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News and Notes | The Anchor Run Blog

Posts Filtered by Month - October 2019 |
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October 27, 2019
Fall Delights
By Linda Dansbury
The current harvest is a nice mix of greens, roots, and other veggies, giving us so many options for cooking and eating. I have been sauteing, roasting, stewing and "salading". Below is a sampling of what I have been cooking.
Fennel, onions, garlic, parsley, tomatoes - I always think of fish soup when I have fennel, and last night was no exception. I never use the same recipe twice and last night's was really yummy and perfect for a cool, rainy fall night.
Onions, fennel, garlic, herbs - made warm lentils as part of a salmon dinner. Fennel and lentils go together so well. I made the leftover lentils into a salad by adding shaved raw fennel, thinly sliced carrots, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil.
Sweet potatoes, cauliflower, sweet peppers, onions, rosemary - once again, I roasted veggies at 425 for about 35 minutes. Easy and delicious.
Bok choy - I have found that for these large heads of bok choy, cutting the green part of each stalk makes for better cooking. Either leave the stalks whole or cut into bite sized pieces. Put a little oil into a large saute pan or wok and add a few red pepper flakes or a hot pepper. When hot, put stalks in and stir fry/saute until almost desired tenderness. Add greens, turn off heat and mix until greens are just wilted - add a drizzle of sesame oil and/or soy sauce and enjoy.
Salads - been mixing the lettuce, endive, escarole, arugula together for beautiful salads. I also sometimes chop bok choy or shave some fennel into my salads. Adds crunch and another flavor profile. Add thinly sliced apples to your salads for healthy sweetness. Yum!
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October 27, 2019
Radicchio
By Linda Dansbury

Oh lovely radicchio. Good for the eyes, mind, and digestion.
The heads of radicchio are spectacular this year! I know some of you say it isn't your favorite veggie, but maybe you just need preparation advice. It keeps well in a plastic container in the fridge. I tear a leaf or 2 off the head and chop it into salads, and here are other ways to enjoy it:
  • Check out this site and try it in combination with other fall veggies: Escarole, Radicchio and Arugula Salad, Radicchio, Apple and Fennel Salad, and Braised Radicchio, Escarole and Fennel.
  • Grill or roast radicchio by cutting into quarters (or eighths), leaving core intact. Drizzle with olive oil and grill or roast in a 425 degree oven until slightly charred and barely wilted - this method helps cut the bitterness. Chop up and add to pasta or salads - balsamic vinegar works really well.
  • Chop into large pieces and saute in olive oil with or without things such as onions or garlic. Add some chopped fresh parsley at the end.
  • Combine with other ingredients that help offset the bitterness - cheeses, vinegars, citrus, meats such as proscuitto.
  • Blend and incorporate into a healthy smoothie.
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October 27, 2019
Any Workshifts this Week?
by Farmer Derek

Probably one of the final swallowtail larva sightings for this year.
The wacky warm wet weather has us unsure of the tasks we'll be able to accomplish this week. For now we're not posting any workshifts but will announce in a separate bulletin if we change our minds and the ground dries out a bit. A big job we have to do very soon is plant and mulch the 2020 garlic but ideally the ground won't be swampy.
If you still need to complete your pledged farm labor hours for your share discount please consider joining us for some of the few remaining workshift opportunities. Alternatively, if you'd rather pay the full amount for your farm share that is perfectly fine, just send us a check to cover the workshift hours. Log in here to view your total hours worked. Multiply your missed hours by $15 for your balance due.
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October 27, 2019
Registration Open for Late Fall and Main Season 2020
by Farmer Dana

The final round of 2019 transplants is in the ground! And should be harvested and enjoyed in December.
Registration is now open for the 2020 Main Season CSA, as well as the 2019 Late Fall CSA.
Log in here to join either or both seasons.
For additional Late Fall CSA information follow this link. This season begins in 2 weeks!
Main Season 2020 will mimic 2019 except it will be even better! That's our goal anyway. Mother Nature promises to oblige. Prices, pick up days/times, share sizes, etc. all remain the same.
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October 27, 2019
And In The End, Eat Well, Be Thankful
by Farmer Derek

With a little help from the little one, bountiful radicchio is inbound.
We're down to the final two weeks of the 2019 Main Season. This will be the last week of pick up for Week A Half Shares. To all members, we hope you've enjoyed the farm share this long 1/2-year of what will be twenty-six weeks of continual harvesting and eating. It's a commitment on your part, and we truly do appreciate your support of us and this farm. This 100-acre open space preserve is made whole and wholesome by the coming together of our community for a healthy and hopefully sustainable reason. We give thanks to be able to live and work here and strive to give back to the soil, the ecosystem, the earth, and you. We do our best to grow and provide to you produce that is truly worth your time to pick up, process, and consume. We hope that when you come to the farm you can breathe a little deeper, unwind a bit, and find temporary departure from some of the stresses and pressures of the world outside of this little Bucks County oasis. With your help Anchor Run CSA is successfully concluding its 16th season of harvests. Thank you one and all.
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October 27, 2019
Penultimate Main Season Share
by Farmer Dana
Harvest #25 (Week A) should include sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, cabbage, napa cabbage, radicchio, head lettuce, bok choy, lettuce mix, arugula, parsley, escarole, beets, celeriac, kohlrabi, collards, hakurei turnips, and fennel.
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October 20, 2019
A Fine Mixture
by Farmer Dana

It's been a good fall season for an abundance of greens.
Harvest #24 (Week B) should/could include sweet potatoes, cabbage (green/savoy/napa), head lettuce, garlic, onions, bok choy, lettuce mix, arugula, endive, fennel, cauliflower, hakurei turnips, celeriac, collards, escarole, kohlrabi, radicchio, and green tomatoes. U-pick should include herbs.
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October 20, 2019
Workshifts for Week of 10/20/19
by Farmer Derek

The farm crew along with members at a couple of workshifts harvested the entirety of the fall carrots on a beautiful fall day.
Workshifts scheduled for this week:
  • Wednesday (10/23) 6-8pm (garlic splitting into cloves for 2020 seed in the barn; a BYOB event!)
  • Friday (10/25) 10am-12noon
Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here. Calendar is here. Member Work Guidelines are here.
If it is actively raining (or too cold and windy) during the time of the shift we'll probably process garlic in the barn, out of the weather.
Work opportunities should last for 2-3 more weeks. Upcoming tasks will include: harvest roots and storage crops; retrieve and trim hanging garlic; split garlic into cloves for seed; plant and mulch garlic; and maybe some miscellaneous weeding and clean up.
If you still need to complete your pledged farm labor hours for your share discount please sign up soon. Alternatively, if you'd rather pay the full amount for your farm share that is fine, just send us a check to cover the workshift hours.
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October 20, 2019
Extend Your Share of the Harvest!
by Farmer Dana

