May 26, 2019
Beautiful Greens
By Linda Dansbury

I spent a couple of hours helping out in the pick up room the past 2 Thursdays and had the pleasure of speaking with members I have met over my years of being an Anchor Run member and met some brand new members. I consider this space in the newsletter a sharing column, so I would love for you to share your recipes, methods, and questions - please email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net. And please put Anchor Run in the subject line so I can find your email. So, how do I manage my greens? See how I used some of them below.

Turnips, green garlic, custom greens mix, kale, Swiss chard - as I have said many times, I love roasting veggies, so you can roast the turnips, or cut them up small (some of them are quite small anyway) and cook them in a pan until browned and starting to soften. Add some green garlic, salt and pepper. Add a bunch of chopped greens - any combo you want to use is fine. Keep moving them around in the pan until just wilted. Zest a bit of lemon over them, taste for seasoning and enjoy - this is a great side dish for any main dish protein.

Spinach - my husband loves spinach salad, so when we receive it, we always have at least one Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing. With such a rich tasting salad, the rest of our meal is simple and light.

Bok choy, green garlic - sauted a bit of the chopped garlic in neutral oil, then added the entire baby bok choys and just cooked till they started to wilt and brown a bit. Added a splash of fish sauce and sesame oil and sprinkled with chive blossoms. A very simple, yummy side dish.

Kale - this past week, I made a couple of smoothies. You can use any greens you want and any combo of other ingredients - just look on the internet to find your favorites!

Arugula, endive, lettuce mix, head lettuces, spinach, custom greens mix, green garlic - salads, salads, salads! As I wrote last week, I love this vast combination of greens because of the variety of tastes and textures. I minced a bit of the green garlic and added to the salad dressing.

Endive - my German grandmother used to make a salad using nothing but endive, radishes and onions. I know a lot of you dislike endive, but I happen to love it. The dressing consists of a neutral oil, along with a mild vinegar - I like Solebury Orchards apple cider vinegar. A tiny bit of salt, pepper and celery salt. Instead of onions, I used chive blossoms. Brings me back to my childhood.

May 26, 2019
Storing/Using Greens
By Linda Dansbury

A couple of people asked me bout how to store all the lettuces/greens we receive. I know there are a lot of bags of tricks out there, but the simplest way I have found is to get large "Tupperware" plastic containers, place a folded up paper towel in the bottom (or use an absorbent towel), place greens into the containers, seal and keep in fridge. I use 2 containers at this time of the year - one for lettuce, and the other for mixed greens - custom greens mix, endive and arugula all go in. Easy for me to find what I want. I find the greens keep well for a couple of weeks - storing them in plastic bags allows water to puddle and causes rotting - nothing more disappointing than to see your beautiful greens all rotted.

This week we are receiving some of the most beautiful romaine lettuce I have ever seen. You can just add it to whatever salad mix you want or obviously make a Caesar salad. For a twist on an old favorite, cut the head of romaine into quarters, leaving the core in place to keep the quarters together. Brush with olive oil and place on the grill - do NOT walk away from the grill. Just barely char the lettuce, especially on the cut sides. If you leave it on grill for too long, not only will it burn, it will become a wilted mess. Use your favorite Caesar dressing - for a good bottled and more healthy version, look for Litehouse brand yogurt based dressing. One of the only store bought dressing I will use. I can't wait for this yummy treat!

May 26, 2019
Strawberry Fields Hopefully Forever
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #3 (Week A) should include strawberries, green garlic, lettuce mix, romaine lettuce, head lettuce, kale, arugula, bok choy, greens mix, broccoli raab, swiss chard, hakurei turnips, kohlrabi, asparagus, broccolini, escarole, dill, cilantro, and parsley. Some items will be a choice and may not be available at all pick up times. U-pick should include strawberries, snow peas, and perennial herbs.

May 26, 2019
Satisfied
by Farmer Derek

And here we reside in that time of year when life as a farmer cannot be any busier. Constant work and worry, running, rushing, trying to accomplish a million tasks while working every day of the week just assuming one's energy level can be sustained to fulfill the goals. It's an interesting state of mind when we just arrive here and won't see the light at the end of the tunnel for another few months. Hey, we love it and live for it. And, fortunately for us and for you the one major variable we cannot control has been moderately cooperative thus far and in turn crops have been productive and harvests have been pleasing (weather, weather, weather).

