Sundog CSA June 13th, 2022

I think that it is definitely safe to put the winter flannel sheets in the closet this week! It is HOT when you see triple digits in the forecast and heat indices are included in every single forecast. It is almost the middle of June so I guess that it is not abnormal to be sweating and fighting for the ice trays first. It is the change that always throws us off balance and we struggle to remain upright as we find our footing in the new “normal”. The pigs are changing their routine to include afternoon mud/spa time in order to beat the heat and the cows are hiding out in the timber, using the buddy method to switch their tails for as they stand close together. The chickens take cover or hang out underneath the shade trees and the goats graze unconcernedly, owning the entire pasture. If it was raining, it would be the goats parked underneath cover and they would not lie there quietly waiting for the drops to quit but instead would “whine” the entire time that drops were falling about the unfairness of the situation.

We have lost a few crops to the abundance of moisture. And the heat is going to take out the peas and turnips this week. Too much of anything is challenging but we continue to be grateful that we are not searching for ways to water crops – dragging hoses that we then run over with the lawnmower etc.

Excitement for us this weekend was making a surprise trip to see Jen and Zach. They are currently fighting the “rabbit war” and we decided to bring in some heavy-duty barriers since this past week they chewed through the deer netting and zip ties in order to sit under their shade trellis and have a tomato plant lunch! This is the third time that new tomato plants have been dug in and we are hoping that we win this polite but decidedly serious “rabbit skirmish”. Chicken wire that is tied on with metal wire surrounds the tomato tubes and is dug into a small trench and then lined with rocks on the outside. So far it is: Rabbits 2 and Zach and Jen – Zero.

The other excitement was late yesterday when I was out weeding in the carrots and beets and Izzy was picking up my weed piles to feed to the chickens and she noticed the sky. I laid down to try and get good pictures of some cloud formations that were so unusual and beautiful and then sent them out to a couple of friends who like seeing the Kansas skies. Sally responded with information for us, telling us that they were mammatus clouds and her son, Kurtis, said that they were kind of rare to see. And then we learned from Sally that we needed to get out of the garden patch and hurry through chores because theses beautiful clouds were indicators of turbulence/storms. We flew through the chores and hit the back porch as it began to sprinkle. Lightning flashed from all directions and the wind picked up some but we missed the storm that hit several other areas with ferocity, so I guess that the clouds were giving fair warming.

Seth lost his first tooth this week so there were conversations about tooth fairies. At one point we had 3 out of five vehicles down with flat tires and a dead battery. There were loud discussions as to which goat was going to be picked to stay while the others went on the trailer to the sale on Tuesday. Cutting thistles, playing in the tiny creek that runs through the pasture, playing with balloons that Aunt Brenda brought over this weekend, flying a balsa wood airplane from Sally, picking out material for Izzy and I to sew some new shorts, listening to Izzy read Seth jokes from his new book that Connie and Chuck left him in the milk house, trying to be patient with Hank who decided that he would like to try eating one of my leather gloves – and before we knew it, a whole week was gone.

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK -

• Peas - steam these in the shells or eat them raw
• Asparagus
• Garlic Scapes
• Radishes
• Turnips
• Onions
• Turnip Greens – we tried a new turnip this season and although we lost it to the rains, it did have beautiful greens.

RECIPES:

Turnips are one of the vegetables that challenge us. I like them raw. I also like them sliced in cubes and baked at high heat with carrots, onions, white potatoes etc. – season as you please and drizzle a little olive oil over them and they are delicious.

One of our CSA recipe books has the following recipes: Farm Fresh Recipes by Janet Majure. Janet gathered recipes from growers and their customers to share with other CSA supporters.

GLAZED TURNIPS makes 6 servings

3 large turnips, peeled and diced 3 Tbsp. Butter 2 Tbsp. Sugar

Blanch turnips for five minutes in boiling salted water; drain. (DO NOT cook until tender) Melt butter in skillet over medium high heat. Add turnips and sugar. Cook and stir constantly until turnips become golden. Serve hot.

Sauteed Turnips with Spinach – Makes 6 servings - another recipe from Janet

2 Tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 3 medium turnips, peeled and cut into matchsticks

½ cup raisins 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 10 oz. fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, turnips and raisins; cook about one minute. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Sprinkle with nutmeg and salt and pepper.

Garlic-Mashed Turnips and Potatoes - Makes 6 servings - also from Janet Majure

1 lb. turnips, peeled and diced 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled

3 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp sour cream or plain yogurt salt and pepper to taste

Boil turnips, potatoes and garlic for ten minutes in a pot of salted water until the vegetables are tender. Drain. Put vegetables through a food mill or ricer. Beat in the butter and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.

If you choose to use your turnip greens, you may want to follow instructions that author Edna Lewis gives in The Taste of Country Cooking. She says that greens should be fresh and crisp (your turnip greens can be revived by cooling down and sticking in water after recutting the stems). Break off any heavy stems (you can use these stems to make broth/stock. After washing and draining the leaves, plunge them into your boiling stock (made from bacon or smoked pork hocks etc.). You should have a three to one mix – greens to stock. Press them lightly so that they are all covered and cook them fast but gently for no more than 15 – 20 minutes. Cook uncovered. Remove from heat and let them sit and then gently reheat to serve.

Pictures this week are:

• of Frizzle hen playing “taxi or stepladder” to her new baby
• A resident pig snout up close and personal
• Seth giving Hank some advice and Hank listening carefully
• This year’s tomato hornworms under the purple hunting lights
• The beautiful mammatus clouds
• A barn spider who decided to make the door his new hangout spot

There is something special about laying out in the pea patch, looking up at a sky so big that you have to keep turning your head to try and find it all - at least it is special until it starts to rain!

Blessings - Seth, Izzy, Dan, Katy, Teresa, Jen and Zach