June 28, 2020
Enjoy
By Farmer Dana

Harvest #7 (Week A) should include zucchini (green/yellow), cucumbers, fennel, Swiss chard, Italian dandelion, lettuce, scallions, garlic scapes, beets, basil, cilantro, and parsley. Some items will be a choice and may not be available during all pick up days (we try our best to predict the harvest). U-pick should include green snap beans (aka string beans, green beans), flowers, and herbs.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Enjoy-2473/

June 28, 2020
Workshifts for Week of 6/29/20
by Farmer Derek

This is a perfect time to contribute some labor at the farm! Summer weather is here and it's great for helping you sweat out the bad stuff. And the weeds are really starting to grow. If you signed up for a share with work discount, please consider joining us soon.Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-for-Week-of-62920-2474/

June 28, 2020
Rain, Just In Time
by Farmer Derek

We experienced two much needed rain events last week, conveniently spread out five days apart, after work for was done for the day, just enough to give the crops and soil a heathy dose to absorb without any soil erosion. I was thinking about the acre of potatoes slowing forming under the soil and the 3,000 newly planted sweet potato slips. Also the thousands of feet of lettuces, beets, chard, and the empty ponds, the frogs, toads, and turtles. But the rain came, and we're thankful. We're still going through the motions irrigating certain crops on a weekly basis regardless of the rain since overall it's been a relatively dry spring at the farm and there's not much moisture in the soil. The two rounds of tomatoes in the two tunnels need well water no matter what since they're out of the weather anyway. When I turn on their tubes I also irrigate the 3 plantings of zucchini and cucumbers because two of the plantings are fruiting and they enjoy consistent moisture. Onions are receiving a regular dose because they're starting to bulb up and are relatively shallow rooted and also because the area they're planted in drains very well. But there's less stress, less tension after an ample rain event.

The summer solstice came and went last weekend. It marks an interesting time on the farm. Whether or not there is some deeper celestial meaning, there is a slight shift in the farm's focus, attention, workload around this time (at least from my perspective). Up until the solstice we work like mad to transform the bulk of our acreage into raised beds, spend a lot of time on the tractor plowing and bed shaping, and sow seeds and plant crops on all this space. Around the solstice our weekly planting allotment lessens and our attention begins to turn more towards harvesting and maintenance. It feels like a more enjoyable time, especially when crops are bountiful and healthy. Last week we push mowed way too much row feet of raised bed aisles, but they needed attention and we had to do it. Instead of having bare soil in between beds that requires mechanical cultivation and would be susceptible to erosion we intentionally allow volunteer species (weeds) to grow, sequestering carbon, protecting the soil, increasing organic matter. We transplanted the final round of cucumbers and zucchini; the 4th basil; the 14th lettuce; and the 8th and 9th beans. Field slicer tomatoes were pruned and trellised. Eggplant, okra, leeks, scallions, lettuces, and herbs were weeded. Sweet and hot peppers were staked and supported with twine.

Very soon we'll embark on some big harvests - carrots, garlic, onions, and potatoes. Most of these tasks are accomplished with the beneficial help of workhifts so be on the lookout for an e-mail announcement. Most harvesting jobs are good for kids as well.

On our schedule for this week is the immense planting of 7,000 strawberry plants - our 2021 crop. Weekly tomato pruning and trellising continues, as well as whatever cultivating, weeding, transplanting, and harvesting that needs to be done.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Rain-Just-In-Time-2475/

June 28, 2020
Summer Eating
By Linda Dansbury

With the heat coming on, I think we all want to minimize heating up the kitchen - cool salads, grilled meats and fish are what is mostly filling our table these days.

Snow peas, snap peas, cilantro, parsley, garlic scapes, scallions - I am starting to venture into a new cuisine for me to make - Indian food! I made a dish called Spring Pea Chaat with Lemon Raita. It is a fairly complicated recipe - not difficult, but does have 3 different components and a couple of unusual ingredients, so I am not going to post it to this site. All the prep can be done ahead and then mixed together to serve and it keeps for days. If you are interested, search Food and Wine and the title of the recipe and it pops right up. We will be making this all summer, and use it with other veggies, including green beans and squash.

