Sundog CSA August 18, 2020

18 Aug 2020

It was an exciting week here on the hill as the house and the garage were stripped of their roofing and recovered in the space of two days. The crew that accomplished that feat worked this hard job and did so cheerfully and we enjoyed watching them work their magic with common shingles. In addition to a new roof, the back porch was jacked up and we are in the process of redoing some of the weary looking boards that have held it up for thirty some years. Katy and I were very impressed that we could take a floor jack and position it just so and start jacking up an entire structure. It was kind of a dangerous feeling as we now think that in addition to being part time gardeners, we may take up part time “building re-do”. It was kind of awesome to hear the groaning and know that it was the house and not me! 😊

We have cucumbers - a feat almost as impressive as moving buildings. We have yet to harvest squash so it is not a “win” yet but at least we have pushed back the bugs a few “yards”. The crackle of foliage in the garden is tell-tale sign of the continued drought like conditions as it feels much more like September than it does August. Last night’s thunder and lightning show left us with a scant .03 in the gauge which was barely better than nothing. The other vegetable that we can usually count on is eggplant and we are struggling with that crop also. We have had a few here and there but not a regular harvest of these usually reliable fruits. Flea beetles are working hard to make “lace” out of the eggplant beds and we are not sure if they will recover and produce or not.

The push mower is running again so we mowed some grass that we probably should have baled. Izzy and Seth raked up a wheel barrow of clippings and fed it to the calves for a treat. Pulling bind weed has been building our patience as it has to be carefully removed from its victims. It is easy to pull grass after spending an hour or so unwrapping bindweeds. Hauling one of our cows home from the pasture was the end of the day on Sunday. She is due to have a calf in a few weeks and it seemed easier to keep her where we would see her every day. It was an easy load and the cows were glad to see us a second time this week as we bring them “cow treats”.

One of Izzy’s favorite story-tellers is John Erickson and the star of these stories is “Hank the Cowdog”. And here for your listening pleasure is a link to one of songs included, “Taters and Maters”, appropriate for the bag this week! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TimN9VVMKMk

Maters and Taters, by Hank the Cowdog

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

Last week’s POTATOES - sorry that we forgot them!
Large Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Sweet Peppers
Long Beans
Multi-Colored Pole Beans or Okra
Hot Peppers
Basil

RECIPE SHARE – thank you Lauri!

We are really glad to see this picture and recipe as we have been wondering how everyone was doing with this crop. For some reason, the long beans have been doing well although the deer have been snacking on the trellis that is supporting the green variety. Here at home we have been munching raw and eating them chopped into salads. They have a very different taste and texture than regular green beans.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/3-ingredient-charred-green-beans-with-whipped-ricotta We like all kinds of grilled and roasted veggies over whipped ricotta

https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/09/stuffed-eggplant-parmesan/ I made the sauce for this with tomatoes and peppers from Sundog CSA. of course I used the eggplant you sent last week. I also slipped some blanched, chopped Swiss chard in the sauce.

And if you have too many cherry tomatoes this is a great way to use them up –

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/roasted-cherry-tomatoes/

There are days that are better than other days – at least that is how they feel as I go through them and it makes me think of all the days that have gone by and how to define that word better? I am thinking that it is not about accomplishments since there are days that are good and in four hours all I have accomplished is installing one outlet cover that took one screw. Then there are days when I can look around and see grass at the right height, weed free garden rows and a clean kitchen counter and yet that might be a day when I consider alternatives to this lifestyle. So, conclusion today, after all that thinking and all those words is that it is a good day and I don’t know why? 😊

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

Wildflowers, weeds, morning glories and cows in the morning! 😊