October 28, 2018
Workshifts this Week (10/29-11/4)
by Farmer Dana

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

We're quickly approaching the end of farm work opportunities so please consider signing up soon for a workshift if you chose the work discount option for your share!

If you chose the discount but don't think you'll be able to fulfill the work obligation simply send us a check to cover the hours/balance (4 hours for a half share, $60; 6 hours for a medium share, $90; 8 hours for a full share, $120; or $15/hour if you worked partial).

Thank you!

October 28, 2018
Late Fall CSA Starts Soon - Sign Up Today!!
by Farmer Derek

Sign in here to join our 7th annual six-week Late Fall CSA. Full, Medium, and Half Shares are available.

October 28, 2018
Roots!
By Linda Dansbury

Well, it seems we have transitioned right into winter - it is supposed to warm up this week to more normal temperatures but for now, I am welcoming it in warming dishes. Send me how you are enjoying your harvest at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the Subject Line.

As I mentioned last week, roasted veggies are key to my cooking at this time of the year. I basically take everything out of the fridge (except for the greens) and storage, chop them up into similar sized chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary, and roast at somewhere between 380 and 400. Turning every 15 minutes is important so that everything cooks evenly and so nothing sticks to the pan.

Sweet peppers, potatoes, leeks, watermelon radish, celeriac - this week's roasted bounty - again, I made a lot and ate one night alongside a meat dish and then used another night for a frittata.

Kale - made Kale Chips for a yummy, healthy snack. Recipe is on this site but it is simple: preheat oven to 375. Remove tough stems, tear into pieces - not too small because they shrink significantly in the oven. Toss with a little olive oil and salt - if you want, add another spice - cumin or cayenne are nice. Place on cookie sheet in single layer - if they overlap, they won't crisp up. Bake for 10 min, checking at 5 min or so. Remove from oven and enjoy!! I often make these and snack while I am preparing dinner.

Onions, garlic, Hershberger beef bones, cilantro - Made Vietnamese Beef Pho - my first time for it (had made Chicken Pho in pressure cooker several times). It came out great and really wasn't as labor intensive as I expected. I researched several recipes before I chose the one I did, and we were very happy with the results. Email me if you are interested and I will send you the recipe.

Some other cooking from this week included parsley and onions in my grandmother's recipe for meatloaf, carrots and onions in gravy for a sauerbraten.

October 28, 2018
Soup
By Linda Dansbury

I am always looking for new soup recipes - the one I just found uses both sweet potatoes and kale - yum!! It is appropriately called Kale and Sweet Potato Soup. It is Southeast Asian flavored and includes coconut milk - make sure you use a good quality coconut milk in your dishes, even if you have to plan a few days ahead and order - it really makes a huge difference.

October 28, 2018
Frost Sweetened Produce
by Farmer Dana

Main Season harvest #24 (Week B) should include sweet potatoes, garlic, roots (beets, kohlrabi, celeriac), greens (escarole, kale, napa, mix), herbs (dill, cilantro), onions, sweet peppers, hot peppers, radicchio, fennel, salad mix, and rosemary.

October 28, 2018
A Great Week, Appreciation of Good Weather
By Derek McGeehan

It's a wonderful feeling to be satisfied after a very productive and enjoyable week of farm work. So much was accomplished last week including the planting of 12,000 garlic cloves and subsequent mulching of the entire patch with the help of two workshifts on Friday. We couldn't have finished that without the help from our amazing CSA members. We also wrapped up the water management project for this calendar year (more to come in 2019). Dry conditions during the construction of the waterway in Field 1 made the work much easier and faster to complete. After earth moving was finished and approved we seeded and mulched the 700'x40' area before Saturday's rain event. We also transplanted 3,000 lettuce mix and spinach seedlings into the hoop tunnel as well as cultivated the high tunnel greens. The dry ground also allowed me to spread compost for around 8 hours over multiple fields.

Perhaps the best part of last week was being able to look around and appreciate our farmscape once again. Most of this season we've spent wallowing in mud and feeling negative from the effects of sustained poor weather. The past two weeks were a real treat, a big change, as the ground was at its driest in months and our remaining crops seemed to respond well to the sun and wind. Leaves on trees are changing in color and much has been kissed by a few frosts rendering darkened hues as well as sweeter flavors. We lucked out with the frost; it wasn't too heavy here and even our peppers pulled through fine. With November arriving this week and the threat of frost and freeze temporarily suspended we're looking forward to enhanced growth of many of the greens we're coaxing along. Here's to sunshine and not too much rain.

October 21, 2018
Workshifts this Week (10/22-10/28)
by Farmer Derek

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

We're quickly approaching the end of farm work opportunities so please consider signing up soon for a workshift if you chose the work discount option for your share!