Peas, squash, kohlrabi (the last for the spring - don't forget to rummage through your fridge regularly to see the goodies you had forgotten about) - simply washed and trimmed and use them as a snack with dip. Cool, crunchy, delicious and even healthy!

Escarole, radicchio, garlic scapes, a lot of herbs - chopped and sauteed the greens along with garlic scapes. Added a partial can of white beans and a little chicken stock so it was a bit "saucy". We had it alongside grilled chicken one night and leftovers with fish. It was really good! Making extra and then just reheating made it very simple.

Lettuces, scallions - made a very large salad with a balsamic dressing. We had some leftover grilled steak, so we sliced it thin and topped the salad with the meat. It made for a light and satisfying summer night meal.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Summer-Eating-2476/

June 28, 2020
More new veggies!
By Linda Dansbury

The addition of crops is coming almost at the speed of light! This week is green beans and cucumbers. I think most people have their go to recipes for each of these but over the coming weeks, depending on the harvest size, I will likely make suggestions you may not be familiar with - please also check out this site and search the respective crops for some ideas.

I am still learning about all these veggies - I just read a post from The University of Calif, Davis, stating their research shows that cucumbers should NOT be stored in the refrigerator, because they are sensitive to temperatures lower than 50 degrees and cold temps make them prone to injury, water-soaked areas and accelerated decay. If you want them to be cold, store them in fridge for no longer than 3 days and store toward the front where the temperature is a bit warmer. I guess that is a good thing at this time when our fridges are so full of other veggies! The nutritional value of cucumbers is that they are very low in calories and yet still provide decent amounts of potassium, fiber and vitamin C.

To store the green beans, place in a reusable plastic container or bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Green beans provide the body with fiber, vitamins C, A and K, plus smaller amounts of minerals.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/More-new-veggies-2477/

June 21, 2020
Summer Crops Arriving
By Linda Dansbury

As Derek always talks about in his posts, nothing on the farm stays the same - it is so true with the crops at this time of year. Long summer days and warmth help the veggies mature at a rapid pace now. This week, we are definitely receiving summer squash, aka zucchini. Zucchini provides many nutrients, including a good amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and more. Enjoy the various colors and shapes offered - they taste similar with very subtle differences and can be used interchangeably in recipes. If using within a day or 2, they can be kept on the kitchen counter. If you want to keep it longer, place in a produce cloth bag, a paper bag, or perforated or open plastic bag in the refrigerator. They need air circulation to prevent spoiling.

I think everyone knows what to do with their squash, but for some new ideas search this site under Squash (summer) for everything from squash salads, to main courses and of course dessert! One of my favorite and easiest ways to enjoy the squash is to grill it. Cut lengthwise in half or quarters and brush with olive oil. Grill over a medium flame. Be careful about walking away because it cooks up quickly. Turn until browned on all sides and cooked to desired tenderness. Remove from grill and if desired drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle a little salt and pepper and chopped fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Fennel is another new crop we'll probably receive starting this week. Like squash, fennel has a significant amount of potassium and vitamin A, as well as some vitamin C and a good supply of fiber. Fennel stores well in a loose plastic bag or container in the refrigerator. It will keep for a couple of weeks. One of the easy ways I like fennel is to thinly slice or mandolin fennel and add to salads - it adds a really nice crunch and slight anise flavor. This is a very versatile crop and is equally delicious raw and cooked. Again, search fennel on this recipe site and you will find a lot of recipes. A good one to try now is the Cous Cous with Fennel, Chard and Chick Peas and/or the Shaved Fennel Salad with Parmesan Cheese.