Farm crew members Jacob and Haley prepare beds in the greenhouse for the final round of transplants.
Registration is now open for the 2019 Late Fall CSA!
Offering a mix of fresh and storage crops like lettuce, spinach, radicchio, arugula, mizuna, bok choy, kale, collards, chard, cabbage, Napa cabbage, herbs, leeks, garlic, onions, beets, watermelon radishes, daikons, turnips, carrots, celeriac, kohlrabi, potatoes, rutabaga, and sweet potatoes. It's basically an extension of the Main Season share. We use season extension techniques and infrastructure such as the unheated high tunnel, hoop house, and hoop tunnel; the minimally heated greenhouse; low hoops; and row covers to provide fresh crops as well as storage crops.
For more information, click here and scroll down to Late Fall CSA.
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October 20, 2019
Almost Assessment & Reflection Time
by Farmer Derek

Fast germinating wheat poking through the mat of straw in new Field 1 waterway.
Time moves quickly during the Main Season, perhaps due to the fact that there's hardly a minute to pause, reflect, and consider the passage of time. I do make an effort to take a second and make a note whenever something occurs with crop production that is worth having record of in the future. While my memory is probably okay, if I don't write it down (more accurately type it digitally) there's a chance we could make the same mistakes all over again. Farming, like many tasks and jobs and life, is a series of trials, experiments, experiences that one learns from and builds upon. Because some crops might only be grown once per year and because we have to wait a full year until we go about it all over again, it is helpful to have a good record of production. A lot of our 'off season' is spent reflecting, scrutinizing production and yield, finding ways to improve, deciding what may be superfluous, trying to identify what keeps members' tummies happy. Thus, we're about to depart the time of the season of serious hustle and bustle as we embark on the season of reflection and planning. That said, please let us know if you have any specific helpful tidbits of information to improve your/our CSA!
Last week we endured/enjoyed the first real rain event in a few months. It was definitely good to receive an ample soaker before temperatures and day length drop. It's worth noting that even though it rained outside and the ground is now saturated, we need to manually add water to our indoor tunnel environments where we exert control of most variables. The penultimate round of 2019 transplants was deposited in the soil last week and with each round the tunnel crops need at least two doses of watering with the wand followed by drip irrigation. When the plants are first transplanted their roots are confined to the surface of the soil; the goal here is to saturate the top of the soil profile to ward of transplant stress and encourage establishment of roots. After a few days they perk up and their roots begin to grow. We then water with drip tape about once per week, giving them a good drink, hoping their roots are now well established. Turning drip tape on is much quicker and easier than manually watering with a hose and wand which would take hours. Come December we probably won't have to water at all since evaporation will be minimal, roots should be well established, and soil moisture should be omnipresent.
The last few weeks of the Main Season are now upon us and we're feeling very thankful for what has been a pretty good year of farming. We're grateful for the support of our members and truly appreciate your support and trust. Since the light at the end of the Main Season tunnel can now be glimpsed with proper glasses we're confident the final few weeks will hold a bounty of good produce. Enjoy!
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October 20, 2019
How Sweet It Is!
By Linda Dansbury
There is an almost complete transition to fall crops now, and with that, a big transition in what we are eating. Here are a few things I did this past week:
Sweet potatoes - My pick up day is Thursday. This past Thursday was the first of the sweet potatoes for me. I went right home and put one in the oven to bake. When it was nice and soft I enjoyed it with a bit of salt and pepper - so, so sweet and delicious! Can't wait to have another one this simply cooked!
Cauliflower, leeks/onion, thyme - the large amount of cauliflower and cool temps had me making soup. Simply saute the onion and leek in olive oil until soft. While this is working, cut the cauliflower up into small pieces - stems, little green leaves, core and all. When the onions were translucent, added all of the cauliflower and covered it with veggie stock (you can use chicken stock or water), added salt and pepper, a couple thyme sprigs and a bay leaf and let it gently simmer until the cauliflower is soft. Removed bay leave and thyme stems and used the immersion blender and whirred it up until smooth. No need for cream or milk - this simple soup is delicious as is!
Cauliflower, leek, butternut squash (I still had 2), potatoes, sweet peppers, beets, rosemary sprig - it is veggie roasting time! Just rough chop everything and put in bowl. Mix with a bit of olive oil - not too much or the veggies won't brown - salt and pepper. Spread the veggies in a single layer on a large cookie sheet and add some roughly chopped rosemary. Roast in a 425 degree oven for 30 or so minutes, turning midway through. Cook until desired tenderness. Yum!
Lettuce, endive, fennel, parsley - made a large salad. Broke up the lettuce and endive and placed in a bowl. Shaved fennel with a mandoline into the bowl and chopped some parsley into the bowl as well. Made a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, a bit of honey, salt and pepper. Mixed well and enjoyed!
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October 20, 2019
Fall Enjoyment
By Linda Dansbury

Volunteer sunflowers from the 2018 u-pick flower patch grow within a buckwheat/daikon cover crop.
Last week there were a few new additions in the pick up room. Here is some tips on storing and enjoying them.
Sweet potatoes - we receive them unwashed so they will keep longer. Their skins are very delicate and washing will nick the skins, causing them to have openings that will cause the potato to rot. Gently wash them right before using. Sweets are best stored in a cool, well ventilated place - I store mine in wooden boxes. Right now they are in the garage, but when the air turns colder I will bring them to the basement. Cold storage is not good for sweet potatoes - it changes the chemistry and the sugar content will drop causing bitter tasting potatoes and can also make the texture woody. Sweet potatoes can be peeled, boiled and mashed, alone or with other veggies such as potatoes, turnips, celeriac and rutabaga. They are delicious cut up and added to a veggie roast. Baked and eaten plain, especially now that they are at their optimum sweetness. We also have a lot of recipes for sweet potatoes on this site, if you are looking for something a little different.
Fennel - fall crops of this licorice tasting veggie are so much fun, because it goes so well with apples and bitter greens such as escarole, endive, and radicchio and it is so delicious when braised as part of a stew or pot roast. Use a mandoline to slice it thin for raw preparations such as salads. The use of lemon juice and zest in a salad dressing that incorporates fennel is delicious. I also love it sliced thin with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and then Parmesan curls shaved over the top. Fennel and lentils are also meant to be together - cook up lentils with onion, fennel, salt and pepper and simmer until lentils and veggies are tender. Serve with a beautiful piece of salmon or roasted chicken. Fennel will keep for at least a few weeks when stored in plastic in the fridge.
Bok Choy - many people don't really know what to do with bok choy, but it is actually one of the easiest, fastest veggies to cook. It is also delicious raw and can be incorporated into a green salad, with the stalks providing a nice crunchy texture. I like to cook it by either stir frying or sauteing. Chop up some garlic and saute and then add the bok choy, which has been halved or quartered - this past week's crop is large, so quarter it and use a large saute pan. Since these are large, I add a bit of stock, but not much - just enough so the garlic doesn't burn. Add minced ginger and move the bok choy around along with garlic and ginger, when getting close to desired doneness, add soy sauce. Remove from pan and serve with a drizzle of sesame oil, if desired. Bok choy will store in the fridge in plastic for about a week.
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October 13, 2019
Introducing a Sweet New Few
by Farmer Dana
Harvest #23 (Week A) should include sweet potatoes, cauliflower, hakurei turnips, bok choy, greens mix, endive, lettuce mix, garlic, onions, head lettuce, collards, cabbage (savoy, Napa), green peppers, green tomatoes (some have turned red already), hot peppers, beets, and fennel. We're taking a small break from kale, chard, and arugula while bok choy is looking stellar. U-pick will include herbs.
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October 13, 2019
Workshifts for Week of 10/13/19
by Farmer Derek

