Sundog CSA July 6, 2021
And it continued to rain for several days – sometimes with only a few hundredths in the gauge and other times it would be overflowing. For us here on the hill, it was one of the best types of rain – slow and steady, able to soak into the earth rather than run down the hill. Occasionally there would be a downpour but for the most part, it fell easily. The gardens drank it all up! It is always shocking to me that only a few days after such rains, I see that the earth could use another dousing. There is still moisture underneath but the top covering is already dusty.
This three-day weekend was so welcomed as we spent most of Saturday and Sunday afternoons mowing and pulling weeds – keeping Izzy busy hauling with the wheelbarrow to the pigs, calves and chickens and finally to the compost pile. Seth pulled weeds but his “breaks” got longer as he rolled up in the hammock to recover from dirt work! Deer fencing was wrapped around the tomatoes as the guineas had been caught pecking holes in the green fruits hanging within “beak” reach. We continue to see deer tracks and peppers, beets, beans and even weeds being pruned or smashed by careless hooves. Raccoons are also becoming more active after giving us a break. Their goal is not our plants right now. Raccoons are in search of grubs so they tear up the gardens since we have compost layered which is a good home for “wanna be Junebugs”. They tore up tomatoes early this year and after replanting several times and covering them with all kinds of contraptions, they seemed to have given up. We think that they are interested in following up grubs with chicken so we are working hard on locking poultry up in the evenings. I have found three raccoons on the back porch in the last few days so we know that we have a high population.
Tiny little beets are going to be hand-watered with the hopes that they are able to sink their roots down to moisture if we can keep them alive. One bed of onions has been pulled out and we will be tilling and maybe trying some late green beans. The squash went from barely visible to huge with all the rains and we are hoping for blooms and fruits in the next week or so. We have already seen squash bugs ☹.
YOUR BAG THIS WEEK -
- Asparagus
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Chard
- Tomatoes - different sizes as the first fruits ripen!
- Cabbage
- Chives
- Fennel
RECIPE SHARE – thank you Cal!
When Katy dropped off the bag last week, Cal shared this recipe and a sample as he has been using the cabbage as one of the main ingredients (the fresh greens) - -Katy was impressed! 😊
The 4th of July was certainly special here on the farm with Zach coming down to celebrate with us and assist Miss Izzy in shooting off the fireworks. Picnic supper out under the mulberry tree, conversations in the barn while milking and bottle-feeding calves, corralling goats and locking up chickens – doesn’t seem like chores when Zach is sitting in with us. It was a perfect evening weather wise and without a hint of wind – so still in fact that Izzy was able to catch her “parachutes” that drifted down in the beam of headlamps as the smoke cleared. Grown-ups and kids waved sparkling wands in the air and made dizzying circles of lights as an ending to the day.
Hope that your 4th was as amazing as ours –
Blessings from the farm - Izzy, Seth, Dan, Katy, Jen, Zach and Teresa
Digging potatoes this week, we saw these tiny little fruits resembling tomatoes on top of the vines. Our friend Judy said that she had seen them in the past but it is the first time for us. We looked them up and they are the seed carriers for the potatoes however even though they average 300 seeds per fruit, the seeds do not run true which is why people plant seed potatoes – cut up potatoes with an “eye” in each section. And they are poisonous to boot – or at least that is what we read. 😊