. And once we realized how easy canning was, we were pretty sad when the cucumber season finally came to an end. (I am very sad to report that EVERY JAR we canned has been eaten already too!)

Next Year: What will the lessons be? It's hard to tell at this point. But, I do know that we'll be thinking more about the farm as a working community. Crops are harvested and they are distributed to be shared among us. We will continue to "share" most of our lettuce with others. We will be watching the Share Box for celeriac and scallions and vegetables that others don't care for as much as we do.

And most of all, we'll be looking forward to sharing good weather and warm conversations with our farmers and fellow members throughout the season. See you then.

 

Let's include one last Q&A of the season...

Question: Why does the farm end the season with "cover crops"? What are they and what are they for?

Answer: To ensure healthy soils, and, by extension, nutrient dense veggies, we plant cover crops throughout the year, but mostly in the fall as we're preparing to rest the fields over winter. There are a variety of cover crops that we use, but most are either a grain or a legume. Grains like winter rye have deeply tapped root systems which pull up minerals from the soil which become available to our veggie crops in the spring when we turn under the rye. Winter rye also helps prevent soil compaction in our annually tilled soils, adds biomass to the soil, prevents soil erosion via rain and wind, and prevents weed seeds from germinating. Legumes, like clover and hairy vetch, are used primarily for their nitrogen fixing abilities. In the spring when we're ready for the season's crops to be planted, we will till under the mature clover which will release nitrogen as it decomposes in the soil. Clover flowers also attract beneficial insects and pollinators for our crops. Over time, farmers can significantly reduce weed seed banks in the soil as well as improve soil health with routine use of cover crops.

 

The November 8 newsletter is the last one of the 2009 growing/harvest season. Occasional newsletters will be sent to the membership in the winter and early months of spring 2010 to announce important dates and the start of the new season.

Sweet Potato Casserole