Now that the herbs are coming (yay), a word about storing. Cilantro and parsley seem to store for 1-2 weeks in the fridge in a plastic bag or container. Basil, on the other hand, does not like to be cold. When you get it home, snip the stems and place the basil in a glass or jar of water and keep on the counter. I have heard that it keeps best if you place a bag over the basil, but stems of basil don't hang around long enough for me to measure the difference. I do like to place some of each herb in a glass of water on the counter so that are at arms reach when I am cooking.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Summer-Crops-Arriving-2467/

June 21, 2020
Summer Veggies
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #6 (Week B) should include zucchini (green and/or yellow), lettuce, salad mix, swiss chard, italian dandelion, kale, escarole, fennel, garlic scapes, scallions, beets, dill, cilantro, basil, and parsley. Some items will be a choice and may not be available during all pick up times. U-pick should include snow peas, sugar snap peas, strawberries, flowers, and herbs. Sugar snap peas and strawberries are on their way out. Cucumbers may be available later in the week.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Summer-Veggies-2468/

June 21, 2020
Workshifts for Week of 6/22
By Derek McGeehan

This is a perfect time to contribute some labor at the farm! Summer weather is here and it's great for helping you sweat out the bad stuff. And the weeds are really starting to grow. If you signed up for a share with work discount, please consider joining us soon.Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-for-Week-of-622-2469/

June 21, 2020
Hershberger Heritage Farm Back but With Pre-Ordered Boxes
by Farmer Dana

We're once again partnering with Hershberger Heritage Farm to bring you local, pastured, organic meat and poultry. They won't set up their farm stand this year; instead you'll pre-order a customizable 'berger box' that will be delivered to our farm for free. There are three sizes/values that you can choose from (small-$40, regular-$80, large-$200). You basically select the box/size you would like to fill and then choose what you want to go in it based on the value of the items. For example, if you choose the $80 regular box, you can fill it with $80 worth of goods. If you happen to go over the value that is okay too, you'll just pay the difference.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Hershberger-Heritage-Farm-Back-but-With-PreOrdered-Boxes-2470/

June 21, 2020
Into Summer
by Farmer Derek

There are times when we're extra appreciative of our fields' aspects, situations, soil types, organic matter, etc. It's mostly when we go through extended dry spells, like we're in at the farm right now, because our soils do not require a lot of precipitation to remain productive (face north, high clay content, decent amount of organic matter). Yesterday there were storms all around us and we watched the dark clouds and yellow and red radar spots go right on by. It appears there's a chance of rain daily for the foreseeable future but I figure the just-right rain event is waiting until I've spent significant time adding irrigation to new locations. Fortunately I already installed tubing for the high value long season fabric covered crops such as peppers, tomatoes, melons, squashes, cucumbers, onions, and leeks but all of the bare ground short season crops currently wait for Mother Nature to provide. We received 2/10 of an inch of rain 10 days ago and now we try to patiently wait for more. I did just read that parts of southern Jersey received 3-5" of rain within the past couple of days which is way more than we need here. Plus that's of the disastrous heavy type which we can always do without.

Ignoring the weather for a minute, the farm is in pretty good shape at the moment. The dry weather allows us to move swiftly through our to-do list. Last week we planted the last of the 4 melons; another succession of lettuce, edamame, beans, basil, cilantro, and dill; and the second round of tomatoes. These tomatoes went into the hoop tunnel where the first round of sugar snap peas resided. It was flipped and planted in record time. Inside the various tunnels are some of the places around the farm where we practice intensive cultivation (multiple plantings in the same piece of ground in the same year; we have enough outdoor field space that we can only grow one crop in each spot per year and let the soil rest a bit longer). Raised beds were prepared and finalized for the 7,000 dormant strawberry plants we'll be receiving next week that we'll harvest in 2021 (we treat strawberries as annuals, planting a new patch each season as a way to stay ahead of pests and diseases). Tomatoes were pruned and clipped to the trellis system. Landscape fabric was installed in the aisles of the final planting of zucchini and cucumbers. Seeds were sown and fall celery was potted-up. Onions were weeded a second and final time (now that we're past the solstice most of their time and energy will be spent forming bulbs, or so I've heard). The entire farm was flail mowed. Four thousand feet of preliminary beds were formed for fall cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and rutabaga. Three thousand feet of sweet potato and eight thousand feet of potato beds were hilled and cultivated.