With a little help from the little one we wrapped up the NRCS/USDA funded multi-year waterway improvement project.
Workshifts scheduled for this week:
  • Tuesday (10/15) 10am-12noon
  • Friday (10/18) 10am-12noon
  • Sunday (10/20) 9-11am
Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here. Calendar is here. Member Work Guidelines are here.
If it is actively raining during the time of the shift we'll probably process garlic in the barn, out of the rain.
Work opportunities should last for 3-4 more weeks. Upcoming tasks will include: harvest roots and storage crops (carrots, turnips, etc); retrieve and trim hanging garlic; split garlic into cloves for seed; plant and mulch garlic; and maybe some miscellaneous weeding and clean up.
If you still need to complete your pledged farm labor hours for your share discount please sign up soon. Alternatively, if you'd rather pay the full amount for your farm share that is fine, just send us a check to cover the workshift hours.
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October 13, 2019
Maple Syrup, Honey, Salmon, Pastured Meat, Coffee
by Farmer Dana
  • Susan and Todd Klikus of Augusta Acres Farm will be at Anchor Run CSA on Thursday, October 17th, 1:00-6:30pm to share and sell their maple syrup and honey!
    • 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 $24 (maple syrup only). All products are available to taste.
    • New product: Bourbon barrel aged maple syrup (amazing!). $12 for 6.7oz; $20 for 12.7oz.
    • Questions and to pre-order (only necessary if you won't be present to purchase products on Thursday), contact Susan Klikus directly at susanklikus@gmail.com.
    • If you can't make it to the farm during those hours and you would still like to participate in this opportunity contact Susan at susanklikus@gmail.com by end of day Tuesday, October 15th and she will set aside your order to pick up on your regularly scheduled pick up day.
  • Sukhi from Happy Cat coffee roasters will also be at the farm Thursday 3-6pm to sample and sell his freshly roasted single origin coffees.
  • Wild For Salmon is now taking orders for the Anchor Run CSA buying club. Orders should be placed by October 14th for an October 17th delivery to the farm. Please let us know if you cannot pick it up that day; we can hold a few orders temporarily. To order and for more information, follow this link. Wild For Salmon is based out of Bloomsburg, PA, but go to Bristol Bay, Alaska each summer to catch their fish.
  • And remember that Hershberger Heritage Farm is here on most Thursdays 1-6pm selling organic pastured meat.
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October 13, 2019
Eating into Fall
By Linda Dansbury

Fall growing practices for the fast and furiously growing lettuce mix will be modified for next season. It's simply impossible to keep up with and sections of a couple plantings will act as a cover crop as they attempt to flower. More numerous and later smaller plantings will be the replacement.
The cooler, crisper mornings and evenings have me searching for recipes. I have been traveling a lot lately though, so sadly I haven't been able to create new dishes as much as I would like. Here are a few things that we enjoyed recently:
Broccoli, Swiss chard, sweet and hot pepper, garlic, Hershberger steak - made a simple stir fry. Even though the broccoli is finished, it can be substituted with cauliflower, carrots, all greens, etc. Note also that the chard and peppers were not part of the recipe, but I like to add whatever I have on hand. Thinly slice the steak across the grain and marinade in a combo of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, dry sherry, cornstarch and pepper for about an hour. Blanch the broccoli (or cauliflower) for 2 minutes. Put peanut oil in a large skillet or wok and heat until almost smoking. Add meat in 1 layer and allow to sit for 30 seconds and then stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add peppers and stir fry for a minute. Add broccoli and greens and stir together. Add a couple teaspoons of Hoisin sauce and a bit of water or broth if needed. When heated through remove from heat, serve over brown rice and drizzle a bit of sesame oil over each bowl.
Cauliflower, peppers, onions - it is roasting time! Cut everything into bite sized pieces, mixed with a bit of olive oil and a couple teaspoons of zahtar spice and then roasted veggies at 425 for about 30 min, stirring in the middle of the time - this was so easy and yummy! Can't wait to make it again!
Cabbage, onions - pan fried thinly sliced cabbage and onions in a combination of butter and olive oil stirring frequently until tender and slightly browned. Added salt and pepper and chopped parsley near the end. Served it with a grilled pork roast and mashed potatoes - what a comforting fall meal!!
Peppers - made the Pepper Puree from this site with the bright red and orange peppers - will freeze and use in the future as a topping for fish, eggs and/or veggies.
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October 13, 2019
Glorious Greens!
By Linda Dansbury

Some of the best looking (and biggest) bok choy we've grown in a while will hopefully be in shares for at least a couple of weeks.
We talk a lot about greens because they are so plentiful in the spring and again in the fall. Some may still wonder what to do with the volume and variety we are receiving now. Here is a rough guideline of what we are receiving now:
Greens for salads - head lettuce, lettuce mix, arugula
Greens for salads and cooking - endive/escarole, greens mix, kale, bok choy, radicchio
Greens for cooking - collards, Swiss chard
As I have said in previous newsletters, find creative ways to use your greens - add to omelettes/frittatas; add to stir fries, soups and stews; smoothies. Don't worry if they aren't included in a recipe you are following - just add greens toward the end of cooking (except for collards in which most people prefer these cooked longer).
Search this sight for greens and you will see many recipes featuring greens. A delicious recipe that came from one of our farm interns is called Melum - it does require some knife work, but cooks up very quickly!
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October 13, 2019
Sign Up For 2019 Late Fall CSA!
by Farmer Dana
Registration is now open for the 2019 Late Fall CSA!
Offering a mix of fresh and storage crops like lettuce, spinach, radicchio, arugula, mizuna, bok choy, kale, collards, chard, cabbage, Napa cabbage, herbs, leeks, garlic, onions, beets, watermelon radishes, daikons, turnips, carrots, celeriac, kohlrabi, potatoes, rutabaga, and sweet potatoes. It's basically an extension of the Main Season share. We use season extension techniques and infrastructure such as the unheated high tunnel, hoop house, and hoop tunnel; the minimally heated greenhouse; low hoops; and row covers to provide fresh crops as well as storage crops.
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October 13, 2019
Winding Down, Up
by Farmer Derek

