August 28, 2016
U Pick Winding Down, Fall Greens Returning
By Linda Dansbury

Even though it still feels like summer, the fields are starting to say fall. This week the weather will become more fall-like and the cooler night temps along with shorter days will slow down the summer crops. Please make sure you work U-pick into your schedule, because there are only a couple of weeks left to pick before the crops are finished for 2016.

Kale will make it's first appearance in a while and barring a major insect or weather event, we should see it nearly every week going forward. Since it is still quite warm, consider making Kale Caesar Salad. I find massaging the leaves into velvet, as the recipe describes to be quite relaxing. Another great way to use kale for a 1 dish meal in which we currently have all the ingredients is to remove mid ribs and roughly chop the kale; cut up potatoes into thick slices or chunks, slice onions. Put all in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Place in a baking dish and top with chicken thighs and/or drumsticks that have been oiled, and salt and peppered. Cover with foil and place in a 375 degree oven for about 20 min. Remove foil and continue cooking until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through and slightly browned - about 15 minutes. Enjoy with a side salad of tomatoes or lettuces.

August 28, 2016
Preserving
By Linda Dansbury

Well, not really in the traditional sense, but saving things none-the-less. I prepared my edamame for freezing, made another large batch of Caponata and will most likely make more Tomatillo Sauce today. Here is a bit of other food I made this week. Please send your ideas to me at lindadansbury@comcast.net

Sweet peppers, onion, edamame, herbs - I had a couple of ears of sweet corn that I wanted to use up, so I removed it from the cobs. I sauteed onion, garlic and chopped sweet peppers and when they were soft I added the cooked edamame and corn and heated them up for a few minutes. Topped with chopped mixed herbs right before serving. It was delicious.

Green beans, garlic, scallion, herbs - made a green bean salad that I enjoyed for a few days for lunches.

Sweet peppers - grilled(roasted) several of them. When charred all over, placed them in a plastic bag - the skins come off much easier when you do this. When cooled, I removed the skin, stem and seeds and cut into strips. Added a little bit of garlic, salt and pepper and a drop of balsamic vinegar and a bit of olive oil. I love to put these on sandwiches, but they are great on eggs, served alongside grilled meats, etc, etc.

Lettuce, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, the last of summer squash - made the Warm Summer Squash and Sausage Salad

August 28, 2016
Are husk cherries taking over your counters?
By Linda Dansbury

Member Carolyn Diana sent me a note about using the husk cherries that sounds delicious! Thanks for taking the time to send this Carolyn!

She says "after salsas and sauces, she was running out of ideas on how to use them, so she tried the following recipe for a crumble and she said it turned out great. The cherries were mixed with enough fruit so it didn't taste tomato-y - she will definitely make it again!"

Mix 3 cups of fruit into a pie dish - she used a quart of husk cherries(but once the paper husks were removed, it was less), a sliced banana, some frozen strawberries and blueberries, a chopped apple, and one chopped up date.

Toss fruit with a little sugar - Carolyn used Truvia, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and a 1/4 cup of flour. Carolyn used oat flour.

In another bowl, mix 1 cup flour(again oat flour), 3/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1/4 cup sugar(again Truvia), dash of salt, 6 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil, or a combo - Carolyn used the combo.

Sprinkle the mixture over fruit and bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.

August 28, 2016
Late Summer Mix
By Derek McGeehan

Harvest #16 (Week B) should include kale, winter squash, potatoes, sweet peppers, fresh onions, scallions, cured garlic, lettuce, swiss chard, eggplant, okra, hot peppers, and tomatoes. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include cherry tomatoes, husk cherries, tomatillos, flowers, dill, cilantro, basil, and perennial herbs.

August 28, 2016
Workshifts week of 8/28
By Derek McGeehan

Half of your committed work hours should be completed soon! Over the course of the season full shares work 8 hours; half shares work 4 hours. If you're unable to contribute the physical portion of your share, you must contribute to the farm financially at the rate of $15/hour. This fills out the balance of your share cost.

