Harvest #16 (Week B) should include potatoes, edible pumpkins, tomatoes, lettuce, sweet peppers, onions, kale, swiss chard, arugula, italian dandelion, eggplant, hot peppers, okra, shishito peppers, and herbs. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include edamame, tomatillos, cherry/grape tomatoes, flowers, and herbs.

The story of last week was cleaning up and sowing cover crops, humidity and heat, tomato tonnage, forecast rain and its disappearance. The stars finally aligned where time, soil conditions, weather forecast, and empty field space intersected in the space at this place. I love getting fields cleaned up, spent crops mowed and detritus turned into the soil, sowing cover crops, and putting fields to sleep for the winter. It's hard to resist the urge to begin this process when there is so much other work to be done maintaining and harvesting current crops and I've done my best to wait until we have ample time.

In reality we could begin sowing cover crops on some fields as early as mid-July but typically there is so much other more important farm work that we let those fields sit idle until we're ready. Ideally after produce crops are harvested and fields are spent we'll mow, spread compost, chisel plow, sow a cover crop mix, and disc-harrow it in. When fields sit idle they're really still active, but just in the growth of grasses and weeds which need to be mowed periodically. If we're really on our game and soil conditions are right we might spend some time stale seed bedding where we expose soil, allow weeds to germinate, then kill them with some more soil disturbance. Again, this is hard to find the time for in July and August.

All in all probably 15% of the farm was turned over to cover crops last week, say 2 acres or so. It doesn't sound like much but it was a challenge sandwiching that in when the soil dried out just enough by Wednesday afternoon to do the initial chisel plow loosening due to Fred's Sunday and Monday rainfall and seeds can't get sown and disked in until Thursday harvest day afternoon while forecast simultaneously was espousing 2-3 days of rain starting mid-afternoon and it takes a minimum 4 hours to sow the seeds and incorporate them. Phew! We made it and the subsequent failed forecast and dryness probably helped dispatch the weeds and grasses that had been thriving in some converted fields. With Ida incoming midweek it appears we'll eventually receive the ample rainfall needed for proper cover crop seed germination.

We could use some help at workshifts this week! If the weather's bad outside we'll process garlic inside. Please consider joining us soon! Plenty of pledged hours still need to be worked and we're in summer's final weed push.

Workshift policy reminder: If you signed up for a share with work discount your share cost is reduced by $15 per worked hour (8 for Full, 6 for Medium, 4 for Half). If you're unable to satisfy the work requirement for the discount please remit a check to cover the share cost.

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.

This week's crop look in the pick-up room will be very different. Summer crops are starting to wane and fall greens are making a welcome return. Here are a few notes on some of the new items we are starting to receive.

Potatoes - I know, everyone knows about potatoes, but do you know how to store them? If the crop is a good one, we will receive potatoes every week so you may need a longish term storage plan. They like to be stored in very chilly environments, away from onions. Think about the coolest location in your house - basement if you have one is likely the best. Give them space between them - a large box with newspaper is good for storing. They also need to be in the dark or they will quickly turn green and that green is inedible. Check them regularly for bruising or bad spots - rotting potatoes smell awful and you don't want them to spoil other potatoes.

Pie Pumpkins - these are cute little gems in the winter squash family. As such, they store well in a cool, well ventilated spot. If you plan to use them within a week or two, your kitchen counter is fine. As with potatoes, check on them periodically for spots starting to turn bad. Check out this site for many recipes for winter squash, including Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash and Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Lemony Tahini Dressing for a couple that are not "wintery". Farmer Derek does not recommend storing these; instead eat soon. "We bypassed curing in the greenhouse and trimmed the stems short for harvest and packing."

Kale, Chard - both of these are great when mixed in with late summer veggie "stews" and soups and a great when incorporated into grilled veggie salads. If you make stuffed peppers or squash, chop some greens and add to the mix - the greens add to the nutrition and beauty of the dish. Remember to store your greens reasonably dry - I like to use large plastic containers lined in a dish towel or paper towels.

Arugula - same as the kale and chard in terms of storage. I love to add arugula to "lettuce" salads for a peppery bite. Also, one of my favorite, and simplest salads is arugula, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper all mixed up and topped with shaved parmesan cheese - yum!

A rainy day led me to cook up a storm! Let me know what you have recently made by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in subject line to I can find your email. I have a veggie garden of my own, so with both the farm and my garden being bountiful, I have had to really think about how to best use my harvests so they don't go bad.

Tomatoes - for the first time ever, I made my own tomato juice. It turned out great and was super easy to make. Remove cores and cut up tomatoes. Place in pot and cook, adding a good amount of salt to the pot. Cook until tomatoes are tender - about 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly then run through a food mill. Place juice in a pot and add more salt if needed, black pepper and other spices and/or hot sauce if you want - paprika, cumin, cayenne, celery salt are a few choices. I just added a bit of celery salt.

Tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, onion, garlic - Made a classic Minestrone Soup. There are a couple of recipes on this site - I just made mine up. I made a double batch so will have plenty to freeze.

Tomatillos, onion, hot pepper, cilantro - made the Chicken Stew with Tomatillo Sauce. One of my long time favorites, I learned a few years ago that it comes out even better in a pressure cooker. Served over rice or on tortillas, and topped with feta cheese - so good.

Tomato, watermelon, hot pepper, basil, mint, onion - prepared the Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad - all I can say is that it is summer on a plate!

Zucchini, peppers and onions - did one of my go-to's for this summer. Grilled a pile of veggies and then had the leftovers in a green salad with balsamic dressing.

Cherry tomatoes, rosemary, garlic - I had so many cherry tomatoes to use up that I made a cherry tomato compote. Placed tomatoes on a sheet pan, drizzled with olive oil and salted and added some crushed garlic. Cooked in a 235 degree oven for 2 hours, then added a sprig of chopped rosemary to the pan and mixed it all up. Roasted for another 2 hours and removed from oven - oh my gosh! Amazing!!