Harvest #5 (Week A) should include beets, kale, chard, radicchio, romaine, escarole, lettuce mix, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, turnips, radishes, garlic scapes, zucchini (just starting), and scallions. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include peas, strawberries, and herbs.

At least it didn't snow, hail, tornado, hurricane, tidal wave last week. Four more inches of rain dropped including a midweek flash flood event (2" in about an hour). Fields are squishy squashy and are unable to hold any additional water. The slow 1.3" received Friday was immediately discharged into waterways. Mostly fields and crops are tolerating the inundation well except for areas newly bed shaped where soil is fully exposed. Those areas give me heartache when I see soil washed downhill, downstream. Soil is a farmers most cherished resource and losing any always makes me feel plenty guilty.

But no need to dwell on the negatives! Soon we'll depart this current weather pattern and will return to blue sky, ample sunshine, low humidity, and dry soil. At least we hope!

Crops are doing really well and harvests have been great. Very soon summer's bounty will descend and we'll be enjoying fresh cherry tomatoes, homemade salsa, grilled zucchini and eggplant, cool cucumber salad, sweet carrots, and fresh cabbage slaw. This week we welcome beets, garlic scapes, and zucchini. Zucchini will probably start at a trickle and in the not too distant future you'll be giving it away.

As soon we can get into the fields again we have a lot of areas to cultivate, mow, and weed whack as we try to beat back the unwanted plants that are thoroughly enjoying the hot wet weather. But we do appreciate them growing in our aisles to keep our precious soil in place!

Last week we transplanted sweet potatoes, the second and final round of tomatoes, and weekly lettuces, beans, and edamame. This coming week the final rounds of watermelon and cantaloupe will be transplanted. There'll be the ever-so-slight reduction in weekly transplanting until late summer and fall harvested crops begin to go in but there'll be so much else to do that we won't even feel it.

Please remember to wear appropriate footwear when doing u-pick!

This week's workshift schedule:

Please bring gloves, water, a hat, and sturdy shoes!

We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room. Workshift Guidelines. Workshift Sign Up Instructions.

Sarah is a new member of the crew at Anchor Run and to the world of farming! She is a Bucks County native who spent about 10 years throughout California, eventually making her way back to Yardley in 2020. While out west, she graduated college and discovered her love of the food and beverage industry. Through working alongside seasonally-minded chefs and for local farmer’s markets, she was immersed in the bounty of Bay Area farms.

From the goal of a harmonious relationship with nature to the need for conscious consumption, the community surrounding sustainable agriculture is extremely important to Sarah. A desire to work within the world of food justice, ecology, and local food systems led her to seek out a farming position. She has always admired the incredibly hard work of all farmers and feels grateful to be learning from the veterans at Anchor Run CSA.

New crops this week are garlic scapes, beets, scallions and a few zucchini.

Garlic scapes - These are the flower stalk and bud of the garlic plant. They must be removed or the garlic bulb/cloves will not develop because all of the plant's energy will go toward flowering and reproduction. It turns out they are a mild tasting garlic and are quite delicious! Use them as you would garlic, except if you are putting them in a cooked dish, add the chopped scapes at the end of cooking or the taste will disappear. We have a few recipes featuring garlic scapes on this site, including Garlic Scape Pesto and Garlic Scapes and White Bean Dip - both are delicious! Scapes store well in the fridge in plastic, lasting for at least 2 weeks or more.

Beets - A crop that is 2 crops in 1! When you get home, cut the tops off and store separately from the roots. They will store better and won't drain nutrients from the roots. The greens will stay fresh for a week or so, and the beets for several weeks, but they are at their sweetest when used within about 10 days of receiving. Beets are a very versatile veggie, being equally comfortable being roasted, boiled, shredded and eaten raw in salads, and even baked into Chocolate Beet Cake - one of the moistest, delicious cakes you will ever have! I love making beet salad. I typically roast the beets until tender, peel and slice or cut into chunks. Dress with your favorite vinaigrette. I really enjoy beets with a Dijon tarragon vinaigrette. I mix the beets with the dressing and allow to sit to absorb the flavors. I make a bed of greens that are lightly dressed as well. Place the beets on the top of the greens, and top with some feta or goat cheese. If you want, adding some candied pecans or honey cashews is also delicious! As for the greens, add to stews, saute with other greens, blanch and freeze for later, or enjoy as part of one of my favorites - Roasted Beets and Beet Green Risotto - check out this site for many more great beet recipes.

Scallions - I think everyone knows how to use their scallions, but here is something you may not have thought of before: instead of throwing the roots into the trash or compost bin, place them in your freezer with other trimmings and discards to make veggie stock later. The best way to store scallions is to place in a jar with about an inch of water. What I see on the internet is to cover with an open plastic bag in the fridge - change water every few days. I have found I don't need to put the jar in the fridge. If the house got really warm or they aren't used quickly, then the fridge is a good idea.

Crazy up and down weather has us craving different foods, depending on heat/cold/rain/sun. Hope you are enjoying your harvest - please share what you are doing with yours by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

Swiss chard, (end of) green garlic, a little kale, fresh herbs - separated the chard stems from the leaves and chopped them, and rough chopped the leaves. Sauteed the stems with the garlic and a bit of red pepper flakes until starting to soften. Then added the chopped leaves and sauteed until wilted and slightly cooked. Topped with a bit of nice olive oil, grated Asiago cheese and chopped parsley.

Radicchio, turnips, bok choy, herbs - Thought I would try to do a pasta salad with these veggies. I roasted the radicchio and turnips separately. Coarsely chopped the charred radicchio, browned turnips and raw bok choy. Made a vinaigrette using a mix of red wine vinegar and a bit of orange juice for sweetness, and added oregano and parsley. Mixed the cooked pasta with chopped onion, veggies and vinaigrette - ended up tasting delicious and the radicchio didn't seem bitter at all!

Bok choy, kohlrabi, turnips, chard, snow peas - Who says cole slaw has to be made with cabbage? For years I have been making Asian Style Cole Slaw without using any cabbage at all. I just slice everything very thin - the processor can be used, but I find slicing and chopping soothing. When we get carrots, will add those to the mix as well.

Snow peas, turnips, cilantro, chard, bok choy, kohlrabi - made a stir fry for dinner using lots and lots of farm veggies. There are so many stir fry recipes on the internet or check out the Stir Fried Asian Greens with Sesame Seeds and Stir Fried Bok Choy and Mizuna with Tofu for some ideas and guidance.