Tuesday 8/30 8-10am; 10am-12noon

Wednesday 8/31 8-10am; 10am-12noon; 6-8pm

Friday 9/2 8-10am; 10am-12noon

Saturday 9/3 8-10am

Monday Labor Day 10am-12noon

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

Thank you!

August 28, 2016
Dry and Hot, Again
By Derek McGeehan

Having received under an inch of rain in all of August we've been forced to return to regularly irrigating as much of the farm as possible. Like July, when we received 12 inches of liquid, August is also testing our resolve, but for the obvious opposite reason. The boom and bust cycle continues, Mother Nature and Father Geology grin and play games, we march on, trying our best to keep the farm productive and the CSA shares satisfying. During dry weather we are very lucky to have soils that drain very slowly, hold moisture well, and face north. For these reasons July was a difficult month but the farm survived with only a relatively small noticeable amount of loss. If anything, the stress is probably worse for us than the crops, but that's how it goes. After spending a solid 20 hours setting up irrigation infrastructure last week for all of the crops that need it, we're a bit more comfortable. We were eagerly looking forward to last Sunday's hypothetical rain event to water in newly sown cover crops and the .2 inches received looks to have sprouted some of the seeds. Now we hope that they can tolerate the dry heat and hold on until we receive more rain, whenever that may be. Farming is not for the faint of heart.

August 21, 2016
A Mix of Summer and Fall
By Derek McGeehan

Harvest #15 (Week A) should include eggplant, winter squash, carrots, sweet peppers, cured garlic, uncured onions, scallions, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, okra, and hot peppers. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include cherry tomatoes, husk cherries, tomatillos, beans, edamame, flowers, and annual and perennial herbs.

August 21, 2016
Workshifts week of 8/21
By Derek McGeehan

Half of your committed work hours should be completed soon! Over the course of the season full shares work 8 hours; half shares work 4 hours. If you're unable to contribute the physical portion of your share, you must contribute to the farm financially at the rate of $15/hour. This fills out the balance of your share cost.

Tuesday 8/23 8-10am; 10am-12noon

Wednesday 8/24 8-10am; 10am-12noon; 6-8pm

Friday 8/26 8-10am; 10am-12noon

Saturday 8/27 8-10am

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

Thank you!

August 21, 2016
Perhaps a Brief Respite
By Derek McGeehan

With daylight slowly diminishing, the sun perceptibly getting lower in the sky, shadows getting longer, summer crops and weeds showing their age, and the upcoming lows in the 50s, thoughts are beginning to meander towards fall. Today, we're still in August in the heat and humidity of summer, but with changing seasons on the distant horizon the scramble to collect as much sunlight and photosynthesize it into edible food is palpable. We're busy harvesting and securing long-season crops. Onions were just completed, potatoes are perhaps halfway finished, and all of the winter squash except for butternut has been stowed. We're busy putting fields to sleep for the winter by mowing and plowing spring and summer crops and sowing mixes of cover crops to protect and gather up nutrients from the soil before winter. Cover crops are an essential part of an organic produce farm to replenish soil health, increase organic matter, add nitrogen, and provide pollinator habitat. We've already sowed a buckwheat and daikon radish mix that is up and growing. We're hoping tonight's rain event triggers the growth of the buckwheat, daikon, crimson clover, and oat mix that we sowed over a large part of the farm on Friday. If the seeds germinate and the cover crop successfully grows, that part of the farm can be removed from most of our thoughts until the spring.

August 21, 2016
Ledamete Grass Farm's Monthly Market August 25th, preorder now!

Ledamete Grass Farm will be at Anchor Run Farm for a market day on Thursday, August 25 from 1-5pm*!

*If you can't make that day/time, pre-orders can be left in the freezer for you to pick up on your next share day.
Order Your Pastured Meats Today- Deadline Midnight August 22nd!

100% Grassfed Beef
Pasture & Forest Raised Pork
Pastured Chicken
PRE-ORDERS preferred but day of sales will be welcomed.