Farmer Dana holding a hefty bin of cauliflower.
Slowly our outdoor farming footprint contracts. Crops are being harvested; fields are being cleaned up, mowed, composted, cover cropped, put to bed for the winter. Because our crop rotation plan not only organizes crops spatially by family but also temporally we can temporarily remove entire finished fields from our to-do list as well as our consciousness (except for when we walk by an old cover crop mix of buckwheat and daikon and admire its beauty while snacking on buckwheat seeds). Our outdoor production is now basically confined to two fields adjacent to the driveway near the road, approximately 10% of our max summer footprint. After the frenetic pace of summer, peak sun, and total farm consciousness, this is a very welcome respite. We're also lucky that dry conditions allowed for a much easier time excavating and installing three more waterways (plus seeding, mulching, etc.) which were finished just in time for last week's almost-half-inch of light and perfect rain.
Much of our focus shifts indoors this time of year, to tunnel production as well as proper storage conditions for many long-term storage crops. We have three separate, insulated and temperature controlled rooms with differing humidity levels to satisfy varying storage needs for different crops. Last week we transplanted the second round of spinach in the high tunnel and the first round of arugula, kale, greens mix, and lettuce mix in the hoop tunnel. This coming week we'll plant the final rounds of those crops in those buildings. Next week we'll fill the greenhouse with the final planting of the year, lettuce mix. We may even endure our first legit frost later this week following what could be the first big rain event in quite a while.
Thank you for your support; hope to see you around the farm.
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October 6, 2019
For You
by Farmer Dana
We're doing our best to keep up with the plethora of mature crops that are now available, including head lettuce and infinite lettuce mix. Plentiful sunshine and heat hastened many crops earlier maturity.
Harvest #22 (Week B) should include broccoli early in the week/cauliflower later in the week and beyond, potatoes, cabbage (Napa, savoy), kale, chard, onions, leeks, head lettuce, lettuce mix, arugula, endive, green peppers, green tomatoes, beets, and garlic. U-pick should include herbs from the herb garden.
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October 6, 2019
Workshifts for Week of 10/6/19
by Farmer Derek

We see monarch butterflies regularly on the farm but still get pretty excited by them, perhaps due to their vulnerability and simple/exquisite beauty. Here one enjoys a late season red clover snack.
Workshifts scheduled for this week:
  • Wednesday (10/9) 10am-12noon
  • Friday (10/11) 10am-12noon
  • Sunday (10/13) 9-11am
Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here. Calendar is here. Member Work Guidelines are here.
If it is actively raining during the time of the shift we'll probably process garlic in the barn, out of the rain.
Work opportunities should last for about one more month. Upcoming tasks will include: harvest roots and storage crops (carrots, beets, turnips, etc); retrieve and trim hanging garlic; split garlic into cloves for seed; plant and mulch garlic; and maybe some miscellaneous weeding and clean up.
If you still need to complete your pledged farm labor hours for your share discount please sign up soon. Alternatively, if you'd rather pay the full amount for your farm share that is fine, just send us a check to cover the workshift hours.
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October 6, 2019
Shares Available for 2019 Late Fall CSA
by Farmer Dana

Watering in (and playing around) the first round of Late Fall greens. Overwintered, overlooked, 4-year-old rosemary also in view.
Registration is now open for the 2019 Late Fall CSA!
2019 marks the 8th Late Fall CSA season!
  • Offering a mix of fresh and storage crops like lettuce, spinach, radicchio, arugula, mizuna, bok choy, kale, collards, chard, cabbage, Napa cabbage, herbs, leeks, garlic, onions, beets, watermelon radishes, daikons, turnips, carrots, celeriac, kohlrabi, potatoes, rutabaga, and sweet potatoes. It's basically an extension of the Main Season share. We use season extension techniques and infrastructure such as the unheated high tunnel, hoop house, and hoop tunnel; the minimally heated greenhouse; low hoops; and row covers to provide fresh crops as well as storage crops.
  • Eight week season begins the week of November 11th (immediately following the conclusion of the Main Season) and ends the week of December 30th.
  • Full ($240), Medium ($175), and Half Shares ($130) available. Price/week remains the same as prior seasons. Half Shares will be assigned same A/B week as Main Season unless a different week is requested.
  • Pick up day options include Wednesday 1-8pm and Saturday 11am-1pm (you choose a day but you can switch temporarily by notifying us in advance) however...
  • (During the week of Thanksgiving, Late Fall Harvest Week #3, Wednesday's pick up will take place on Tuesday, November 26th to accommodate travelers and holiday schedules and...during the week of Christmas, Late Fall Harvest Week #7, Wednesday's pick up will take place on Thursday, December 26th.)
  • No work requirement/discount.
  • The total number of shares available is about half that of the Main Season, so sign up soon!
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October 6, 2019
Ready for the Change
by Farmer Derek

Fall in Field 1. Young cover crop mix of oats and buckwheat in foreground, prior home of husk cherries, tomatillos, and flowers.
Last week was a good and busy one, albeit one with too much midweek heat followed by lows 50 degrees colder. Laboring through summer's heat in October was a challenge, especially given the nature of the tasks that needed to be finished prior to the cool and moist weather. Record breaking everywhere in this region of the world, our previous latest in the calendar year 90 degree day was September 25th, back in '12 maybe. The heat, then the wind, definitely stressed out our young transplants that went in the ground on Tuesday, which needed to be hand watered 5-6 times over two days to get them settled into their new home. Soon I'll set up drip tape once they get some roots established then their management will be much easier. About 375' of beds were planted, 8-10 rows/bed. Another thousand bed feet will be planted in the next few weeks and will provide fresh greens throughout the Late Fall CSA.
Two out of three waterways have been finalized and seeded in Field 1, the last major component of a project that was first initiated in July 2016. In 2018 waterways were established in Fields 2 and 3 and had a huge impact this season when we were once again hit with flash flood rain events. The goal is to keep excess water from entering fields as well as collect and direct the water that falls on those fields to desired areas to prevent erosion and the loss of that precious resource, topsoil.
Ongoing around the farm is the continued collection of roots, storage crops, and the last of the summer fruits including beets, turnips, radishes, daikons, sweet peppers, and tomatoes. Tomato plants had to be removed from our Hoop Tunnel to make way for Late Fall greens. Green tomatoes and green peppers will be distributed for a couple of weeks. Eventually cold weather will nip some fresh crops and we'll dip into roots and storage crops a bit more.
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October 6, 2019
Last Potluck of 2019 Season!
by Farmer Dana
The final potluck of the 2019 season is scheduled for this Saturday, October 12th, 4:30-8pm. Join us under the pavilion for a shared meal. Bring a dish to share, your own place settings, and beverages. We'll have a fire, s'mores, and music after the meal. We hope to see you there to enjoy some cool fall weather together!
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News and Notes | Posts Filtered by Month - October 2019
 
