August 25, 2025
Blending Seasons
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #17 (Week A) should include fresh red onions, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, eggplant, sweet peppers, basil, tomatoes, hot peppers, shishitos, cantaloupe, potatoes, arugula, kale, and carrots. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

August 25, 2025
Workshifts this Week (8/25/25)
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

August 25, 2025
Farmer Favorite
by Farmer Derek

Incredibly the final week of August is upon us. It's been a good, gentle, farmer-friendly month overall, an August we dream of, one that lingers in our memory. It reminds me of August 2013, when Gabe was born. In my mind I recall fall-like temperatures arriving in early August, overcoming summer's heat, beckoning an early and long autumn. Currently the 10-day forecast shows only a few days rising above 80 degrees, nights descending into the mid-50s, humidity low, plenty of sunshine.

My only complaint is the lack of rain. One wet day in there with .5-1" of rain deposited over a few hours would be just perfect, but that's not allowed. At some point we'll have to set up additional irrigation on new transplants if the forecast doesn't change. I generally trust the longterm temperature outlook, but the precipitation forecast seems to be harder to predict. Either way we'll start this week by cycling through the irrigation schedule where it's already set up.

Dry weather is particularly beneficial to fall crops. They always shine when we have to add water, which is deposited through drip tape right at the root zone. Pest and disease pressure is minimized and weeds are also easier to control. We've endured the opposite a few times over the years, had excessively wet late summer and fall weather stunt and sometimes completely ruin sensitive fall crops like broccoli and cauliflower and spinach (which we don't even try to grow anymore). So too dry is better than too wet, but somewhere in the middle would be nice of course. We're humbled (or maddened) by the lack of control.

August 25, 2025
Fall is coming...
by Linda Dansbury

I always find this to be a strange time of year. Temps are falling and daylength is definitely shorter, football is starting, so it must be fall. I start thinking of more warming meals but the crops are still summer. So, I tend to begin making things to stash away for the long cold winter. Here are a few things I made/prepared.

Peppers, garlic - blacken the peppers on the grill. Place in paper bag or a large bowl covered with a towel. Once cool, peel off as much of the skin as you can, remove the stem and seeds and cut into strips. Place in a plastic container with sliced garlic, a bit of salt and cover with olive oil along with a couple drops of balsamic vinegar, if desired. An added hot pepper is great too. This is so good when put on sandwiches, added to eggs, tuna salad - so many delicious uses. Keeps in fridge for a few weeks - bring to room temp before using.

Eggplant, garlic, onion, basil, mint, hot pepper - made the Thai-style Grilled Eggplant Salad from this site - so, so good!

Tomatillos, hot peppers, garlic - made a batch of the tomatillo sauce from the Chicken Stew with Tomatillo Sauce recipe from this site. I freeze the sauce in 2 cup batches - that's about what it takes to make the final dish. I am always happy when I have farm veggies in freezer during the winter.

Edamame, mint (or basil or parsley) - I prepared a large batch of a new recipe for this site, although I have been making it for years - Edamame and Mint Crostini. It calls for fava beans, but the beauty is that edamame are a great substitute for favas and lima beans. We enjoyed some of it and froze some for later. We have also cooked, shelled and froze some on cookie sheets to use during the winter in soups and crostini.

Eggplant, peppers, onions - been doing a lot of grilling lately. I really like grilling a large amount of these, enjoying them with dinner and then using the leftovers in sandwiches, chopped up into pasta, added to frittatas, etc. So delicious, and one night of grilling can yield several delicious dishes.

August 18, 2025
It's Spud Time
by Linda Dansbury

Potatoes are making their debut this week. These are storage potatoes and should keep for quite awhile. Make sure they are stored in a cool dark environment and away from onions for best results.

As the days get shorter, the zucchini and cucumbers are waning so will be replaced by greens, such as arugula and kale.

August 18, 2025
Heavy Harvests
by Linda Dansbury

We have to bring our muscles with us for the harvest we have been receiving. The watermelon has been so refreshing in this heat! I have noticed the cilantro is flowering - did you know that the flowers can be used in place of cilantro leaves? So can the lacey leaves and tender stems that are currently on the plants. Here are some things we have been enjoying.