To learn more about our farming practices, read below, visit our website, and check us out on Facebook. . To order visit our e-commerce site here. Ledamete Grass Farm Pasture & Forest-Raised Pork
We raise Tamworth cross heritage breed pigs, as they thrive in the forest and field and are known for their excellent flavor. In addition to forage, our pigs are fed local grain raised with organic methods, organic veggie compost, and grass-fed raw dairy products.
Ledamete Grass Farm Pastured Poultry
Our chickens and turkeys are raised on pasture with constant access to fresh bugs, herbs and grasses. In addition to the forage they find, we provide our birds with grain, grown and milled fresh by a local farmer who utilizes organic methods. The birds' access to fresh air, exercise, sunshine, green grass and bugs creates very delicious and nutritious meat!
Ledamete Grass Farm 100% Grassfed Beef
We raise Rotakawa Devon/Jersey Cross beef as they do very well on 100% grass. This meat is nutrient dense and delicious!

August 21, 2016
Some to eat, some to store
By Linda Dansbury

Derek's weekly post talks about the changing of the seasons and late summer is the time when I tend to work the most on "storing" food for the winter months ahead. I don't do a lot of canning - pickles, tomato sauce and sometimes relish, dilly beans and a hot pepper spread are my main canned goods. However I do prep and freeze things for enjoyment later. If you have ideas on how you enjoyed your harvest, please send to me at lindadansbury@comcast.net.

Tomatillos, hot pepper, garlic - made a large batch (from a couple of weeks of U-pick) of Tomatillo Sauce and froze it in the size batches needed to make complete recipes later.

Edamame - cooked as explained in prior emails. I took half of my U-pick and drained them well, placed on cookie sheet and froze, then when frozen I placed in plastic bag. The other half I shelled while watching Olympic event and used the same method for freezing - this helps expedite prep for dishes that use shelled edamame.

Eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic - made a large batch of Caponata 1 and 2. I really love this dish because it is so flexible: it can be eaten at room temperature as a topping for bruschetta, a pizza topping, as a side dish, added to pasta - if you add white beans or some type of meat, it is a complete meal. Caponata freezes very well, so I do so in containers that are enough for a meal.

Cherry and heirloom tomatoes, garlic, basil - Uncooked Tomato Sauce over pasta.

Snap Beans, scallions, garlic, tomatoes, edamame - made a delicious stir fry using our ground pork from Ledemete Grass.

Tomatoes, garlic, basil - made bruschetta and Caprese Salad a few times as we do every year when the tomatoes are at their peak.

August 21, 2016
Summer crops
By Linda Dansbury

This week we will have cured garlic in the pick up room, which means the covering around each clove has "hardened off" enough that they protect the bulbs, ie., you no longer need to refrigerate what is picked up. They still need to be stored in a reasonably cool, dry place or they will rot/dry out/sprout sooner rather than later.

For newer members, what do you do with the edamame? Well, it makes a delicious Hummus. Also, they freeze really well. I typically freeze half to 2/3 of my harvest of edamame. I shell many of them prior to freezing to save time later in the year when I dig them out of the freezer, but if I don't have time, I freeze them shell and all. One thing you may not know is that edamame can be used in place of lima beans in recipes, which is how most of mine get used up - added to soups, stews, used in succotash - they are wonderful! and so good for you.

August 14, 2016
Heat Surviving Veggies
By Derek McGeehan

Harvest #14 (Week B) should include spaghetti winter squash, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant, carrots, fresh onions, fresh garlic, potatoes, lettuce, scallions, okra, and hot peppers. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include green beans, edamame, cherry tomatoes, husk cherries, tomatillos, dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, perennial herbs, and a flower bouquet.

August 14, 2016
Workshifts for week 8/14
By Derek McGeehan

Half of your committed work hours should be completed soon! Over the course of the season full shares work 8 hours; half shares work 4 hours. If you're unable to contribute the physical portion of your share, you may contribute to the farm financially at the rate of $15/hour. This fills out the balance of your share cost.