Strawberry season is here and with it a frenetic pace to save all the harvestable fruits so we can all enjoy them. Seven varieties and seven thousand plants planted each and every summer, tended with loving care, watered to perfection, hopefully yielding abundant fruit and flavor. Peas arrive, too, but sadly acquired a soil born illness (pea root rot) so harvests will be more subdued. Soon we'll swing away from greens galore but for now we're fully enveloped in their glory. We love them. Enjoy your Memorial Day holiday!

May 26, 2019
Upcoming Events
by Farmer Dana

May 26, 2019
Workshifts For Week 5/27/19
by Farmer Derek

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

May 19, 2019
Hope You Like Your Greens
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #2 (Week B) should include lettuce mix, spinach, Swiss chard, head lettuce, kale, arugula, greens mix, endive, green garlic, bok choy, kohlrabi, broccolini, and asparagus. Some items will be a choice and may not be available at all pick up times. U-pick should include perennial herbs such as mint, thyme, anise hyssop, lemon balm, and oregano.

May 19, 2019
Workshifts this Week - 5/19/19
by Farmer Derek

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

May 19, 2019
2019 Member Handbook & Pick Up Information
by Farmer Dana

May 19, 2019
Upcoming Events
by Farmer Dana

May 19, 2019
Hershberger Heritage Farm Here on Thursdays 1-5/6pm
by Farmer Dana

Hershberger Heritage Farm will be at Anchor Run Farm 1-5pm on Thursdays during the harvest season to sell their organic and pastured poultry, meat, and other land proteins. Peruse their website for more information.

May 19, 2019
Yummy Salads!
By Linda Dansbury

Happy Anchor Run pick ups! When I walked into the barn and saw the variety and quantity of all of the greens/veggies, I got so excited and that feeling has stayed while getting to eat the fresh veggies. This is the spot where I try to provide weekly inspiration on how to use your harvest. I like to think of the newsletter as part of the Anchor Run community, so invite you to send me "How you enjoyed your harvest". It can be a recipe, a method, and/or you can ask a question about a veggie you are not familiar with. If sending a recipe that is not your own, please provide the source. Please email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line so I can find your email. I look forward to hearing from you during the season. My pick up day is Thursday, so I have only had a couple days to enjoy the harvest this week.

Broccolini, spring garlic - I love roasting veggies, so I tried the broccolini. Pre heated oven to 350 degrees. Put broccolini on cookie sheet in a single layer and added a few pieces of spring garlic. I cooked these on a fairly low temperature so I didn't burn the garlic. Tossed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and then cooked for about 12 minutes until the stalks were getting tender and the tops had just a bit of browning on them. Really delicious.

Lettuce, spinach, greens mix, endive, arugula, radish - we eat salads almost every night and my favorite is when there is a broad mix of greens, each giving their own flavor and texture. I make a fairly light dressing and never use bottled on these gorgeous tasting greens. My go-to dressing is a blend of good quality olive oil and red wine vinegar used at about a 3:1 or even 4:1 ratio. I usually add some herbs - dried are fine in salad dressings, and I normally use a sprinkle of garlic powder, basil and oregano, in addition to salt and freshly ground pepper. Sometimes I add just a bit of Dijon vinegar, but haven't this week with these greens. If you are struggling with all the greens, remember that it is easy to turn a salad into a main course - add shrimp, or leftover chicken or steak and maybe a nice loaf of bread and you are good to go with an easy, healthy, delicious meal!

May 19, 2019
Kohlrabi and Turnips
By Linda Dansbury

A couple of the early non-greens veggies are kohlrabi, hakurei turnips, and radishes (we also see them in the fall). They can both be used immediately or stored for a few weeks in the fridge. But...this time of year, especially in the case of the kohlrabi, they are particularly sweet, crispy and delicious.

They can both be eaten raw or cooked - I like to eat the kohlrabi raw, as a snack, with or without hummus, or sliced and added to salads; think of them as another radish. Both are also delicious when added to your favorite coleslaw recipe. I happen to really like the Asian Coleslaw recipe on this site. Instead of using cabbage, try combining baby bok choy, the greens mix, and turnips and/or kohlrabi (spiralizer will make quick work of the veggies).

