Sundog CSA July 28, 2020

Rainfall totals for last Monday evening / early morning Tuesday sat at 1.70 in the gauge and added to this morning’s (Monday) windfall of 1.06, we finally made it past two inches. I say finally because to the west of us about 4-5 miles, the totals last week were over 3 inches and we are still not at that amount, even with today’s wet start added in. It is easy to see how dry this land has become when you walk and barely leave an impression on dirt holding over an inch of water from this morning. We are grateful for everyone who did their “rain dances”!

Besides sweating a lot this week, we managed to continue our weed removal project which is interesting to the calves as we feed them the treasures. Glory and the recently named “Harry” are fun to toss weeds and grass across the fence to as they are always enthusiastic or at least most of the time they are munching away as they watch for more donations. The only thing that they have rejected so far was the spent kale plants! J Tonight, they dined on chard as we picked the row down to within a couple of inches from the ground in an effort to rid the blister beetles of a food source. I am sure that their next target will be the tomatoes. Our good friends, Monica and Ron, educated us about the origin of the “blister beetle” name as it is apt for what they can do to their enemies, meaning Katy and I, since we are working hard to deprive them of food. Ron had the painful blisters from an encounter with the soft gray bug.

The ones on the chard were like the solid gray beetle on the left. Be careful if you meet up with them!

Cleaning out one of the chicken houses and dumping the used bedding on the “vacationing” asparagus patch was a weekend task. Dan had lots of wood chips from some winter wood cutting which we mixed with straw for new “flooring” in the chicken house in the hopes that the chickens will respond with eggs in their excitement over the cleaning. Mowing, harvesting and making more soap were also on the check off list and we managed to get “x’s” beside them all. We also spent time this week teaching Harry and Glory how to go in and out of gates and I am happy to say that they are quick learners. The pigs are unfortunately are also quick learners as far as going in and out of gates and if we are not paying attention, we find them trotting along beside us instead of standing on the other side of the fence. We have had to reinforce a couple of gates as they are also enthusiastic about excavating, especially in the calf pen. The baby calves are not appreciative of craters and small wallows and neither are we. Throwing rocks to fill in one of their projects took a couple of hours the other night even with Seth’s excited tosses (being told to throw rocks at the age of three is a bonus).

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK -

• Tomatoes and more tomatoes – all sizes and colors
• Sweet peppers
• Long Beans or Okra – not sure which you will get but both are delicious!
• 3 Root Grex – a beet variety
• Chard – holes and all!

We are hopeful that both our okra and the long beans will begin producing in larger quantities with the recent rains. For those of you who received long beans this week, here are some interesting recipes and information about this vegetable.

Try this site if you are new to the “long bean” – https://www.thespruceeats.com/chinese-green-beans-recipe-p2-695361

AND SOME VERY INTERESTING RECIPES – let us know if you like them and be sure to send recipes that you enjoy!

Charred Long Beans

https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/recipes/how-to-cook-long-beans-on-a-grill-joe-carroll

Joe Carroll of Brooklyn’s St. Anselm and Fette Sau grills Chinese long beans until they’re lightly charred before tossing them in garlic butter.Recipe adapted from “Feeding the Fire: Recipes & Strategies for Better Barbecue & Grilling,” by Joe Carroll and Nick Fauchald

Roasted Asian Green Beans

https://www.mantitlement.com/roasted-asian-green-beans/

Glazed Chinese Long Beans

Recipe courtesy of Aaron McCargo Jr.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo-jr/glazed-chinese-long-beans-recipe-1945206

Wednesday evening was one of those beautiful summer nights that you read about in fiction books – warm, light movement of air now and then which made you forget the occasional persistent mosquito and a fairly clear sky filled with pinpricks of light, some moving and some not. I finished washing milk buckets and shutting barn doors and was in the backyard, lying out on the old picnic table with the goal of seeing the comet NEOWISE. Eleven o’clock came and went without the streak of tail times two which this comet was reported as having and I found myself not caring that I had missed another “once in a lifetime” sighting. It would have been nice but it was nice – this time spent quietly trying hard to take in vastness and space and light mixed with dark in a way that doesn’t dilute it. I find it hard to leave . . . .

Blessing to you from the farm - Jen, Zach, Dan, Katy, Izzy, Seth, Teresa

Clean house or at least as clean as the chicken house gets with its fresh straw flooring! 😊