Tuesday 8/16 8-10am; 10am-12noon

Wednesday 8/17 8-10am; 10am-12noon; 6-8pm

Friday 8/19 8-10am; 10am-12noon

Saturday 8/20 8-10am

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

Thank you!

August 14, 2016
Another Blast of Heat
By Derek McGeehan

For a brief period of time last week the weather forecast showed highs in the upper 70s at the end of next week, which temporarily helped us to tolerate this current furnace blast. The forecast has changed, and the heat swelters on. We're back to mildly hoping for rain after wishing it would stop raining, and so far the thunderstorms have missed us the past few days. I reluctantly turned on the irrigation yesterday for many of the crops that are currently being harvested on a continual basis. The boom and bust rain cycle leaves us pleasantly bewildered. The dry weather and soil combination is allowing us to catch up and get ahead with certain tasks like harvesting potatoes and onions, subduing grass and sowing cover crops, and perpetually working towards the common goal of successfully completing the 26-week CSA season. I feel very close to mother nature as I sit here and write these notes in a lingering sweaty mess in an un-air-conditioned house and am thankful for the solar panels providing some of the needed power to our 2 window AC units and walk-in cooler refrigerator in the barn. The window AC units are set for 60 degrees and are currently protecting potatoes, tomatoes, and winter squash, as well as some seeded flats of colder-germinating crops like spinach, lettuces, and collards. The walk-in is set for 36-40 degrees and houses everything else we harvest. I wouldn't mind sleeping out there.

August 14, 2016
Okra and Hot Peppers
By Linda Dansbury

This will be the first week for hot peppers and I think most people know at least something about them. In order to determine how many to use in a recipe, prior to chopping them up and adding to a recipe, slice the pepper(s) and then touch the cut edge with your finger and taste it - be prepared for the heat to come on - but, some types have just a mild heat and taste is more fruity than hot. Like sweet peppers, they store well in plastic in the fridge. They also freeze fine. Just put them in a plastic bag or container whole and place in freezer.

Okra is an item we have only seen a few times so far this year. Okra is probably best known in this country as the essential ingredient in Gumbo, and in fact, one early name for Okra was gumbo. Okra does not keep well, so use it within a week. It does well being quickly blanched and frozen or cook it and enjoy or freeze. There are several seasonal recipes on this site, including Roasted potato and okra salad, Easy Indian-style okra stew, Okra and green beans and Louisiana shrimp gumbo - the later is a much lighter version of the better known gumbo recipes that begin with a dark rue. The bolded recipes above can be clicked on to get right to the recipes.

August 14, 2016
Summer heat continues
By Linda Dansbury

Life got in the way of cooking much this past week, but here are few highlights of things we enjoyed:

Tomato, cucumber, carrot, celery, scallion, garlic, basil - Made Gazpacho, the recipe I love is on this site. The veggies are roughly chopped and then "marinate" overnight. Right before serving, it goes into a blender and is blended to desired consistency - refreshing and delicious!

Scallions, carrots, cucumber, beans - made Vietnamese spring rolls - we used shrimp. Again, simple, refreshing weeknight dinner.

Eggplant, summer squash, scallions, peppers - grilled a lot at one time, ate them with our protein and then made the leftovers into pasta salad the next day.

August 14, 2016
Southern tomato pie, oh my!!
By Linda Dansbury

Assistant Farmer Mary Liz Watson sent me a note about a recipe called Southern Tomato Pie. She said she grew up eating it, but in this area nobody has heard of it, myself included. She sent me a link and the way she makes it, so the adapted recipe is now on this site. It does take a little bit of time, but I think the hardest part will be the wait time needed for it to set up after it comes out of the oven! Thanks Mary Liz - it sounds delicious.

Please send your ideas to me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and include Anchor Run in the subject line so I can find your email.

August 7, 2016
Workshifts Week of 8/7
By Derek McGeehan

Half of your committed work hours should be completed soon! Over the course of the season full shares work 8 hours; half shares work 4 hours. If you're unable to contribute the physical portion of your share, you may contribute to the farm financially at the rate of $15/hour. This fills out the balance of your share cost.

