August 27, 2023
Sweet Pepper Passion
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #17 (Week A) should include small pie/edible pumpkins, potatoes, cantaloupe, carrots, Italian dandelion, arugula, Swiss chard, lettuce, basil, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, shishito peppers, and onions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, and flowers.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Sweet-Pepper-Passion-2993/

August 27, 2023
Workshifts for the Week of August 28th
by Farmer Derek

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you)!

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-for-the-Week-of-August-28th-2994/

August 27, 2023
Maple Syrup and Honey - Preorder by 8/27/23
by Farmer Dana

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Maple-Syrup-and-Honey-Preorder-by-82723-2995/

August 27, 2023
September Already
by Farmer Derek

And just like that, it's fall. Or not quite, but with the return of cooler season greens, the start of pumpkins and winter squash, the continuation of potatoes, and leeks just about ready, it sure feels like summer may be waning. But hang on, sweet peppers are going bonkers, tomatoes appear to be stable, cantaloupe cranks, and basil continues to bang. So, it's quite a nice mix, a good time of year to eat fresh and local.

It's also a good time of year to farm. Shorter days, longer nights, less humidity, cooler temperatures, smaller footprint to manage. Every 2-3 weeks another acre or two is put to sleep for the winter by establishing an oat and buckwheat cover crop after spreading compost. Since June, ample rainfall (too much in July) has been falling, alleviating our need to irrigate outdoor crops (huge time save). Almost all fields have now been planted with crops. We're down to the final parcel, perhaps a 1/2-acre piece of the pie. Half of this will be devoted to the 2024 garlic crop in early November while the other half will accept the final few rounds of outdoor crops, including arugula, bok choy, radishes, turnips, mustard greens, and lettuce. In about three weeks time we'll pivot to planting our tunnels for a November harvest.

Speaking of November harvests, we're taking a break this year from our long running Late Fall CSA, mostly because of the way our kids' school schedule falls and our need to take a break from the farm in mid-December. Also adding two weeks to Main Season will help us (hopefully) deplete most crops from fields, tunnels, and storage. We may host the occasional Flash Sale like we've done in the past in December, January, and February.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/September-Already-2996/

August 27, 2023
Peppers Galore
by Linda Dansbury

It is such an abundant part of the season, it is difficult to figure out what to do with everything! Last week, full & half share members received 4 pounds of sweet peppers on Thursday and Saturday!!

So, what do you do with all of them? First, don't panic, they keep pretty well in plastic in the fridge. Here are some ideas to help you enjoy your peppers for weeks or months to come:

Stuff and freeze - There are endless pepper stuffing recipes on the internet. Find your favorites and stuff the peppers and freeze them. It will make for an easy weeknight meal.

Freeze - They freeze beautifully. Just cut them in half, remove the seeds and like with other veggies, lay them in one layer on a cookie sheet and place in freezer. Once frozen, place in a freezer bag where they will keep nicely for months - enjoy them in chili, stir fries (when frozen this way, they are not soggy when used in a stir fry), add to pasta and veggie dishes, etc.

Pack in oil - Place on grill or under broil until the skins are blackened. Place in a paper bag to cool. Remove skins and seeds and slice into strips. Place in a bowl and add a bit of chopped garlic (a little goes a long way). Add a good amount of olive oil - enough to cover peppers - add salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. If you want to add some heat, add a hot pepper to the mix. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate. They will last for over a month and are delicious as a bruschetta topping, added to sandwiches, pasta dishes, on a platter with grilled veggies, part of a cheese and charcuterie plate, and more.

Canned and/or pickled - If you want to get more adventurous and make more of a time commitment, sweet pepper relish (again, add a hot pepper or 2 to the mix) and canned peppers are great in so many applications and enable you to enjoy the harvest well into the winter.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Peppers-Galore-2997/

August 27, 2023
Registration Open for 2024 Main Season CSA!
by Farmer Dana

Sign up and pay in full by 12/31/23 to receive a 5% discount on share cost. On 1/1/24 prices return to those shown on our Share Information page.

2024 Main Season will once again last 28 weeks from early/mid May through mid November. We are not raising share prices for next season; they'll be the same as this year.