Tomatillo, onion, garlic, hot pepper, cilantro - made Cooked Tomatillo Salsa Verde from this site. I cut way back on the stock in the recipe and cooked until just softened.

Tomatillo, poblano peppers, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro - made the Slow Cooker Chicken or Pork Chili Verde recipe on this site. It was so, so good! We had it on tortillas topped with salsa and cilantro and other herbs. We also had it with Mexican Rice that was leftover from last week and it was yummy that way as well. It makes a lot so I put a lot in the freezer for enjoyment down the road.

Tomato, Basil - been enjoying tomato and mozzarella with basil, good olive oil, flaky sea salt. This is only good with peak tomatoes, so been eating it while we can.

Green beans, cherry tomatoes, scallions, sweet peppers, garlic(grated), basil and parsley - made a large green bean salad. I like to make it early in the day and let the flavors meld together. I added chick peas and the dressing is salt, pepper, oregano, red wine vinegar and olive oil. I will eat the leftovers for lunch and might add a bit of cheese.

Eggplants, tomato, onion, hot pepper - enjoyed the Eggplant Spread from this site. Used it as a nice appetizer with crusty bread, but pita might be better.

Watermelon, tomato, hot pepper, scallions, basil, mint - loved the Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, and Goat Cheese Salad on this site - so yummy.

August 18, 2025
Cool Trends
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #16 (Week B) should include fresh red onions, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, beets, eggplant, sweet peppers, scallions, basil, tomatoes, hot peppers, shishitos, watermelon, cantaloupe, potatoes, and carrots. Some items will be a choice.

U-pick should edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

August 18, 2025
Workshifts this Week (8/18/25)
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

August 18, 2025
Fruit Fruition
by Farmer Derek

Fruiting crops are plentiful right now. Watermelon, cantaloupe, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, beans and edamame (botanically speaking), blackberries. A lot of these are full of water and are quite heavy. It's good, productive exercise harvesting and moving full bins and baskets around, multiple times a day, many days a week.

The heaviest of these are cantaloupe and watermelon. Relatively consistent and reliable now, I still feel successfully growing these and being able to enjoy a sweet juicy orb to be a minor miracle. In the same plant family as cucumbers and zucchini, they are very susceptible to pests and diseases, are dependent on consistently warm temperatures and stable moisture, and take a relatively long time to reach maturity. One planting of watermelon is seeded in the greenhouse mid-April and two successions of cantaloupe are seeded every two weeks after that. All are grown on a carpet of landscape fabric in an attempt to subdue weed pressure.

We've trialed many varieties of each over the past decade and a half and have found one variety of each that we can safely rely on (we did try two other round watermelons this year). Enjoy!

August 11, 2025
Tomato Town
by Linda Dansbury

Wow! So many tomatoes this time of year! I love it and never tire of these delicious summer fruits! Share with fellow members how you are enjoying your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net - and please put Anchor Run in the title. Here are some things we enjoyed this week:

Tomatoes, garlic - made a Spanish Tapas dish called Pan Con Tomate - so simple and it must be made with ripe tomatoes. Slice a nice loaf of bread into about 1/3" slices. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 10 minutes. You want it just barely crusty, but still soft. Meanwhile, cut the stem end of the tomato off and with a box grater, grate the tomato into a bowl until you are left with mostly just skin in your hand. Drizzle with some good quality olive oil. Remove bread from oven and while still warm, rub one side of the bread with a garlic clove. Spread the tomato mixture on the bread. You can drizzle more olive oil if you want, but it's not necessary. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt and enjoy.

Zucchini, tomatoes (halved cherry are good or chopped regular tomato), garlic, scallions or onion, basil - made Chicken Chowder Stuffed Zucchini, a new recipe for me. It was different from the traditionally stuffed tomato and ground meat recipes you see and was very good.

