July 28, 2025
Summer's Bountiful Eating by Linda Dansbury
by Linda Dansbury

Mid summer's bounty is fun. So many things that can be prepared and enjoyed this time of year. My go to through the year is often a large salad, but even more in the summer. Salads are cooling and delicious. Here is a bit of what I prepared recently.

Tomatoes, scallions, garlic, peppers - made into a delicious salad. For the best taste and texture, I peel the tomatoes and cut into chunks. Add chopped scallions and peppers and a tiny bit of grated garlic. Add salt, pepper and oregano. Drizzle good olive oil and red wine vinegar - mix and enjoy. Make sure you have a nice loaf of bread to dip into the dressing. So delicious.

Cucumbers, scallions, parsley - my grandmother made this simple and delicious cucumber salad. Slice the cucumbers very thin - a mandolin does a great job here. Place in bowl with sliced scallion and chopped parsley. Add a bit of salt and pepper, and celery salt. Drizzle vinegar and neutral oil over it, mix well and enjoy.

Green beans, cherry tomatoes, scallion, tiny bit of grated garlic, peppers, basil, parsley - one of my favorite ways to enjoy beans in the heat of the summer. They also keep well in the dressing. Cook the beans until tender (note that to eat the beans on their own, I only cook them until they are crisp tender but they absorb the salad dressing better if cooked until tender). Place in large bowl with the chopped pepper, scallion, halved cherry tomatoes and chopped herbs. Add salt, pepper, oregano. Red wine vinegar and olive oil to taste. To make this heartier, I add chick peas and top with crumbled feta cheese. This is great as a side dish and I like the leftovers for lunch.

Cherry tomatoes, pesto - made a very simple pasta salad with pesto that was in my freezer. Added little mozzarella balls and grated lemon zest to brighten the dish.

Eggplant, garlic - made my first batch of Baba Ganoush of the season. I say first because it freezes really well so I will freeze future batches to enjoy throughout the year. Served this with pita chips, carrot sticks and cucumbers.

Zucchini, scallion, garlic, parsley - made Savory Zucchini Muffins. I found this recipe late last year. I made a lot of these and freeze them for later. It's a really good breakfast food and it travels well if you are on the road.

July 28, 2025
Lucky 13
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #13 (Week A) should include fresh red onions, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, beets, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, green peppers, basil, tomatoes, hot peppers, shishitos, and carrots. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should include snap/green/string beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

July 28, 2025
Maple Syrup and Honey For Sale
by Farmer Dana

July 28, 2025
Workshifts this Week (7/28/25)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

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.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

July 28, 2025
The Challenging Middle
by Farmer Derek

Considering all of the forecast rain and flood warnings the past few weeks, one would assume we've had too much rain. Quite the opposite here at the farm. All of the rain events that have rolled through mostly missed us, delivering a tenth of an inch here, a quarter there, and a whopping four-tenths a couple of weeks ago. Why spend valuable time setting up irrigation when there's a 100% chance of rain two or three days from now? We've gotten just barely enough to keep the bare ground crops growing but need a decent soaking soon for them to really eat up the sun and bulk up. Covered beds of long-season fruiting crops are being irrigated weekly but we're reluctant to add irrigation infrastructure to bare ground beds based on recent forecasts. When the rain that you've looked forward to for a few days doesn't materialize, one's heart sinks and panic and frustration can ensue. Then you check the forecast again and see another round of probable rain three days out and you think, "maybe we can wait for that"...

July 28, 2025
Ride for Anchor House Reflections
by Farmer Craig

Hey all,
I'm back from another 500 mile odyssey through the countryside by bicycle where I experienced cool temperatures, rolling streams and abundant sunshine. Even managed to meet a few new friends along the way (see above). Despite the fun that was had by all, and believe me, there was plenty of it going around, the absolute central focus of this week has always been -- and shall always remain -- about the kids of the Anchor House Foundation. We were fortunate to meet and hear from two of those young adults who, despite all the adversity and hardships they've encountered, are making extraordinary strides in their lives. Hearing their stories reminds me of why we ride. All told, this year our combined collective efforts raised over $455,000.00 to benefit the Anchor House foundation! I literally could not have done this without the support of those who contributed, so please accept my deepest and most humble Thanks!

July 28, 2025
Fresh Onions Coming Soon
by Linda Dansbury

Onions - The newest entry to the pick up room will be fresh onions. As with the garlic we received earlier this year, its protective papery layer has not formed yet so is not able to be stored for long periods of time. That being said, if you use these onions up within a week or 2 they can be stored on your kitchen counter if your house is air conditioned. If in doubt of how long you will keep them, place in an open plastic bag in the fridge - the bag should be open to let some air in. Use these onions like any onion in dishes you prepare.

