Sundog CSA June 30, 2020

Rain came in early Saturday morning – 1.16 in our gauge and we were most definitely grateful for the moisture. Up until that day, we had .95 total for the entire month which wasn’t much when you factor in the high temperatures and the Kansas winds! We are hopeful that we will have more moisture soon since we were able to walk and pull weeds in the garden on Sunday as the moisture was not enough to make deep mud.

Farm Update : Our week was spent on the mulching project with deep watering before we laid a layer of hay around each plant or row. We are pretty sure that this will be helpful as we can look at mulched beds and see that the heat of the day did not affect them as negatively as the ones that we have not given the “treatment”. We are almost done and should be able to finish in another night or so. We have noticed some blight on a few of our tomatoes as we planted some old varieties that are not as resistant, so that is a concern. We are looking into the electric fence around parts of the garden very seriously as we lost another half row of beets or at least lost their tops last night. The deer are challenging. In addition, we are battling raccoons who are tearing up rows of mulched crops in their searches for grubs. Although we appreciate the help in that way, we are not appreciative of their gardening skills!! Our newly planted beets in the bottom tunnel have broken through so we have hope that both roots and tops will do well down there. Although we have had deer in the tunnel once, it is easy to hang netting and keep them out of there. I am not sure what this rain will do for the potatoes as they were on their way out with wilted and drying foliage. There may be new life for them with new potatoes forming – we can only hope. Seth was the official “finder” tonight as we dug for the bag. Potato digging with Seth is slow as each find must be celebrated and talked about as it is gently laid in the crate. “Big guys” need at least a minute or so each as they are twirled and examined and I think to myself that this is the way we should gather food – slowly and with much excitement. Lots and lots of weeds were pulled from flower beds and Izzy hauled them in the wheelbarrow to the waiting goats. And this week was electric fence training for the pigs who are transitioning to free run with the exception of our gardens and the road! If only we could train them to chase deer and raccoons!.

Besides the rain, blessings of the week were talking with Zach till the phone ran out of battery, visiting with my sister and my brother and having lots of other phone time at nights with friends. During this very strange time in our lives, connections with friends and family are as valued as the “big guy potatoes” that we got so excited about tonight.

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK - all grown in an organic manner

• Potatoes
• Root Bundle
• Onions
• Swiss Chard
• Mystery Vegetable
• Chinese Cabbage

THANK YOU to Lauri for the recipe share this week – —

Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage with Spicy Garlic Dressing

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/stir-fried-napa-cabbage-spicy-garlic-dressing#spotim-comments

Seth showing off two of his “big guys”.

Echinacea sitting tall and pretty at the end of a row feeds us with beauty on hot summer days.

Fragile blue borage blossoms are edible as well as beautiful!

It is a long journey up the stem of the fennel for this caterpillar and although we appreciate what it must have taken to make this journey, we have evicted him and his friends. Izzy has been carefully collecting them and moving them to some Queen Anne’s lace plants so that we can enjoy them when they transform to swallowtail butterflies.

It is usually the beginnings of dark as we walk from the milkbarn into the house in the evenings. The past couple of weeks have been like walking through a sea of lightning bugs or fireflies. We have never seen so many flashes filling the air and it is as though you are passing through a fairy tale summer’s evening with the soft whispers of wind and of all things, bugs lighting up the world! Curious, I looked up fireflies and it took a little while for me to adjust to the fact that they are “beetles” and that their light show is for each other as it is “date night” for the beetles. And instead of bringing flowers, they turn on their lights which can come in red, yellow, green or orange – soft shades of each of those colors and introduce themselves to each other. And so as we walk through the back yard, twirling our hands through the air and the kids run and shriek with excitement, we are an interruption in every sense of the word!

Blessings from the farm – Jen, Zach, Katy, Dan, Seth, Izzy and Teresa