Sundog CSA May 25, 2021
We are plodding our way to the end of this muddy month of May - -and honestly, although tired of mud and lines of socks on the clothesline, it is so much better than drought. We are losing some things to rot from the cool weather and wet conditions however if it were drought days, we would not even have the hope of harvest so . . . . . . . griping is confined to soft whispers in corners as we struggle to wash mud off of cows and coax reluctant goats to enter and exit thru the muddy paths. Boots have become heavy as the earth cakes on and forms molded layers and our faces and arms sport stripes as cow tails swipe past in a back-and-forth motion to be sure that we are coated well. I look suspiciously at Tubiggs who has the longest tail and therefore most ability to “paint my face” and I wonder as I see her watching me sideways as she chews slowly - is this on purpose? And that is why even on the warmest of nights, we will sometimes be bent close to a cowhide, face softly pink with those faint shines of sweat and feel triumphant as we pick our buckets up and head to the milk strainer with a clean head under that hood.
This week we saw tiny little beans lining up in a row - germination was quick as they were poked in only about a week ago. Potato bugs have shown up and we hope that it is just for a short layover. Katy has been doing some research on flea beetles as they are doing some serious damage in the top high tunnel. Theories are that they do not like dry conditions so in addition to the diatomaceous earth, we might try giving them a shower or two. Katy has also been doing some handpicking of the leaf eating critters! We started harvesting some peas – did a little dance just in case the deer were watching! 😊 And we spent the last part of Sunday afternoon, before and after chore time, pulling and mucking out weeds from the asparagus beds. If you are a barefoot asparagus picker, the thistles get your attention, even in the barely sprouted, poking above the earth stage.
Izzy found a curious snail that was not shy - climbing Izzy and Seth’s arms as we worked on the rhubarb patch Sunday afternoon. We were all a little envious of his retractable antennae. A frog was another find down in the asparagus patch and lastly, a snake. There are so many other beings living on this patch of dirt with us and it was nice to spend a little time visiting.
YOUR BAG THIS WEEK
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Asparagus
- Rhubarb
- Turnips - remember to eat the tops!
- Lettuce
- Kale and Arugula bundles
- Sage with beautiful blooms
Our turnip crop has grown quickly in this cool spring weather and we remind everyone to eat the tops as well as the bottoms which are sweet even though small. We like the bottoms/roots diced and roasted at high heat for a few minutes or eaten raw. We have not tried the following recipe but it sure sounded good – let us know if you like it? Hakurei is a sweet white variety of turnip – a little different from the familiar purple top. Both are good!
RECIPE SHARES - thank you so much Lauri for the following recipes!
Whole Wheat Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
https://smittenkitchen.com/2011/05/rhubarb-streusel-muffins/
And here is Rhubarb Ice Cream - just in time for the holiday coming up – No Churn Rhubarb Ice Cream https://ourtableforseven.com/2016/06/no-churn-rhubarb-ice-cream.html
This is a recipe that we ran last year - hope you get to try it! 😊
There are all kinds of battles that go on in our daily lives – some big – some small. And sometimes as you go through these small skirmishes, you step back and decide to approach things in a different way – giving up the fight. And then there are other times that a line is drawn – in this case, on the floor of the milk barn. Last year, on the farm, Junie B. Jones Goat was born to Cleo. Junie was named because at the time we were all reading the series about “Junie B. Jones” and we were enjoying the misbehaving and wayward, interesting thought process of the main character. Katy made the decision that we would keep Junie as part of our small dairy goat herd – just being clear about who is responsible for the current barn action 😊. Junie is not interested in becoming a milk goat and made that known the first night there was an “attempted extraction” of milk. Currently, we are using a three-person team (not everybody is excited to be on this team!) to hold Junie carefully in place and milk and keep the milk in the bucket. Izzy and I just grit our teeth and hang on, looking the other way as Katy determinedly puts Junie’s 17 or 18 squirts in or out of the bucket, depending on the night and Seth cheers everyone on! Week two coming up . . . . . . . . . no signs of either side giving in yet!
Blessings from the farm - -Seth, Izzy, Katy, Dan, Teresa, Jen and Zach
Miss Junie B. Jones Goat
Beautiful rhubarb with new baby stalks peeking through
Armed and Dangerous – sneaky thistles in the garden
Visit from a curious snail