This coming week we'll embark on more crop maintenance and a lot of aisle mowing. More time will be devoted to harvesting now that zucchini and cucumbers are starting. These need to be picked every two days (and as of now the plants are the biggest I've ever seen and hopefully this translates into an exceptional harvest). Weeds will be pulled and crops will be stirrup-hoed. More lettuce and beans will go in. And just maybe we'll spend a lot of time irrigating.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Into-Summer-2471/

June 21, 2020
Healthy Eating
By Linda Dansbury

I love all these farm veggies! Knowing we are eating such healthy food is so comforting. Share how you are enjoying your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line. Here is a bit of what we ate this week. And, a very Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there.

Peas, kohlrabi - ate on their own as a snack and with a homemade yogurt and goat cheese dip.

Peas, scallions, garlic scapes, herbs - made a cous cous and pea salad, but have to say it wasn't my favorite, ok but not worthy of sharing. I should note that others at the table thought it was good!

Escarole, radicchio, scallion, garlic scape, herbs - briefly grilled the escarole and radicchio, until barely wilted. Sauteed garlic and scallion with a can of white beans and a bit of broth. Roughly chopped the greens and poured the bean mixture over. Drizzled with good quality olive oil, a good amount of freshly ground black pepper and a bunch of fresh chopped herbs. Had it alongside one of our Wild For Salmon fillets. A very satisfying meal.

Greens, garlic scape, herbs - several years ago a fellow member shared a wonderful skillet dinner idea and I make it when I am trying to figure out a delicious way to use my greens (you can freeze greens, but I have found that I am not very good about getting them out of the freezer and using them so it is better if I use them up). Saute garlic and scallion/onion in a large, non-stick skillet. Add chopped greens - pretty much anything you have on hand - chard, kale, dandelion, escarole, radicchio, etc. If you use kale, place that in the skillet first, since it takes longer to turn tender. Once the greens are nearly desired tenderness, make wells in the skillet, push the greens to sides of the pan. Carefully break eggs into the wells and allow the whites to start to set. Cover the pan and steam for a few minutes - keep checking as you want the whites to cook, but the yolks to stay runny. Once you get to that stage, serve giving each person 1-2 eggs and a good portion of the greens. Salt and pepper to taste and add fresh herbs if desired. Serve with a nice piece of crusty toasted bread.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Healthy-Eating-2472/

June 14, 2020
Peak Peas and Strawberries
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #5 (Week A) should include beets, lettuces, escarole, salad mix, scallions, scapes, radicchio, chard, kale, cilantro, and dill. Some items will be a choice and may not be available during all pick up times (we'll do our best). U-pick should include snow peas, sugar snap peas, strawberries (all in the same field now), and herbs.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Peak-Peas-and-Strawberries-2460/

June 14, 2020
Hershberger Heritage Farm Back but With Pre-Ordered Boxes
by Farmer Dana

We're once again partnering with Hershberger Heritage Farm to bring you local, pastured, organic meat and poultry. They won't set up their farm stand this year; instead you'll pre-order a customizable 'berger box' that will be delivered to our farm for free. There are three sizes/values that you can choose from (small-$40, regular-$80, large-$200). You basically select the box/size you would like to fill and then choose what you want to go in it based on the value of the items. For example, if you choose the $80 regular box, you can fill it with $80 worth of goods. If you happen to go over the value that is okay too, you'll just pay the difference.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Hershberger-Heritage-Farm-Back-but-With-PreOrdered-Boxes-2461/

June 14, 2020
Workshifts for Week of 6/15/20
by Farmer Derek

This is a perfect time to contribute some labor at the farm! The weather is ideal for working in and the weeds are really starting to grow. If you signed up for a share with work discount, please consider joining us soon.

