July 25, 2021
Workshifts This Week (7/26/21) - Please Help, Why Not?
by Farmer Derek

Looks like another nice week is in store for the area! Tasks should include pulling weeds from the sweet potato patch as well as harvesting onions and/or regular potatoes.

This week's workshift schedule:

Please bring gloves, water, a hat, and sturdy shoes! We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines. Workshift Sign Up Instructions.

July 25, 2021
Tomato Time
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #11 (Week A) should include cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, scallions, tomatoes, fresh garlic, lettuce, italian dandelion, beets, watermelon, and herbs. Some items will be a choice.

Distributed weight of zucchini and cucumbers has fallen due to the impact of cucurbit downy and/or powdery mildew but should increase again soon once the 3rd planting gets going in earnest. Melon season is just beginning. Watermelon starts this week and will stick around for a while. Cantaloupe will also be harvested soon. Since it is just beginning there probably won't be enough watermelon for Medium Shares this week but we predict there will be enough next week (#12).

U-pick should include cherry/grape tomatoes, green/snap/string beans, tomatillos, flowers, and herbs.

July 25, 2021
Summer's Bounty
By Linda Dansbury

We are getting to the peak of the summer harvest season, and there may be a couple of the newer crops you are not that familiar with.

Tomatillos - they look like small green tomatoes and are in fact in the same family as tomatoes. The best way to harvest them is to look for fruits that have husks that are filled out by the fruit and are yellowed or brown and a bit dried. A lot of times, perfect tomatillos are laying on the ground. Tomatillos are high in vitamins and minerals and they store well in the fridge. They can be chopped up and added to salads, made into salsas that are raw or cooked, and used in soups and stews. Check out this site for many ways to use them!

Fresh Garlic - we have been receiving this crop for a couple of weeks now, so just a quick note that unless you will be using it up quickly, it is best stored in the fridge. Use it as you would any cured/dried garlic.

Dandelion greens - this is one of the bitter greens that does well in summer heat, so it is a staple at the farm, especially when other greens are not at their best in the hot, dry summer days. The variety at the farm is not nearly as bitter as others I have had, so try it. A couple really nice recipes on this site are the Dandelion Salad with Warm Hazelnut Dressing and Garlic Braised Dandelion with White Bean Puree. Or, do what a lot of us do with greens - make pesto with the added nuts and/or cheese you use, helps calm down the bitterness.

Hot peppers - just a note that I like to share: if you get more hot peppers than you can use, place them in the freezer for use throughout the winter. I love pulling them out and adding them to chili, salsa, Mexican and Southeast Asian dishes, etc.

July 25, 2021
Summer Deliciousness
By Linda Dansbury

I have so much fun cooking this time of year - with the variety of crops, there is almost an endless amount of dishes you can prepare. Below is some of what we enjoyed this past week - a few dishes were inspired by friends that stayed with us - we had a fairly traditional Greek meal, Yum!

Lettuce, peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and thyme - roughly chopped up the veggies and herb and placed in large bowl. Topped with a chunk of good quality feta cheese, good olive oil, a bit of vinegar, salt and pepper and mixed up - simple yet so flavorful.

Swiss chard - this was as simple as it gets - chop the chard and place in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or just until wilted. Strain and push as much of the water out of it. Place in bowl and top with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper - very nice.

Zucchini - grilled it and topped with olive oil, salt, pepper a squeeze of lemon juice and a few thyme leaves.

Eggplant, zucchini, peppers, cherry tomatoes, herbs - grilled the veggies, and then put the leftovers into a pasta salad and had it for lunch for a few days.

Tomatoes, scallions, pepper, hot pepper, garlic and cilantro - made a very delicious salsa - so good I made it twice!

July 25, 2021
A New Layered Veggie Dish
By Linda Dansbury

Fellow member Sarah Brown sent a recipe to me this week called Baked Ratatouille. It sounds delicious - it starts with bacon!

She writes: "I made this dish last night - but also made it so many times last year with ingredients from the CSA. It does require the oven to be on, but it's a great way to use eggplant - especially when you have a spouse who isn't that fond of eggplant! I don't bother peeling the eggplant and use fresh tomatoes when I have them rather than canned. And the cheese can be any good melty cheese. Last night I put mozzarella on one side and gruyere on the other. I preferred the gruyere. :)

Good (and filling) to eat on its own, but could be served over pasta or with bread."

I can't wait to try this. It uses one pan to cook up the ingredients and one baking dish, so clean up is simple. While dish is baking, you can spend your time making a side salad to go along with it.

Thank you so much Sarah - to all you great cooks out there, please send your ideas to me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

Happy eating!

July 25, 2021
Peak Season - Sign Up for a Workshift Soon!
by Farmer Derek

Peak season is upon us! Peak weed germination and growth, peak harvests and overall weight, peak exhaustion, and probably peak heat. If you signed up for a share with work discount please consider helping out soon. Workshifts continue through the fall but frequency wanes and workload lessons during the shoulder seasons.