Follow this link to join or sign in and click the Register button on your member page.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Registration-Open-for-2024-Main-Season-CSA-2998/

August 27, 2023
Love the Veggie Mix
by Linda Dansbury

Unfortunately, life sometimes gets in the way of cooking the way I would like to. We had been splitting our time between 2 homes and have decided to downsize to one spot, so packing and all of the details that a move requires has been taking up much of my time. I hope to get back to some inventive cooking soon - in the meantime, please share how you are enjoying your farm harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net. Here are a few things we have recently enjoyed with very few details.

Tomato and Watermelon Salad - This is so yummy and I think that cantaloupe would work in place of the watermelon.

Edamame - Cook the way I have described in the past - I like to add some smoked sea salt at the end for a nice crunch and flavor.

Mixed veggie salads - Using lettuce, cucumber, tomato, sweet pepper and scallions and a yummy Italian vinaigrette - I like to top with crumbled feta and herbs.

We have been alternating between enjoying tomato bruschetta, tomato and mozzarella salad (caprese) and tomato salad made with scallions or onions, chopped sweet peppers, garlic, oregano, basil, olive oil and vinegar.

Eggplant, garlic - Baba Ganoush

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Love-the-Veggie-Mix-2999/

August 27, 2023
Not Your Halloween Decoration
by Linda Dansbury

Pie Pumpkins - These cute little pumpkins make an appearance at the farm every year about now. They are sweet and delicious, and will keep for a couple of months when stored in a cool, dry location. As the name says, they are delicious when made into pumpkin pie, but are equally delicious when used in place of other winter squash such as butternuts. If you want to use them now and incorporate other farm ingredients that we are currently receiving, try this Roasted Winter Squash and Red Pepper Soup! You can roast the veggies ahead and refrigerate and then make the soup up to a few days later.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Not-Your-Halloween-Decoration-3000/

August 20, 2023
Can To Lope
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #16 (Week B) should include potatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, carrots, Italian dandelion, lettuce, basil, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, shishito peppers, onions, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, and flowers.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Can-To-Lope-2988/

August 20, 2023
Workshifts for the Week of August 21st
by Farmer Derek

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you)!

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-for-the-Week-of-August-21st-2989/

August 20, 2023
Maple Syrup and Honey - Preorder by 8/27/23
by Farmer Dana

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Maple-Syrup-and-Honey-Preorder-by-82723-2990/

August 20, 2023
Registration Open for 2024 Main Season CSA!
by Farmer Dana

Sign up and pay in full by 12/31/23 to receive a 5% discount on share cost. On 1/1/24 prices return to those shown on our Share Information page.

2024 Main Season will once again last 28 weeks from early/mid May through mid November. We are not raising share prices for next season; they'll be the same as this year.

Follow this link to join or sign in and click the Register button on your member page.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Registration-Open-for-2024-Main-Season-CSA-2991/

August 20, 2023
Finding the Space and Time
by Farmer Derek

We're flying through the heart of the season, trying to keep pace with the last gasp push of summer weed germination, pulling ripe fruits out of the fields before unsanctioned mammal and avian visitors find the sugary orbs, getting crops in the ground on schedule, all before shorter days and cooler temperatures eventually slow life down in the fall.

Regular rainfall events and warm weather has accelerated both wanted and unwanted plant growth but also made hoeing around said crops challenging during what has been short dry windows. Miss a week or two of cultivating with our hoes and crops like arugula and napa cabbage are so big we can't even get in there without damaging them. Of course, that also means they typically are able to outcompete weeds by simply growing faster and shading them out. The ideal time to kill a week is during the thread stage, ie when the stem of the plant looks like a piece a thread and is killed easily. Later on, and they might have the strength to reroot, especially if they get rained on prior to serious desiccation.

Last week we took a gamble and hoped the incoming cold front would only bring wind and decided to hoe areas that couldn't wait for the forecast dry week ahead. Because of the more or less regular rainfall the past month and a half, some long-lived crops we've hoed still need to be hand-weeded, especially right around the crops where the hoes can't reach, and some need another round of cultivation. With the good-weather week up ahead, we should be perfectly caught up on that front. By the way, there is some inherent pleasure derived from using the right tool to undermine weeds at the right time in the right conditions. It's also great exercise.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Finding-the-Space-and-Time-2992/

August 13, 2023
Recent Crop Additions
by Linda Dansbury

Recent crop additions include edamame and hot peppers, both to be enjoyed now and through the colder winter months.