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

Thank you!

August 7, 2016
New this week - Fresh onions. Spaghetti squash and Edamame!!
By Linda Dansbury

Wow, it is hard to believe we are already into August - the veggie assortment tells us how late it already is in the season. Three new items arrive this week - all things that I really enjoy!

Fresh Onions - not a lot I have to say about these - they are to be used as you would "cured" onions in any recipe. The only difference is these need to be stored in the refrigerator.

Spaghetti Squash - is called this because of the way the flesh separates into spaghetti-like strands when cooked. Spaghetti squash is the first of the hard shelled or winter squashes we receive and although they do store well, these will not keep as long as some of the others that will come later in the season. Store them in a cool part of your house, but not too humid - I say this because some basements are great temperature wise, but might be too humid this time of year for good storage conditions. To cook them, I have tried several suggested methods over the years and have decided that the easiest, most reliable method is to preheat over to about 375 degrees. Cut the squash lengthwise in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash cut side down in a deep baking dish and put enough water in the dish to cover the bottom. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a knife goes easily through - time is dependent on size of the squash. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle take a fork and scrape the strands out of the shells. We have several delicious recipes on this site so please use the search feature. This time of year I would say my favorite way is to prepare the Uncooked Tomato Sauce recipe and top the hot strands of the spaghetti squash with the sauce, adding whatever cheese component you like - simple and delicious!!

Edamame - is one of the treats most anticipated by long time members. Take the time to do your U Pick - I try to plan my weekends to do U-Pick when the weather is at the best it can be - sometimes heat, humidity and T-storms make it a bit of a challenge, but you definitely don't want to miss out. The most mature pods are typically at the bottom of the plants. Pick those that have well formed beans showing through the outer shell. Store in a plastic bag until ready to prepare - I have to say that my first picking each year gets eaten up immediately, and then later pickings I get to prepare and freeze for use all winter long. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add A LOT of salt - about 2 Tablespoons per 3 quarts of water. Add beans and be careful they don't boil over - that is the reason for mentioning a large pot - start checking for tenderness at about 9 minutes - sometimes they are ready at that point but can take up to 15 minutes. Drain and salt again - suck the pods and the beans will come right out - Yum!! I will highlight recipes in future weeks but you can search the site for delicious ways to use your edamame.

August 7, 2016
A Mid-Summer Change
By Derek McGeehan

Harvest #13 (Week A) should include tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, carrots, spaghetti winter squash, lettuce, chard, scallions, fresh uncured onions, fresh garlic, okra, beets, cabbage, celery, watermelon, cantaloupe, and potatoes. Some items may be a choice and/or may not be available during all pick ups. U-pick should include edamame, tomatoes, husk cherries, tomatillos, flowers, dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, and perennial herbs.

August 7, 2016
With Help From CSA Members
By Derek McGeehan

Once again I'm amazed by how much work can be accomplished when we have large groups helping out with farm tasks. Besides all of the necessary weeding, cultivating, and transplanting that needs to be done every week on the farm, this time of year the harvesting of crops like potatoes, onions, and winter squash as well as the cleaning up of watermelon, squash, cucumber, and pea patches truly benefit from strength in numbers. Last week, with the help of workshifts, we were able to harvest 40% of the onions, both varieties of spaghetti squash, about 20% of the potatoes, as well as remove all of the weed suppression fabric from the cucurbit crops. From the farm management and functionality perspective this is great, but I hope that it is also valuable to you, our members, to come out to the farm and work with your food community. To us, this is an extremely important tenet of the CSA model. You're involved in your own food production, learn some specifics about growing crops, get some exercise outside, and work alongside other folks who are also trying to eat healthy food. For those of you that cannot contribute physically but instead contribute financially, your support is meaningfully felt as well, and we're glad this is an option for you. Because we're a CSA-only farm, in the end we're all in this together.