If you chose the discount but don't think you'll be able to fulfill the work obligation simply send us a check to cover the hours/balance (4 hours for a half share, $60; 6 hours for a medium share, $90; 8 hours for a full share, $120; or $15/hour if you worked partial).

Thank you!

October 21, 2018
CSA Shares Available for Late Fall, Winter, and 2019 Main Season
by Farmer Dana

Sign up soon to secure your share of future harvests! Six-week Late Fall, 6-week Winter, and 26-week Main Season seasons are now available to join. For more information please follow this link to a prior bulletin.

October 21, 2018
How Sweet it is!
By Linda Dansbury

Sweet potatoes that is. Farmer Derek indicates it was a really good sweet potato harvest (I guess they like it wet??)

Sweet potatoes are delicious and healthy, packing 400% of daily requirement of vitamin A, plus a really good source of fiber and potassium. A baked sweet potato is only approximately 100 calories! The skin is also edible.

How do you store them? NOT in the fridge and NOT next to onions. Sweet potatoes like it best in a dark place, at between 55 and 60 degrees. For me, right now that is in the garage, but I have to watch the temperature carefully because this will change to the basement in a short time.

The sweet potatoes will not be washed before we receive them, because they store much better unwashed. Look over the potatoes carefully when you get them home. If any of them have cuts in the skin, make sure you cook them soon.

If you don't have a good place to store them, here is an option:
Cook until almost tender, and let cool. Peel and cut in halves or slices, or mash. Dip in a solution of ½ cup lemon juice to 1 quart water to prevent browning, or if mashing, add 2 Tablebspoons lemon juice per 1 quart of sweet potatoes. Place in container with ½-inch head space and freeze. Baked sweet potatoes can also be frozen slightly under cooked and wrapped in foil, then put in a container, with final cooking completed when ready to eat.

Sweet potatoes are delicious baked (eat the skins!), mashed and roasted. One of our favorite "mashes" in my house is a combo of sweet potatoes, potatoes and celeriac. Sweet potatoes will need less time to boil so start the pot with potatoes and celeriac first and add the sweets after a few minutes, or cut the potatoes and celeriac into smaller pieces.

Roasted alone or with other veggies is another favorite - try a combo of sweet potatoes, celeriac, beets, leeks, garlic and rosemary. Roast at about 400 degrees. Cut everything into equal sized pieces, drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and mix together. Spread on large cookie sheet in a single layer. Roast, turning veggies about every 15 minutes or so and cook until tender, around 45 minutes.

Check out this site for ideas on how to enjoy your sweets - everything from Oven Fried Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potato and Lentil Chili, Sweet Potato and Cinnamon Bread and more!

October 21, 2018
Lovin' the Greens...And More!
By Linda Dansbury

Fall cooking is so enjoyable! The house is cooler and our bellies desire slow cooked, hearty dishes. I haven't written an article in awhile, so if you have ideas on how you enjoy the bounty of what we are receiving now, please email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net. Please put Anchor Run in the Subject Line so I can find your message.

Onions, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, herbs, Hershberger short ribs - made a slow braise adding the carrots and potatoes the last hour of cooking. The house smelled so good all day we couldn't wait to eat.

Butternut squash, celeriac, watermelon radish, potatoes, onions, garlic, leeks, herbs - roasted the veggies that were lightly coated in olive oil and salt and pepper at about 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. Stirred every 15 min or so for even cooking. This is such a colorful and delicious dish, and is great with most meats and fish. I normally make a large batch so I have some left to add to a frittata.

Peppers, tomatoes, onions, a lot of greens - made a frittata for dinner. Love this weeknight meal when paired with a toasted piece of locally made whole grain bread.

Broccoli, turnips, carrots - I eat these as snacks with my lunch most days.

Dandelion, small Swiss chard leaves, small kale leaves, radicchio, head lettuce - I really like to use a mix of greens in salads. Nut oils and a bit of cheese help to soften the stronger greens, but I have to say that the radicchio we are receiving is the most mild and tender of any I have had.

October 21, 2018
October Thanks
by Farmer Derek

Main Season share #23 (Week A) should include sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, leeks, roots (beets, kohlrabi, daikon, celeriac), salad greens, cooking greens, herbs (dill, cilantro, parsley), radicchio, mini lettuce, fennel, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, and rosemary. Some items will be a choice and some may not be available during all pick up times.

October 21, 2018
Winds of Change
by Farmer Derek

The monsoon season having departed, we're now entering the windy frosty season. So far we had two very light frosts and are hopeful for nothing too heavy too soon. Tomatoes are out of the field as well as the tunnels but we still have sweet and hot peppers rolling in from outside. These are the last of the summer crops that we're coaxing along, plants that may succumb to a hard frost. Traditional fall crops tolerate light frost but when temperatures begin to dip below freezing damage can occur on unprotected leaf tips of greens. We have low and high tunnels to carry us along so we're not overly concerned but don't want to have to contend just yet with frostbite on our fingertips as we harvest.