Hot peppers and shishitos - even if you don't enjoy a lot of heat in your food, make sure you take your share of the hot peppers and/or shishitos in the pick up room. There are various degrees of heat in the different varieties grown. Shishitos are generally not hot at all - I have heard/read that anywhere from 1 in 10 to 1 in 1,000 of these will be hot. I eat them a lot and I have only had 2 hot ones in my life - the one was extremely hot, the other moderately. My favorite way to eat them is to simply put a small amount of oil in a cast iron skillet and char them on all sides - this takes about 5 minutes. Remove from pan, sprinkle with a nice flakey sea salt and enjoy. Poblanos are not hot either, more a smoky flavor which is enhanced if you throw them on the grill and char them. I like doing this, then de-seed them and freeze. They add a great flavor to chili and stews which are more enjoyable to cook when it is cooler outside. The other peppers go from moderately hot (jalapenos) to very hot (habaneros). Freezing hot peppers for use through the winter could not be easier - just toss in a freezer bag as is and freeze. I love taking 1 or 2 out of the freezer all winter long to add to dishes.

Edamame - is one of the favorite u-pick crops at the farm. Another delicious, flexible crop that can be enjoyed in so many ways. The fresh picked bean pods will stay in fridge in a plastic bag or container for a week or so. When ready to eat, bring a large pot of water to a boil - add A LOT of salt - more than you think you will need. Add beans and gently boil - start checking for doneness at 9 minutes - I find 11 minutes is usually about right. Make sure the pot is large enough that you don't have to fill it with water to accommodate the beans because they boil over easily. Drain beans, rinse and cool until they are easy to handle. Enjoy as is with more salt added or remove beans from pods and freeze - best way is like a lot of other crops - place beans in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in freezer. Once frozen place beans in freezer bag or container. There are several nice recipes on this site including Soybean Hummus and Summer Vegetable Ceviche.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Recent-Crop-Additions-2982/

August 13, 2023
So.Much.Food!
by Linda Dansbury

This is the time of year that you need muscles to carry your harvest home! Delicious watermelon, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc! Here are a few things I recently enjoyed:

Cucumbers, dill, hot pepper - I know the farm cucs are slowing down, but still want to share. I have a crop of cucs at my house too so made a few batches of pickles. If you don't want to go through the canning process, try the Narrow Bridge Farm Refrigerator Pickles. They are delicious and easy to make.

Cherry tomatoes, green beans, garlic, onion, herbs - Made a delicious salad in which the beans were slightly grilled and then added to a bowl of cherry tomatoes, onion and herbs with a vinaigrette. So yummy!

Tomatoes, garlic, basil - One of my favorite things to do with tomatoes is to make Uncooked Tomato Sauce. So easy to do and so, so delicious!

Eggplant, tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs - Cut up eggplant and placed in preheated pan with olive oil. Added onions and garlic and cooked for a few minutes, then added chopped up tomatoes. Simmered until everything was tender. Topped with fresh herbs. Enjoyed with a nice loaf of bread and ate leftovers on some leftover rice.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes...and basil! - Been alternating between Caprese Salad and Bruschetta. A lot of folks add Balsamic vinegar to their versions of these 2 dishes, but with tomatoes so delicious this time of year, I choose to not mask the flavor with vinegar.

Tomato, sweet pepper, onion, garlic - Another summer favorite is to use the tomatoes in a salad. Peel tomatoes, and cut into bite size pieces. Chop peppers to desired size. Slice onion and grate a tiny bit of garlic. Add all to bowl. Sprinkle pepper, salt and oregano over all then drizzle red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil and mix up. Be sure to have a good loaf of bread to sop up the dressing left in the bowl - so wonderful!

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/SoMuchFood-2983/

August 13, 2023
Way of Watermelon
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #15 (Week A) should include potatoes, watermelon, carrots, Italian dandelion, fennel, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, shishito peppers, onions, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, and flowers.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Way-of-Watermelon-2984/

August 13, 2023
Workshifts for the Week of August 14th
by Farmer Derek

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you)!

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-for-the-Week-of-August-14th-2985/

August 13, 2023
August August
by Farmer Derek

Thank you, August, for being so kind so far! We're already halfway through the month and haven't suffered a 90-degree day yet. Humidity has also mostly been low and tolerable. Rainfall has been moderate and quickly absorbed, allowing us to stay on schedule with transplanting and harvesting. This is one of my favorite times of the year.

