Fennel- should be part of the pick up this week. It is a very flexible veggie in that it can be eaten raw, grilled, roasted, sauteed, and added to soups and sauces. It is high in nutrients like dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, to name a few, and it stores well in the crisper drawer of the fridge. A couple recipes on this site that I like for summer are the Shaved Fennel Salad with Parmesan Cheese and the Lentil Salad with Fennel and Herbs (fennel was made to be with lentils).
Green Beans - most people know what to do with green beans. When you boil them, note that fresh from the field green beans cook up faster than those you purchase from the supermarket. Cooked green beans make delicious salads and can even be grilled - I will be sharing my ideas soon.
Fennel- should be part of the pick up this week. It is a very flexible veggie in that it can be eaten raw, grilled, roasted, sauteed, and added to soups and sauces. It is high in nutrients like dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, to name a few, and it stores well in the crisper drawer of the fridge. A couple recipes on this site that I like for summer are the Shaved Fennel Salad with Parmesan Cheese and the Lentil Salad with Fennel and Herbs (fennel was made to be with lentils).
Green Beans - most people know what to do with green beans. When you boil them, note that fresh from the field green beans cook up faster than those you purchase from the supermarket. Cooked green beans make delicious salads and can even be grilled - I will be sharing my ideas soon.
Member Ideas and Suggestions | July 2, 2023
Member Ideas and Suggestions | July 2, 2023 Yes to Stir Fries! by Linda Dansbury
This week I heard from fellow member Laurie Heusner-Myers. She too enjoyed her harvest by stir frying some of it. Here is her email to me:
Scapes, zucchini, snow peas - I used these plus an onion and pepper to make a delicious stir fry. I only had the snow peas in a few minutes and added some soy sauce and hoisin (totally optional) and served over spaghetti one night and buckwheat noodles another. Quick and delicious and easily modified.
Thanks Laurie, and for all of you other cooks out there, please share with fellow members how you enjoyed your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net.
This week I heard from fellow member Laurie Heusner-Myers. She too enjoyed her harvest by stir frying some of it. Here is her email to me:
Scapes, zucchini, snow peas - I used these plus an onion and pepper to make a delicious stir fry. I only had the snow peas in a few minutes and added some soy sauce and hoisin (totally optional) and served over spaghetti one night and buckwheat noodles another. Quick and delicious and easily modified.
Thanks Laurie, and for all of you other cooks out there, please share with fellow members how you enjoyed your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net.
July 2, 2023
July 2, 2023 "Now What!?!" Workshop Recap by Gia Yaccarino
Every year I enjoy the Now What!? workshops so much and I learn from the other members as well! This year the first 2 workshops were well attended and due to member request, we offered the workshops on a second weekend. The second weekend had a lower attendance, but they offered a chance for more one-on-one discussions!
We all know that there is a sharp learning curve for most upon joining a CSA – not only with what to do with the abundance of fresh vegetables but also with successfully incorporating the vegetables into your family’s meals! And once you have figured out what to do with the vegetables – the growing season progresses, and different vegetables are introduced! I strongly recommend keeping a journal or making notes on your recipes with what you did this year so that you don’t have to relearn things next year!
I shared Kale “Pesto” and Kale Stem “Pesto”. I say “Pesto” because there are no nuts or olive oil in my recipes! I often use tomato water or the liquid from Kalamata olives instead of oil. I also shared Bok Choy, Kohlrabi and radishes in a peanut sauce as well as vegetable chips I made with my dehydrator. Some ideas I shared included grilling (on a barbecue or in a skillet) some of the heartier lettuces like endive, escarole, radicchio or even romaine. I usually quarter mine, rinse and let dry (mostly) and then place cut side down in my cast iron skillet. I let that cook for a few minutes then flip over and cook a little longer. Then I spray it with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle parmesan cheese – yum! And this is a great recipe to freeze and save for the winter!
Another way I save some vegetables for the winter is by blanching the greens such as kale, radish or turnip greens. I submerge the chopped, cleaned greens in boiling water for a few minutes and then submerge them in ice water. Once they are cooled, I grab a big handful and squeeze out the excess water. I end up with a little ball of greens that easily fits into a Ziploc freezer bag. You can fit multiple green balls into a sandwich size bag! This is a wonderful addition to pasta, soup or stir-fry in the wintertime!
