How I Enjoyed My Harvest | July 30, 2023 Wonderful Bounty of July by Linda Dansbury
Attendees of this past week's herb garden class/tour mingling with the calendula.
Hard to believe it is the end of July - I hope this lower humidity and temps stay with us!
Been enjoying the delicious veggies the farm brings us - one of the things I do is make a mental note of what I have and what will stay fresh for the shortest amount of time - right now it is okra and eggplant. So, I plan to cook and use these within a few days of receiving them. Next is probably the scallions and cucumbers. Here are a few ways we enjoyed the harvest this week. Please share how you enjoyed your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in subject line.
Zucchini - baked up a delicious loaf of Zucchini and Blueberry Bread - since it is peak blueberry season, this is a good time to make it. I make a lot of variations of zucchini breads during the peak season and freeze them for enjoyment during the rest of the year.
Zucchini, garlic - made a dish called Zucchini Pizza Casserole. It was more like a zucchini lasagna than a pizza, but it was quite good. Basically, grate zucchini and mix it with eggs and parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Place in casserole and bake for 20 min. While that's baking, brown ground meat with onions - I added garlic and Italian seasoning as well. When meat is browned, add tomato sauce. Spread this on top of the zucchini that has been baked, top with more cheese and bake again for about another 20 min. Simple, tasty and lighter than either pizza or lasagna.
Eggplant, zucchini, okra, peppers - once again, grilled up a lot of veggies and then enjoyed them for a few days. I even had grilled veggie sandwiches for lunch - added feta cheese to the sandwich and then had celery and cucumber on the side.
Green beans, scallions, peppers, basil, parsley, cherry tomatoes - made a salad out of this delicious group of veggies. I like to add chick peas because I like to eat the leftovers for lunch and it adds protein. I typically toss with a red wine vinaigrette and add some garlic and oregano, but this could also be slanted in a Southeast Asian way by using a bit of sesame oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce and topped with cilantro.
Tomatoes, peppers, scallion, cilantro and local corn - made a black bean salsa - a fresh, delicious and healthy appetizer!
Attendees of this past week's herb garden class/tour mingling with the calendula.
Hard to believe it is the end of July - I hope this lower humidity and temps stay with us!
Been enjoying the delicious veggies the farm brings us - one of the things I do is make a mental note of what I have and what will stay fresh for the shortest amount of time - right now it is okra and eggplant. So, I plan to cook and use these within a few days of receiving them. Next is probably the scallions and cucumbers. Here are a few ways we enjoyed the harvest this week. Please share how you enjoyed your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in subject line.
Zucchini - baked up a delicious loaf of Zucchini and Blueberry Bread - since it is peak blueberry season, this is a good time to make it. I make a lot of variations of zucchini breads during the peak season and freeze them for enjoyment during the rest of the year.
Zucchini, garlic - made a dish called Zucchini Pizza Casserole. It was more like a zucchini lasagna than a pizza, but it was quite good. Basically, grate zucchini and mix it with eggs and parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Place in casserole and bake for 20 min. While that's baking, brown ground meat with onions - I added garlic and Italian seasoning as well. When meat is browned, add tomato sauce. Spread this on top of the zucchini that has been baked, top with more cheese and bake again for about another 20 min. Simple, tasty and lighter than either pizza or lasagna.
Eggplant, zucchini, okra, peppers - once again, grilled up a lot of veggies and then enjoyed them for a few days. I even had grilled veggie sandwiches for lunch - added feta cheese to the sandwich and then had celery and cucumber on the side.
Green beans, scallions, peppers, basil, parsley, cherry tomatoes - made a salad out of this delicious group of veggies. I like to add chick peas because I like to eat the leftovers for lunch and it adds protein. I typically toss with a red wine vinaigrette and add some garlic and oregano, but this could also be slanted in a Southeast Asian way by using a bit of sesame oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce and topped with cilantro.
Tomatoes, peppers, scallion, cilantro and local corn - made a black bean salsa - a fresh, delicious and healthy appetizer!
Notes From The Field | July 30, 2023
Notes From The Field | July 30, 2023 Goodbye July by Farmer Derek
Planting the first round of fall kale last Thursday.
What was supposed to be a week of drying out and catching up on tasks that wet weather had delayed the previous week became another week of dodging thunderstorms, bouncing around jobs, and being constantly soaked with sweat and/or rain. Eventually, by the end of the week, we were able to get most of the important work finished.
