Harvest #19 (Week A) should include winter squash (spaghetti, dumpling, butternut), leeks, onions, potatoes, Swiss chard, kale, sweet peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, savoy cabbage, beets with greens, scallions, garlic, parsley, dill, cilantro, Italian dandelion, and hot peppers. Some items will be a choice and may not be available during all pick up times. U-pick in the main field is over so that we can sow cover crops but perennial and annual herbs from the herb garden are available.

The benefits of cover cropping were lodged into our brains a decade ago when we were aspiring new/young farmers. Over that succeeding decade we've developed and adapted a cover cropping scheme that works really well for us here, both in terms of our farming schedule and crop plan and probably most importantly in soil health and improvement. Along the way there was much trial by error and certain species were removed from out list of options. We still make some mistakes and learn, such as by allowing last year's buckwheat to go to seed and then dealing with the subsequent weed pressure of those volunteers this year.

Sometimes it helps to work backwards when deciding on the species to sow. Ask: What are we planning to use this ground for later this season, next season, and does it need a long-term fallow rest? Later intentions help determine what to sow now. We've refined what we grow to a half dozen species: grasses/grains like oats, buckwheat, winter rye; legumes to fix nitrogen like peas and crimson clover; and a lone brassica, the mighty daikon radish. Our predominant fall/winter mix is buckwheat, oats, daikon, and crimson clover, mostly because everything but the clover dies off over the winter leaving the ground very usable in the spring. Depending on when we sow the clover it also dies in the winter. If we sow it mid-September or later it tends to regrow and flower profusely in late April or early May.

So, in relatively simple terms, our goals with a cover crop are: to protect the soil from compaction and erosion; scavenge for, incorporate, and then slowly release nutrients in the soil; transfer atmospheric nitrogen into the soil; flower to attract pollinators and beneficial insects; smother weeds; produce organic matter; and leave the soil in good condition for mild tillage in the spring.

If you still need to work your pledged hours please consider signing up for a workshift soon! In other words, when you joined the CSA you purchased a share "with work discount" instead of a share "without working". If you'd rather contribute financially to cover the work hour cost of your share please do so soon so that we can plan accordingly. And please don't feel guilty about it! The buyout option makes it fair for all members.

$60 covers the 4 hours for a Half Share; $90 covers the 6 hours for a Medium Share; and $120 covers the 8 hours for a Full Share. E-mail us at anchorruncsa@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Workshifts this week:

- Wednesday 9/20 5-7pm
- Friday 9/22 10am-12noon
- Sunday 9/24 8-10am

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

Thank you!

• Augusta Acres is located in Beach Lake, PA and is a family-run operation. They farm using only organic methods and are members of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Maple Producers Association.
• Sap from trees located strictly on the farm is boiled down in small batches on their wood fired arch to produce a maple syrup that is dark and robust.

• Their honey is extracted from on-farm apiaries and is an "all season", raw honey which is dark and very sweet.
• Pints are $15; Quarts are $24.
• Cash, checks, and credit cards are acceptable methods of payment.
• Questions and to pre-order, contact Susan Klikus directly at susanklikus@gmail.com.

• If you can't make it to the farm this Thursday during those hours and you would still like to participate in this opportunity contact Susan at susanklikus@gmail.com by end of day Tuesday July 9th and she will set aside your order to pick up on your regularly scheduled pick up day.

The weather may feel like July, but the fall crops are really starting to take over now - quantities of tomates, peppers and eggplant have really dropped while greens and now other favorites are maturing.

Beets - there's nothing better than a fresh beet! When you get home, cut the tops off the beet roots and store separately for the best storing. This time of year - when it cools down again, consider making soups with your beets and definitely add the beet tops in near the end. Try the Savory Beet Soup, Roasted Beet and Beet Green Risotto, Chocolate Beet Cake or a recipe I just added, Beet and Beet Greens with Tahini Sauce.

Savoy Cabbage - is shaped like regular green cabbage, only prettier with it's darker, very crinkly leaves. Use it in any of your favorite cabbage recipes. Try something new with your cabbage, such as Meltaway Cabbage, Provencal Cabbage and Kale Gratin or Roasted Cabbage with Black Bean Sauce.

Last Sunday I was home alone and took to the kitchen (in between watching the Eagles' first game) to cook for the week. Here are some of the things I prepared:

Potatoes, yellow wax beans, scallions, pesto from earlier harvests - I made a green bean and potato salad in which I loosely followed a recipe on this site, but instead of using the dressing in the recipe I used pesto thinned with a little olive oil and lemon juice. It is really good. I have been eating it for lunch on top of a bed of greens and tomatoes and some good quality canned tuna. It will also be a side dish for our smoked ribs today.

Onions, peppers, greens - sauteed the onions and peppers with a but of garlic until they were nice and tender. Put them in the fridge until next day when I heated them back up, added some chopped greens and then made a frittata out of it.

Onions, tomatoes, green beans, garlic, A LOT of greens - made Minestrone Soup. Instead of using the summer squash that most recipes call for, I used green beans - I have a garden that is producing beans too, which is why there is more than one dish for a crop.

It felt good to use up all the greens, for a few days at least! Please tell me how you enjoyed your harvest and/or what you plan to do with all your greens. Email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.