Sweet potato distribution commences this week and we're pleased that we had good yields of such a tasty and nutritious crop during this most difficult of growing seasons. We grow these in very high raised beds which probably allowed for their success due to increased drainage ability. After curing in a warm and humid room for a couple of weeks they're now ready to be eaten, so sweet and delicious are they.

We're slowly filling up our four tunnels with fall and winter greens. Within the next 2-3 weeks they'll be filled to capacity with spinach, lettuce mix, kale, arugula, mizuna, cilantro, and greens mix. We make four succession plantings to spread out the harvest. Additionally, we erected low tunnels in the field to cover more than 1000 feet of beds of greens we're hoping to speed along for a harvest in 2-3 weeks. Do crops grow faster with sun and lower temperatures or heavy clouds, mist, and warmer temperatures?

October 14, 2018
Workshifts this Week (10/15-10/21
by Farmer Dana

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

We're quickly approaching the end of farm work opportunities so please consider signing up soon for a workshift if you chose the work discount option for your share. If you chose the discount but don't think you'll be able to fulfill the work obligation simply send us a check to cover the hours/balance (4 hours for a half share, $60; 6 hours for a medium share, $90; 8 hours for a full share, $120; or $15/hour if you worked partial).

Thank you!

October 14, 2018
Wild For Salmon Buying Club Time
by Farmer Dana

• "Wild For Salmon is a fishermen owned business that makes fresh/frozen wild Alaskan sockeye salmon available to you at a common good price. Because we are the fishermen and we are local, we are able to provide you with the highest quality, flash/frozen, Alaskan sockeye available. Wild For Salmon is owned and operated by Steve and Jenn Kurian of Bloomsburg, PA."
• Order by October 23rd.
• Pick up date & time: October 25th, 1-8pm.
• Pick up the farm.
• For more information, click here.

October 14, 2018
CSA Shares Available for Late Fall, Winter, and 2019 Main Season
by Farmer Derek

Sign up soon to secure your share of future harvests! Six-week Late Fall, 6-week Winter, and 26-week Main Season seasons are now available to join. For more information please follow this link to a prior bulletin.

October 14, 2018
Autumn Produce
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #22 (Week B) should include garlic, onions, leeks, broccoli, savoy cabbage, roots choice (beets, celeriac, watermelon radish), potatoes, herb choice (cilantro, dill, parsley, chives), head lettuce, cooking greens choice (chard, kale, dandelion), salad greens mix/choice (lettuce, endive, arugula, greens mix), tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, green tomatoes, and radicchio. Some items will be a choice and some may not be available during all pick up times. U-pick is finished for the season as we return crop residue to the soil, sow cover crops, and give perennial plants times to prepare for the winter.

October 14, 2018
Produce, Start to Finish, Almost
by Farmer Derek

We enjoyed a productive past week on the farm. Prior to yet another rain event that begat the new fall-like feel temperature immersion we busied ourselves harvesting a few tons of sweet potatoes and half a ton or so of carrots with the help of CSA members. Considering the year we've had the sweets remained optimistic in their growth and output, satisfying our hopeful expectations. Carrots, less fortunately, endured more moisture than they can tolerate in our soils plus raised-bed situation; we had to return quite a few back to the earth where they'll enrich the next crop in the spring. Overall we still managed to salvage the same approximate weight as our total harvest last fall because we ambitiously sowed more seed this season.

Besides the retrieval of storage roots we also put the final touches on the Field 3 waterway and three water diversions therein. The dozer work complete, we had to sow tall fescue, rye grass, and oats then mulch 10,000 square feet of soil prior to Thursday's rain.

We also removed from the field all of the materials needed to grow eggplant, husk cherries, and tomatillos, plowed the soil, sowed a new (for us) cover crop mix of wheat, hairy vetch, and crimson clover, and incorporated the seeds into the soil with our disc harrow. That was probably our final opportunity to establish a cover crop prior to the winter.

On Friday commenced the indoor plantings for late fall and winter harvests. Crops going into our four tunnels will be harvested in December and January. Directly into the earth went the final sowing of greens which will be covered by our movable high tunnel after we finish dismantling the heirloom tomatoes. In addition to that, also on the agenda for this week is collecting additional storage roots including beets, purple and white daikons, and kohlrabi; erecting low hoops and covering crops prior to frost (!); cleaning up the hoop tunnel and preparing those beds to accept more late fall and winter greens; and constructing a waterway in Field 1.

Bon Voyage!