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News and Notes | The Anchor Run Blog

Posts Filtered by Month - October 2019 |
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October 27, 2019
Fall Delights
By Linda Dansbury
The current harvest is a nice mix of greens, roots, and other veggies, giving us so many options for cooking and eating. I have been sauteing, roasting, stewing and "salading". Below is a sampling of what I have been cooking.
Fennel, onions, garlic, parsley, tomatoes - I always think of fish soup when I have fennel, and last night was no exception. I never use the same recipe twice and last night's was really yummy and perfect for a cool, rainy fall night.
Onions, fennel, garlic, herbs - made warm lentils as part of a salmon dinner. Fennel and lentils go together so well. I made the leftover lentils into a salad by adding shaved raw fennel, thinly sliced carrots, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil.
Sweet potatoes, cauliflower, sweet peppers, onions, rosemary - once again, I roasted veggies at 425 for about 35 minutes. Easy and delicious.
Bok choy - I have found that for these large heads of bok choy, cutting the green part of each stalk makes for better cooking. Either leave the stalks whole or cut into bite sized pieces. Put a little oil into a large saute pan or wok and add a few red pepper flakes or a hot pepper. When hot, put stalks in and stir fry/saute until almost desired tenderness. Add greens, turn off heat and mix until greens are just wilted - add a drizzle of sesame oil and/or soy sauce and enjoy.
Salads - been mixing the lettuce, endive, escarole, arugula together for beautiful salads. I also sometimes chop bok choy or shave some fennel into my salads. Adds crunch and another flavor profile. Add thinly sliced apples to your salads for healthy sweetness. Yum!
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October 27, 2019
Radicchio
By Linda Dansbury

Oh lovely radicchio. Good for the eyes, mind, and digestion.
The heads of radicchio are spectacular this year! I know some of you say it isn't your favorite veggie, but maybe you just need preparation advice. It keeps well in a plastic container in the fridge. I tear a leaf or 2 off the head and chop it into salads, and here are other ways to enjoy it:
  • Check out this site and try it in combination with other fall veggies: Escarole, Radicchio and Arugula Salad, Radicchio, Apple and Fennel Salad, and Braised Radicchio, Escarole and Fennel.
  • Grill or roast radicchio by cutting into quarters (or eighths), leaving core intact. Drizzle with olive oil and grill or roast in a 425 degree oven until slightly charred and barely wilted - this method helps cut the bitterness. Chop up and add to pasta or salads - balsamic vinegar works really well.
  • Chop into large pieces and saute in olive oil with or without things such as onions or garlic. Add some chopped fresh parsley at the end.
  • Combine with other ingredients that help offset the bitterness - cheeses, vinegars, citrus, meats such as proscuitto.
  • Blend and incorporate into a healthy smoothie.
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October 27, 2019
Any Workshifts this Week?
by Farmer Derek

Probably one of the final swallowtail larva sightings for this year.
The wacky warm wet weather has us unsure of the tasks we'll be able to accomplish this week. For now we're not posting any workshifts but will announce in a separate bulletin if we change our minds and the ground dries out a bit. A big job we have to do very soon is plant and mulch the 2020 garlic but ideally the ground won't be swampy.
If you still need to complete your pledged farm labor hours for your share discount please consider joining us for some of the few remaining workshift opportunities. Alternatively, if you'd rather pay the full amount for your farm share that is perfectly fine, just send us a check to cover the workshift hours. Log in here to view your total hours worked. Multiply your missed hours by $15 for your balance due.
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October 27, 2019
Registration Open for Late Fall and Main Season 2020
by Farmer Dana

The final round of 2019 transplants is in the ground! And should be harvested and enjoyed in December.
Registration is now open for the 2020 Main Season CSA, as well as the 2019 Late Fall CSA.
Log in here to join either or both seasons.
For additional Late Fall CSA information follow this link. This season begins in 2 weeks!
Main Season 2020 will mimic 2019 except it will be even better! That's our goal anyway. Mother Nature promises to oblige. Prices, pick up days/times, share sizes, etc. all remain the same.
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October 27, 2019
And In The End, Eat Well, Be Thankful
by Farmer Derek

With a little help from the little one, bountiful radicchio is inbound.
We're down to the final two weeks of the 2019 Main Season. This will be the last week of pick up for Week A Half Shares. To all members, we hope you've enjoyed the farm share this long 1/2-year of what will be twenty-six weeks of continual harvesting and eating. It's a commitment on your part, and we truly do appreciate your support of us and this farm. This 100-acre open space preserve is made whole and wholesome by the coming together of our community for a healthy and hopefully sustainable reason. We give thanks to be able to live and work here and strive to give back to the soil, the ecosystem, the earth, and you. We do our best to grow and provide to you produce that is truly worth your time to pick up, process, and consume. We hope that when you come to the farm you can breathe a little deeper, unwind a bit, and find temporary departure from some of the stresses and pressures of the world outside of this little Bucks County oasis. With your help Anchor Run CSA is successfully concluding its 16th season of harvests. Thank you one and all.
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October 27, 2019
Penultimate Main Season Share
by Farmer Dana
Harvest #25 (Week A) should include sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, cabbage, napa cabbage, radicchio, head lettuce, bok choy, lettuce mix, arugula, parsley, escarole, beets, celeriac, kohlrabi, collards, hakurei turnips, and fennel.
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October 20, 2019
A Fine Mixture
by Farmer Dana

It's been a good fall season for an abundance of greens.
Harvest #24 (Week B) should/could include sweet potatoes, cabbage (green/savoy/napa), head lettuce, garlic, onions, bok choy, lettuce mix, arugula, endive, fennel, cauliflower, hakurei turnips, celeriac, collards, escarole, kohlrabi, radicchio, and green tomatoes. U-pick should include herbs.
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October 20, 2019
Workshifts for Week of 10/20/19
by Farmer Derek

The farm crew along with members at a couple of workshifts harvested the entirety of the fall carrots on a beautiful fall day.
Workshifts scheduled for this week:
  • Wednesday (10/23) 6-8pm (garlic splitting into cloves for 2020 seed in the barn; a BYOB event!)
  • Friday (10/25) 10am-12noon
Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here. Calendar is here. Member Work Guidelines are here.
If it is actively raining (or too cold and windy) during the time of the shift we'll probably process garlic in the barn, out of the weather.
Work opportunities should last for 2-3 more weeks. Upcoming tasks will include: harvest roots and storage crops; retrieve and trim hanging garlic; split garlic into cloves for seed; plant and mulch garlic; and maybe some miscellaneous weeding and clean up.
If you still need to complete your pledged farm labor hours for your share discount please sign up soon. Alternatively, if you'd rather pay the full amount for your farm share that is fine, just send us a check to cover the workshift hours.
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October 20, 2019
Extend Your Share of the Harvest!
by Farmer Dana