We're well on our way to planting and maintaining fall crops and really needed a few dry windows to hoe and transplant. Because of all the moisture in July (over 10 inches in fact) and the large planting of fall brassicas that went in a few weeks ago, we were quite desperate to knock back the weeds with our handheld tool arsenal accompanied by an improvised tractor implement before the weeds reached a critical growth stage when they need to be pulled out instead. Many hours are needed for this type of clean up and many hours of dry weather are needed afterwards to ensure the weeds don't re-root. I believe we got lucky when we scheduled this for Monday, when it didn't rain, and not Tuesday, when it poured again.
Raised-beds were reworked and touched up on Monday for a full day of transplanting lettuce, herbs, kale, rutabaga, chard, beets, celery, and fennel, which I was hoping would be Wednesday, in between harvest days. But with the ever-increasing probability and amount of moisture forecast for Tuesday afternoon I decided to try to knock some of the planting out on Tuesday, after harvesting and preparing for distribution all morning. The rain came, with lightning and thunder, and we were forced to suspend outdoor activities and pivot to indoor tunnel tomato work. Again, we were 'lucky' and 'only' received 8/10 of an inch of rain and resumed transplanting Wednesday afternoon, when the ground was barely okay with us being out there with the tractor and transplanter. We finished the week's transplanting goal on Thursday afternoon and are now caught up with that. We have some mowing to do this coming week that we didn't fit in last week but overall are in good shape.
The weather looks perfect for outdoor work this week. I'm excited to begin preparing ground for cover crops and considering them asleep, off-limits, out-of-sight, out-of-mind, resting until next growing season. Our farm-mind slowly recedes from encompassing all 15 acres as we establish buckwheat and oats to nurture the soil through the late summer and fall months.
Planting the first round of fall kale last Thursday.
What was supposed to be a week of drying out and catching up on tasks that wet weather had delayed the previous week became another week of dodging thunderstorms, bouncing around jobs, and being constantly soaked with sweat and/or rain. Eventually, by the end of the week, we were able to get most of the important work finished.
We're well on our way to planting and maintaining fall crops and really needed a few dry windows to hoe and transplant. Because of all the moisture in July (over 10 inches in fact) and the large planting of fall brassicas that went in a few weeks ago, we were quite desperate to knock back the weeds with our handheld tool arsenal accompanied by an improvised tractor implement before the weeds reached a critical growth stage when they need to be pulled out instead. Many hours are needed for this type of clean up and many hours of dry weather are needed afterwards to ensure the weeds don't re-root. I believe we got lucky when we scheduled this for Monday, when it didn't rain, and not Tuesday, when it poured again.
Raised-beds were reworked and touched up on Monday for a full day of transplanting lettuce, herbs, kale, rutabaga, chard, beets, celery, and fennel, which I was hoping would be Wednesday, in between harvest days. But with the ever-increasing probability and amount of moisture forecast for Tuesday afternoon I decided to try to knock some of the planting out on Tuesday, after harvesting and preparing for distribution all morning. The rain came, with lightning and thunder, and we were forced to suspend outdoor activities and pivot to indoor tunnel tomato work. Again, we were 'lucky' and 'only' received 8/10 of an inch of rain and resumed transplanting Wednesday afternoon, when the ground was barely okay with us being out there with the tractor and transplanter. We finished the week's transplanting goal on Thursday afternoon and are now caught up with that. We have some mowing to do this coming week that we didn't fit in last week but overall are in good shape.
The weather looks perfect for outdoor work this week. I'm excited to begin preparing ground for cover crops and considering them asleep, off-limits, out-of-sight, out-of-mind, resting until next growing season. Our farm-mind slowly recedes from encompassing all 15 acres as we establish buckwheat and oats to nurture the soil through the late summer and fall months.
July 30, 2023
July 30, 2023 Upcoming Events by Farmer Dana
Some things to look forward to on the farm.
Kiddo-Day at the Farm, Saturday 8/5, 11-1 pm, Hosted by CSA member Melanie Swain
We're having a Kiddo Day Brown Bag Lunch at Anchor Run! Please join us Saturday, August 5, from 11-1 pm.
Bring a brown bag lunch to our Kiddo Day at the Farm. There is plentiful picnic table seating under the pavilion, but feel free to bring a blanket or chairs if you want to spread out around the lawn.