I also shared my copy of From Asparagus to Zucchini. I think the format of the cookbook is so user friendly and it included information about each vegetable, storage tips and cooking tips along with many CSA tried and tested recipes. I also encourage everyone to explore the recipe section on the website – it has so many wonderful recipes!
I want to thank everyone who attended! I had a wonderful time! I hope I have given you some ideas to help you enjoy more of your share.
Every year I enjoy the Now What!? workshops so much and I learn from the other members as well! This year the first 2 workshops were well attended and due to member request, we offered the workshops on a second weekend. The second weekend had a lower attendance, but they offered a chance for more one-on-one discussions!
We all know that there is a sharp learning curve for most upon joining a CSA – not only with what to do with the abundance of fresh vegetables but also with successfully incorporating the vegetables into your family’s meals! And once you have figured out what to do with the vegetables – the growing season progresses, and different vegetables are introduced! I strongly recommend keeping a journal or making notes on your recipes with what you did this year so that you don’t have to relearn things next year!
I shared Kale “Pesto” and Kale Stem “Pesto”. I say “Pesto” because there are no nuts or olive oil in my recipes! I often use tomato water or the liquid from Kalamata olives instead of oil. I also shared Bok Choy, Kohlrabi and radishes in a peanut sauce as well as vegetable chips I made with my dehydrator. Some ideas I shared included grilling (on a barbecue or in a skillet) some of the heartier lettuces like endive, escarole, radicchio or even romaine. I usually quarter mine, rinse and let dry (mostly) and then place cut side down in my cast iron skillet. I let that cook for a few minutes then flip over and cook a little longer. Then I spray it with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle parmesan cheese – yum! And this is a great recipe to freeze and save for the winter!
Another way I save some vegetables for the winter is by blanching the greens such as kale, radish or turnip greens. I submerge the chopped, cleaned greens in boiling water for a few minutes and then submerge them in ice water. Once they are cooled, I grab a big handful and squeeze out the excess water. I end up with a little ball of greens that easily fits into a Ziploc freezer bag. You can fit multiple green balls into a sandwich size bag! This is a wonderful addition to pasta, soup or stir-fry in the wintertime!
I also shared my copy of From Asparagus to Zucchini. I think the format of the cookbook is so user friendly and it included information about each vegetable, storage tips and cooking tips along with many CSA tried and tested recipes. I also encourage everyone to explore the recipe section on the website – it has so many wonderful recipes!
I want to thank everyone who attended! I had a wonderful time! I hope I have given you some ideas to help you enjoy more of your share.
Expected Harvest | July 2, 2023
Expected Harvest | July 2, 2023 Number Nine Time by Farmer Derek
Dill flower fireworks.
Harvest #9 (Week A) should include cabbage, beets, kale, endive, Italian dandelion, fennel, hakurei turnips, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick* should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, and flowers.
*Besides herbs, and eventually blackberries, all u-pick for the remainder of the season will be in a different field than the peas and strawberries. Instead of taking a right out of the barn, go left and follow the path by the 'pond'. There will be u-pick signs pointing you in the right direction!
**If anyone has a stash of grocery bags to donate to the pick up room, we are currently in need of them. Thank you!
Harvest #9 (Week A) should include cabbage, beets, kale, endive, Italian dandelion, fennel, hakurei turnips, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick* should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, and flowers.
*Besides herbs, and eventually blackberries, all u-pick for the remainder of the season will be in a different field than the peas and strawberries. Instead of taking a right out of the barn, go left and follow the path by the 'pond'. There will be u-pick signs pointing you in the right direction!
**If anyone has a stash of grocery bags to donate to the pick up room, we are currently in need of them. Thank you!
July 2, 2023
July 2, 2023 Workshifts for the Week of July 3rd by Farmer Derek
We're hoping the weather cooperates and we can host The Great Garlic Harvest this coming Sunday!
Notes From The Field | July 2, 2023 Heating Up by Farmer Derek
Farmer Gabby trellising tomatoes.
