Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA August 28th, 2022

NO BAG NEXT WEEK due to Labor Day being on Monday. See you on September 12th.

Rain on Saturday evening into the early hours of Sunday gave us some hope and I am sure that it gave our plants the same. The rain gauge measured 1.34 and we were on the low end as some of our neighbors reported two inches and more. We are hopeful that this rain will germinate the late root crops, (beets, radishes and turnips) that we planted a couple of weeks ago. Our third planting of squash is up and going and we have hopes for the cucumbers that are also above ground. I am still seeing the spotted cucumber beetles but have not seen a squash bug for a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed that before this season ends, we will have squash! 😊

One of our late harvest peach trees broke a couple of weeks ago. I purchased it years ago and remember that it is one of the “Indian Blood” peaches. They have a unique fuzzy skin coating and when fully ripe are tinged with or streaked with red inside. The weather has been perfect for “brown rot” and some small little worm has invaded where the brown rot missed a peach or two. However, if you find one with some free space and rub off that fuzz, you are where those beautifully colored pictures in the nursery catalogs say you will be when you raise your own fruit - juice dripping down your chin, tongue wildly trying to catch each delicious drop as we stand under the tree and treasure the taste and smell. Izzy and Seth picked up rejects for the pigs and chickens and Katy and I sat with sharp knives and piecemealed those tree drops with the hopes of making some delicious jam later. It was a difficult, time-consuming task that was only made easy by the stops now and then to taste as we talked our way through a pile of peaches.

We are continuing to introduce you to your tomatoes - this week’s picture is of “Pineapple Pig”. It is another one of Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms amazing tomatoes. It is not a new offering and I have wanted to try it for a while now - mostly because I liked the name and the description in the Baker’s seed catalog and this was the year. I think that it is a good tasting tomato and it is beautiful. The core is reminiscent of the beefsteak varieties although not near as deep as some of them.

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YOUR BAG THIS WEEK -

There is not a lot of variety in the bags this season – hoping that the recent rain will help some of our other crops along and we are hoping that the temperature moderates a little.

  • POTATOES
  • Cherry TOMATOES
  • Large TOMATOES
  • Sweet Peppers - different colors and kinds
  • Hot Pepper bag
  • ONIONS
  • OKRA
  • Pole Beans or Eggplant – if you have beans in your bag, please remember to string them as they are old fashioned pole type
  • PARSLEY & BASIL

RECIPE SHARE

I found this simple recipe in “One United Harvest”, Creative Recipes for America’s Community Supported Farms. The recipes were collected by Julie Sochacki

Pop’s Peppers and Eggs

2-3 garden fresh medium bell peppers 6 eggs, scrambled

1 T. olive oil

Put one tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and heat to medium. De-seed peppers and slice, rinse in cold water, do not pat dry. Add peppers to the skillet and cover. Sauté the peppers for approximately 15 minutes or until tender. Add scrambled eggs and enjoy sandwiched between warm French bread. RECIPE NOTE: We eat this for breakfast or dinner. My dad has fixed this for years. It’s so simple, but it’s one of my favorites! – Angela

Angela Thiel. St. Fairsted, Woodville, Texas

Another recipe that I have shared before is LUMPY BURRITOS. This one is from the Rolling Prairie Cookbook by Nancy O’Conner. Rolling Prairie Farmer’s Alliance is still an active CSA around the Kansas City and Lawrence area. Zach and I worked for one of the farmers who participated in Rolling Prairie for a season. The Burrito recipe was from another one of the farmers, Mark and Julie Lumpe.

1 to 1 ½ pounds potatoes 1 tablespoon oil

I medium sized onion, chopped 1 green or red bell pepper. Chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste 2 to 4 tablespoons each fresh parsley and cilantro, chopped

8 to 10 large flour tortillas 1 ½ cups refried beans

1 ½ cups grated low-fat cheese (Mozzarella, cheddar, jack or jalapeno jack)

Tomatoes, yogurt or sour cream, and salsa for garnish

Wash the potatoes, cut into large cubes, cover with water in a large pot and boil until just tender but still firm. While the potatoes are boiling, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion and pepper until just tender. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the potatoes are done, drain well and add to the onion – pepper mixture. Sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove from heat. Toss in chopped parsley and cilantro. To assemble your burritos, lay out a tortilla, place approximately 2 to three tablespoons 2 to 3 tablespoons of cheese, and roll up as tightly as you can – they will be rather lumpy looking. Place in an ungreased 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Continue making burritos until you have used up all your filling, liming them up in your baking dish as you make them. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot, topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, a dollop of plain yogurt or light sour cream, and salsa. Makes 8 to 10 burritos.

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If only Seth were a gardener instead of a construction worker? 😊 He has put a lot of time and energy into his latest project in the okra bed.

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Speaking of okra, the blooms are beautiful in the early mornings . . . .

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Looking above me as I went about my chore list one morning last week found me admiring the courage that it takes for this tiny little being to build in “outer space”, hanging onto nothing and then I hoped that he was hanging on and not going to fall on my head!

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The promise of rain as it came in Saturday night and even though we were kind of afraid to hope, we were hoping. The weather forecast was not very promising but the past couple of times the clouds have played the forecast odds and we have been the winners with wet ground and mud puddles. Sunday morning was a mud puddle morning. It is sort of strange how you are not superstitious and yet when no one is looking you do these crazy things - like leave your laundry on the line or “forget” to roll up the windows as though it is going to make a difference? Wet laundry it was for us this morning . . . . . . . . . 😊

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