September 10, 2023 Closer to Fall by Linda Dansbury
It is almost fall, and the change in veggies is showing this! Greens are back in full force plus some other delicious things.
Leeks - Leeks are alliums, so they’re related to garlic, chives, shallots, and onions. Tasting them, you can tell. They have a sweet, oniony flavor that adds depth to soups, stews, pastas, and more! Use them as you do onions and shallots, to build flavor at the start of a recipe. However, because they’re milder than most other alliums, you can also enjoy them on their own. Grilled or roasted, they make a surprising, delicious side dish. Leeks store fairly well in plastic in the fridge. Try the Braised Salmon with Leeksearly this week, and by the weekend, you can go for the Potato Leek Chowder recipe on this site.
It is almost fall, and the change in veggies is showing this! Greens are back in full force plus some other delicious things.
Leeks - Leeks are alliums, so they’re related to garlic, chives, shallots, and onions. Tasting them, you can tell. They have a sweet, oniony flavor that adds depth to soups, stews, pastas, and more! Use them as you do onions and shallots, to build flavor at the start of a recipe. However, because they’re milder than most other alliums, you can also enjoy them on their own. Grilled or roasted, they make a surprising, delicious side dish. Leeks store fairly well in plastic in the fridge. Try the Braised Salmon with Leeksearly this week, and by the weekend, you can go for the Potato Leek Chowder recipe on this site.
September 10, 2023
September 10, 2023 Final Potluck - Sunday, September 17th, 5-7 pm
See you at the farm this Sunday, September 17th from 5-7 pm!
Join us for the final potluck of the season! We'll enjoy, debatably, the best weather of the year outside under the pavilion eating and chatting. Bring a dish to share, drinks, and place settings. Hope to see you there!
See you at the farm this Sunday, September 17th from 5-7 pm!
Join us for the final potluck of the season! We'll enjoy, debatably, the best weather of the year outside under the pavilion eating and chatting. Bring a dish to share, drinks, and place settings. Hope to see you there!
Expected Harvest | September 3, 2023
Expected Harvest | September 3, 2023 Peaking Peppers, Dwindling U-pick by Farmer Derek
Saturday morning pick up.
Harvest #18 (Week B) should include pie pumpkins/winter squash, potatoes, carrots, Italian dandelion, arugula, Swiss chard, lettuce, basil, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, shishito peppers, and onions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, and flowers.
Harvest #18 (Week B) should include pie pumpkins/winter squash, potatoes, carrots, Italian dandelion, arugula, Swiss chard, lettuce, basil, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, shishito peppers, and onions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, and flowers.
September 3, 2023
September 3, 2023 Workshifts for the Week of September 4th by Farmer Derek
Eastern tiger swallowtail in all its glory.
This week's workshift schedule:
Monday 9/4 10am-12pm
Wednesday 9/6 9-11am
Sunday 9/10 8-10am
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 | September 3, 2023 September Heat Wave by Farmer Derek
Pollinator habitat and Farmer Dana's sheep.
What will hopefully be the final heat wave of 2023 descends upon the farm this week. I'm not too worried because days are shorter and the sun appears to be a bit lower in the sky, at least to start and end the day, than peak summer. Nights will hopefully satisfyingly cool off. Humidity is fortunately forecast to be moderate. On the bright side, the heat loving summer staples should enjoy this 4-day blast before beginning their slow then fast autumn decline. I'm guessing peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes have already peaked but will remain plentiful (except for cherry tomatoes, grown outside, which have really slowed down). Cucurbit family members zucchini, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe are in the rearview mirror but now we welcome their crunchier cousins the traditional butternut, the strange butternut, and the pie pumpkin for the foreseeable future. For some unknown reason the pumpkins didn't perform great this year but hopefully the others picked up their slack.
This coming week we're hoping to make a serious push to retrieve another 25% of the potato planting which will leave us with just one more variety to retrieve a week or two later. We'll also prioritize cleaning up fields, mowing, removing crop growing helpers like landscape fabric, plastic mulch, and drip tape, and then prepare those spaces for cover crops. Some areas will receive compost if they didn't earlier this year. Our deadline is the cold front inducing rainfall event forecast for Thursday and/or Friday.
We're slowly getting caught up on our battle with late summer weeds and after this weekend the fall carrots and fall brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli) should be tidy. Weekly hoeing of successional bare ground transplants continues (lettuce, arugula, bok choy, mustard, kale, radishes, turnips, etc). This week we begin planting inside for late fall harvesting. Up first is lettuce mix (3 successions), followed by spinach (also 3 successions). Spinach seems to be extra sensitive to too much moisture so growing it under cover where we can control water is helpful. Unfortunately this doesn't always guarantee a quality harvest since spinach is also very susceptible to powdery mildew. To combat this we grow strains that have been bred to be resistant while ensuring tunnels are well vented with good air flow.