Last week was a bit of an anomaly as we had to work around wet weather and soil. After receiving almost five inches of rain over the preceding weekend and early part of the week we had to wait until Thursday afternoon and Friday morning to get back out in the field with the tractor and resume (most) transplanting. No matter, though, because there's plenty of farm work to do that doesn't involve heavy machinery, including planting the final round of zucchini and cucumbers, tomato pruning and clipping, aisle mowing, weeding, and harvesting.
With the beans that we put in later in the week, we're now finished planting summer crops, except for a few more basil successions. Our attention now is shifting towards field prep for fall crops. As of today (Sunday) all of our fields (about 13 acres) have at least received the first step towards accepting crops, that is, opened up with the chisel plow. My goal is to begin field prep for a crop at least a month in advance so that the weather and soil creatures can mellow the soil and break down organic matter but also to get weeds to germinate and be terminated by following passes with the tractor as we make and finalize raised beds.
During this coming week we'll strive to harvest all of the spring carrots as well as the garlic. A lot of workshifts have been scheduled over the next 7 days and we'd love to have your help accomplishing these tasks. Hope to see you!
Last week was a bit of an anomaly as we had to work around wet weather and soil. After receiving almost five inches of rain over the preceding weekend and early part of the week we had to wait until Thursday afternoon and Friday morning to get back out in the field with the tractor and resume (most) transplanting. No matter, though, because there's plenty of farm work to do that doesn't involve heavy machinery, including planting the final round of zucchini and cucumbers, tomato pruning and clipping, aisle mowing, weeding, and harvesting.
With the beans that we put in later in the week, we're now finished planting summer crops, except for a few more basil successions. Our attention now is shifting towards field prep for fall crops. As of today (Sunday) all of our fields (about 13 acres) have at least received the first step towards accepting crops, that is, opened up with the chisel plow. My goal is to begin field prep for a crop at least a month in advance so that the weather and soil creatures can mellow the soil and break down organic matter but also to get weeds to germinate and be terminated by following passes with the tractor as we make and finalize raised beds.
During this coming week we'll strive to harvest all of the spring carrots as well as the garlic. A lot of workshifts have been scheduled over the next 7 days and we'd love to have your help accomplishing these tasks. Hope to see you!
Expected Harvest | June 25, 2023
Expected Harvest | June 25, 2023 With Summer, Ch-Changes by Farmer Derek
It must be summer, basil is ready for harvest.
Harvest #8 (Week B) should include cabbage, beets, kale, endive, Italian dandelion, salad radishes, hakurei turnips, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, zucchini, cucumbers, scallions, and garlic scapes. Some items may be a choice. U-pick* should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, and flowers.
Swiss chard is on hold for a couple of weeks while we wait for new growth; the spring crop was damaged fairly heavily by annoying burrowing larvae miners inside the leaves.
*Besides herbs, and eventually blackberries, all u-pick for the remainder of the season will be in a different field than the peas and strawberries. Instead of taking a right out of the barn, go left and follow the path by the 'pond'. There will be u-pick signs pointing you in the right direction!
**If anyone has a stash of grocery bags to donate to the pick up room, we are currently in need of them. Thank you!
Harvest #8 (Week B) should include cabbage, beets, kale, endive, Italian dandelion, salad radishes, hakurei turnips, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, zucchini, cucumbers, scallions, and garlic scapes. Some items may be a choice. U-pick* should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, and flowers.
Swiss chard is on hold for a couple of weeks while we wait for new growth; the spring crop was damaged fairly heavily by annoying burrowing larvae miners inside the leaves.
*Besides herbs, and eventually blackberries, all u-pick for the remainder of the season will be in a different field than the peas and strawberries. Instead of taking a right out of the barn, go left and follow the path by the 'pond'. There will be u-pick signs pointing you in the right direction!
**If anyone has a stash of grocery bags to donate to the pick up room, we are currently in need of them. Thank you!
June 25, 2023
June 25, 2023 Workshifts for the Week of June 26th by Farmer Derek
Another carrot crop check. We'll probably start harvesting these this week or next (weather depending) and should announce in a separate e-mail. Carrot harvesting is kid and great-grandparent friendly. The tractor will loosen the soil and the carrots come out with a gentle tug. Tops are then twisted off and used as fertilizer for the next crop.