We will provide a kid friendly activity while we all get to socialize and watch our kiddos play around the pavilion and sand box. Don't forget to bring your own drinks, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Hope to see you there!
- Melanie, Maylyn and Travers
Feel free to contact me with questions at: melswain23@gmail.com or call 609-774-3368. If you are a grownup who would like to help with an activity, let me know!
Medicinal Garden Tour with Amanda Crooke from Locust Light Farm, Tuesday 8/8, 6-7 pm!
Join Amanda Crooke of Locust Light Farm for a medicinal tour of our herb garden. Amanda will walk you through the herbs, demonstrate how to harvest them, describe their medicinal qualities, and give you tips for storing and using them. You'll leave feeling inspired to visit the herb garden at every pickup. Amanda is an engaging speaker, host to an incredible wealth of knowledge of all things herbal. We are fortunate to have her share her wisdom and hope you'll join us for this fun and enriching event!
Farm Potluck, Sunday 8/20, 5-7 pm - NEW rescheduled date
Join us for a relaxed evening on the farm, munching shared dishes and catching the beginning of a firefly light show. Bring a dish to share, your own place settings and beverages. Hope to see you there! (shared dishes do not have to incorporate farm produce)
Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly feeding on Buttonbush blossoms.
Medicinal Garden Tour with Amanda Crooke from Locust Light Farm, Thursday 7/27, 6-7 pm - this week!
Join Amanda Crooke of Locust Light Farm for a medicinal tour of our herb garden. Amanda will walk you through the herbs, demonstrate how to harvest them, describe their medicinal qualities, and give you tips for storing and using them. You'll leave feeling inspired to visit the herb garden at every pickup. Amanda is an engaging speaker, host to an incredible wealth of knowledge of all things herbal. We are fortunate to have her share her wisdom and hope you'll join us for this fun and enriching event!
Members: $10 - sign up here Non-members: $15 - sign up here Kiddo-Day at the Farm, Saturday 8/5, 11-1 pm, Hosted by CSA member Melanie Swain
We're having a Kiddo Day Brown Bag Lunch at Anchor Run! Please join us Saturday, August 5, from 11-1 pm.
Bring a brown bag lunch to our Kiddo Day at the Farm. There is plentiful picnic table seating under the pavilion, but feel free to bring a blanket or chairs if you want to spread out around the lawn.
We will provide a kid friendly activity while we all get to socialize and watch our kiddos play around the pavilion and sand box. Don't forget to bring your own drinks, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Hope to see you there!
- Melanie, Maylyn and Travers
Feel free to contact me with questions at: melswain23@gmail.com or call 609-774-3368. If you are a grownup who would like to help with an activity, let me know!
Farm Potluck, Sunday 8/27, 5-7 pm
Join us for a relaxed evening on the farm, munching shared dishes and catching the beginning of a firefly light show. Bring a dish to share, your own place settings and beverages. Hope to see you there! (shared dishes do not have to incorporate farm produce)
Expected Harvest | July 23, 2023 Nightshade Moves by Farmer Derek
Garlic hanging with the bats in the upper barn.
Harvest #12 (Week B) should include carrots, celery, beets, Italian dandelion, fennel, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, fresh bulb garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, and flowers.
Harvest #12 (Week B) should include carrots, celery, beets, Italian dandelion, fennel, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, fresh bulb garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, and flowers.
July 23, 2023
July 23, 2023 Workshifts for the Week of July 24th by Farmer Derek
Around 60 CSA members helped pull, haul, bundle, and hang garlic during Sunday's workshifts.
This week's workshift schedule:
Wednesday 7/26 6-8pm
Sunday 7/30 7-9am (special early bird shift)
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.
How I Enjoyed My Harvest | July 23, 2023 Summer Veggie Meals by Linda Dansbury
The veggies are so delicious! Hope everyone is enjoying the harvest as much as I am - please share by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.
At this time of the year I grill and make salads out of a lot of the harvest. I find that having pasta on hand is great because it pairs so well with grilled veggies - add a vinaigrette, pesto, or olive oil, lemon juice and a bunch of fresh chopped herbs - all work great. Grilling extra while the grill is hot helps make meal prep easier the next day or two. The same hold true with salads - veggie salads hold up well and even may taste better the next day. Here are a few things I enjoyed this past week.
Cucumber, cilantro, scallion, garlic, mint, hot pepper (out of my freezer from last year) - enjoyed the Vietnamese Cucumber Salad - I came upon this recipe a couple of years ago and it has become a summer staple. If there is any leftover, it is delicious the next day.
Tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, hot pepper (from freezer) - made the Chicken Stew with Tomatillo Sauce. This is another go-to meal for enjoying tomatillos. I typically make a large batch of the sauce - tomatillos hold well in the fridge, so you can save a couple weeks worth of them and then make the sauce and freeze it in 2 cup containers for enjoying the stew at a later time. The sauce is also a good salsa. Instead of stewing the dish, I put it all in the pressure cooker - it is delicious! Serve it with rice as the recipe indicates or with fresh tortillas.
Eggplant, tomatoes, scallions- made the Eggplant Spread from this site. As much as I love Baba Ganoush, this is simpler to make and delicious.
Green beans, cherry tomatoes, basil- found something slightly different to try called Summer Vegetable Pasta. This isn't a salad, but rather a warm dish with a bit of butter. It was simple to make and adaptable for whatever veggies you have on hand. I switched out the peas for green beans - can't wait to make this again!
The veggies are so delicious! Hope everyone is enjoying the harvest as much as I am - please share by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.
At this time of the year I grill and make salads out of a lot of the harvest. I find that having pasta on hand is great because it pairs so well with grilled veggies - add a vinaigrette, pesto, or olive oil, lemon juice and a bunch of fresh chopped herbs - all work great. Grilling extra while the grill is hot helps make meal prep easier the next day or two. The same hold true with salads - veggie salads hold up well and even may taste better the next day. Here are a few things I enjoyed this past week.
Cucumber, cilantro, scallion, garlic, mint, hot pepper (out of my freezer from last year) - enjoyed the Vietnamese Cucumber Salad - I came upon this recipe a couple of years ago and it has become a summer staple. If there is any leftover, it is delicious the next day.
Tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, hot pepper (from freezer) - made the Chicken Stew with Tomatillo Sauce. This is another go-to meal for enjoying tomatillos. I typically make a large batch of the sauce - tomatillos hold well in the fridge, so you can save a couple weeks worth of them and then make the sauce and freeze it in 2 cup containers for enjoying the stew at a later time. The sauce is also a good salsa. Instead of stewing the dish, I put it all in the pressure cooker - it is delicious! Serve it with rice as the recipe indicates or with fresh tortillas.
Eggplant, tomatoes, scallions- made the Eggplant Spread from this site. As much as I love Baba Ganoush, this is simpler to make and delicious.
Green beans, cherry tomatoes, basil- found something slightly different to try called Summer Vegetable Pasta. This isn't a salad, but rather a warm dish with a bit of butter. It was simple to make and adaptable for whatever veggies you have on hand. I switched out the peas for green beans - can't wait to make this again!
July 23, 2023
July 23, 2023 Still New Things Coming by Linda Dansbury
Eastern black swallowtail larva enjoying the bronze fennel in the herb garden.
Derek's email to me last week after I had finished working on the newsletter was that Dana found a nice surprise - the tomatillos were ready to harvest. If you aren't familiar with them, here is a bit of info:
Tomatillos are in the same family as tomatoes, eggplant and peppers and in fact look like a small green tomato with a funny husk on them. They are a great source of dietary fiber and are low in fat content. They’re also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, niacin, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. Ripe tomatillos keep refrigerated for about two weeks. They keep longer with the husks removed and the fruit refrigerated in sealed plastic bags. They may also be frozen whole or sliced. Tomatillos can be eaten raw or cooked. They can be chopped and added to salads and are best known raw or cooked in salsa verde. This site has a lot of recipes to try: Salsa Verde, Charred Okra and Tomatoes (or Tomatillos), Chicken Stew with Tomatillo Sauce, Slow Cooker Chicken or Pork Chile Verde and more!
Okra is another lesser known and under used veggie. It is traditionally used in Gumbo and in African cuisine. Okra is a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals and is delicious pan fried or sauteed and stewed. It does not store for more than a week in the fridge so use it up quickly. A few delicious ways to use it that are found on this site are Easy Indian-style Stewed Okra, Okra and Green Beans and Louisiana Shrimp Gumbo (which also uses celery).
Eastern black swallowtail larva enjoying the bronze fennel in the herb garden.