Shishito peppers - these peppers have become trendy over the past few years, having seen them pop up on restaurant menus. They are delicious and fun. I say fun because most of them are mild but every once in awhile, you get one with quite a kick. I have read the percent is anywhere from 1 - 10 percent. Based on my personal experience, I am putting it closer to 1%. Store them in plastic in the fridge for 7-10 days. The easiest way to enjoy them is to place in a pre heated skillet (cast iron works well). While the skillet is heating, place peppers in a bowl and put just enough oil on them to lightly coat them. Then place peppers in skillet and cook to brown them. Turn when skins start to brown and blister. This only takes a few minutes. When brown on both sides, removed from pan to a bowl or plate and sprinkle with your favorite sea salt. Yum!!

July 21, 2025
Peaking Cukes and Incoming Night(shade)s
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #12 (Week B) should include scallions, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, beets, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, celery, basil, tomatoes, hot peppers, and carrots. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should include snap/green/string beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

July 21, 2025
Workshifts this Week (7/21/25)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

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.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

July 21, 2025
Weeds, Please Have Mercy
by Farmer Derek

Warm season annual weeds are really putting on the pressure, pulling ahead, trying to win this edible battle, race. We're doing our best to keep them at bay for the sake of our crops. Amaranth, gallant soldier, foxtail grass, and lamb's quarter are the main adversaries, but so are volunteer tomatillos and buckwheat, relics of past seasons' food and cover crops.

Any aforementioned weeds that survive our first round of hoeing and aren't pulled within a week or two become 2-4 feet in height before a month's end and can create a canopy over the desired plants. Besides blocking sunlight from our first choice plants, they also reduce airflow which can exacerbate disease pressure, as well as steal soil nutrients.

Perhaps silver linings would include bird food in the form of the seeds the weeds produce aplenty of, soil cover to reduce erosion, and added organic matter once they're pulled/mowed/wacked and returned to the soil.

We're in peak weed season and if you signed up for the work discount, please join us soon. Your farmers and fellow members would greatly appreciate it!

July 21, 2025
Summertime Veggies! by Linda Dansbury
by Linda Dansbury

New Summer veggies have arrived - enjoy! These represent more U-Pick opportunities, so make sure to allow for this time in your schedule. A bit of info on a few new items:

Blackberries - part of the delicious U-Picks we get to enjoy. Blackberries are ripe when they are fully black and come off the plant with a very gentle tug - by following this, you will get the sweetest berries. Yum!

Hot peppers - are a fun part of the share. The farm grows several types allowing for varying levels of heat. Take your allowance for the weeks to come. Freeze what you don't use and pull them out all winter long to add to stir fries, chili and more.

Tomatillos - this unusual veggie in the tomato family is part of the U-Pick shares. They are ripe when the husk is filled and splits. They tend to be green and yellow or purple-ish. I have found that some of the best ones tend to be the ones that have fallen off the plants and are on the ground. They are good fresh and cooked. They can be cut up and added to salads, made into fresh or cooked salsa and they also make delicious green sauces. These keep pretty well in plastic in the fridge. I often roast or grill them and then freeze for use later. A couple recipes on this site that I like are Chicken Stew with Tomatillo Sauce, Salsa Verde, and Slow Cooker Chicken or Pork Chile Verde.

July 21, 2025
Summer Taco Time! by Linda Dansbury
by Linda Dansbury

Fellow member Kathryn Dettra was nice enough to share how she has been enjoying her harvest. One of the things she has been making is the Asian Style Cole Slaw that is on this site. The other thing she shared is Carrot and Black Bean Crispy Tacos that I am looking forward to making. I like the recipe a lot - as with many, it is flexible - adjust recipe with what the farm share is offering!

Thank you Kathryn - and please other members, share how you are enjoying your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net. And please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

July 14, 2025
Balanced Provisions
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #11 (Week A) should include scallions, cilantro, dill, fresh garlic, head lettuce, Italian dandelion, cabbage, beets, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, celery, basil, and carrots. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should include snap/green/string beans, cherry tomatoes (just starting so not a large helping just yet), herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

July 14, 2025
Workshifts this Week (7/14/25)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

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.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

July 14, 2025
Omnipresent Garlic
by Farmer Dana

It's hard to say for sure, but I suppose our (never-ending-but-accounted-for-by-a) year-long relationship with garlic begins in late fall when cured garlic heads are split by hand with member workshifts into many seed cloves. About 300 pounds. The cloves are then planted in early November and mulched with a thick layer of straw, protecting them from the elements over winter and suppressing weeds in the spring. We expand the garlic patch incrementally each year to increase the presence of this delightful crop in shares throughout the harvest season. Beginning with green garlic (the tender whole plant), then garlic scapes (the flower shoot), followed by fresh garlic (tender uncured bulbs), and finally whole cured heads, this stalwart plant is with us from the very first to the last shares. Pretty neat.