This week's workshift schedule:
Wednesday 6/28 8-10am, 10am-12pm
Sunday 7/2 8-10am
Upcoming Specialty Shift:
The Great Garlic Harvest, Sunday, July 9th
Three shifts, 8-10am, 9-11am, 10am-12pm
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.
Another carrot crop check. We'll probably start harvesting these this week or next (weather depending) and should announce in a separate e-mail. Carrot harvesting is kid and great-grandparent friendly. The tractor will loosen the soil and the carrots come out with a gentle tug. Tops are then twisted off and used as fertilizer for the next crop.
This week's workshift schedule:
Wednesday 6/28 8-10am, 10am-12pm
Sunday 7/2 8-10am
Upcoming Specialty Shift:
The Great Garlic Harvest, Sunday, July 9th
Three shifts, 8-10am, 9-11am, 10am-12pm
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.
Notes From The Field | June 25, 2023 Summer Rain by Farmer Derek
Caterpillar tunnel tomatoes, pruned, clipped, and looking healthy. Big thanks to the farm crew for the great tomato trellising work!
What time is it? Tomato time! Sorry, not for ripe fruit, but for pruning, clipping, trellising, hours and hours each week. All of the tomatoes that we farmers harvest are now grown under cover in three of our tunnels. The u-pick tomatoes, all cherries, are still grown outside. Inside growing allows us to regulate the water supply and importantly keeps rainfall off foliage. All of the tomatoes are pruned to one main trunk and elevated off the ground. This allows for increased airflow and helps leaves dry off quicker, all attempts to keep disease at bay for as long as possible. It also makes harvesting a lot easier.
In June, tomato plants grow super quickly so each plant requires weekly maintenance. By mid-July we might go in there every other week. In the tunnels the plants will (hopefully) outgrow the space and will be lowered and leaned, i.e. more twine that they're connected to will be unspooled and the spool hardware will be moved a couple of feet down the wire it's suspended from. For the cherry tomatoes we try to buy time by leaning them as we go, so instead of growing vertically they might be continuously clipped at a 45 degree angle.
The soil in the tunnels is primo real estate and gets amended very heavily with compost, amendments, and organic fertilizers to support three crops each growing season. Since the high tunnel is moveable we're able to rotate tomatoes on a 3-year cycle but the other tunnels will have one year off after two on. So far, as long as we're maintaining and/or improving soil health we've only seen great production from repeated use of tunnel space for tomatoes and other crops. Maybe down the road we'll feel motivated to add another tunnel or two so that we can rotate indoor crops better, but for now all seems well.
Upcoming this week we have our big strawberry planting. In case you missed it, we treat our strawberries as annuals and rotate the patch around the farm, terminating the planting after its done fruiting in late spring or early summer. We then plant seven thousand new, dormant, bare root 'tips' in raised beds for a harvest the following season. They've been kept at 28 degrees since last fall, hence their dormant state. Once they're put in the ground here, they quickly wake up, shoot up leaves to soak up the sun's rays, and even try to flower and fruit. We try to prune these off so they don't waste important energy on this task since we don't want them to fruit until next spring and would rather have them spend their resources establishing themselves with great root systems and prolific foliage. If all goes well we can look forward to a bountiful harvest next season!
Caterpillar tunnel tomatoes, pruned, clipped, and looking healthy. Big thanks to the farm crew for the great tomato trellising work!
What time is it? Tomato time! Sorry, not for ripe fruit, but for pruning, clipping, trellising, hours and hours each week. All of the tomatoes that we farmers harvest are now grown under cover in three of our tunnels. The u-pick tomatoes, all cherries, are still grown outside. Inside growing allows us to regulate the water supply and importantly keeps rainfall off foliage. All of the tomatoes are pruned to one main trunk and elevated off the ground. This allows for increased airflow and helps leaves dry off quicker, all attempts to keep disease at bay for as long as possible. It also makes harvesting a lot easier.
In June, tomato plants grow super quickly so each plant requires weekly maintenance. By mid-July we might go in there every other week. In the tunnels the plants will (hopefully) outgrow the space and will be lowered and leaned, i.e. more twine that they're connected to will be unspooled and the spool hardware will be moved a couple of feet down the wire it's suspended from. For the cherry tomatoes we try to buy time by leaning them as we go, so instead of growing vertically they might be continuously clipped at a 45 degree angle.