Farm crew members Jacob and Haley prepare beds in the greenhouse for the final round of transplants.
Registration is now open for the 2019 Late Fall CSA!
Offering a mix of fresh and storage crops like lettuce, spinach, radicchio, arugula, mizuna, bok choy, kale, collards, chard, cabbage, Napa cabbage, herbs, leeks, garlic, onions, beets, watermelon radishes, daikons, turnips, carrots, celeriac, kohlrabi, potatoes, rutabaga, and sweet potatoes. It's basically an extension of the Main Season share. We use season extension techniques and infrastructure such as the unheated high tunnel, hoop house, and hoop tunnel; the minimally heated greenhouse; low hoops; and row covers to provide fresh crops as well as storage crops.
For more information, click here and scroll down to Late Fall CSA.
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October 20, 2019
Almost Assessment & Reflection Time
by Farmer Derek

Fast germinating wheat poking through the mat of straw in new Field 1 waterway.
Time moves quickly during the Main Season, perhaps due to the fact that there's hardly a minute to pause, reflect, and consider the passage of time. I do make an effort to take a second and make a note whenever something occurs with crop production that is worth having record of in the future. While my memory is probably okay, if I don't write it down (more accurately type it digitally) there's a chance we could make the same mistakes all over again. Farming, like many tasks and jobs and life, is a series of trials, experiments, experiences that one learns from and builds upon. Because some crops might only be grown once per year and because we have to wait a full year until we go about it all over again, it is helpful to have a good record of production. A lot of our 'off season' is spent reflecting, scrutinizing production and yield, finding ways to improve, deciding what may be superfluous, trying to identify what keeps members' tummies happy. Thus, we're about to depart the time of the season of serious hustle and bustle as we embark on the season of reflection and planning. That said, please let us know if you have any specific helpful tidbits of information to improve your/our CSA!
Last week we endured/enjoyed the first real rain event in a few months. It was definitely good to receive an ample soaker before temperatures and day length drop. It's worth noting that even though it rained outside and the ground is now saturated, we need to manually add water to our indoor tunnel environments where we exert control of most variables. The penultimate round of 2019 transplants was deposited in the soil last week and with each round the tunnel crops need at least two doses of watering with the wand followed by drip irrigation. When the plants are first transplanted their roots are confined to the surface of the soil; the goal here is to saturate the top of the soil profile to ward of transplant stress and encourage establishment of roots. After a few days they perk up and their roots begin to grow. We then water with drip tape about once per week, giving them a good drink, hoping their roots are now well established. Turning drip tape on is much quicker and easier than manually watering with a hose and wand which would take hours. Come December we probably won't have to water at all since evaporation will be minimal, roots should be well established, and soil moisture should be omnipresent.
The last few weeks of the Main Season are now upon us and we're feeling very thankful for what has been a pretty good year of farming. We're grateful for the support of our members and truly appreciate your support and trust. Since the light at the end of the Main Season tunnel can now be glimpsed with proper glasses we're confident the final few weeks will hold a bounty of good produce. Enjoy!
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October 20, 2019
How Sweet It Is!
By Linda Dansbury
There is an almost complete transition to fall crops now, and with that, a big transition in what we are eating. Here are a few things I did this past week:
Sweet potatoes - My pick up day is Thursday. This past Thursday was the first of the sweet potatoes for me. I went right home and put one in the oven to bake. When it was nice and soft I enjoyed it with a bit of salt and pepper - so, so sweet and delicious! Can't wait to have another one this simply cooked!
Cauliflower, leeks/onion, thyme - the large amount of cauliflower and cool temps had me making soup. Simply saute the onion and leek in olive oil until soft. While this is working, cut the cauliflower up into small pieces - stems, little green leaves, core and all. When the onions were translucent, added all of the cauliflower and covered it with veggie stock (you can use chicken stock or water), added salt and pepper, a couple thyme sprigs and a bay leaf and let it gently simmer until the cauliflower is soft. Removed bay leave and thyme stems and used the immersion blender and whirred it up until smooth. No need for cream or milk - this simple soup is delicious as is!
Cauliflower, leek, butternut squash (I still had 2), potatoes, sweet peppers, beets, rosemary sprig - it is veggie roasting time! Just rough chop everything and put in bowl. Mix with a bit of olive oil - not too much or the veggies won't brown - salt and pepper. Spread the veggies in a single layer on a large cookie sheet and add some roughly chopped rosemary. Roast in a 425 degree oven for 30 or so minutes, turning midway through. Cook until desired tenderness. Yum!
Lettuce, endive, fennel, parsley - made a large salad. Broke up the lettuce and endive and placed in a bowl. Shaved fennel with a mandoline into the bowl and chopped some parsley into the bowl as well. Made a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, a bit of honey, salt and pepper. Mixed well and enjoyed!
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October 20, 2019
Fall Enjoyment
By Linda Dansbury

Volunteer sunflowers from the 2018 u-pick flower patch grow within a buckwheat/daikon cover crop.
Last week there were a few new additions in the pick up room. Here is some tips on storing and enjoying them.
Sweet potatoes - we receive them unwashed so they will keep longer. Their skins are very delicate and washing will nick the skins, causing them to have openings that will cause the potato to rot. Gently wash them right before using. Sweets are best stored in a cool, well ventilated place - I store mine in wooden boxes. Right now they are in the garage, but when the air turns colder I will bring them to the basement. Cold storage is not good for sweet potatoes - it changes the chemistry and the sugar content will drop causing bitter tasting potatoes and can also make the texture woody. Sweet potatoes can be peeled, boiled and mashed, alone or with other veggies such as potatoes, turnips, celeriac and rutabaga. They are delicious cut up and added to a veggie roast. Baked and eaten plain, especially now that they are at their optimum sweetness. We also have a lot of recipes for sweet potatoes on this site, if you are looking for something a little different.
Fennel - fall crops of this licorice tasting veggie are so much fun, because it goes so well with apples and bitter greens such as escarole, endive, and radicchio and it is so delicious when braised as part of a stew or pot roast. Use a mandoline to slice it thin for raw preparations such as salads. The use of lemon juice and zest in a salad dressing that incorporates fennel is delicious. I also love it sliced thin with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and then Parmesan curls shaved over the top. Fennel and lentils are also meant to be together - cook up lentils with onion, fennel, salt and pepper and simmer until lentils and veggies are tender. Serve with a beautiful piece of salmon or roasted chicken. Fennel will keep for at least a few weeks when stored in plastic in the fridge.
Bok Choy - many people don't really know what to do with bok choy, but it is actually one of the easiest, fastest veggies to cook. It is also delicious raw and can be incorporated into a green salad, with the stalks providing a nice crunchy texture. I like to cook it by either stir frying or sauteing. Chop up some garlic and saute and then add the bok choy, which has been halved or quartered - this past week's crop is large, so quarter it and use a large saute pan. Since these are large, I add a bit of stock, but not much - just enough so the garlic doesn't burn. Add minced ginger and move the bok choy around along with garlic and ginger, when getting close to desired doneness, add soy sauce. Remove from pan and serve with a drizzle of sesame oil, if desired. Bok choy will store in the fridge in plastic for about a week.
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October 13, 2019
Introducing a Sweet New Few
by Farmer Dana
Harvest #23 (Week A) should include sweet potatoes, cauliflower, hakurei turnips, bok choy, greens mix, endive, lettuce mix, garlic, onions, head lettuce, collards, cabbage (savoy, Napa), green peppers, green tomatoes (some have turned red already), hot peppers, beets, and fennel. We're taking a small break from kale, chard, and arugula while bok choy is looking stellar. U-pick will include herbs.
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October 13, 2019
Workshifts for Week of 10/13/19
by Farmer Derek

