October 25, 2020
Bright Colored Food to Nourish
By Linda Dansbury

I find the colors of the flowers and trees in fall to be so beautiful - the colors seem so much more vibrant than in the summer maybe because the air is clearer? Anyway, I have found the colors in the harvest seem to be so vivid - purple of the beets and kohlrabi, whites of bok choy and turnips - and so many shades and textures of greens! I am having fun getting foods ready for late fall/winter eating by making large batches of soups and stews - I add greens to every stew type dish I make, even if it doesn't call for them. Below is a bit of what we enjoyed this past week - send me how you are enjoying your harvests by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net, and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

Kale, garlic, basil and cilantro - made the Pork and Kale Rice Bowl I have mentioned so many times before - it is just such an easy and delicious fast 1 pot meal for busy weeknights.

Beets - made beet chips which turned out pretty well. Preheat oven to 325. Slice beets with a mandoline to 1/16" thick and place slices on paper towels - place more towels on top. Line large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place beets in a bowl and drizzle just a little neutral oil in the bowl. Mix them well and then place beets on the trays in a single layer. Sprinkle with herb or herb blend(s) of your choice. Think of za'tar, curry, Italian seasoning, etc, or if you prefer just sea salt. Bake until crisp - this takes upwards of 45 min to an hour.

Escarole, onion, celery, carrot, garlic - made Italian Wedding Soup. A lot of people have their family recipes - I made it much different than what I grew up with because I start with a bit of pancetta (or ham or bacon) and I add white beans near the end and no pasta. Yum!!

Kale, cauliflower, garlic, parsley - made a large salad that I based on a recipe I saw. I lightly steamed the cauliflower and julienned the kale. Placed in a large bowl and made a vinaigrette with lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and herbs. Mixed it all together and grated some romano cheese over the top - it was delicious.

Mixed greens: arugula, lettuce, escarole, celery, carrot - made a large salad with an Italian vinaigrette and served with leftover local, grass fed steak.

October 25, 2020
Beneficial Organisms
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #24 (Week B) should include romaine, kale, lettuce mix, mini head lettuce, bok choy, beets, onions, hakurei turnips, cauliflower, kohlrabi, fennel, celery, escarole, chard, and radicchio. Some items will be a choice and/or may not be available during all pick up times (though we'll try).

October 25, 2020
Workshifts for Week of 10/26/20
by Farmer Derek

Workshifts will be held rain or shine. If it's raining we'll probably process garlic in the barn. When it's dry we'll probably harvest some crops (carrots, rutabaga) or pull some weeds.

If you signed up for a share with the work discount but you're unable to fulfill your work obligation for your discount you can simply pay the difference. E-mail us for your balance (it's $15/hour; 4 hours for half share, 6 for medium, 8 for full).

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

October 25, 2020
October's Final Week
by Farmer Derek

A relatively warm and moist week has ended and transitioned to a chilly and moist Sunday. The forecast for this week looks more seasonal (and moist) and may be followed by the coldest night yet as temperatures are predicted to dip near freezing. A return of dry and sunny weather may be the frosty sparkle silver lining. We've had a couple light frosts so far but those upcoming low temperatures may result in a widespread heavy frost and could force us to harvest or cover any susceptible crops beforehand. A low of 30-32 shouldn't cause too much damage but could burn the tips of some of the tender lettuces. Covering mature field greens is one of my least favorite farming activities and we mostly try to avoid it. For crop cover to be effective it needs to rest on hoops so that there is a buffer of air between the cold frozen fabric and the crops underneath. Normally when temperatures drop in the fall, wind accompanies the event turning crop cover into large billowing kites. Sandbags are used to anchor it and work well most of the time. Either way we'll try our best to avoid covering anything with some prior strategic harvesting as well as put our trust in the cold tolerance of the remaining plants. It will be very satisfying when most of our harvesting will be in the protected tunnels but that won't be until mid-November.

Last week we transplanted the final crop of the 2020 harvest season - lettuce mix into the greenhouse. Watering trays of plants has been an almost daily activity of mine since late February, something that can take between 15 and 60 minutes, depending on the time of season and the number of trays. Now, and for the next month or so, I'll turn the irrigation on in our six tunnels with a turn of a few ball valves about once a week and run it for 2-3 hours. Once temperatures really drop and water in pipes could freeze (mid-20s or so) I'll probably drain the system and hopefully be able to leave it off until next year.

