Hi Reader,

I grew up in this house and I remember experiencing the jolt of light zip through the kitchen during a lightening storm one summer day when I was a teenager. This pre-revolutionary war, four room, log cabin is very sturdy and never shakes during thunderstorms or even hurricanes. Rain can be pouring; the wind can be howling but I've never been afraid of a storm in this house.

Thunder was rolling all around us and lightening lit the sky on Wednesday afternoon. Our crews quit the fields and took shelter in the buildings, or so I thought.

A loud SNAP occured a split second before the crack of thunder and the flash of light which seemed to travel through the house from one end to the other.

Naturally, everyone in the house screamed in surprise but Annika was on the back porch just 5 feet from the lightening cable. She jumped and screamed the loudest but wasn't hurt. The cable did it's job sending the high voltage electricity down into the ground.

Farmer Reuben, watching from the safety of our market building, said it looked like the house took a direct hit when he checked on us a few minutes later. We looked around but found no scorching or evidence of the strike. In fact, the power hadn't even flickered.

The random storms and down pours this week have been unpredictable. The weather apps took off all the rain in the forecast and then put storm warnings up after they've already rolled through.

These soaking rains are great for our vegetables because it's been so hot and the fields have been dry. Regular rains are important for our pastures so that the grasses grow as our dairy cows rotate through each area, allowing the eaten grass to regrow by the time it's needed again. Clear skies in between these quick storms is great too because it allows us to keep harvesting tomatoes, planting fall broccoli, and kale and weeding late summer beans and carrots.

In fact, this weather is great for transplanting because the moisture in the soil is crucial to giving the young broccoli, kale and dill a healthy start. Our east field is filling up with new vegetable plants that we will be harvesting for our fall and winter shares.

After watching the tractor stall on the hill yesterday on the way to this field, I was happy to see the crew working steadily away in the relative cool of the morning today. The VIDEO above shows three different stages of farm work simultaneously so that we can keep a variety of vegetables delivered to your home every week. We have to work ahead so that you can have the delicious food you eat every day on your table.

Farmer Reuben and I are starting to plan the Fall and Winter Season now in mid August. It feels CRAZY, I know!

You don't have to stop getting your food from us this winter, just because the 20 week summer season ends in October. Why would you want to start getting veggies from the grocery store when you can keep this amazing farm share experience going?

In winter 2021 we delivered organically grown storage vegetables and greenhouse grown veggies EVERY WEEK from January - May but many of you didn't even know it!

Watch for information coming soon about Fall & Winter delivery options and auto renew for 2022!

Even though the growing season isn't over, our farm events are winding down. It's been a great summer to meet so many of you at our farm and flower tours, farm to table dinner and monthly pizza nights. Actually being here on the farm gives members a solid connection to where their food comes from and it's even better when you can taste it here too!

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Taste your farm this Saturday at our last PIZZA NIGHT of 2021!

Our Brick Oven Pizza is farm to table pizza with most ingredients from the farm. (We don't have olive trees for olive oil yet!) August has the best pizza now that we can put slices of tomato, peppers, onions and basil.

This is your last chance to eat amazing food at Willow Haven Farm this season. We only have a few tables left at 5 pm and 7 pm.

Price: $25 per person. Children 4 and under free.
Group Discount: Fill a table of 8 or more paid reservations for $20 each. (email me​

FAQ: For farm members only? Nope! Anyone is invited.

FAQ: What about rain in the forecast? The weather has been quick to change this week without forecasters being able to predict. We're going to have it rain or shine and make it work. I have a feeling if there is a storm it will be here and gone quick. Hopefully it won't interfere. We'll be keeping it real on the farm and dealing with the weather as it comes. There's shelter for you if needed so we hope you'll come for the whole experience, just like we live it every day.

HOW TO RESERVE A TABLE:

1. Use this link to pay for your reservation. Reserve now.
2. Choose your date and time: you will reserve a table for either 5 or 7 pm on the date you choose.
3. Send me an email to select your time. Openings are left for 5 pm or 7 pm.

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Reserve Your Table Now

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Discounted Rate for Parties of 8 or More! Only $20 each. Email me for the link.
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Zucchini Mind Dump

I've been asked multiple times recently for ideas on what to do with too much zucchini so I'm going to give you all my ideas here with links to some recipes. We've been sending zucchini out every week from the end of June and it doesn't look like its' stopping. Some years our early plants die of disease before the next rows are ready to produce and we end up with a gap in production but not this year. Some of you would like a break, maybe? Good thing that's an option with our custom farm shares where you can swap something you like for something you'd rather have on a particular week.