The soil in the tunnels is primo real estate and gets amended very heavily with compost, amendments, and organic fertilizers to support three crops each growing season. Since the high tunnel is moveable we're able to rotate tomatoes on a 3-year cycle but the other tunnels will have one year off after two on. So far, as long as we're maintaining and/or improving soil health we've only seen great production from repeated use of tunnel space for tomatoes and other crops. Maybe down the road we'll feel motivated to add another tunnel or two so that we can rotate indoor crops better, but for now all seems well.
Upcoming this week we have our big strawberry planting. In case you missed it, we treat our strawberries as annuals and rotate the patch around the farm, terminating the planting after its done fruiting in late spring or early summer. We then plant seven thousand new, dormant, bare root 'tips' in raised beds for a harvest the following season. They've been kept at 28 degrees since last fall, hence their dormant state. Once they're put in the ground here, they quickly wake up, shoot up leaves to soak up the sun's rays, and even try to flower and fruit. We try to prune these off so they don't waste important energy on this task since we don't want them to fruit until next spring and would rather have them spend their resources establishing themselves with great root systems and prolific foliage. If all goes well we can look forward to a bountiful harvest next season!
June 25, 2023
June 25, 2023 Happy Summer (crops) by Linda Dansbury
Flower Power! What a wonderful perk of CSA membership! Opening for u-pick starting this week - remember to BYO scissors to cut them!
The weather has suddenly changed to summer, and with it summer veggies are starting to arrive. Here are some tips on the new veggies we are receiving now:
Cucumbers - everyone knows how they like cucumbers, but check out this site for interesting ideas for salsa, quick pickling, salads you hadn't thought of before, and even sauteing. As with so many other things, cucumbers do not like to sit sealed up in a bag all wet so dry them off and place in a plastic bag, or place a towel in the bag with the cucs. They will keep well like this for at least a week.
Cabbage - check out the cabbages in the pick up room this week - the really interesting variety that I have only seen at Anchor Run is called Caraflex - it is smallish and has a pointy shape. The tight shape helps keep pests away, plus it tastes good! As with above, check out this site for prep ideas on how to enjoy it - you may be surprised by what you find. There are a couple of recipes that call for roasting the cabbage - when roasted so that it gets brown edges, it sweetens the cabbage to reveal an almost nutty flavor - this is probably how I like it best. Store in fridge in plastic and it will keep for awhile.
Beets - the beets won't have the leaves on them, for the same reason Swiss chard is currently on a pause - leaf miners badly damaged the leaves - but the roots are still delicious. They're more elongated this spring due to the extremely dry weather in May; their roots stretched down in search of water. Store in the fridge - they do keep for a long time, but the sooner you consume them, the tastier they will be. I like roasting them and making them into or adding them into salads.
Flower Power! What a wonderful perk of CSA membership! Opening for u-pick starting this week - remember to BYO scissors to cut them!
The weather has suddenly changed to summer, and with it summer veggies are starting to arrive. Here are some tips on the new veggies we are receiving now:
Cucumbers - everyone knows how they like cucumbers, but check out this site for interesting ideas for salsa, quick pickling, salads you hadn't thought of before, and even sauteing. As with so many other things, cucumbers do not like to sit sealed up in a bag all wet so dry them off and place in a plastic bag, or place a towel in the bag with the cucs. They will keep well like this for at least a week.
Cabbage - check out the cabbages in the pick up room this week - the really interesting variety that I have only seen at Anchor Run is called Caraflex - it is smallish and has a pointy shape. The tight shape helps keep pests away, plus it tastes good! As with above, check out this site for prep ideas on how to enjoy it - you may be surprised by what you find. There are a couple of recipes that call for roasting the cabbage - when roasted so that it gets brown edges, it sweetens the cabbage to reveal an almost nutty flavor - this is probably how I like it best. Store in fridge in plastic and it will keep for awhile.
Beets - the beets won't have the leaves on them, for the same reason Swiss chard is currently on a pause - leaf miners badly damaged the leaves - but the roots are still delicious. They're more elongated this spring due to the extremely dry weather in May; their roots stretched down in search of water. Store in the fridge - they do keep for a long time, but the sooner you consume them, the tastier they will be. I like roasting them and making them into or adding them into salads.