Tomatoes, garlic, onion, oregano (or other herb for garnish) - made a yummy pasta dish. Saute onion and garlic. When soft, add tomatoes and cook until soft. Meanwhile cook spaghetti until al dente. When tomato mixture is soft, place about 2/3 in blender and whir up till smooth. Place tomato mixture back in pan. Add pasta into pan and mix well. Remove from heat and stir in a bit of butter and about 1/2 cup of parm cheese for a pound of pasta. Add pasta water to thin if needed. Place into bowls to serve and tear burrata cheese into bowls, top with oregano leaves and a few red pepper flakes. The full recipe can be found on Foodandwine.com.

Green beans, onions, herbs - I like sauteeing in a pan with olive oil, onions and mushrooms. I top with whatever herbs I feel like that night.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, onion, basil - my go-to salad for lunch right now is to place rough chopped veggies in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil and mix and enjoy. Sometimes I add some type of cheese such as feta or mozzarella. All of these are so fresh and delicious and eating this for lunch just makes me happy.

Zucchini, eggplant, scallions - grilled them to serve alongside a skirt steak in which we topped with a grated tomato salsa - very delicious.

Tomato, garlic, cilantro, onion - prepared a "base" for Mexican Rice - had never done this before and it was really good. Blistered some tomatoes on the stovetop. When skins had dark spots and were starting to split, placed in blender with a little water a small chopped onion, 1 garlic clove, some chopped cilantro. Whirred it up until smooth. When it was time to make the rice, it became part of the liquid. It was very good.

August 11, 2025
Summer Highlights
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #15 (Week A) should include fresh red onions, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, beets, eggplant, sweet peppers, scallions, basil, tomatoes, hot peppers, shishitos, watermelon, and carrots. Zucchini and cucumbers are just about over and will soon be replaced by potatoes.

U-pick should edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, herbs, and flowers (bring scissors and a container for your bouquet).

August 11, 2025
Workshifts this Week (8/11/25)
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

August 11, 2025
Harvesting and Irrigating
by Farmer Derek

The two big tasks from last week that stand out to me right now are harvesting potatoes and setting up irrigation. With two well-attended workshifts, about half of this season's potatoes were retrieved from about 4,000 bed feet. Around 5,000lbs were collected and stowed in the barn. The empty field space will either become a cover crop or set aside for the 2026 garlic.

It appears we're in another dry spell, though as of now rain is forecast for Wednesday, but the probability isn't very high (so who knows). I spent basically all of Saturday setting up irrigation on 4,300 feet of important fall crops like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, arugula, lettuce, fennel, and kale. Each bed received two lines of drip tape, all being reused from earlier this season. Once it was set up I ran it for 9 hours, a good quality soaking.

If rain doesn't fall Wednesday we'll resume adding drip tape to the rest of the fall crops including beets, chard, celery, napa cabbage, and more kale and lettuce. If rain looks somewhat promising, we'll also sow our summer cover crop mix (oats, buckwheat, sorghum-sudangrass, sunnhemp, cowpeas, sunflowers) where onions, potatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers called home.

August 4, 2025
Season's Pinnacle
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #14 (Week B) should include fresh red onions, garlic, lettuce, Italian dandelion, beets, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, green peppers, scallions, basil, tomatoes, hot peppers, shishitos, watermelon, and carrots. Some items will be a choice.

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

August 4, 2025
Maple Syrup and Honey For Sale
by Farmer Dana

August 4, 2025
Workshifts this Week (8/4/25)
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

August 4, 2025
Rain Received, Soil Relieved
by Farmer Derek

The two-weeks-worth of rain that we most desperately needed descended in about 45 minutes last Thursday afternoon. Though fairly familiar to us during our 17-year tenure at Anchor Run, it has been a few years since we've seen a flash flood of that caliber here. Beggars can't be choosers, I guess. As long as the ground was able to soak up some of the moisture we can delay running irrigation for another week or so.

It's hard to believe we're now in August. This is a transitional month for sure, bridging summer and fall, days quickly shortening as we near the fall equinox, early fall crops eventually mixing with summer staples later this month (think potatoes, winter squash, pumpkins, leeks). But right now we're still firmly in summer even if nights in the 50s evokes early fall thoughts. Tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers are approaching peak yields while watermelon and cantaloupe and edamame arrive in shares. Zucchini and cucumbers, meanwhile/fortunately wane to make room for newcomers.

