Sundog CSA May 24th, 2023

Sending out our first bag of the season with fresh greens and asparagus reminds me of life on the farm as a child, only at that time our greens were those that the land grew without our help. There are days when that seems like a great plan!

Welcome! It seems like a long time since we pulled tomato tubes and hauled all the old stems and dried leaves of the ’22 season off the garden plots. Our winter plans were to look out across our lush ground covers and then till them in this spring. That plan did not come to fruition because the skies did not drop water or snow this past fall. It has been very dry up until a few weeks ago. Dry winters are welcomed by livestock and people alike as mud boots get really heavy in the muck but the flip side of that is bare earth and dust whirlwinds that spring out of nowhere. They are magical to watch but you do not wish for them!

More exciting than whirlwinds has been the honeybee swarms here on the hill. Our bee box, complete with inhabitants, given to us by our good friends, Judy and Gary, has been sitting by the orchard for a couple of years. The most we have done with it has been to watch it and discuss how and when to mow around it. Swarms have happened every year and we have watched them fly off to “greener” pastures. This year we decided to catch the swarm which was in a huge clump on our peach tree – a buzzing ball of potential honey makers. We carried and piled blocks and boards and an old table in an attempt to be able to get really close to the bee ball and Izzy donned her bee suit. Sawing off one limb of the peach tree seemed like a good decision and we gently lowered the “ball” into the box and then celebrated ourselves! I wish that was the end of the story. For five days we felt like we were amazing and then the bees left again and made another ball on another limb of the peach tree. Another limb was sacrificed and again the bees were captured and boxed and again, we celebrated! We were experienced “bee persons” now after capturing two swarms which was actually the same swarm making their second escape attempt – and then the bees left again. So, the end of our story is that we lost the swarm – the bees made it out on their third try. And yet, we are different than we were before this story began. Izzy is comfortable in her bee suit and we are no longer slinking around the hive. We can open the box and look in there which before would have been unthinkable! It was an amazing experience and hopefully, next time, we will be able to keep our swarm here. By the way, our peach tree is different also - minus two limbs!! 😊

Spring Bag -

Asparagus

• Tatsoi
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Mixed Greens
• Eggs

Tatsoi is an interesting green. Tatsoi is an Asian variety of Brassica rapa grown for greens. Also called tat choy, it is closely related to the more familiar Bok Choy. This plant has become popular in North American cuisine as well, and is now grown throughout the world. For us it has proven easier to grow than spinach and can be used as a substitute in dishes that call for a mild green. It can be steamed and flavorings added or eaten raw in salads. The leaves are sturdy and easy to clean.

Send us your favorite greens recipe! If you are like us, wrapping it around your sandwich filling is cooking at its best. Tatsoi is a good green to do that with because the leaf has strength – makes a good burrito wrap! 😊

The amazing Izzy! This was such an exciting night on the hill. And this cluster of bees was a humming, constantly moving wad of insects. We were lucky to get to see it and hope next time, lucky enough to keep them! 😊

Walking in from the barn gets later and later this time of year. I am tired and morning comes earlier than I want to think about and yet the magic of the moon stops me. It hangs there, silent with the bottom bathed in soft light that encircles the shape of the planet and sets it out from the dusky sky. I snap picture after picture of these nights where the moon owns the sky and always come away wishing that I could capture in pictures the pull of that planet and what it does to me to see it!

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