Now that we're about to exit October our farming footprint has really shrunk. The crops we're harvesting are confined to portions of two of our fields. We only have a few more storage crops to retrieve (last of the carrots, green and red and napa cabbage, radicchio). If we had more time, more help, more space, and more containers these items would probably be in storage but we have to be strategic as we harvest storage crops. Most of what is left should tolerate field conditions a bit longer but we'd really like to harvest the rest of the carrots this week. Join us for a workshift if you can!

October 25, 2020
Fennel is Back!
By Linda Dansbury

Fennel is back for a couple of weeks. I find it interesting that veggies mature successfully along with other veggies of the same season. So, as it is with fennel. One of my favorite things to do with fennel in the fall is to make a salad called Radicchio, Fennel and Apple Salad. The sweet/tart/bitter combo of this salad is so wonderful! Salmon and fennel go great together as in the Salmon and Fennel with Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette. Fennel also pairs really well with lentils - try the Lentil Salad with Fennel and Herbs - pair it with a nice piece of fish or chicken. There are several additional recipes on this site as well, just type "fennel" into the search bar and hit submit. To make it even simpler, just cut the sections of fennel into individual pieces and eat raw - it makes for a very healthy and licorice tasting snack!

Fennel can be stored for a couple of weeks when placed in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge.

October 18, 2020
Four More Weeks to Grow!
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #23 (Week A) should include beets w/ tops, onions, kale, garlic, lettuce, romaine, cauliflower, hakurei turnips, sweet peppers, kohlrabi, chard, escarole, celery. Cabbage will transition to bok choy, arugula to lettuce mix. Some items will be a choice, a combined weight, or may not be available during all pick up times. U-pick is over for the season as the herb garden needs to rest and store up the sun's energy for next season.

October 18, 2020
Workshifts this Week (10/19/20)
by Farmer Derek

Workshifts will be held rain or shine. If it's raining we'll probably process garlic in the barn. When it's dry we'll probably harvest some crops (carrots, rutabaga) or pull some weeds.

If you signed up for a share with the work discount but you're unable to fulfill your work obligation for your discount you can simply pay the difference. E-mail us for your balance (it's $15/hour; 4 hours for half share, 6 for medium, 8 for full).

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

October 18, 2020
2020 Late Fall Registration Open, 80% Full
by Farmer Dana

There are four more week of Main Season CSA then we transition right into the 6-week Late Fall CSA season. Membership is limited to less than half that of the Main Season and once we reach our quota registration will close. As of now we're about 80% full. Late Fall membership is limited to current members. For more information and to sign up follow this link.

October 18, 2020
Ample Rain, Sunshine
by Farmer Derek

Two rain events bookended last week. Did that keep us inside, warm and cozy by the fire? Not quite yet, though after required work was finished, warmth was absorbed from the wood stove. Remnants of Delta during Monday's harvest and distribution gave us a nice soaking inch. Friday's incoming cold front also dropped about an inch of rain. The ground feels fairly saturated now and we look forward to drying out a bit this week as we hope to harvest root crops like carrots and rutabaga as well as make some final preparations for the upcoming garlic planting. We'll also finalize and plant the beds in the greenhouse with lettuce mix for a December harvest.

Last week we finished planting the hoop tunnel with arugula and greens mix and set up all the drip irrigation in the 5 tunnels. After we plant the lettuce mix in the greenhouse we'll install drip tape there too. I seem to always underestimate the amount of time it takes in setting up all the irrigation but it feels good once it's installed. We try to reuse everything so there's inevitably more repair needed but it's worth the extra effort as long as it's not too much of a headache. Also wrapped up last week/this weekend were the finishing touches to the caterpillar tunnels. Zipper endwalls were put up and anchored and the 2nd securing rope was tossed over each hoop and fastened to ground stakes. This was a big project and I'm glad it is finished.

Temperatures will be trending upwards again and with some nice autumn sunshine working outside will be sublimely pleasant. If you still need to contribute work for a share discount, this is a great time!

October 18, 2020
Can't "Beet" it!
By Linda Dansbury

I haven't done many new things recently, with the exception of using beets in a different way (see below). I have made a few soups and stews and added kale/dandelion/turnip and/or radish greens to keep up with the bounty and boost the nutrition and taste of the final dish. Like others out there, I am starting to clean up and use up veggies I have been tending to in my own yard as well.

Peppers - decided to freeze them for use later in the year.

Spaghetti squash, garlic, basil - since the weather has been relatively warm, I used my cherry tomatoes to make the Spaghetti Squash with Sauteed Tomatoes and Basil.