Right now farm focus is on keeping crops happy and healthy during intermittent rainfall and a dry spell, fluctuating temperatures and a weekly return of heat, pest and disease pressures becoming pronounced around the farm, maximum sunshine and resultant aisle maintenance, and the continuation of big plantings needing retrieval. Many thanks to all the members who helped complete the massive garlic and carrot harvests! Our attention now turns to gathering onions, potatoes, and melons, with winter squash close behind.

Please consider signing up for a workshift soon (link below). Thank you to those who have already completed their hours!

July 18, 2021
More Summer Salads
By Linda Dansbury

I think we are all thankful for the lower heat and humidity - I hope all of you and your loved ones came through the storms with no damage. The oppressive heat had me making large salads or grilling and then adding any leftovers to salads. Grill or roast more of whatever protein you want, and then you will have simple dinners with no need to sweat over a stove or grill for another day or two. Mix up the salads you make to keep from getting bored. Or make sandwiches with leftover protein and have a nice veggie side salad - another great strategy for beating the heat. Send me your summer inspirations for great meals during the heat by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

Cucumber, scallions, cilantro, mint, garlic, chili pepper (I know we haven't received these yet, I took one out of the freezer from last year - another way the harvest keeps giving through the year). Made a Vietnamese Cucumber Salad that is so yummy - actually have now made it 3 times so far this year! Even leftovers the next day are delicious.

Green beans, scallions, garlic, basil, parsley, cherry tomatoes - made a green bean salad - I have twice now used my entire share of green beans in 1 large salad. It keeps for days due to the red wine vinaigrette I use. To make it, cook the beans as you like - I cook them a bit longer than if I were eating them plain because the dressing is better absorbed. Chop the aromatics and halve the cherry tomatoes. Make your favorite red wine vinaigrette and mix all together. Delicious add-ins include chick peas and feta cheese.

Zucchini, eggplant, pepper, chard, scallions, basil and parsley - made a really simple pasta salad by grilling all the veggies until nicely charred and tender. Chopped everything up and tossed together in a large bowl with cooked pasta. Dressing was a vinaigrette I made combining red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Enjoyed it as a delicious side dish, and then leftovers were lunch with some leftover chicken one day and some tuna another day. Additional add-ins for this dish can be white beans or chick peas, some type of cheese, including mozzarella, parmesan or feta, cherry tomatoes or other things your family likes.

Lettuce, tomato, scallion and basil - we had club sandwiches one night and I finely chopped scallion and basil and mixed into the mayo for a nice flavor boost to the sandwich.

Garlic scapes, scallion, lots of parsley and basil - used all these herbs to flavor a marinade for grilled chicken. Yum

July 18, 2021
Workshifts This Week (7/19/21)
by Farmer Derek

Looks like it'll be a beautiful, "cool", and less humid week for working on the farm! Tasks should include pulling weeds from and saving the sweet potato patch from weed dominance as well as some possible harvesting of other crops.

This week's workshift schedule:

Please bring gloves, water, a hat, and sturdy shoes! We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines. Workshift Sign Up Instructions.

July 18, 2021
Nightshades, Cucurbits, Alliums, Asters Oh My
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #10 (Week B) should include cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, fresh garlic, lettuce, swiss chard, italian dandelion, beets, and herbs. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include cherry/grape tomatoes, green/snap/string beans, tomatillos, flowers, and herbs.

July 18, 2021
It's Always the Weather
by Farmer Derek

Some nasty storms rolled through the region to begin and end last week. Both times the farm was spared the worst. Other local areas weren't as lucky. We hope you fared well. Unfortunately we've come to expect flash flood inducing storms on a regular basis and have done what we can to minimize their impact. The waterways have helped immensely. Since they were installed a few years ago the worst we've experienced was a 3" deluge in about an hour or so, which is nothing compared to the 10" that dumped on lower Bucks last Monday. I'm not sure what that would have looked like here but it wouldn't have been good. Seeing the photographs of floods and damage incurred in Germany and parts of Europe really highlights the power of weather and water. Ten seasons ago we endured our worst stretch of weather when Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee rolled through. In about a month and a half we received 21" of rain, about 5 times the average.

Even considering the rain and extremely oppressive heat, last week was good and productive. Farmers and members harvested the rest of the carrots, approximately 2 tons, and the overall size, quality, and yield is perhaps the best ever. Garlic processing was wrapped up and the quality of that is also incredible. Tomatoes in the new tunnels are beginning to ripen in earnest. The plants are huge (7-8' tall), heavily laden with fruit, and are still healthy. Ripe tomatoes have great appearance and flavor. The soil in these tunnels had copious amounts of straw, mushroom compost, and aragonite (calcium) worked in and it appears we got it right so far. Keeping the rain off tomato plants makes a huge difference too. We transplanted another couple of rounds of lettuce, the last of the beans for the season, and some of the big fall brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage).

