Sundog CSA September 19th, 2022

We are trying really hard to be positive about the cracks in the ground and the sweat running down our neck as we look at the garden and think about the next few days of predicted heat. The rain gauge registered .08 this morning and we had .03 on Friday so .11 for the week. It has been a challenging season! We feel lucky to have had tomatoes and potatoes although our wishes would be for squash and cucumbers to go along with those crops. We keep repeating to each other - remember last year when . . .. .. ☹

On the positive side, we saw a tiny baby squash forming and as we carefully pulled weeds around it, we also saw an adult squash bug which was promptly squashed! There are more blooms and we continue to pour the water to that bed in the hopes that there will be squash for the bag next week. Picking carrots today, we spied “dill worms” on the ferny leaves so Seth and Izzy did some relocating to the pasture where they will have to find a new place to dine. I thought that maybe some of the bugs and worms would have moved on to “greener” pastures but we still seem to have our fair share here on the hill.

The past week has been spent making some big decisions about how to house our feed for the animals. We have a metal feed bin that has seen better days and in fact, for the past year, the holes in it have been taped shut and for the most part, it has worked. We will put in a plug here for “Gorilla duct tape” as everyone from the feed delivery man to the awestruck neighbors were impressed that it held. Or at least it held until the last month or so when there was more tape than metal! I called around and found a person who had parts for the bin and so our two tons of feed was shot into a borrowed grain wagon and within a matter of a couple of hours, bucketed out and stored into barrels. I called my sister and she was kind enough to clean out some barrels she had and so with those borrowed ones and all the ones we could round up, we were able to get it temporarily stored safe from the non-existent rain and the existent critters who would line up for a free lunch. Seth and Izzy enjoyed the entire process from the inside of the grain wagon. We are hoping that the company’s estimate of 3-4 weeks to receive the new parts is accurate or we will be repeating this process again in a few weeks! Dan and Katy with suggestions from Seth, were able to remove all the rusted bottom sections and it is now being wire brushed and the top painted and we have hope that all this effort will result in better feed storage - what is the old saying? Look Ma - - no tape! Seth thinks it will work!

NICKEL UPDATE: Our cow, Nickel, is once again her pushy, sassy Jersey self – knocking most everyone out of her way and making sure that we know the “Queen” is back. She is also eating all her feed which is another sign that she is better.

Continuing to introduce tomato varieties - here is a tomato called Chef’s Choice Orange. It is a big beautiful slicer that we have been enjoying all summer long and hope that you have too!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

• Cherry Tomatoes and tiny sweet Peppers
• Large Sweet Peppers
• HOT Peppers - a variety bag
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Beets
• Okra or Eggplant
• Large Tomatoes

MARINATED BEETS – from One United Harvest – Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms, collected by Julie Sochacki

1-pound beets 2 T. olive oil

1-2 tsp. crushed garlic 4 T. balsamic vinegar

1-2 T. chopped fresh tarragon salt and black pepper to taste

Bake, roast or pressure steam the whole beets until tender. Let them cool until you can easily handle them, then remove the skins and chop them into small cubes or slices. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold the beets as well, and whisk until well combined. Add the beets, toss well, and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Hanging out in the milk house this week was this fella! We did not shake farewell as we relocated him to a safe place!

This little frog looks totally exhausted – must have been cleaning his new “digs”!

Looked really promising as the sun was sinking Saturday evening . . . .

This is one of the sections that our duct tape was holding together. I think that repairs are definitely in order! 😊

The luxuries of my life are many and one that I count on a weekly basis is my clothesline. It is solid and dependable – not one of those falling down, tied to the nearest bush or tree lines and it holds three long lines of clothes on the windiest of days. It is in my thoughts today because this afternoon, I was hanging out my bedding and towels and by the time I got to one of the lines, my pillow cases were almost dry. The wind was brisk and the temperature was more than warm – one of those perfect Kansas clothesline days. I think of my grandma as I pin shirts on the line and her instructions on where to put a clothespin and why made a lot of sense if you were going to be pressing wrinkles out with an iron. She would be envious of my three lines – hers was only two! 😊

Blessings from this windy and dry hill - Seth, Izzy, Dan, Katy, Zach, Jen and Teresa