August is also a month of large crop harvests that really require trucking a lot of weight from fields to storage. Eight thousand or so feet of potatoes need to be sifted and loosened by the tractor then plucked from the soil by farmers and members together. Four thousand feed of winter squash and pumpkins will be cut from vines after field curing. Fortunately both of these crops become relatively shelf-stable on their own. When potatoes reach maturity their greens wither while the tubers thicken their skins. It's similar with winter squash, but above ground. As long as it isn't consistently wet we don't need to feel rushed to retrieve. We will start on potato harvesting this week after we wrap up the onion harvest (probably) today with the workshift.

August 4, 2025
Edamame: Another Highly Anticipated U-Pick Crop
by Linda Dansbury

Edamame, aka soybeans, are highly anticipated and desired by long time members - it is another reason to make sure you allow time for U Pick. These are delicious, versatile and very nutritious: high in plant protein, dietary fiber, folate, Vitamin K and Iron. When you pick now, the most filled out pods will be closer to the bottom of plant - sometimes, you can get a quart by not moving very much. These beans cannot be eaten raw. The way to cook them is to boil a large pot of water (they foam up and easily boil over so make sure you have a pot larger than you think you need). Add A LOT of salt - more than you think you should. Start checking for doneness 9 minutes into boiling. I have found that 9-11 min is about the time they take to cook so they are soft but not mushy. Eat as is with a flaky sea salt - flavored salts and/or smoked paprika are delicious. Simply pull the pod through your teeth and the delicious beans will come out.

Cooked edamame freeze really well - if you have time, remove the beans from the pods, place on cookie sheet and place in freezer until frozen, then put into a resealable container. Use the beans all winter long in any recipe that calls for fava beans or lima beans. Add to soups, stews, salads, make into an Edamame Hummus (delicious). There are several recipes on this site, so try them!

August 4, 2025
Summer Deliciousness by Linda Dansbury
by Linda Dansbury

The bounty is getting heavier each week with lots of delicious and healthy veggies - how are you enjoying your harvest? Please share with fellow members by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the Subject line. Here are a few things I enjoyed this past week:

Cherry tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, garlic - one of my go-to meals in the summer is Warm Summer Squash and Sausage Salad. It uses 1 pan and 1 bowl, is ready in about 30 min, including chopping and is delicious for a summer night.

Green Beans, garlic, onions, fresh herbs - this year, I have been cooking the beans in a skillet with a bit of oil, cooking them until blistered and barely tender. Last night, I added shitake mushrooms, garlic and onion and a bit of broth. It was a delicious and easy side dish.

Shishito peppers - placed in a bowl and tossed with a little bit of neutral oil and sesame oil (literally just a bit so they don't splash in the pan). Add to pan and cook, turning until blistered and a little soft. I made a delicious dipping sauce for them using soy sauce, mirin, lemon juice and bonito flakes that soaked in the mixture for about 10 minutes before being removed. So, so good, and a little different than the traditional salted version.

Eggplant, onion, hot pepper, tomato - made the Eggplant Spread that is on this site. It is different from Baba Ganoush and I usually make some of each and freeze for enjoying during the off season.

Cucumbers, garlic - made Narrow Bridge Refrigerator Pickles - these are really good when you don't have the time, or desire to can pickles. They last for up to a week and are delicious.

Beets, carrots, onion, fennel, parsley, garlic, kale - wanted to clean some veggies out of the fridge while they were still yummy. I roasted beets, carrots and onions with just a little oil. Cooked some lentils with a chopped up fennel bulb and seasoned with ground coriander, ground cumin and ground allspice, and a crushed garlic clove. Rough chopped the roasted veggies and sauteed in a bit of oil and sprinkled with ground coriander and cumin. When heated through I added chopped up kale and cooked until it was wilted. Placed lentils in bowl and topped with the veggie mix. Topped with a bit of Greek yogurt and enjoyed with a piece of salmon, although the dish was hearty enough to be eaten without the salmon.