Soon we'll move on to harvesting the next few rounds of large storage crops like onions and potatoes. Intermediate day onions may begin to be retrieved late this coming week once we finish sweet potato weeding. They tell us they're ready when their tops begin to flop over and start to dry out. Foliage of early potato varieties are just starting to undergo senescence. Underground they undergo a 'hardening-off' process where their skins toughen and thicken which is what protects them during storage. If we retrieve them before they're ready they would be considered 'new potatoes' and would need to be consumed right away. Harvests are already big so we never feel the need to retrieve potatoes early.

We're looking forward to a more agreeable weather pattern this coming week and hope you are able to spend some good time outside!

July 11, 2021
#9 Divine
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #9 (Week A) should include carrots, beets, cabbage, lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, swiss chard, italian dandelion, cilantro, dill, basil, parsley, and fresh garlic. Tomatoes, eggplant, and sweet peppers should begin slowly this week. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include cherry/grape tomatoes, green/string/snap beans, flowers, and herbs.

July 11, 2021
Workshifts This Week (7/12/21)
by Farmer Derek

Due to the weather forecast, this is a difficult week to plan for. We still need to harvest 5 of 8 carrot beds as well as beets, and also process garlic in the barn. If the weather is decent and the soil isn't too wet we'll focus on the carrots. If it's hot or wet we'll probably process garlic.

This week's workshift schedule:

Please bring gloves, water, a hat, and sturdy shoes! We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines. Workshift Sign Up Instructions.

July 11, 2021
Much Rain Some Gain
by Farmer Derek

Another hot and bustling week has come and gone. It was a quasi-duplicate of the week before with mid-90s dealt with midweek prior to a serious rain event. At the farm we faired better than some; all of the destructive thunderstorms kept a safe distance while providing some stellar light shows. While closing the gates Friday evening I marveled at the sights in the sky as the sun set basking various types of cumulonimbus clouds in some dazzling shades of orange, purple, white, gray, blue, etc. It was a glorious sight only made possible by profound atmospheric disturbance seen from atop a rolling Bucks County hillscape. The chittering swallows and air-dolphin goldfinches swooping and flying over the beautiful farmscape contributed to the spectacle.

A major milestone was met as we ended the week: seven thousand strawberry tips were planted for the 2022 harvest season. That monumental task was split by Elsa, which actually made planting easier by moistening the soil for us. Besides the harvesting of a few thousand pounds of zucchini and cucumbers last week, we also transplanted more beans, lettuce, cilantro, and dill; pruned, clipped, and trellised multiple rounds of tomatoes; prepped the soil for and tarped the fall carrot patch in hopes to promote weed seed germination followed by termination; cultivated various crops; and started the big carrot harvest.

This morning, with the help of 50 or so CSA members and farmers we harvested approximately 12,000 garlic plants and tied and hung around 11,522 of them. The remaining few hundred await our attention and some will be given out 'fresh' for a few weeks. To be honest and very happy to report, the bulbs look the best they have in years if not ever here. Thank you everyone who came out and helped today!

July 4, 2021
July July July
by Farmer Derek

It's July. It's a holiday weekend. Stay cool my friends.

July 4, 2021
Summer Salads
By Linda Dansbury

Once again, the weather has been like a yoyo. Made a new favorite salad this week - will be making this over and over again this summer. See below for description. If you want to share something with fellow members or ask a question, please email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

Fennel, scapes, chard, parsley - made a mussel and chorizo stew last night since it wasn't going to be a good grilling night. The recipe I used did not call for fennel, but any type of seafood goes well with fennel so added it early on with the onion. Used scapes instead of garlic and added them when there was only about 10 min left of cooking time. Also added a nice pile of chopped chard - again the recipe didn't call for it. Garnished with lots of chopped parsley.

Zucchini - made zoodles out of a couple small zucchini and enjoyed with some tomato sauce I had in freezer from last year's bounty. Topped with chopped basil.

Cucumbers - so far I have mostly just been eating them as a snack, except for the wonderful salad below.

Lettuce, cucumber, peas (I grew peas and used some but you can also use green beans, or neither since the recipe doesn't call for either), basil, cilantro, scapes, scallions, chili pepper that was frozen from last year - made a Thai Beef salad that was so delicious, it will become one of this years summer staples. We had made a large steak and had a lot leftover, but you can enjoy this salad with just about any protein of your choice - grilled chicken or shrimp would be particularly good. Please try it and let me know what you think.

July 4, 2021
Workshifts This Week (7/5/21)
by Farmer Derek

This week's workshift schedule:

Please bring gloves, water, a hat, and sturdy shoes! We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Workshift Guidelines. Workshift Sign Up Instructions.

July 4, 2021
July Share
by Farmer Dana

Harvest #8 (Week B) should include beets, cabbage, celery, swiss chard, kale, radicchio, italian dandelion greens, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, scallions, garlic scapes, fennel, cilantro, basil, dill, and parsley. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include snap/string/green beans, cherry tomatoes, flowers, and herbs. Please bring scissors and any pint and quart containers that you may have accumulated at home. We'd love to reuse them!