Sundog CSA September 7, 2021

07 Sep 2021

A little taste of fall arrived this past week wrapped up in the rain clouds that moved through the area on Thursday night and again on Friday night. The wind came in strong enough to help things become airborne for seconds and the temperature dropped with the rain. Heat returned quickly along with humidity so summer is still owning this season! Total for the two nights here was 6.23, give or take a few drops. That is a lot of rain! It is such a challenge to go for several days/weeks without moisture and then have clouds open up and pour down, filling the gauge to overflowing and depart without a backwards glance until another couple of weeks has passed. I have to say that it beats no rain for sure!!

It has been a wonderful three days off of work - hope everyone was able to enjoy some time at home and with family. We spent some time brainstorming on a project - a rusted out feed bin that needs some immediate attention. Believe it or not, duct tape has been holding a section of the bin in place with the pressure of a few tons of feed pushing on it. We could definitely be the “commercial” showing the strength of that gray sticky stuff! We came up with several options to check on so that was progress. Calves in the summer pasture decided to visit the neighbors for the holiday and had to be re-fenced. The barn was cleaned out and we came up with a list of supplies we need in order to do some maintenance work on the roof since our boots have to be dug out each time it rains – in other words, the roof leaks. We also rolled some electric fence wire up and hauled posts and insulators down to a new area and fenced it off the heifers to “mow” off. Making salsa, hanging out laundry, picking vegetables and moving pigs – maybe that off farm job isn’t so bad after all??

The rain was really hard on the garden! It again knocked over tomatoes and peppers, breaking the branches and the fruits on them. In addition to the wind and rain, the bugs who must have taken “red Cross” swimming lessons in preparation for this season, are flourishing. I have never seen or picked so many worms! At this point, I think that there are more worms than tomatoes. They are inside the okra pods, the peppers, the tomatoes and even the few beans growing here and there. They come in all colors this year and all sizes but the most damaging are the tomato hornworms and the brown/black armyworms. True bugs are also gnawing their way through the tomatoes and the cucumbers and keeping them company are the blister beetles. I picked more than 30 blister beetles off of one cucumber. That is a lot of beetles!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

Tomatoes - the size is smaller and the quality of the fruits is going down. ☹
Peppers - Lots of sweet peppers, in various colors and sizes and shapes!
Potatoes – red and white or a mixture
Cucumbers
Carrots
Pears – we call these tiny little fruits “sugar pears” – they do not keep so eat them fresh and fast

HONEY CARROTS with SWEET PICKLE – from “Cooking from Quilt Country” by Marcia Adams

“Hearty Recipes from Amish and Mennonite Kitchens”

These carrots are a company dish – the green sweet pickles add an attractive and unusual touch.

1-pound carrots ½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter ½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ cup honey ¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup orange juice 3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet pickle (not relish)

½ teaspoon grated orange rind

Peel the carrots and slice ¼ inch thick. Melt the butter in a large skillet; add all the 8ingredients but the sweet pickles. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, raise heat to high, and cook abo9ut 3 minutes to reduce the sauce to a glaze. Stir in the pickles just before serving.

NEW POTATOES with LEMON-BUTTER SAUCE from “Cooking from Quilt Country” by Marcia Adams – “Hearty Recipes from Amish and Mennonite Kitchens”

Pour this sprightly lemon-butter sauce, with its touch of green, over plain boiled potatoes, and a humble root vegetable becomes unexpectedly “dressed up”.

8 medium red-skinned potatoes 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

½ cup (1 stick) butter ½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup vegetable or olive oil ½ teaspoon black pepper

6 tablespoons lemon juice ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons finely minced fresh chives 1/8 teaspoon ground mace

2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley

Peel the potatoes, leaving a band of skin about 1 ½ inches wide around the middle of each. Place in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and boil until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan. Combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil – BUT do not allow the butter to brown. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a shallow serving dish. Pour the hot butter sauce over all. Serve immediately.

LUMPY BURRITOS – Rolling Prairie Cookbook by Nancy O’Conner

Nancy writes a tribute to Mark Lumpe who was selling fresh organic vegetables at the Lawrence Farmers Market at the time of publication of this recipe book.

1 to 1 ½ pounds of new potatoes 1 tablespoon oil

1 medium sized onion, chopped 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste 2 to 4 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley and cilantro

8 to 10 large flour tortillas 1 ½ cups refried beans

1 ½ cups grated low-fat cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar, Jack or Jalapeno Jack)

Tomatoes, yogurt or sour cream and salsa for garnish

Wash the potatoes, cut into large cubes, cover with water in a large pot, and boil until just tender but still firm. While the potatoes are boiling, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion and pepper until just tender. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the potatoes are done, drain well and add to the onion-pepper mixture. Sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove from heat. Toss in chopped parsley and cilantro. To assemble your burritos, lay out a tortilla, place approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons refried beans down the center, top with a generous helping of the potatoes, sprinkle on 2 to 3 tablespoons of cheese, and roll up as tightly as you can. They will be rather lumpy looking. 😊 Place in an ungreased 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Continue making burritos until you have used up all your filling, lining them up in your baking dish as you make them. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot, topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, a dollop of plain yogurt or light sour cream and salsa. Makes 8 to 10 burritos.

There is something to be said for “tree sitting”. When I was young, we lived in a place where there were several trees in the front yard and I claimed ownership to one of them which meant that my sibling could not touch my tree. The tree meant more to me than just limbs stuck on a trunk. I could see things from there that I could not see standing on my own 9-year-old legs. I performed aerial tricks and stunts that amazed me even though no one else seemed awestruck. I could hang upside down and look at people in a different way and it pleased me. I have been thinking about my tree since the weekend project of pulling fence wire and posts ended up on the north end of the property where a huge tree stands sentinel by a portion of rock wall that belonged to a dreamer who wanted to farm this hill long before I hung upside down in my tree. Izzy and Seth climbed the tree and asked for reactions from us on the ground and then chattered between themselves about the world that they saw from the tree. I decided right then and there that I was going to climb that tree one day soon. I haven’t seen the world from “tree-height” in a long time and I think that I would be amazed – again! 😊

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

This guy looks like he is hanging on for “dear life”!

This is the number of beetles that can sit on one cucumber – at one time!

I was picking tomatoes in a patch out by the barn which is where Seth runs his construction equipment and I found this guy hanging from the tomato tube.