If you would rather cook them, one simple and delicious option is to cut into bite sized pieces, toss with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast in a 425 degree oven, moving the pieces around every few minutes. Remove when tender, about 15-20 minutes, depending on how large the pieces are. If you have it, a few sprigs of fresh thyme in the pan adds a very nice flavor. You can eat as is, or, for a a really special dish, brown little bit of really good quality butter, and add the turnips/kohlrabi to the butter. Stir in some fresh greens, such as arugula, greens mix, or spinach. Zest a bit of lemon, adjust salt and pepper, mix and serve - you don't really want to cook the greens and they don't even need to be wilted - this is so delicious.

Enjoy the harvest!

May 19, 2019
We Love You Sunshine
by Farmer Derek

A snapshot of the farm in mid-May: Exceptional hustle amidst a wet, windy, and cold first harvest last Monday followed by the return of our off-and-on again friend the sun which allowed us to hustle again on Friday as we used the tractor and transplanted for the first time in over a week. Infinite weeding continues as we clean up what the cultivating hoes miss. Onions, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, and kale have been merrily saved. Up next are beets. Last of the peas have been trellised. Next urgency is cultivating many crops that haven't been hoed due to the dominating wet weather pattern of the past couple of weeks. The commencement of harvesting means a significant amount of time each week is devoted to that so our window to tackle other tasks slightly narrows. However with successful harvests there's a feeling of optimism as the fruits of our labors can now be eaten. Spring crops, especially the lettuces and greens, have been thriving and should continue to do so. We do hope you love your greens as much as we do. Salads and smoothies for health!

May 12, 2019
Welcome/Welcome Back to Delicious Local Eating!
By Linda Dansbury

I hope you are as excited about the start to this year's season at Anchor Run as I am. The weather in April was excellent for crop growing, so the pick up room will already have an abundant supply of nutritious, delicious veggies. The heat-loving plants have not had time to grow and bear fruit yet, so there will be mostly greens for at least a few weeks. Abundant in particular are greens for salads! I eat salads nearly every night, varying the dressings with the seasons. The spring lettuces are tender and mild so don't need heavy dressings. Our website is designed to help you more easily enjoy your harvest. There are literally hundreds of recipes that are chosen or written around what is available from the farm. If you click on 'For Members' at the top of the website, there are several choices one of which is 'Recipes'. Click on it and a search bar will come up - if in the next couple of weeks you type in Salad Dressings, a long list comes up. Maybe a few will catch your eye. Or, if you type in Vinaigrette, several will come up that are wonderful with the farm greens. Most of the dressings keep in the fridge for about a week or more, so if you make 1 or 2 at a time, you will have enough for a week of yummy salads.

Green garlic, also known as spring garlic, is simply immature garlic. It looks like scallions or spring onions, except the leaves are flat and of course it smells like garlic. Green garlic should be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 2 weeks, but best used within 1 week. Wrap the green garlic in a damp paper towel and place it in a plastic bag; or for a non-plastic alternative, stick the green garlic in a tall glass with some water in the bottom. To prep, treat it like a small leek: trim off the very bottom of the bulb (the roots are actually edible too, once the basal plate -- the part that holds the roots to the plant -- is removed), and use all of the tender white and light green parts. Dark green leaves can be saved for stock, or used to add flavor to a soup - pop them in whole, like a bay leaf. Use it wherever you’d use regular bulb garlic or green onions, or use it in recipes specifically designed to highlight its unique mild garlic flavor. Add raw green garlic to salads, dressings, and sauces. Try it braised, grilled, or pickled. Add it to a frittata, a soup, or pair it with other spring treats like asparagus. Put green garlic in pasta and rice bowls. I found a seasonal recipe that seems perfect for these cool, dreary days - Asparagus and Spring Garlic Soup.

May 12, 2019
Workshifts for Week of 5/13/19
by Farmer Dana

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

Workshift sign-up instructions may be found here.

May 12, 2019
2019 Member Handbook; Pick Up Information
by Farmer Dana

May 12, 2019
Upcoming Events
by Farmer Dana

May 12, 2019
Hershberger Heritage Farm Here on Thursdays 1-5pm
by Farmer Derek

Hershberger Heritage Farm will be at Anchor Run Farm 1-5pm on Thursdays during the harvest season to sell their organic and pastured poultry, meat, and other land proteins. Peruse their website for more information.

May 12, 2019
Greens, Greens, Greens
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #1 (Week A) should include lettuce mix, spinach, head lettuce, kale, arugula, greens mix, endive, green garlic, bok choy, radishes, broccolini, and asparagus. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include a perennial herbs such as mint, thyme, anise hyssop, lemon balm, and oregano.