Sundog CSA September 13, 2021
Shining strong with confidence, the sun lit up our part of Kansas every day this week. Temperatures were slightly sticky at times and yet not anything to complain about. I am a summer lover so find heat easier to be pleasant about than the chill and downright cold of winter. There is still water standing in our terraces from the rains last week and the frogs have taken to setting up temporary residence in these bonus water holes along with mosquitos and skittering water bugs. It seems to me that it is a long walk/hop for a small frog from the pond to the terraces but I guess a change of scenery is good for all creatures? 😊
We are basically raising hornworms right now! I don’t think that we have ever seen quite so many worms. The army worms are ruining a lot of tomatoes also so I guess it would be a flip of the coin as to which ones I would like to give a one-way bus ticket to Alaska? We are picking hornworms more often than we pick tomatoes! They are usually easier to find in the mornings or towards evenings and more fun to find with a blacklight. There are plenty of grasshoppers to go around also. They are in sight all day long and also do a lot of damage to garden produce. I am not sure if the harlequin bugs took a detour around the hill this year but we have not seen them – yet. Below is a picture of hornworms when we use the “blacklight” on them after dark – they glow! 😊
To cut down on the expenses of feeding the deer, Katy found a plan and we have been trying out a tote container to feed poultry in the orchard pen. We had noticed that along with the chickens, the deer who have taken up residence here on the hill, are at the feed pans daily. The new tote is more suited to chickens than deer with an opening that would be difficult if not impossible for them to maneuver through. I was surprised one morning this week to see the twin fawns walking out of the garage as I was walking in from morning milking to get ready for work. Maybe they were looking for the old feed pans or maybe they just wanted to take a tour?
Here is a picture of the new feeder -
And here is the feeder in action –
YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –
- Tomatoes – again, getting much smaller and losing quality
- Peppers – different colors and shapes with these sweet fruits
- Potatoes – a mix of colors
- HOT Peppers - lots of different varieties – lots of heat!
- Carrots
- Basil
- Oregano
- Arugula
Another round of the small sugar PEARS - please do try these sweet little fruits.
RECIPE SHARE – Roger made this and his wife said it was “amazing and made the best lasagna ever!” The recipe comes from thewoodenskillet.com and is titled “homemade marinara sauce”. There are versions for a large batch and a small batch - here is the small batch version! Roger and Shawn had some beautiful pictures of their creation but I was not able to get them to copy for the newsletter. ☹
Cook this in a Dutch Oven, uncovered, for 3 hours stirring every 30-45 minutes or until liquid has been reduced. All other instructions are the same as the large batch. This makes approx. 3 one-pint jars.
1 head of garlic, peeled
6-7 lbs. of tomatoes with a mix of heirloom, beefsteak, orange, yellow, cherry and Roma tomatoes – all cut into chunks EXCEPT the Roma tomatoes which are quartered
1 large white onion, quartered
¾ cup tightly packed fresh sweet basil, roughly chopped (mix sweet and Italian if you have it)
½ cup fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons dried oregano leaves
1 Tablespoon dried basil leaves
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 Teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
½ cup dry red wine OR substitute pomegranate juice
Preheat oven to 425. Place in your Dutch oven and add all of your tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil and wine. Mix everything together thoroughly. Place in the oven, uncovered, and let roast for at least 3 hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes or until liquid has been reduced. Remove from oven and let cool for an hour or so and then take blender and add several large spoonfuls to it. Pulse 3 times for chunky sauce and approximately 8 times for smoother sauce. Serve some immediately and can or freeze the rest.
Greek Style Garbanzo Salad – Farm Fresh Recipes by Janet Majure
1 ½ cups cooked (1/2 cup dry) or 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained
½ cup sliced sweet onion
½ cup diced tomato
1 green pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste.
Combine beans, onion, tomato, pepper, vinegar, oil, garlic, and parsley in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Marinate at room temperature several hours and then serve or refrigerate.
Tomato & Arugula Pasta - Farm Fresh Recipes by Janet Majure
6 cups diced tomatoes 2 tsp. minced garlic
1 ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil 8 oz. medium pasta
1 cup arugula leaves 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
Combine the tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss immediately with tomato mixture and arugula which will wilt. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
This is a close-up of the newest harvest eating beetle and this one is attracted to carrots! ☹
I have a really hard time giving up on things. Even things that scare me – like my little cow Nickel. Nickel is one of the smallest Jersey cows that I have owned in a long time. Her former owner told me that she is a “pure” Jersey even though he does not have the “papers” on her. I have not been sure about the pure part for several months now as have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that she is part mule and not even all bovine! It is true that I have grown a lot older since those first days of milking cows back in 1976 so maybe my memory has faded a little? This cow seems to be the fastest kicker and the most adept kicker that I have witnessed within the four walls of the barn. And she hates mud! She will fling wet dirt with both front and back hooves and paper the wall with it – that is if she misses me! So, it has been tempting to quit milking her, especially this summer with all the wet muck that Nickel has deposited on us and the barn. Which brings me to another thing to put on Nickel’s resume – she only milks in 3 quarters and really only 2 quarters milk well. There are positives about Nickel - she milks a lot out of those 2 or 3 quarters. Negatives are that she broke my toe this summer when she knocked me into the feed auger and sort of sat on me. And yet, I like her. It makes no sense at all. My other two cows keep all four feet on the ground and in fact, when I have to, I can milk them outside without any type of restraint – that is not going to happen with Nickel. At least not yet. After all it has only been 9 months and she hasn’t kicked anyone in three weeks. That is definite progress!
Blessings from the farm - Jen, Zach, Katy, Dan, Seth, Izzy and Teresa