Sundog CSA August 1st, 2022

The rain continued to fall here on the hill with amounts of .48 additional on Monday, .10 on Tuesday, 1.00 on Wednesday and then .33 on Thursday so with the Sunday evening rain of 1.71, we had a total of 3.61. That was an amazing surprise that farmers and the land were so grateful for as it sank it and glued together some of those wide cracks that drought creates as the moisture shrinks out of the dirt. I think that we all looked a little better with the rain also! 😊

Of course, the weeds responded to the moisture and must have grown a foot since Monday – we are not griping though. So, our garden work this week has been more looking at the weeds than pulling, at least until yesterday. It has remained fairly damp and we did not want to sink or leave “ruts”. Bugs are continuing to give us trouble with blister beetles invading and worms leaving holes and half eaten foliage and fruits. We saw our first striped beetle yesterday and the okra has been attracting Japanese beetles this week. They seem to be making “lace” out of the big itchy leaves. We spent several hours picking green beans for the pigs as it was covered with rust from the rains. We are hoping that the next picking will be a good one as we see blooms on the plants. The weather forecast is for fairly hot days this coming week with higher humidity. Plants do better than people with high humidity though so we are hopeful. Our top tunnel has become a meeting place for racoons for the first time since they were built. We though last week that it was a possibility and this week kind of solidified our suspicions. One of our neighbors lost 26 chickens this month to the critters. We have been lucky as we lost one chicken and then promptly moved that group to a different, safer location and have not lost any since. In the tunnels, the racoons tear down our tomato plants and knock the tomatoes off. We are not sure what they are after and hope that closing the sides and doors at night will make it less inviting. We have netting everywhere and with the high temperatures and the dry weather, it seemed better for the plants to leave the structure open to the evening breezes. So, in addition to tomatoes hornworms, army worms and blight, the tomatoes are now being attacked by raccoons.

YOUR BAG this week -

  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Large Tomatoes
  • Green Pepper
  • Potatoes
  • Kale
  • Parsley/Basil
  • Carrots
  • And okra, eggplant or whatever we can find! 😊

RECIPE SHARE - from Lauri —- Thank you Lauri for the picture and recipe!

Try this SHEET PAN DINNER - easy and delicious!

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I used the green beans and potatoes along with chicken apple sausages to make an easy sheet pan dinner.

Put the food on sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like. Roast at 400 for 20-30 minutes.

You could add onions or any other veggie, use a different sausage or protein.

I roast on parchment paper… and I often reuse the parchment 2 or 3 times.

I found this recipe in Farm Fresh Recipes by Janet Majure

Parisian Potatoes

8 small red potatoes Olive Oil ¼ cup flour

2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese 2 Tbsp. minced parsley 1 Tbsp minced rosemary

2 tsp. minced basil

Peel and quarter potatoes. Toss with olive oil to coat. Combine flour, Parmesan, parsley, rosemary and basil in medium bowl or plastic bag. Mix well. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Place in single later in baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour or less. Turn once. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little more Parmesan cheese.

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It was actually nice to see a row of mudboots on the porch this week!

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I was sitting and milking Tubbigs the other night when this guy started crawling up her leg which I thought could be a disaster so I swiped him off and had Katy take a picture - “Reddish Brown Stag Beetle” maybe? It could have been a “swift kick” beetle if Tubiggs had been aware of him!

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Izzy’s silkies – her spring hatch!

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And her spring hatch of “Frizzles”. They are “turned up or backwards” feathered chickens. She got her start from our friend Judy who is the person we call when we have chicken questions or any other livestock questions!

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So, there are gray blister beetles and then the more exotic striped blister beetle which I found crawling up my sleeve. Either one is a problem in the garden or on me!

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And although this guy is a beauty, I did not like finding Japanese beetles on my okra today.

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Seth feeding and ‘loving” on Della as he serves up her lunch!

I am not sure why or when this happened but at some point, our milk barn became where we meet and visit, not only with friends and customers, but with each other. It seems strange since it isn’t really even a barn by strict definition. It is an old chicken house that was renovated in 1975. Maybe it became a barn because we called it a barn for years and years. Anyway, it is not one of those buildings that has structural character not does it have historical features. Instead, it is exactly what it was – a chicken house that was made a little taller so that cows could fit under its roof. And people! So many words have been shared under that roof – with people and with cows and even goats. It has been a place of celebration, laughter and sadness. That is where we spent this evening and we will be there again in the morning, earlier than I want to think about tonight.

Blessings of the farm to you – Seth, Katy, Izzy, Dan, Zach, Jen and Teresa