October 7, 2018
Thoughts on Storage and Use
By Linda Dansbury

Due to the continual rain, the greens are wet when we receive them. This causes things to go bad faster in the fridge. I have found the greens keep their quality longer if I place paper towels or thin towels in the storage bags to absorb the excess water. Even better than bags, I have a large plastic container with paper towels on the bottom to store my salad greens. They keep quite well this way.

October 7, 2018
Eat Your Squash
By Linda Dansbury

I have been away a lot recently, as you have probably gathered from the lack of my writings. When I am home, I find myself making a lot of veggie stews to use things before they go bad. I basically take the Caponata technique and gradually add whatever I want to use and adjust the seasonings to mix up the flavors - so one week it might be slanted toward Italian or Spanish and the next week it leans toward Middle Eastern.

The delicious greens are back so large salads are welcome - use a blend of greens - endive, escarole, dandelion and mixed greens added to the mini lettuce adds texture and flavor to salads.

Potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, Hershberger short ribs - the cooler weather had us making a long braised dish. Yum!

Tomatoes, onions, basil - made tomato sauce, very simple and basic. I had frozen some tomatoes when I had more than I could use, and used a combination of fresh and frozen ones to make sauce.

Carrots, onions, leeks, garlic, herbs, chicken - I came down with a bad cold this week, so I made chicken soup! Made me feel better almost instantly.

Butternut squash, kale, onion, garlic - Tried a new dish and it was delicious. Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Lemony Tahini Dressing. I didn't have quite enough kale so I mixed in some endive and it worked great.

If you have an idea you would like to share with fellow members, please email me at lindansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

October 6, 2018
CSA Shares Available for Late Fall, Winter, and 2019 Main Season
by Farmer Derek

Sign up soon to secure your share of future harvests! Six-week Late Fall, 6-week Winter, and 26-week Main Season seasons are now available to join. For more information please follow this link to a prior bulletin.

October 6, 2018
Fall Flavors
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #21 (Week A) should include garlic, onions, leeks, broccoli, savoy cabbage, roots choice (beets, celeriac, radish), potatoes, herb choice (cilantro, dill, chives), head lettuce, cooking greens choice (chard, kale, dandelion), salad greens mix/choice (lettuce, endive, arugula), tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, green tomatoes, and eggplant. Some items will be a choice and some may not be available during all pick up times. U-pick is probably finished for the season as we return crop residue to the soil, sow cover crops, and give perennial plants times to prepare for the winter.

October 6, 2018
Workshifts this Week (10/8-10/14)
by Farmer Dana

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

We're quickly approaching the end of farm work opportunities so please consider signing up soon for a workshift if you chose the work discount option for your share. If you chose the discount but don't think you'll be able to fulfill the work obligation simply send us a check to cover the hours/balance (4 hours for a half share, $60; 6 hours for a medium share, $90; 8 hours for a full share, $120; or $15/hour if you worked partial).

Thank you!

October 6, 2018
Into The Mistic
by Farmer Derek

The final 6 weeks of the Main Season CSA are here. Twenty harvest weeks, about four-and-a-half months, have gone by. We've persevered through all types of weather but mostly a lot of rain (record breaking). We've had a few heat waves and some weeks of dry soil when we actually had to irrigate (what?). We've endured days and weeks of gray misty weather. Harvests have been good and fairly consistent but nothing has been epic. Some crops didn't perform as well as we would have liked but that can mostly be blamed on the excessive rainfall. Tomatoes produced well and over a long period and onions and leeks have performed well. The summer carrot harvest was big and we probably distributed them for longer than we ever have. Fall carrots should arrive later this month.

We're now focused on harvesting the remainder of fall storage crops like sweet potatoes, carrots, watermelon radishes, daikons, rutabaga, kohlrabi, and beets. We also turn our sights indoors as we prepare for and transplant and direct seed crops into our 4 tunnels for fall and winter growing. We have one more window of opportunity to sow cover crops before the next rain event; after that they won't grow enough to protect the soil over the winter. Last week with the help of multiple workshifts we put a serious dent in weed pressure but of course that will stay on our radar.

Broccoli has slowly started to mature and we're hopeful that it will increase in volume so that everyone gets a taste. Cauliflower should mature soon and with luck will be bountiful. Regular cabbages appear to be slightly stunted from the moisture but napa cabbage seems to be thriving and sizing up nicely. Chicories like endive, escarole, and dandelion as well as fall lettuces have tolerated the fall weather miraculously. We're anticipating an increase in greens for the last six weeks of harvest as well as a continuous assemblage of miscellaneous fun fall roots. Potatoes and sweet potatoes should round out shares (sweet potatoes need to cure for two more weeks and will be distributed starting with week 23).

We hope you enjoy your CSA shares!