Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA September 8, 2020

And once again we are wishing for rain to fill our gauge and our mud puddles as the past few days with the high temperatures and winds have left the hill dry and the plants closed as they work hard to survive this latest challenge. This weekend we spent time mowing and tilling under plots that were planted to ground covers as they had sprouted more weeds than anything else and with the forecast of rain looking fairly positive over the next few days, there is hope that it will sprout and grow for a few weeks before frost. The forecast is also showing numbers that have not been there in a few months – 40’s and 50’s. I am not excited about them as love not having to dress in layers and then have to make the rounds to find clothes that I have shed and hung in trees and on fence posts etc. 😊

A three day weekend meant a short visit with Zach and Jen – and it was worth the drive on this hot day. Precious time spent with all of us talking at once and asking and answering questions that have been saved up over all the days that we have not been able to visit. The rest of our weekend was spent harvesting, washing and hanging out sweaters and jackets and some blankets (all things that we have not needed in a few months and the Kansas wind cooperated by drying them almost immediately) hand seeding some plots, making a corn shock and hanging up our new hummingbird feeder from Jen and her boss, Doug. Jen is a glassblower and is able to practice her craft at a studio in Topeka. We are the lucky recipients of some amazing creations and never tire of looking at how the light plays with these fantasy creations! We hope the hummingbirds realize how lucky they are! While we were busy working on the hill, Dan spent several hours cutting up a tree that had fallen across the road a mile north of us. He had started one evening this week by cutting enough to clear the road and has since brought several loads of the oak tree home to sit on the pile and cure – a true treasure. He has also been cutting at my sister and brother-in-law’s house as they had some fallen trees – hopefully it is a mild winter and our pile will remain intact for the most part! In the meantime, it is nice to look out at the stacked pile and know that we won’t have to be out scouting trees in the snow.

Katy found a new recipe for frozen tomato/spaghetti sauce so all tomatoes with blemishes or bug bites have been added to the simmering pot – minus their skins and seeds. One of the items that continue to be scarce is canning lids so freezing excess veggies is the next option.

Here is the recipe :

QUICK FRESH TOMATO SAUCE by David Tanis - -

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017650-quick-fresh-tomato-sauce

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Large Slicing Tomatoes
  • Cucumbers
  • Potatoes
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Hot Peppers
  • Beans or Squash

No-Fail Roasted Potatoes – deliciously crispy and golden!

No-Fail (3 Ingredient) Roasted Potatoes

https://www.thereciperebel.com/no-fail-roasted-potatoes/

Spanish Tortilla (Spanish Potato Omelette)

https://www.thereciperebel.com/page/3/?s=white+potato+recipes

Living on my grandmother’s farm, my brother and I had the responsibility of grinding feed with a side flywheel tractor that held a large belt that was attached at the other end to a hammer mill. This powered the teeth that ground feed for my dad’s dairy herd. Tossing cob corn and alfalfa hay alternately into the loud dusty machine made fine flour like meal that the cows enjoyed as they stood in line with their bucket milkers attached morning and evening. For some reason, I had one of those long large belts still even though we don’t have a flywheel or a hammer mill. The reason that I am writing this story is that the belt is being used for a whole new purpose. This weekend, Izzy and Seth spent hours swinging as their dad had suspended the belt from a large hedge tree near the barn with a come-a-long. The goal was to work with a goat that we have been doctoring for a couple of weeks and help him to regain some leg strength so we were making a home-made sling. And it did work for that but it has also been Izzy and Seth’s favorite spot the past couple of days! This was definitely successful “repurposing”!

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