Arugula, kale, garlic - made Arugula Pesto and froze it to use later in the year - it tasted really good, so looking forward to eating it,

Beets - prepared and enjoyed Roasted Beet Chips. It is not on this site, but is very simple to do. Preheat oven to 300. Slice beets with a mandoline to about 1/16th of an inch and press between towels to remove moisture. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. Toss beet slices in olive oil, seasoning or seasoning blend of your choice and a little salt. Place on baking sheets in a single layer and roast for about 50 minutes, checking periodically and removing them as they get crisp. Note: I did one tray of kale chips and one of beet chips for a yummy fall snack.

Mix of greens, garlic, onion, hot pepper - made sauteed mixed greens - blend of bits of what I had, which was dandelion, chard, kale and radish tops. I had frozen the hot pepper a few weeks ago.

October 18, 2020
Bok Choy and Radicchio
By Linda Dansbury

We will see these 2 yummy greens in our shares within the next week or 2. These are both very nutritious and delicious. The bok choy will store for 1-2 weeks in plastic in the fridge. It is delicate, meaning it bruises easily when crowded, so handle it gently so it keeps better. We have several recipes on this site - Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Soup Bowl and Roasted Bok Choy are among my favorites. It can also be used in any saute, the stems add a nice crunchiness.

Radicchio is one of those veggies a lot of people think is too bitter. I have to let you know that the varieties the farm grows are much more mild than radicchio I have had from the grocery stores. There are some techniques that help tame the bitter taste: grilling the veggie after cutting it in half or quarters helps almost sweeten the greens. Mixing it with cheese such as in the Escarole, Radicchio and Arugula Salad, or braising it with other veggies, such as escarole helps tame these greens as well.

Enjoy your greens!

October 11, 2020
Workshifts for Week of 10/12/20
by Farmer Derek

Workshifts will be held rain or shine. If it's raining we'll probably process garlic in the barn. When it's dry we'll probably harvest some crops or pull some weeds.

If you signed up for a share with the work discount but you're unable to fulfill your work obligation for your discount you can simply pay the difference. E-mail us for your balance (it's $15/hour; 4 hours for half share, 6 for medium, 8 for full).

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

October 11, 2020
A Balance
by Farmer Derek

Harvest #22 (Week B) should include lettuce, kale, arugula, hakurei turnips, leeks, potatoes, cabbage, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, cauliflower, chard, escarole, and celery. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include herbs.

October 11, 2020
Almost There
by Farmer Derek

It feels pretty good to mostly wrap up a big job that has been forcing me to work seven days a week for the past month. I still need to install the endwalls, run another anchoring rope, and set up wire for trellising but the two new caterpillar tunnels are just about done. We're excited to have even more covered space on the farm since crops really love being in there. I'm also looking forward to observing how the new waterways handle the extra water over the next couple of days. Inside all of our tunnels I still need to install driptape but pretty soon we'll be able to just sit back and watch the crops grow. We have one more bed to plant in the hoop tunnel this week then we'll plant the five short greenhouse beds the following week. Besides some miscellaneous mowing, tractor work is almost wrapped up for the season too. Garlic will be planted in early November, hopefully while we're celebrating the election results. Two more passes with the bed shaper then they'll be ready.

Most of our fall crops are doing well. We basically lost the 2nd planting of broccoli to disease, but other than that all fall crops look stellar. Cabbages are the biggest I've ever seen them. Chard and kale are performing fantastically. Fall celery is 90% harvestable (we lost 90% of our summer celery to disease). Escarole, endive, and radicchio look great. Lettuce, romaine, and lettuce mix are happy. Radishes and turnips were more productive than ever. We transplanted them this season and I think that helped along with perfect rainfall and magic soil.

Magic soil? Well we soil test and add fertilizer and compost and cover crops, but I don't think that explains exactly why the fall crops probably look the best they ever have. Because of the interconnectedness of everything in the soil biome/foodweb, ratios matter as much as amounts and it's hard to quantify everything that happens underground. And since we try to rely on rainfall for all of our bare ground crops' water needs this variable has a large influence on everything. Soil moisture conditions when plowing and shaping can also really impact the health of the crops. If the soil gets compacted at all, roots have a harder time penetretating and accessing nutrients, which can also get locked up. I'm not going to try to completely understand and explain why the crops are super happy and healthy right now but instead just really appreciate them at this time and know that a little bit of everything we do gets mixed around together with nature to achieve success.

October 4, 2020
Workshifts for Week of 10/5/20
by Farmer Derek

Workshifts will be held rain or shine. If it's raining we'll probably process garlic in the barn. When it's dry we'll probably harvest some crops or pull some weeds.

If you're unable to fulfill your work obligation for your share discount you can simply pay the difference. E-mail us for your balance.