With a little help from the little one we wrapped up the NRCS/USDA funded multi-year waterway improvement project.
Workshifts scheduled for this week:
  • Tuesday (10/15) 10am-12noon
  • Friday (10/18) 10am-12noon
  • Sunday (10/20) 9-11am
Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here. Calendar is here. Member Work Guidelines are here.
If it is actively raining during the time of the shift we'll probably process garlic in the barn, out of the rain.
Work opportunities should last for 3-4 more weeks. Upcoming tasks will include: harvest roots and storage crops (carrots, turnips, etc); retrieve and trim hanging garlic; split garlic into cloves for seed; plant and mulch garlic; and maybe some miscellaneous weeding and clean up.
If you still need to complete your pledged farm labor hours for your share discount please sign up soon. Alternatively, if you'd rather pay the full amount for your farm share that is fine, just send us a check to cover the workshift hours.
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October 13, 2019
Maple Syrup, Honey, Salmon, Pastured Meat, Coffee
by Farmer Dana
  • Susan and Todd Klikus of Augusta Acres Farm will be at Anchor Run CSA on Thursday, October 17th, 1:00-6:30pm to share and sell their maple syrup and honey!
    • 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 $24 (maple syrup only). All products are available to taste.
    • New product: Bourbon barrel aged maple syrup (amazing!). $12 for 6.7oz; $20 for 12.7oz.
    • Questions and to pre-order (only necessary if you won't be present to purchase products on Thursday), contact Susan Klikus directly at susanklikus@gmail.com.
    • If you can't make it to the farm during those hours and you would still like to participate in this opportunity contact Susan at susanklikus@gmail.com by end of day Tuesday, October 15th and she will set aside your order to pick up on your regularly scheduled pick up day.
  • Sukhi from Happy Cat coffee roasters will also be at the farm Thursday 3-6pm to sample and sell his freshly roasted single origin coffees.
  • Wild For Salmon is now taking orders for the Anchor Run CSA buying club. Orders should be placed by October 14th for an October 17th delivery to the farm. Please let us know if you cannot pick it up that day; we can hold a few orders temporarily. To order and for more information, follow this link. Wild For Salmon is based out of Bloomsburg, PA, but go to Bristol Bay, Alaska each summer to catch their fish.
  • And remember that Hershberger Heritage Farm is here on most Thursdays 1-6pm selling organic pastured meat.
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October 13, 2019
Eating into Fall
By Linda Dansbury

Fall growing practices for the fast and furiously growing lettuce mix will be modified for next season. It's simply impossible to keep up with and sections of a couple plantings will act as a cover crop as they attempt to flower. More numerous and later smaller plantings will be the replacement.
The cooler, crisper mornings and evenings have me searching for recipes. I have been traveling a lot lately though, so sadly I haven't been able to create new dishes as much as I would like. Here are a few things that we enjoyed recently:
Broccoli, Swiss chard, sweet and hot pepper, garlic, Hershberger steak - made a simple stir fry. Even though the broccoli is finished, it can be substituted with cauliflower, carrots, all greens, etc. Note also that the chard and peppers were not part of the recipe, but I like to add whatever I have on hand. Thinly slice the steak across the grain and marinade in a combo of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, dry sherry, cornstarch and pepper for about an hour. Blanch the broccoli (or cauliflower) for 2 minutes. Put peanut oil in a large skillet or wok and heat until almost smoking. Add meat in 1 layer and allow to sit for 30 seconds and then stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add peppers and stir fry for a minute. Add broccoli and greens and stir together. Add a couple teaspoons of Hoisin sauce and a bit of water or broth if needed. When heated through remove from heat, serve over brown rice and drizzle a bit of sesame oil over each bowl.
Cauliflower, peppers, onions - it is roasting time! Cut everything into bite sized pieces, mixed with a bit of olive oil and a couple teaspoons of zahtar spice and then roasted veggies at 425 for about 30 min, stirring in the middle of the time - this was so easy and yummy! Can't wait to make it again!
Cabbage, onions - pan fried thinly sliced cabbage and onions in a combination of butter and olive oil stirring frequently until tender and slightly browned. Added salt and pepper and chopped parsley near the end. Served it with a grilled pork roast and mashed potatoes - what a comforting fall meal!!
Peppers - made the Pepper Puree from this site with the bright red and orange peppers - will freeze and use in the future as a topping for fish, eggs and/or veggies.
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October 13, 2019
Glorious Greens!
By Linda Dansbury

Some of the best looking (and biggest) bok choy we've grown in a while will hopefully be in shares for at least a couple of weeks.
We talk a lot about greens because they are so plentiful in the spring and again in the fall. Some may still wonder what to do with the volume and variety we are receiving now. Here is a rough guideline of what we are receiving now:
Greens for salads - head lettuce, lettuce mix, arugula
Greens for salads and cooking - endive/escarole, greens mix, kale, bok choy, radicchio
Greens for cooking - collards, Swiss chard
As I have said in previous newsletters, find creative ways to use your greens - add to omelettes/frittatas; add to stir fries, soups and stews; smoothies. Don't worry if they aren't included in a recipe you are following - just add greens toward the end of cooking (except for collards in which most people prefer these cooked longer).
Search this sight for greens and you will see many recipes featuring greens. A delicious recipe that came from one of our farm interns is called Melum - it does require some knife work, but cooks up very quickly!
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October 13, 2019
Sign Up For 2019 Late Fall CSA!
by Farmer Dana
Registration is now open for the 2019 Late Fall CSA!
Offering a mix of fresh and storage crops like lettuce, spinach, radicchio, arugula, mizuna, bok choy, kale, collards, chard, cabbage, Napa cabbage, herbs, leeks, garlic, onions, beets, watermelon radishes, daikons, turnips, carrots, celeriac, kohlrabi, potatoes, rutabaga, and sweet potatoes. It's basically an extension of the Main Season share. We use season extension techniques and infrastructure such as the unheated high tunnel, hoop house, and hoop tunnel; the minimally heated greenhouse; low hoops; and row covers to provide fresh crops as well as storage crops.
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October 13, 2019
Winding Down, Up
by Farmer Derek