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-for-Week-of-61520-2462/

June 14, 2020
U-Pick Considerations
By Farmer Dana

The bountiful U-Pick season has begun and will continue for a few months. Regarding u-pick:

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/UPick-Considerations-2463/

June 14, 2020
Pea-licious!
By Linda Dansbury

It is perfect U-Pick weather, and you won't receive the delicious strawberries and peas if you don't get out to the fields. Saturday the parking lot was crowded but the field is so large that it never felt like we were too close to each other.

The field peas are so tender and sweet that you can just eat them raw. Or add them to your nightly salad for extra crunch. Use with other veggies in dips (White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip anyone?). We have several pea recipes on this site so just select "Peas" in the pull down bar and you will find them.

Here are a few things we enjoyed this past week. I guess by now you see that I prepare a lot of Asian food - and I do. To me at least, Asian flavors enhance the fresh taste of the ingredients, rather than cover them up. In the salads, the unique flavor of each veggie comes through, and I really like that.

Variety of greens, green garlic, herbs - made the Tortellini, Greens, White Beans and Pine Nuts recipe. It comes together fast, and basically in one pot - who could ask for more?

Scallions, fresh garlic, kohlrabi, cilantro, peas, broccoli, hot pepper (from my freezer that was from last year's harvest) - made an Asian inspired salad using rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, a touch of honey and lime juice - really yummy. I didn't cook the veggies so I cut them up small and shredded the kohlrabi. We had enough for 2 nights.

Lettuces, scallion - made several large salads using either a lemon or red wine vinegar vinaigrette - these are both light dressings which are best for the delicate salad mix and mini head lettuces we are receiving now.

If you have a method or recipe to share with the rest of membership, please email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line to make sure I see your message.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Pealicious-2464/

June 14, 2020
Beets and Escarole!
By Linda Dansbury

Okay, so I would bet that some of you are not jumping up and down for these items, and that's a shame. Both crops are delicious and provide much needed vitamins and minerals.

I disliked beets until I joined the farm and then had to learn what to do with them. Fresh beets are so yummy! When you get them home, separate the greens from the roots and store separately. Do not throw the greens away. They are in the same family as chard and spinach so can be used in cooked dishes that call for either of those. Or, make the Roasted Beets and Beet Green Risotto. A delicious dish with a crazy pretty color, since the beets color the rice. I just learned a new way to roast beets. I have always wrapped the beets in foil and roasted them, but I read an article and it said to place them in a covered baking dish, so I tried it. Pre heat oven to 450 degrees. Place beets with all but the top 1 inch of greens removed, and place in single layer in the baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake covered for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the beets. Check them starting at 45 min. I found the beets cooked faster this way, to check them you don't have to unwrap the beets, and there is no wasted foil. Peel the beets when they are cool enough to handle. If you wait to peel them too long, the skins won't slip off as easily. Since Father's Day is next week, you could also make the Chocolate Beet Cake on this site - it is absolutely delicious! There are also a lot of other recipes to try using the farm's beets.

Escarole is one of those greens that causes people's brows to furrow when they see it. Growing up with Italian grandparents, I mainly knew it in Escarole Soup (aka Italian Wedding Soup), but it is good in other ways too. Escarole is a member of the same family as radicchio (of which we received last week) and endive, but is less bitter. The outer leaves tend to be darker and slightly more bitter than the inner leaves. So you can take the head a part and saute the outer leaves on their own or with other greens for a side dish and then add the inner, more tender leaves to your nightly greens mix to add another texture and flavor, try a new recipe - Salad of White Beans and Greens - this salad accommodates a mix of all sorts of greens and since it incorporates beans, it can be a complete meal.

Be adventurous and use recipes as a guide - use whatever the farm is giving us to form your meals! And most of all, enjoy the harvest!

