Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA August 22nd, 2022

We did get some rain this week - YAY! Dribbling and drizzling, in short showers nearly all day long, slowly the total rose to .39. And the temperatures lowered to give us a couple of beautiful weekend days with the forecast of more of them to come in the next week. We could definitely use more moisture. The forecasted amount for us was .01 so receiving that extra .38 was a true gift of the clouds on Friday!

GARDEN NEWS: Carrying water buckets and moving hoses as we tried to keep some crops alive took most of the week. We continue to spray the soda solution as we try to hold the blight in check for a few more weeks. We do not hesitate to feed every army worm we find to the nearest chicken pen. The skins of the tomatoes have become so tough that we almost comment on it and then the delicious flesh of those fruits hit and we forget to gripe and just enjoy what we can snatch from the worms and beetles and grasshoppers and all the others standing in line to harvest. We were able to pick a few green beans that would not win an “attractive bean” contest for sure but when we snapped them, they were pretty inside so instead of adding them to the pig’s menu, we stuck them in your bags this week. The pigs enjoyed the entire pickings last time around.

The fly pressure is intense as the season comes to an end and they gather in crowds to discuss who has the most success when it comes to biting and being a nuisance or at least that is what I think all the buzzing must be about. I know that they are biting as I am almost glued to the cow’s hides during milking since in their determination to remove the little pests, the cows use their biggest and best weapon, their tail, to slice the air above and around my head with regularity and if I am sitting up straight, I am going to be lashed. I am pretty sure that the ringing in my ears is due to the daily thumps that I receive during fly season! Cow milkers are very aware of which cow has the longest tail and we know when the burdock and cockle burrs are ripe! The lack of a” fly swatter” is one of the few positives of milking goats as opposed to cows! 😊

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So, as you go thru your green beans this week, the little scars could have been made by this guy who is a bean beetle.

Needless to say, this guy is not welcome in the patch!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

  • Potatoes
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Large Tomatoes
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Tiny samples of HOT peppers and lunchbox SWEET peppers
  • Okra
  • Green beans
  • Mystery - who knows what we will find?
  • Swiss Chard
  • Chives

SWISS CHARD - this information is found in “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon. Chard is a member of the beet family, selectively bred for its leaves rather than its root. Although chard is often referred to as Swiss chard, the champions of this versatile vegetable are the French who add it to soups, stuffings, pates and pancakes. Like all dark green leafy vegetables, chard is rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and carotenoids. Chard should always be eaten cooked as it contains oxalic acid that may irritate the mouth and intestinal tract. These are neutralized during cooking.

We tend to use chard anywhere it calls for other leafy green vegetables such as spinach or kale. One of our favorite ways to use it is chopped on pizza along with lots of tomatoes, peppers, onions and cheese. 😊 We also like to add it to soups during the last few minutes of cooking.

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Chicks meeting Hank - Hank meeting chicks. Everyone survived this meeting! 😊

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Continuing to introduce you to the tomatoes in your bags this season - meet CASPIAN PINKS! This is one of those old-fashioned ruffled tomatoes. A beefsteak for sure, beautiful and so delicious!

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Golden Comets in the front yard - not exactly where they are supposed to be. Seth, Photographer.

image0186 Baby wheelie bugs show up nice and proud in their red “skins” on purple eggplants.

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Full Sturgeon Moon or sometimes called the Green Corn Moon was hanging in the morning sky on August 12th when we went out to milk.

I don’t know whether it was creativity like in thinking outside of the box or being lazy but today when I was at the far end of the garden pulling a few weeds and looking for treasures, I noticed that the tall “Mama Giallo” peppers were laying over on the ground. Instead of walking over to the barn, I looked around for pieces of wire hanging from the trellis and finding none, I bent down in the weed pile that I had just pulled and stacked for compost and pulled out a long stem of volunteer morning glory that was choking out all of its neighbors. Stripping the leaves off, I used it as a tie since it is both pliable and strong and left my pepper standing tall – not sure why, but I impressed myself! 😊

Blessings from the farm on this beautiful summer day - Seth, Izzy, Dan, Katy, Zach, Jen and Teresa