What will hopefully be the final heat wave of 2023 descends upon the farm this week. I'm not too worried because days are shorter and the sun appears to be a bit lower in the sky, at least to start and end the day, than peak summer. Nights will hopefully satisfyingly cool off. Humidity is fortunately forecast to be moderate. On the bright side, the heat loving summer staples should enjoy this 4-day blast before beginning their slow then fast autumn decline. I'm guessing peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes have already peaked but will remain plentiful (except for cherry tomatoes, grown outside, which have really slowed down). Cucurbit family members zucchini, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe are in the rearview mirror but now we welcome their crunchier cousins the traditional butternut, the strange butternut, and the pie pumpkin for the foreseeable future. For some unknown reason the pumpkins didn't perform great this year but hopefully the others picked up their slack.
This coming week we're hoping to make a serious push to retrieve another 25% of the potato planting which will leave us with just one more variety to retrieve a week or two later. We'll also prioritize cleaning up fields, mowing, removing crop growing helpers like landscape fabric, plastic mulch, and drip tape, and then prepare those spaces for cover crops. Some areas will receive compost if they didn't earlier this year. Our deadline is the cold front inducing rainfall event forecast for Thursday and/or Friday.
We're slowly getting caught up on our battle with late summer weeds and after this weekend the fall carrots and fall brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli) should be tidy. Weekly hoeing of successional bare ground transplants continues (lettuce, arugula, bok choy, mustard, kale, radishes, turnips, etc). This week we begin planting inside for late fall harvesting. Up first is lettuce mix (3 successions), followed by spinach (also 3 successions). Spinach seems to be extra sensitive to too much moisture so growing it under cover where we can control water is helpful. Unfortunately this doesn't always guarantee a quality harvest since spinach is also very susceptible to powdery mildew. To combat this we grow strains that have been bred to be resistant while ensuring tunnels are well vented with good air flow.
Expected Harvest | August 27, 2023
Expected Harvest | August 27, 2023 Sweet Pepper Passion by Farmer Derek
Over a thousand pounds of sweet peppers are now being harvested weekly!
Harvest #17 (Week A) should include small pie/edible pumpkins, potatoes, cantaloupe, carrots, Italian dandelion, arugula, Swiss chard, lettuce, basil, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, shishito peppers, and onions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, and flowers.
Over a thousand pounds of sweet peppers are now being harvested weekly!
Harvest #17 (Week A) should include small pie/edible pumpkins, potatoes, cantaloupe, carrots, Italian dandelion, arugula, Swiss chard, lettuce, basil, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, shishito peppers, and onions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, edamame, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, and flowers.
August 27, 2023
August 27, 2023 Workshifts for the Week of August 28th by Farmer Derek
Raptor friend patrolling.
This week's workshift schedule:
Wednesday 8/30 10am-12pm
Wednesday 8/30 6-8pm
Sunday 9/3 8-10am
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.
August 27, 2023 Maple Syrup and Honey - Preorder by 8/27/23 by Farmer Dana
Susan and Todd Klikus of Augusta Acres Farm will be at Anchor Run CSA on Tuesday, August 29th, 1:00-6:00pm to distribute their maple syrup and honey. Preorders are encouraged again this time. There will be a small amount available to purchase the day of.
To order, follow this link. Products, payment options, and pricing are shown on the order form. Orders are due by Sunday, August 27th.
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 (honey, maple syrup); Quarts are $25 (maple syrup only).
If you can't make it to the farm during those hours and you would still like to participate in this opportunity your order will be left here in a labeled box/bag which you can pick up during another pick up day. You must prepay for this option.
Susan and Todd Klikus of Augusta Acres Farm will be at Anchor Run CSA on Tuesday, August 29th, 1:00-6:00pm to distribute their maple syrup and honey. Preorders are encouraged again this time. There will be a small amount available to purchase the day of.
To order, follow this link. Products, payment options, and pricing are shown on the order form. Orders are due by Sunday, August 27th.
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 (honey, maple syrup); Quarts are $25 (maple syrup only).
If you can't make it to the farm during those hours and you would still like to participate in this opportunity your order will be left here in a labeled box/bag which you can pick up during another pick up day. You must prepay for this option.
Notes From The Field | August 27, 2023
Notes From The Field | August 27, 2023 September Already by Farmer Derek
Pumpkin and Winter Squash season has officially begun!
And just like that, it's fall. Or not quite, but with the return of cooler season greens, the start of pumpkins and winter squash, the continuation of potatoes, and leeks just about ready, it sure feels like summer may be waning. But hang on, sweet peppers are going bonkers, tomatoes appear to be stable, cantaloupe cranks, and basil continues to bang. So, it's quite a nice mix, a good time of year to eat fresh and local.
It's also a good time of year to farm. Shorter days, longer nights, less humidity, cooler temperatures, smaller footprint to manage. Every 2-3 weeks another acre or two is put to sleep for the winter by establishing an oat and buckwheat cover crop after spreading compost. Since June, ample rainfall (too much in July) has been falling, alleviating our need to irrigate outdoor crops (huge time save). Almost all fields have now been planted with crops. We're down to the final parcel, perhaps a 1/2-acre piece of the pie. Half of this will be devoted to the 2024 garlic crop in early November while the other half will accept the final few rounds of outdoor crops, including arugula, bok choy, radishes, turnips, mustard greens, and lettuce. In about three weeks time we'll pivot to planting our tunnels for a November harvest.