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Beets-and-Escarole-2465/

June 14, 2020
Benevolent Weather
by Farmer Derek

This stretch of awesome weather is both invigorating and calming. We can work a bit longer, a bit harder, without worrying about succumbing to some kind of heat-related malady. Mid-week was a real challenge as temperatures soared into the 90s with high humidity but the crew persevered and accomplished much. Perhaps the only downside to this weather is the need to hook up and run irrigation but with everything looking so beautiful and peaceful it's hard to feel negative about the extra weekend hours required to set these systems up. When the weather is this nice all I want to do is be outside anyway.

Last week began the many-man-hour-continuous-job of tomato trellising. Seven foot t-posts are pounded 2 feet deep every 12 feet or so, 5 wires are installed every foot up the post, hybrid plants are pruned to 1 leader/heirlooms to two, then each plant is clipped to the wire as they grow up. We will be working on this system every week or two until late July. Pruning and clipping are good jobs for hot days, but carrying and pounding stakes not so much. Growing our tomatoes in this manner is a lot of work, but makes the fruit easier for find and harvest and has the benefit of increased airflow to hopefully ward off illness.

The potatoes were finally ready for their first round of hilling, which is basically mounding soil up around the plants using heavy-duty disks on a tractor pulled toolbar. If the plants don't grow too fast I'll probably try to get another round in this week. Since I hilled them last Tuesday it appears they've already shot up another foot. Hilling them gives the tubers more room to grow and increases yields. From the potato 'seed' (aka last season's potato) all new growth is above, so we plant the seed deep, then hill.

This is also the time of year when we can drastically reduce the amount of crops perpetually covered by the floating bug barrier fabric. Susceptible crops such as watermelon, zucchini, cucumbers, cantaloupe, winter squash, and eggplant have all been in the ground long enough so they're beyond the sensitive stage and are even beginning to flower. Removing the cover will allow us to view all of these crops for the first time since they were planted a month or so ago. We perceive and glimpse them through the fabric but once they're uncovered we can finally do a full check-up. It's also nice to clean up the field and put this infrastructure back in the barn. Some of the aisles also need mowing maintenance.

I hope you're enjoying this weather as much as we are. It's a perfect time to pick strawberries and peas and to come to the farm to work with us during a workshift.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Benevolent-Weather-2466/

June 7, 2020
4th Farm Share
By Farmer Dana

Harvest #4 (Week B) should include kohlrabi, romaine, mini head lettuce, salad mix, scallions, strawberries, cilantro, dill, chard, radicchio, escarole, and garlic scapes. Some items will be a choice and may not be available during all pick up times. U-pick should include strawberries, snap peas, and perennial herbs.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/4th-Farm-Share-2453/

June 7, 2020
Workshifts for Week of 6/8
by Farmer Derek

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-for-Week-of-68-2454/

June 7, 2020
U-Pick Considerations
by Farmer Dana

U-Pick begins in earnest this week with the start of strawberries and peas. Regarding u-pick:

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/UPick-Considerations-2455/

June 7, 2020
Drying Out
by Farmer Derek

Ample rain, high temperatures, a good amount of sunshine. It's the season for growth and the time to maturity of crops to speed up (lettuce can mature twice as fast in June-August as March-May). Somehow we're already into the 2nd week of June and harvest week #4. Time has sped up as well; at least it feels that way, since there's hardly a restful or reflective minute during this part of the growing season to slow it down. That said, I believe we're about to embark on a transitional phase as the bulk of our spring and summer crop planting is behind us. We're entering a few weeks of summer succession plantings of crops like beans, edamame, herbs, and lettuces before we descend into the fall crop planting timeframe. During this time there aren't any huge plantings of long-season crops. Roughly 2/3 of the farm is already under crop production so we're also firmly in crop maintenance mode. There's less open field space to chisel plow, make raised beds in, and plant into. We don't begin incorporating crop residue, spreading compost, or the sowing of cover crops until mid-July. I still need to finalize the last few pieces of our annual crop rotation puzzle to determine which fields will be the home to which late summer and fall crops, based on a 3-5 year plant family cycle that also factors in time of planting. Probably some portion of the still unused land will be fallow this year.

