Sundog CSA August 4, 2020

RAIN – lots of it over several days this past week has made such a difference in the gardens here on the hill. The land seems to have life to it once again and even if it is in the form of abundant weeds, we are not going to gripe – at least not out loud! J We have been so lucky here as the water amounts were a lot less than in other areas with a total for this entire week being __. Some people received that much in a period of hours and instead of watering their gardens, it flooded roads and found its way into homes, causing lots of problems.

Garden work this week was focused on weed removal as with the rain, it seems as they have grown twice as fast as the planted crops. Hornworms continue to leave plants looking like skeletons so we are constantly on patrol for missing leaves and chewed on tomatoes and peppers. Izzy carried piles and more piles of freshly pulled grass and weeds to Harry and Glory who thanked her by eating the offerings and leaving very few scraps. I mistakenly pulled on a hornet’s nest instead of the clump of brome grass that I thought I was removing and found myself doing the “bee dance” and trying not to curse flying insects. Interestingly enough, once I calmed down and was able to stand quiet, I found that they had built their nest inside of one of the arched steel supports with the entrance being a hole where a screw was missing. I think that I grabbed the guardian of the hole or else we might have felt a little more peaceful towards each other. Making sure of my facts, I researched and learned that it was true – hornets can sting repeatedly as they can remove their barbed stinger and use that weapon again. I am sure that I remembered him long after he forgot about me since I had to milk with a swollen hand that night.

We were also busy with several escapes – Harry and Glory both left the confines of their pen on different occasions and the pigs did a lot of “snout work” under one of the gates and managed to make some unexpected visits to the each of the calf pens. So we worked on fences which are an ongoing project. One of Izzy’s turkeys did some garden work and so is now confined to the chicken pen for a time until the bed of squash plants that she scratched circles around and did some dust bathing in has grown enough to cover her dusting spots.

The highlight of the weekend was a flying visit with Zach and Jen. Catching up on all kinds of things, from work situations (both Dan and Zach work in technology), to checking out Jen’s beautiful blooming lilies, to celebrating Katy’s birthday (late),having aunt Jen and uncle Zach critique Izzy’s latest short story, to laughing about Seth’s decision to send Zach political ads along with personal scribbles – it was perfect.

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK ————

• Lots and Lots of tomatoes - all sizes and colors
• Sweet Peppers - the big green ones are finally starting to mature along with some of the other colors
• EITHER Okra or Long Beans
• 3 Root Grex BEETS
• Basil

RECIPE SHARE – Thank you Lauri!

Pasta with Pesto Genovese (Basil Pesto)

“I made a pesto with the basil, roasted the long beans, a pepper and a squash and added halved cherry tomatoes and a can of white beans.”

https://smittenkitchen.com/2020/07/pasta-with-pesto-genovese/

And here is the other recipe that Lauri shared this week - -absolutely delicious for those of us who love dumplings! Save this recipe as chard will be back in the bags by next week 😊

Swiss Chard with Cornmeal Dumplings

https://smittenkitchen.com/2020/07/collard-greens-with-cornmeal-dumplings/

Each season brings something that sticks in your memories and sometimes you are not aware of it until you experience it again – such as walking across our weedy pasture in the dark with Izzy last night to shut up the chickens who are out in their “mobile” and a subtle scent rises with each footfall and you recognize the wild sage that is probably unwanted as a tenant on this land. And yet, I would miss that smell made up of all of the summer days and nights mixed with earthy tones of where its roots lie. It is well worth any space that it takes up here on the hill.

Blessings of health from the farm - Teresa, Izzy, Seth, Jen, Zach, Katy and Dan

The delicate beauty of the “long bean” blooms rivals most flowers.

This is a picture of real trouble on legs! 😊

Pigs come in all colors – and some of them really are photo “hams”! 😊

And hanging upside down on an “about to be” bean bloom, is a wheelie bug. I mistakenly thought for several years that they were assassin bugs after being stabbed by one of them and having a reaction. The long thing you see pointing at you is their weapon and I can testify to the fact that it is effective as I am careful not to get really close to them. They are beneficial in the garden though so we just steer clear and let them do their thing – eat other bugs!