Workshifts scheduled for this week:

October 4, 2020
Early Autumn Mix
By Farmer Dana

Harvest #21 (Week A) should include potatoes, broccoli, kale, arugula, lettuce, leeks, garlic, beets, kohlrabi, radishes, turnips, green tomatoes, swiss chard, escarole, hot peppers, celery, and cabbage. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include herbs.

Main Season CSA runs through 26 weeks! Late Fall CSA commences immediately following conclusion of Main Season. Click here to sign up for Late Fall.

October 4, 2020
Awesome Autumn!
by Farmer Derek

We're very appreciative of last week's dose of rain. With plenty of days of dry weather before and forecast for after, the 2.5" of precipitation was just enough to ward off any need of adding water to the fall crops. In fact most crops look to be in a blessed state of balance at the moment. These weather conditions are pretty much just perfect for our fall crops, on our farm, with our soil types. We really don't need much rain here, especially for the bare ground crops, and definitely this time of year with reduced temperatures and length of daylight. Even at the end of that two-week dry spell with low humidity and a few high wind days crops were still luscious, green, and perky.

Even with wonderful outside weather our attention is shifting towards indoor production. We're quickly filling tunnels with crops that will be harvested in November, December, and beyond. Last week we transplanted lettuce mix and arugula into the hoop house; kale and bok choy into the hoop tunnel; and spinach into one of the caterpillar tunnels. The week prior head lettuce, lettuce mix, and chard filled up another of the new caterpillar tunnels. Three quarters of the hoop tunnel and the green house are all that is left. These will be planted over the next two to three weeks.

Before last week's big day of rain on Tuesday we sowed the final round of cover crops on areas that were home to winter squash, u-pick tomatoes, eggplant, okra, and sweet potatoes. I used a mix of oats and rye. Oats should die off during the winter if it gets cold enough. Rye should over winter, aggressively and tenaciously growing through springtime. In the past we've had stands of rye reaching 5-6' in height on fallow fields. That's a tremendous amount of organic matter subsequently incorporated into the soil biome. We'll only let it get that big if we're certain we won't need that space for a 2021 crop and can rest it until 2022. Rye is said to be allelopathic and could negatively affect following crops, but it could also be from the plants having soaked up much of the available nutrients which aren't released until the plants sufficiently break down. This is one reason we've embraced 'winter-killed' cover crops. They leave the soil in a more user-friendly state for spring and early summer planting. Rye is advantageous if we fallow a field or if we won't use it until mid-summer or later.

Hope you're able to enjoy this great weather!

October 4, 2020
"Rooted" in Happiness
By Linda Dansbury

Isn't it delightful cooking when it doesn't make the kitchen uncomfortably warm? I made a few nice dishes this past week. Please send me how you are enjoying your harvest at lindadansbury@comcast.net.

Potatoes, leeks, onion, carrot, turnip tops, garlic, thyme, parsley, chives - made the Potato, Kale, Leek Soup on this Site. I sauteed a few strips of bacon to start and sauteed the veggies in a combo of local butter and bacon fat. Then garnished the dish with crumbled bacon as well as parsley and chives. I also simmered it all with a couple of bay leaves and thyme sprigs. I also replaced most of the kale with turnip tops.

Beets, carrots (yes, I still had some left in my fridge from the farm), dandelion, red onion, garlic - made a new salad this past week - Roasted Beets and Carrots with Goat Cheese Dressing. It took a bit of prep, but used one large skillet and one large bowl, so clean up was easy. I used dandelion greens rather than the beet greens the recipe called for. Chard would have been a more direct substitution, but I didn't have any and the dandelion worked out fine. I would have made it better by adding some type of crunchy nuts as a garnish.

Kohlrabi - been eating these just cut up as a snack and adding to salads.

Lettuce, arugula, escarole, kohlrabi, carrots, turnips - made a large veggie salad with a sherry vinaigrette. Served topped with leftover sliced steak.

Radishes, turnips, kohlrabi - made a dip using half goat cheese and half yogurt, with lemon zest, chives and mint mixed in. Delicious snack!

October 4, 2020
Savoy Cabbage
By Linda Dansbury

Savoy cabbage is so pretty with its lacy looking leaves. Like garden cabbage and Napa cabbage, it is very healthy to eat, but has a slightly milder flavor. They are all interchangeable in recipes, but Savoy does lend itself really well to roasting, so check out the new, simple Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan - you can replace the walnuts with pretty much any nut or crunchy topping your family likes.

As with other cabbages, it stores really well in plastic in the fridge.