Exit Strategies for Zucchin & Summer Squash OVERLOAD

1. Chop & Freeze: I chop any variety of summer squash into bite size cubes, stuff into quart size freezer bags and simply put in the freezer without any need to process. Advantage: quick and easy; add to winter soups or stews. Disadvantage: summer squash retains a lot of water so you are using up space in your freezer; when thawed the zucchini will be mushy so don't plan on sauteeing or using in a recipe that will be affected by the extra liquid.
2. Shred & Freeze: Shred on box grator or food processor. Squeeze our extra liquid and pack into quart size freezer bags. Advantage: less bulky and reduced water content; measure and freeze by the cup to add to recipes later; Disadvantage: still too wet for some recipes.
3. Dehydrate: I usually shred in a food processor and then spread a layers onto my dehydrator trays for several hours until pliable or almost crispy. Advantage: concentrates the sugars and elminates water content. The dried shreds actually taste sweet and yummy on their own. Store easily in a jar or freezer bag. It seems like I can get a picking bin of zucchini in a quart bag this way. USE: in soups, stews, cakes, muffins, egg bakes, casseroles. Usually no need to rehydrate before using. Disadvantage: some ovens can be used to dydrate veggies but a dehydrator is best and more efficient. I like my Excaliber.
4. Dried Zucchini Chips: makes a yummy snack and can be baked in oven or use dehydrator for larger quanties. Recipe Here​
5. ​Mock Apple Cobbler: a great dessert that no one will realize it's zucchini unless you tell them. Our family loves this dessert. Gluten Free version here.​
6. ​Zucchini Pizza Crust: this is my favorite gluten free pizza crust but it could be a wheat crust with extra veggies if you want.
7. Ratatouille: now is the season to make a huge batch of Ratatouille with all the eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini at their peak. Freeze or pressure can it for later or just enjoy it all week long.
8. ​Zucchini Parmesan and lots more ways to use zucchini in this blog post.
9. More great recipes: Spicy Zucchini Lasagna uses thin sliced zucchini instead of pasta. Grilled Pesto Stuffed Zucchini. Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a fun, creative meal for your family. Stuffed Zucchini or 20 more ideas for stuffed options. Some of these recipes made me hungry: 10 ways to use zucchini. Grilled Summer Squash with Feta and Onion. ​
10. Just in case these ideas aren't in any of the links above, don't forget about zucchini bread, muffins, chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini fritters, zucchini pancakes, my favorite zucchini basil salad, Cheesy Zucchini crusted Quiche, and put zucchini in your pasta sauces.

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We'll keep farming for you!

Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
​Willow Haven Farm​
​Directions to the farm​

P. S. ON FARM MARKET OPEN THIS SATURDAY! Come in for fresh brick oven bread, Haven Farmstead cheese and organically grown veggies.

P.P.S. CHECK OUT OUR FARM STAND SPECIAL BELOW 👇

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Free Willow Haven Canvas bag with pocket when you order $30 of pantry items. Shop from these categories:

• snacks: granola, organic tortilla chips, gourmet popcorn
• cooking/baking: pancake mix, soup mixes
• sauces: red sauce, hot sauce
• condiments: organic dressings and salsas
• jar goods: sauerkraut, pickles
• other: lotions, soaps, salves

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​Head on over to Farm Stand to make your order. ​

• order by Monday 10 pm each week
• low minimum order = $30!
• home delivery on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons ($7)
• farm pick up Wednesday after noon is FREE
• More Details:
  • Weekly specials are featured in our Farm Stand emails - JOIN​
  • Ever need to change or add to your order?
    • Email me to delete your first order.
    • Create a new order with everything you want.
  • Your credit card is not charged until all orders are finalized by the farm the following Tuesday.

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Check out Farm Stand

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Are you new? More info about our farm:

ON FARM MARKET OPEN THIS SATURDAY! Come in for fresh brick oven bread, organically grown veggies, or check out the Online Farm Stand to make an order for Wednesday.

SUMMER SHARES: ​Get the six question guide Is a Farm Share CSA Right for You Guide to find out if our Farm Share CSA will fit into your life and your goals. YES! SEND ME THE GUIDE.

How do you Refer A Friend? Members get REWARDED for getting their friends to join too! When you tell others about our farm, you both earn $15 Farm Credit when they start their own membership using your unique referral code. Read this article to find your link, then send it to your friends.

FLOWERS: ​Annika's private CSA takes members who want flowers delivered to them every week during the summer and fall. Members enjoy the beautiful variety of local flowers, information from Farmer Annika about the flowers, a Flower Guide and a unique note each week. Flower Shares can be added to your farm vegetable share as well. They come carefully wrapped and included in your box with each delivery. Just select Flower Add On Share after choosing your perfect size Veggie Share. ​

CHEESE: Want to purchase amazing grass-fed artisan cheese from our sister business, Haven Farmstead? The grass-fed dairy cows at Willow Haven Farm are co-owned by farmer Reuben and cheesemaker, Steve. Living on pasture and milked once a day, they produce excellent milk for the best old-world style cheeses. If you've traveled to Europe, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find the same excellent flavors here in PA. Shop the Cheese Store.

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​Thinking of unsubscribing? current CSA members need to stay connected to our emails but you can limit them to just vital information about your membership by clicking here. ​

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