Sundog CSA September 19, 2021

Here we are, two weeks from the end of this season and the end of September! Tonight, is the full harvest moon and Wednesday is the autumnal equinox – the first day of fall. We are already doing chores in the mornings and evenings in the beginnings and endings of dark as night comes sooner and last longer and that isn’t going to change for a few months! The sun is going to get up later and sink below the horizon long before I am ready to end my day.

The week has gone fast with beautiful weather although once again, we are short on moisture. There was a rain chance in the forecast and some may have fallen elsewhere but it was a week of dry days here on the hill. Garden work has consisted mostly of harvesting – green beans and tomatoes. We spent a little time grieving as the three heifers were able to get past our barriers and destroy our greens that were growing in the high tunnel as well as eat all the tops off of the carrots. The tomatoes in that tunnel were looking a little tired but now they are tired and bruised as the heifers knocked the tubes around in their excitement at accomplishing the goal of getting in where they were not supposed to be. So, moving the electric fence to exclude the high tunnel is on the list of things to do today along with harvesting for the bag. Positive news is that the green beans are producing some beautiful long green “fruits” so they are in the bag this week. The broken belt on the tiller finally came and Dan was able to get that repair done so we are hoping to start preparing beds to plant cover crops for the fall/winter. We also hope to once again move compost to the gardens this fall so mowing and moving row markers etc. as well as pulling down tubes are chores that are on the list also. Dan repaired the mower so we spent some time clearing the orchard of weeds, digging out poison ivy and looking at some repairs that need to be made to some of the smaller poultry shelters. The seasonal task of cleaning those shelters is also on our list - the list just keeps getting longer instead of shorter! 😊

Along with the laundry on the clothesline this week, we have a few gourds drying. Our information is that they spent a week on the clothesline and then we move them under shelter to finish the drying process. Most of the vines are still green so there were only a few that we strung up so far. They are called birdhouse gourds but in truth they should be nicknamed “hornet houses” as we find those armed bees inside of some of the ones that my sister has gifted us with and are careful not to bump them. The gourds are pretty hanging in the trees, especially during the seasons when they are bare.

YOUR BAGS THIS WEEK –

• Tomatoes
• Green Beans
• Cucumber
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Carrots
• Apples
• Basil
• Okra or Eggplant

RECIPE SHARE - This sounds amazing to me and I had never heard of them - this recipe is from Lauri –

Tonight I topped chaffles with the arugula, tomatoes, slices of the pears, some of the herbs and then a drizzle of olive oil, basalmic vinegar and salt and pepper.

The way I make a Chaffle is :

1 egg, 1 c of shredded cheese, 1 small spoonful of flour (any flour will work if folks are gf).

Mix it together and put into a hot, oiled waffle maker. Bake until lots of steam comes out. Chaffles can be topped with anything! Versatile, easy, quick!

I served the carrots, roasted on the side.

Marinated Green Beans Ideals Budget Saving Meals Cookbook by Donna Paananen

1 pound green beans ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 ½ tblsp wine vinegar

¼ tsp salt (generous) Freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp. French’s mustard

1 clove garlic, minced Parsley, minced

Cut the tips and tails off well-washed green beans. Steam until just tender. Reserve steaming liquid for soup or other purpose. Set beans aside to cool quickly. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients together in a blender or shake vigorously in a covered jar. Pour over cooled beans and toss gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving, tossing gently from time to time. Garnish with minced parsley. Yield : 5servings

Stir-Fried Green Beans - MORE -with-LESS Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre

Combine in a small bowl and set aside:

½ t. salt

1 t. sugar

1 t. cornstarch

1T. soy sauce

½ cup water or soup stock

Heat in skillet: 2 T. cooking oil

Add:

¼ lb. raw beef chuck, thinly sliced in bite sized pieces

2 clo9ves garlic, minced

½ cup onion, diced

Stir-fry over high heat until beef begins to change color. Remove, beef, onions and garlic from skillet and set aside. If necessary, add more oil and reheat skillet. Add:

1 lb. fresh French cut green beans

Stir until beans become bright green. At once, add reserved soy sauce mixture and cook stirring until clear. Cover skillet and cook over medium heat until beans are just crisp tender. Return beef to skillet, stir well and remove from heat. Serve immediately with rice. Ad salad or light coup to complete the menu.

OPTIONS: Use 1 chicken breast or ¼ lb. pork in place of beef. Frozen green beans may be used but will not have the tender crisp texture of fresh beans. Increase cornstarch to 1 T. if using frozen beans.

When I was twelve years old or so, I was lucky enough to be living on a small farm that belonged to my grandparents. One of the tasks that I had in the summer was to mow down hay that would be raked by me later that afternoon and then baled by my dad when he got home from work that night. The mower was a sickle bar mower and the hay was tall and shiny with morning dew as I moved into the field with the little tractor. You have to let the blade down as it travels down the road in an upright position Sickle bar mowers make a clicking sound as the cutters slide back and forth and you would watch the tall grass just lay down in waves that glistened in the morning sun. It was dotted with different prairie plants and flowers and smelled like earth and life and I imagined the cows looking forward to supper when the weather grew cold and there was no green grass. Bales in those days were small squares and every now and then, as we lifted them off the wagons to stack in the barn, we could come across a baled snake or eggshells from a bird’s nest which of course led to stories from grandpa – which really meant that we had a break in lifting and stacking. Sitting down on a wagon of sweet-smelling bales and watching your grandpa stick his hand in his front pocket for his can of pipe tobacco (Prince Albert) was part of making hay in the summer - those long summer days that I kind of miss!

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

Relaxing on a summer afternoon

Shirts and birdhouse gourds on the line today!

To Izzy’s surprise and ours – turkey beaks glow when we use the “black light”

Friday night sky painting - artist:sun