Derek's email to me last week after I had finished working on the newsletter was that Dana found a nice surprise - the tomatillos were ready to harvest. If you aren't familiar with them, here is a bit of info:
Tomatillos are in the same family as tomatoes, eggplant and peppers and in fact look like a small green tomato with a funny husk on them. They are a great source of dietary fiber and are low in fat content. They’re also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, niacin, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. Ripe tomatillos keep refrigerated for about two weeks. They keep longer with the husks removed and the fruit refrigerated in sealed plastic bags. They may also be frozen whole or sliced. Tomatillos can be eaten raw or cooked. They can be chopped and added to salads and are best known raw or cooked in salsa verde. This site has a lot of recipes to try: Salsa Verde, Charred Okra and Tomatoes (or Tomatillos), Chicken Stew with Tomatillo Sauce, Slow Cooker Chicken or Pork Chile Verde and more!
Okra is another lesser known and under used veggie. It is traditionally used in Gumbo and in African cuisine. Okra is a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals and is delicious pan fried or sauteed and stewed. It does not store for more than a week in the fridge so use it up quickly. A few delicious ways to use it that are found on this site are Easy Indian-style Stewed Okra, Okra and Green Beans and Louisiana Shrimp Gumbo (which also uses celery).
Notes From The Field | July 23, 2023
Notes From The Field | July 23, 2023 Charm of the Third Try by Farmer Derek
Magical unphotosynthesizing parasitic ghost pipes in the woods.
Finally, the 2023 garlic is out of the ground and safely hanging in the barn! Last November we planted almost 16,000 cloves which turned into bulbs for this year's harvest. We didn't harvest that many today; we distributed approximately 3,500 as green garlic in the spring and another 1,000 or so as fresh garlic the past couple of weeks. Still, it's quite an endeavor tackled by 60 folks working together. We even finished up an hour early and moved on to the onions, which are almost all out of the ground. Next big harvest task will be potatoes, probably sometime in early August. Their above ground growth dies back and their skins thicken, telling us when they're ready and storable.
The soil on the farm did not dry out enough last week so we weren't able to get any plants in the ground. We did spend a lot of time on tomato trellising (of course), harvesting crops, mowing and weed-trimming, seeding. This coming week we'll play some catch up with transplanting and ground prep, hopefully planting lettuce, cilantro, dill, celery, fennel, kale, rutabaga, chard, beets, basil, and dandelion. We also need to break out the wheel-hoes and clean up the massive broccoli/cauliflower/cabbage planting. That's all on top of the weekly seeding, harvesting, and tomato maintenance work. We've got a great crew so there's no doubt in my mind that it won't be a productive and satisfying week.
Magical unphotosynthesizing parasitic ghost pipes in the woods.
Finally, the 2023 garlic is out of the ground and safely hanging in the barn! Last November we planted almost 16,000 cloves which turned into bulbs for this year's harvest. We didn't harvest that many today; we distributed approximately 3,500 as green garlic in the spring and another 1,000 or so as fresh garlic the past couple of weeks. Still, it's quite an endeavor tackled by 60 folks working together. We even finished up an hour early and moved on to the onions, which are almost all out of the ground. Next big harvest task will be potatoes, probably sometime in early August. Their above ground growth dies back and their skins thicken, telling us when they're ready and storable.
The soil on the farm did not dry out enough last week so we weren't able to get any plants in the ground. We did spend a lot of time on tomato trellising (of course), harvesting crops, mowing and weed-trimming, seeding. This coming week we'll play some catch up with transplanting and ground prep, hopefully planting lettuce, cilantro, dill, celery, fennel, kale, rutabaga, chard, beets, basil, and dandelion. We also need to break out the wheel-hoes and clean up the massive broccoli/cauliflower/cabbage planting. That's all on top of the weekly seeding, harvesting, and tomato maintenance work. We've got a great crew so there's no doubt in my mind that it won't be a productive and satisfying week.
Expected Harvest | July 16, 2023
Expected Harvest | July 16, 2023 Water Fed by Farmer Derek
Ripe tomatillos bulging through their husks, telltale sign of readiness.
Harvest #11 (Week A) should include carrots, celery, cabbage, beets, Italian dandelion, fennel, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, fresh bulb garlic, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, and flowers.
Ripe tomatillos bulging through their husks, telltale sign of readiness.
Harvest #11 (Week A) should include carrots, celery, cabbage, beets, Italian dandelion, fennel, head lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, fresh bulb garlic, and scallions. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include herbs, snap/string/green beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, blackberries, and flowers.