Speaking of November harvests, we're taking a break this year from our long running Late Fall CSA, mostly because of the way our kids' school schedule falls and our need to take a break from the farm in mid-December. Also adding two weeks to Main Season will help us (hopefully) deplete most crops from fields, tunnels, and storage. We may host the occasional Flash Sale like we've done in the past in December, January, and February.
Pumpkin and Winter Squash season has officially begun!
And just like that, it's fall. Or not quite, but with the return of cooler season greens, the start of pumpkins and winter squash, the continuation of potatoes, and leeks just about ready, it sure feels like summer may be waning. But hang on, sweet peppers are going bonkers, tomatoes appear to be stable, cantaloupe cranks, and basil continues to bang. So, it's quite a nice mix, a good time of year to eat fresh and local.
It's also a good time of year to farm. Shorter days, longer nights, less humidity, cooler temperatures, smaller footprint to manage. Every 2-3 weeks another acre or two is put to sleep for the winter by establishing an oat and buckwheat cover crop after spreading compost. Since June, ample rainfall (too much in July) has been falling, alleviating our need to irrigate outdoor crops (huge time save). Almost all fields have now been planted with crops. We're down to the final parcel, perhaps a 1/2-acre piece of the pie. Half of this will be devoted to the 2024 garlic crop in early November while the other half will accept the final few rounds of outdoor crops, including arugula, bok choy, radishes, turnips, mustard greens, and lettuce. In about three weeks time we'll pivot to planting our tunnels for a November harvest.
Speaking of November harvests, we're taking a break this year from our long running Late Fall CSA, mostly because of the way our kids' school schedule falls and our need to take a break from the farm in mid-December. Also adding two weeks to Main Season will help us (hopefully) deplete most crops from fields, tunnels, and storage. We may host the occasional Flash Sale like we've done in the past in December, January, and February.
August 27, 2023
August 27, 2023 Peppers Galore by Linda Dansbury
It is such an abundant part of the season, it is difficult to figure out what to do with everything! Last week, full & half share members received 4 pounds of sweet peppers on Thursday and Saturday!!
So, what do you do with all of them? First, don't panic, they keep pretty well in plastic in the fridge. Here are some ideas to help you enjoy your peppers for weeks or months to come:
Stuff and freeze - There are endless pepper stuffing recipes on the internet. Find your favorites and stuff the peppers and freeze them. It will make for an easy weeknight meal.
Freeze - They freeze beautifully. Just cut them in half, remove the seeds and like with other veggies, lay them in one layer on a cookie sheet and place in freezer. Once frozen, place in a freezer bag where they will keep nicely for months - enjoy them in chili, stir fries (when frozen this way, they are not soggy when used in a stir fry), add to pasta and veggie dishes, etc.
Pack in oil - Place on grill or under broil until the skins are blackened. Place in a paper bag to cool. Remove skins and seeds and slice into strips. Place in a bowl and add a bit of chopped garlic (a little goes a long way). Add a good amount of olive oil - enough to cover peppers - add salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. If you want to add some heat, add a hot pepper to the mix. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate. They will last for over a month and are delicious as a bruschetta topping, added to sandwiches, pasta dishes, on a platter with grilled veggies, part of a cheese and charcuterie plate, and more.
Canned and/or pickled - If you want to get more adventurous and make more of a time commitment, sweet pepper relish (again, add a hot pepper or 2 to the mix) and canned peppers are great in so many applications and enable you to enjoy the harvest well into the winter.
It is such an abundant part of the season, it is difficult to figure out what to do with everything! Last week, full & half share members received 4 pounds of sweet peppers on Thursday and Saturday!!
So, what do you do with all of them? First, don't panic, they keep pretty well in plastic in the fridge. Here are some ideas to help you enjoy your peppers for weeks or months to come:
Stuff and freeze - There are endless pepper stuffing recipes on the internet. Find your favorites and stuff the peppers and freeze them. It will make for an easy weeknight meal.
Freeze - They freeze beautifully. Just cut them in half, remove the seeds and like with other veggies, lay them in one layer on a cookie sheet and place in freezer. Once frozen, place in a freezer bag where they will keep nicely for months - enjoy them in chili, stir fries (when frozen this way, they are not soggy when used in a stir fry), add to pasta and veggie dishes, etc.
Pack in oil - Place on grill or under broil until the skins are blackened. Place in a paper bag to cool. Remove skins and seeds and slice into strips. Place in a bowl and add a bit of chopped garlic (a little goes a long way). Add a good amount of olive oil - enough to cover peppers - add salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. If you want to add some heat, add a hot pepper to the mix. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate. They will last for over a month and are delicious as a bruschetta topping, added to sandwiches, pasta dishes, on a platter with grilled veggies, part of a cheese and charcuterie plate, and more.
Canned and/or pickled - If you want to get more adventurous and make more of a time commitment, sweet pepper relish (again, add a hot pepper or 2 to the mix) and canned peppers are great in so many applications and enable you to enjoy the harvest well into the winter.