Farmer Dana holding a hefty bin of cauliflower.
Slowly our outdoor farming footprint contracts. Crops are being harvested; fields are being cleaned up, mowed, composted, cover cropped, put to bed for the winter. Because our crop rotation plan not only organizes crops spatially by family but also temporally we can temporarily remove entire finished fields from our to-do list as well as our consciousness (except for when we walk by an old cover crop mix of buckwheat and daikon and admire its beauty while snacking on buckwheat seeds). Our outdoor production is now basically confined to two fields adjacent to the driveway near the road, approximately 10% of our max summer footprint. After the frenetic pace of summer, peak sun, and total farm consciousness, this is a very welcome respite. We're also lucky that dry conditions allowed for a much easier time excavating and installing three more waterways (plus seeding, mulching, etc.) which were finished just in time for last week's almost-half-inch of light and perfect rain.
Much of our focus shifts indoors this time of year, to tunnel production as well as proper storage conditions for many long-term storage crops. We have three separate, insulated and temperature controlled rooms with differing humidity levels to satisfy varying storage needs for different crops. Last week we transplanted the second round of spinach in the high tunnel and the first round of arugula, kale, greens mix, and lettuce mix in the hoop tunnel. This coming week we'll plant the final rounds of those crops in those buildings. Next week we'll fill the greenhouse with the final planting of the year, lettuce mix. We may even endure our first legit frost later this week following what could be the first big rain event in quite a while.
Thank you for your support; hope to see you around the farm.
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October 6, 2019
For You
by Farmer Dana
We're doing our best to keep up with the plethora of mature crops that are now available, including head lettuce and infinite lettuce mix. Plentiful sunshine and heat hastened many crops earlier maturity.
Harvest #22 (Week B) should include broccoli early in the week/cauliflower later in the week and beyond, potatoes, cabbage (Napa, savoy), kale, chard, onions, leeks, head lettuce, lettuce mix, arugula, endive, green peppers, green tomatoes, beets, and garlic. U-pick should include herbs from the herb garden.
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October 6, 2019
Workshifts for Week of 10/6/19
by Farmer Derek

We see monarch butterflies regularly on the farm but still get pretty excited by them, perhaps due to their vulnerability and simple/exquisite beauty. Here one enjoys a late season red clover snack.
Workshifts scheduled for this week:
  • Wednesday (10/9) 10am-12noon
  • Friday (10/11) 10am-12noon
  • Sunday (10/13) 9-11am
Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here. Calendar is here. Member Work Guidelines are here.
If it is actively raining during the time of the shift we'll probably process garlic in the barn, out of the rain.
Work opportunities should last for about one more month. Upcoming tasks will include: harvest roots and storage crops (carrots, beets, turnips, etc); retrieve and trim hanging garlic; split garlic into cloves for seed; plant and mulch garlic; and maybe some miscellaneous weeding and clean up.
If you still need to complete your pledged farm labor hours for your share discount please sign up soon. Alternatively, if you'd rather pay the full amount for your farm share that is fine, just send us a check to cover the workshift hours.
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October 6, 2019
Shares Available for 2019 Late Fall CSA
by Farmer Dana

Watering in (and playing around) the first round of Late Fall greens. Overwintered, overlooked, 4-year-old rosemary also in view.
Registration is now open for the 2019 Late Fall CSA!
2019 marks the 8th Late Fall CSA season!
  • Offering a mix of fresh and storage crops like lettuce, spinach, radicchio, arugula, mizuna, bok choy, kale, collards, chard, cabbage, Napa cabbage, herbs, leeks, garlic, onions, beets, watermelon radishes, daikons, turnips, carrots, celeriac, kohlrabi, potatoes, rutabaga, and sweet potatoes. It's basically an extension of the Main Season share. We use season extension techniques and infrastructure such as the unheated high tunnel, hoop house, and hoop tunnel; the minimally heated greenhouse; low hoops; and row covers to provide fresh crops as well as storage crops.
  • Eight week season begins the week of November 11th (immediately following the conclusion of the Main Season) and ends the week of December 30th.
  • Full ($240), Medium ($175), and Half Shares ($130) available. Price/week remains the same as prior seasons. Half Shares will be assigned same A/B week as Main Season unless a different week is requested.
  • Pick up day options include Wednesday 1-8pm and Saturday 11am-1pm (you choose a day but you can switch temporarily by notifying us in advance) however...
  • (During the week of Thanksgiving, Late Fall Harvest Week #3, Wednesday's pick up will take place on Tuesday, November 26th to accommodate travelers and holiday schedules and...during the week of Christmas, Late Fall Harvest Week #7, Wednesday's pick up will take place on Thursday, December 26th.)
  • No work requirement/discount.
  • The total number of shares available is about half that of the Main Season, so sign up soon!
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October 6, 2019
Ready for the Change
by Farmer Derek

Fall in Field 1. Young cover crop mix of oats and buckwheat in foreground, prior home of husk cherries, tomatillos, and flowers.
Last week was a good and busy one, albeit one with too much midweek heat followed by lows 50 degrees colder. Laboring through summer's heat in October was a challenge, especially given the nature of the tasks that needed to be finished prior to the cool and moist weather. Record breaking everywhere in this region of the world, our previous latest in the calendar year 90 degree day was September 25th, back in '12 maybe. The heat, then the wind, definitely stressed out our young transplants that went in the ground on Tuesday, which needed to be hand watered 5-6 times over two days to get them settled into their new home. Soon I'll set up drip tape once they get some roots established then their management will be much easier. About 375' of beds were planted, 8-10 rows/bed. Another thousand bed feet will be planted in the next few weeks and will provide fresh greens throughout the Late Fall CSA.
Two out of three waterways have been finalized and seeded in Field 1, the last major component of a project that was first initiated in July 2016. In 2018 waterways were established in Fields 2 and 3 and had a huge impact this season when we were once again hit with flash flood rain events. The goal is to keep excess water from entering fields as well as collect and direct the water that falls on those fields to desired areas to prevent erosion and the loss of that precious resource, topsoil.
Ongoing around the farm is the continued collection of roots, storage crops, and the last of the summer fruits including beets, turnips, radishes, daikons, sweet peppers, and tomatoes. Tomato plants had to be removed from our Hoop Tunnel to make way for Late Fall greens. Green tomatoes and green peppers will be distributed for a couple of weeks. Eventually cold weather will nip some fresh crops and we'll dip into roots and storage crops a bit more.
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October 6, 2019
Last Potluck of 2019 Season!
by Farmer Dana
The final potluck of the 2019 season is scheduled for this Saturday, October 12th, 4:30-8pm. Join us under the pavilion for a shared meal. Bring a dish to share, your own place settings, and beverages. We'll have a fire, s'mores, and music after the meal. We hope to see you there to enjoy some cool fall weather together!
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