Last week we embarked on the potato harvest, finishing Yukon Gem on Wednesday, with the help of CSA members. This is the variety that ripened first for us this year. We are growing four varieties over almost 10,000 bed feet. Four hundred pounds of seed potatoes were planted for each variety. Because the seed potatoes vary in size quite considerably, the amount of feet devoted to each variety is different. Yukon Gem yielded approximately 1,700 pounds total from those 400 pounds, which is not a stellar yield but good enough for us. Dormant seed potatoes were planted in mid-April, or around the time dandelion blooms. From the 'eyes' of the potatoes grow shoots that turn into foliage that looks similar to tomato plants. The seed potato breaks down and decomposes in the soil while new roots/tubers develop around it. When these are mature the foliage begins to die back. Fragile 'new' potatoes can be harvested at this stage, but we like to wait a few more weeks while the potatoes' skins thicken and allow for longer storage potential. Next up, hopefully this coming week, will be Dark Red Norland, a red-skinned white-fleshed variety.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/August-August-2986/

August 13, 2023
Potluck Sunday 8/20 5-7pm
by Farmer Dana

Some things to look forward to on the farm.

Join us for a relaxed evening on the farm, munching shared dishes and catching the beginning of a firefly light show. Bring a dish to share, your own place settings and beverages. Hope to see you there! (shared dishes do not have to incorporate farm produce)

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Potluck-Sunday-820-57pm-2987/

August 6, 2023
Welcome Edamame!
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #14 (Week B) should include watermelon, carrots, Italian dandelion, fennel, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, shishito peppers, onions, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, and flowers.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Welcome-Edamame-2978/

August 6, 2023
Workshifts for the Week of August 7th
by Farmer Derek

Bring gloves, water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and a pad for kneeling (if necessary for you)!

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-for-the-Week-of-August-7th-2979/

August 6, 2023
Halftime Preparations
by Farmer Derek

We're just about halfway between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox. There are probably a few fancy names for this time, but none come to mind. This August has been kind to us so far (we'll see what tomorrow's storms have in store). After the heat and humidity and excessive rainfall of July, August has been a dream. I'm sure we'll have a few more days in the 90s, but this weather is sure a wake up call to incoming autumn.

We're always planning ahead and thinking down the road because crops need to break dormancy and germinate months before they're consumed, and ground needs to be prepared for their homes. It's a bit strange to visualize harvests for October and November right now, but this must happen now in order to harvest then. Plant growth varies significantly throughout the year (obviously), thanks to daylength and temperature, and I find it more difficult to change gears and prepare for the slow down after summer compared to dealing with the increased growth rate in late spring and through summer.

For fall harvests, there's a fine line between starting crops too early, where quick growth results in too-early maturity and susceptibility to later cold, compared to starting crops too late, when they don't have enough time to mature before the harvest season ends or cold and darkness put the breaks on their rate of growth. Because we added two additional weeks to the Main Season CSA, we'll be harvesting a bit later in November for a larger group than we've had with the Late Fall CSA.

In November my preference is to harvest most crops in tunnels where we don't have to deal with frost and random too-cold nights like we do for outside crops (and where our fingers stay a bit warmer while harvesting). It's probably impossible to pinpoint an exactly perfect time to start all the crops for all of the tunnels for the final four weeks of the season due to wildly fluctuating temperatures. To deal with this we simply grow many different crops in multiple successions. It's easy to overthink it all, but it's also good to strive for perfection a little bit, then know when to put the breaks on that thought process.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Halftime-Preparations-2980/

August 6, 2023
Upcoming Events
by Farmer Dana

Some things to look forward to on the farm.

Join Amanda Crooke of Locust Light Farm for a medicinal tour of our herb garden. Amanda will walk you through the herbs, demonstrate how to harvest them, describe their medicinal qualities, and give you tips for storing and using them. You'll leave feeling inspired to visit the herb garden at every pickup. Amanda is an engaging speaker, host to an incredible wealth of knowledge of all things herbal. We are fortunate to have her share her wisdom and hope you'll join us for this fun and enriching event!

Members: $10 - sign up here
Non-members: $15 - sign up here

Join us for a relaxed evening on the farm, munching shared dishes and catching the beginning of a firefly light show. Bring a dish to share, your own place settings and beverages. Hope to see you there! (shared dishes do not have to incorporate farm produce)

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Upcoming-Events-2981/