We filled a lot of field space with crops this past week. Three thousand sweet potato slips were planted in wet/muddy/slippery conditions this past Friday. Earlier in the week we planted 5,500 leeks, 800 lettuces, 450 cantaloupe, a few thousand beans as well as edamame, and hundreds of basil plants. New on our agenda for this coming week will be tomato pruning and trellising.

We were lucky during the multiple rounds of crazy weather this past week and we hope you were too. This coming week looks to be a bit more mild with lower humidity; perfect for strawberry picking. See you at the farm!

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Drying-Out-2456/

June 7, 2020
Hershberger Heritage Farm Back but With Pre-Ordered Boxes
By Farmer Dana

We're once again partnering with Hershberger Heritage Farm to bring you local, pastured, organic meat and poultry. They won't set up their farm stand this year; instead you'll pre-order a customizable 'berger box' that will be delivered to our farm for free. There are three sizes/values that you can choose from (small-$40, regular-$80, large-$200). You basically select the box/size you would like to fill and then choose what you want to go in it based on the value of the items. For example, if you choose the $80 regular box, you can fill it with $80 worth of goods. If you happen to go over the value that is okay too, you'll just pay the difference.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Hershberger-Heritage-Farm-Back-but-With-PreOrdered-Boxes-2457/

June 7, 2020
Salad Days
By Linda Dansbury

This time of year we always receive a lot of greens, which is fine with me because we eat a large salad almost every night. There are a lot of salad dressing recipes on this site; select the Salad Dressing category for several suggestions. Homemade dressings are delicious, and if you place them in a sealed container, they will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. Change up the dressing to keep from getting bored. The recipe section's Mixed Greens category has salad ideas as well as cooked ideas for using these wonderful greens.

If you are wondering how best to store all the lettuces (and other greens), I have found the best is to place in large, good quality plastic containers. I place a folded up towel in the bottom of the container to absorb excess moisture. The worst thing for greens is to sit in a puddle of water - it causes rotting within a few days. Greens will easily keep this way for over a week.

Romaine lettuce, fresh garlic - made a grilled romaine Caesar Salad. Cut the head of romaine in half or quarters, depending on the size. Brush with olive oil. Place on the grill and leave for about 30 seconds - less if the grill is really hot. You want to get the head slightly charred, but not wilted. Turn the lettuce over and let grill for about 10-15 seconds. Place on cutting board, chop up and dress - I actually used the Creamy Basil Dressing this time. My basil plants needed to be snipped, so it was a great use of the cuttings.

Mixed lettuce, turnips - made a mixed salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. Was delicious with pizza.

Mini head lettuce - this time I made a Lemon Vinaigrette - served with a grilled chicken.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Salad-Days-2458/

June 7, 2020
Appreciation of Alliums
By Linda Dansbury

One of the (many) things I love about the farm is the constant supply of Alliums - that is garlics, onions, scallions, and leeks. It began with the first week and the fresh green garlic, which I am enjoying immensely! This week we will receive scallions, which is kind of my go-to for so many things, including salads of course.

We will be receiving garlic scapes for the next few weeks - they are the flower shoot of the garlic plant, and must be removed so the plant's energy goes into growth of the bulb, rather than into reproduction. What a benefit for us as it provides us with an additional product. Store these in plastic in the fridge and they will keep for a few weeks. As with the fresh garlic, it has a more mild flavor than garlic bulbs and is best used raw - if you do cook it, add it at the end so the flavor does not get cooked out. One of my favorites is Garlic Scapes and White Bean Dip.

Later, if all goes as planned, we will get fresh uncured mature garlic bulbs, then fresh onions, then storage onions, leeks, and cured garlic bulbs. A full season of these important seasonings from our farm!

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Appreciation-of-Alliums-2459/