For many years, over 20 in fact, the garlic harvest has been brought in with the help of the membership over the course of one joyful and chaotic weekend morning. Beginning in the early morning folks would pull the plants from the field and ferry them back to the barn where they would be tied expertly with seasoned hands resulting in lengths of twine anchored by a bunch of garlic on either end. After handing off the bunches to brave souls on ladders, the garlic would then be hung over all available rafters and wire strung for this express purpose, adorning most of the barn and creating quite a mood. Plus vampire protection. The mornings were truly a spectacular scene and really an incredible achievement to be a part of. I know the garlic harvest days of yore were a highly anticipated event at the farm and many members cherished the experience.

So it is with great tenderness that I share the announcement that the garlic harvest tradition has changed. Last year, due to particulars of the season, we had to bring in the garlic harvest during the work week with just our crew. Not surprisingly, because they are awesome, the crew did an amazing job and the crop went into our hoop house covered with a shade cloth to cure. The garlic cured perfectly and without creating an excessive amount of dust in the barn, which was a big win, considering the large portion of my life I spend cleaning.

I know this is tough news to hear, but I want to remind those who yearn for more garlic connection that we will still be having workshifts involving the adored crop. There will still be shifts for cutting the bulbs off the stalks as well as seed splitting in the fall. These are great opportunities for folks with physical limitations, so please reach out when they are scheduled to make sure you can participate. We appreciate your understanding this modification in the farm and there is still much to look forward to! Like tomatoes!

July 7, 2025
Early Summer Blend
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #10 (Week B) should include scallions, cilantro, dill, fresh garlic, head lettuce, Italian dandelion, fennel, cabbage, chard, beets, zucchini, cucumbers, celery, basil, and carrots. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should include snap/green/string beans, cherry tomatoes (just starting so not a large helping just yet), herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

July 7, 2025
Workshifts this Week (7/7/25)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

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.

Please be there by the scheduled start time (it might be hard to find us in the fields otherwise).

Workshift Guidelines - Workshift Sign Up Instructions

July 7, 2025
Fun in the Sun
by Farmer Derek

With the help of about 60 CSA members over five workshifts last week, plus farm crew here and there, we were able to successfully retrieve all of the spring-sown carrots, just in time before a potentially wet week ahead. A total of 3,000 pounds was harvested from six 350-foot beds (over a linear mile of carrot rows). Harvesting a nice crop of carrots used to feel like a miracle, and I guess it should still be treated with thanks and gratitude.

A bit more than half a pound of seeds are directly sown into the soil with our manual push-seeder in early April, cultivated with wheel-hoes 2-3 times over the next couple of months, hand-weeded once or twice, and aisles mown or weed-whacked as well. Carrots germinate very slowly in cool soil (2-3 weeks) and need to be kept moist. Weeds, however, germinate and grow more quickly, thus the uphill battle commences immediately. Our first pass with the wheel-hoe typically takes place before the carrots are even above the soil line or just barely starting to show. Skilled staff must follow the minor contours left by the push-seeder to identify where to hoe. Timing is everything for each step in order to not get behind and lose a crop to weeds. Thanks to many members at past shifts, we were mostly (relatively) able to stay on top of the weeds. Eventually carrot tops compete with weeds just fine, it just takes them so long to get to that stage.

Possibly an even bigger challenge: sowing carrots midsummer for a fall harvest.

July 7, 2025
Anchor Run Farmer Rides For Anchor House Foundation
by Farmer Craig

This summer I will pledge to partake in a cycling, walking or running endurance adventure to support the mission of Anchor House, a multi-service charitable agency in Trenton, NJ for abused, runaway and homeless youth and young adults. This is a challenging and exciting event, which I have been fortunate enough to be involved with over the past few years. I am very hopeful that we can partner together for this great cause.

Please consider supporting me by making a tax-deductible donation toward my goal of $750 so that Anchor House can continue their mission to help children, teens, young adults and families.

To learn more about the ride:

For more information about Anchor House and their mission, please follow the link below:

https://www.anchorhousenj.org/

Thank you in advance for your support. I truly appreciate your generosity. Together we can make a difference.

Best - Craig