August 7, 2016
Endings and Beginnings
By Linda Dansbury

This time of year even though it is the heat of the summer, we begin to see changes in the harvest: the delicious and abundant summer squash and cucumbers have succumbed to diseases which spread like wild fire when humidity is high as we have seen in the past couple of weeks (our farmers have tried sequential planting later in the season so we can enjoy these crops through the month of August, but it is a "fruitless" endeavor because the plants succumb before even bearing a crop). But, we are receiving the first of the onion, winter squash and edamame so our meals will shift. For this past week, here is a bit of what we enjoyed:

Tomato, garlic, scallion, basil - we have been enjoying some version of tomato salad on most nights - sometimes with little pieces of fresh mozzarella, sometimes with goat feta or sometimes no cheese at all. On nights when I add a touch of balsamic vinegar in addition to the good quality olive oil, we will have a nice hunk of bread to soak up the juices at the end - I learned this as a kid and we would all fight for the juices at the bottom of the bowl - one of the most delicious things about local summer tomatoes!

Tomato, garlic - we spent a week in Barcelona in late spring and one of the iconic dishes there is called Tomato Bread. In eating that week we found every restaurant has their version of it, but one of the best and easiest ones is this: using a rustic loaf of bread, slice it into about 1/2-inch thick slices, and bake bread in a 450 degree oven until lightly toasted. When cool enough to handle, take a garlic clove and slice in half and rub one side of each slice of bread with the garlic. Then, take a nice meaty tomato, and do the same thing - you should have a light coating of tomato on each slice. Next, drizzle a good quality olive oil over each piece and top with a sprinkle of a nice flake sea salt. The bread is delicious eaten as is, or can be served alongside cured meats (Jamon in Spanish), cheeses and olives.

Eggplant, summer squash, tomatoes - grilled and made a big platter to have alongside grilled fish. For the tomatoes, we cut in half and just gently grilled and topped with a very light sprinkle of sea salt.

Eggplant - I have tried several baba ganoush recipes over the years and decided to try yet another one in which the eggplant is cut in half and grilled until the skin is blackened and the flesh is soft like pudding. Allow to cool and then proceed with your favorite recipe. You are left with blackened bits in the baba ganoush and that little bit of char is delicious. We had a guest tell me it was the best baba ganoush he had ever had- Yay! I do use a recipe from the Zahav cookbook, which has the cook take a prepared tahini and boost its flavor with garlic, lemon juice and cumin - if anyone wants the detailed recipe let me know - we find it is worth the extra time and I make from scratch hummus at the same time.

Tomatillos, scallions, garlic - I have told you about using the tomatillo sauce that I freeze over the year and then roast chicken with it. I had an idea last week of wanting to make some type of taco using the tomatillo sauce. The idea came from thinking about how to cook delicious recipes that come together quickly without heating up the house. I have a wonderful pressure cooker that was a Christmas present that I used all winter long, but had not used in months. This time, I seared chicken thighs in the pressure cooker then placed them all in and poured the tomatillo sauce over the top and mixed it all together. I set the pressure cooker for cooking chicken and let it go. I can't say how amazing this came out!! The chicken pulled apart, making it perfect for a taco-like preparation. We used soft corn tortillas that we had warmed up, spread some of the mixture on and topped with a few scallions and rolled them up. We then spooned more of the tomatillo sauce over the top, sprinkled with cilantro, chopped tomato and a little feta cheese - this meal was an 'aha!' moment!

August 7, 2016
More tomatillo ideas
By Linda Dansbury

If you want to share your ideas and/or recipes with fellow members, please email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line so I can find your suggestion. By the way, someone had sent D&D an email with a slow cooker recipe and somehow it was lost in the emailing on to me, so whoever took the time to do so, I would love for you to send it to me.

Nancy Wasch came up with a happy accident using tomatillos. She cut them into quarters and 8ths. She roasted them and turned off the oven and then forgot about them. She later found that they had continued cooking into a "sun-dried tomato" consistency. She said they are packed with flavor and she assumes they will keep a long time the way tomatoes prepped this way do.

Thanks for sharing Nancy, it does sound very interesting!!