Sundog CSA June 5th, 2023

05 Jun 2023

The topic of conversation this past week has been about the amount of rain that came down at everyone’s house because some people received downpours and others (like us) were treated to a shower here and there. There were reports of water flooding fields and running over roads and that was less than 10 miles from this hill with five to seven inches falling in one huge gush. I think that was the night that we received .24 of an inch. Total in the gauge for the week was less than one half inch – standing at .44 of an inch. Today was one of those sudden showers that came out of nowhere and gave us .09.

This is what it looked like from where I took cover behind the stock trailer –

It came down fast and furious as though angry about having to make a stop to dump water! 😊 The sun shown through most of the raindrops.

We have been pulling weeds and sticking a few seeds in the ground here and there. It was a beautiful week for growing and our plants and weeds took full advantage of it. The rain and the warm weather have helped bring some of the late planted seeds out of the ground and supported the re-growth of our greens beds. The bug pressure has increased as you will notice with your bundled mixed greens. This week we mixed all kinds of greens into a variety bundle – arugula, cress, mustard, tatsoi, a few leaves of spinach, kale and maybe a few others. Please rinse the greens and allow to dry before chopping for salads or steaming. The majority of our greens went into PIZZA this week. Seth chops the chard for this menu item even though he is not a greens fan. We noticed some orange beetles and a couple of different varieties of worms and one pale yellow hairy caterpillar. There are holes in the leaves because we are not using any sprays. Most greens can be substituted for others in recipes although some of in this bundle are rather spicy so you might want to take a few nibbles before adding if you are looking for a mild green. Izzy picked the herb bundles and sent a picture of where she was working because she is in love with the sign that our friend Connie sent for the herb garden – Thank you Connie!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK – grown in an organic manner

Asparagus
Garlic Scapes
MIXED Greens Bundle w/ edible oxeye daisies and red clover for color and flavor
Onions
Blues Chinese Cabbage – We are picking this early before the heads are formed - hoping the quality is better
Lettuce
Fresh Oregano - remember you can freeze or dry herbs for use later
Amazing Mint - hope you have time to make some iced tea this week!

RECIPE SHARE - thank you Lauri! These sound delicious 😊

Little Frittatas

Just took these out of the oven. I plan on just serving them for quick breakfasts or lunches. I might freeze them individually and then put in a Ziplock bag.

This is how I made them.

Oven 325 Generously buttered a muffin tin. I ended up with 18 total.

Sautéed chopped onion in olive oil and butter in a skillet. Added the garlic scape heads, chopped. Added a bundle of greens, chopped. Added some leftover cooked rice. Let cool completely.

This could be any mix of any veggies or whatever you have.

I had some leftover pepperoni so I put one in the bottom of each muffin pan. Then I spooned the cooled veggie and rice mixture into each tin, 1/3 to 1/2 full.

I beat 10 eggs with salt and pepper, about 1/2 c of ricotta cheese and an herb spice mix I had and then I ladled the egg mixture over the veggies.

Baked around 30-35 minutes… not really sure. Let cool a few minutes and used a plastic knife to loosen them.

### Garlic Scapes

Scapes are a “wanna be” garlic flower that if mature, takes energy from the growing bulb beneath the ground. They are kind of a bonus because they are a delicious way to experience garlic in a slightly milder form than the mature cloves harvested later in the season. You can eat them raw chopped into recipes or you can use them as Lauri did in the recipe above. Whatever you do with them will be good! 😊

TATSOI RECIPE SHARE - thank you Patty!

Patty sent a very simple recipe using Tatsoi or other greens - check this out and send a picture of your creation.

https://mvmagazine.com/news/2020/06/16/june-strawberry-tatsoi-and-goat-cheese-salad

ASPARAGUS –

This information is from “From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce”. I found it interesting that asparagus is related to onions, garlic and other members of the lily family. The season for this food is a short one and according to this recipe book, that is part of why it is so special. Asparagus is a nutritional winner as raw, it ranks high in vitamins A, B – complex and C and is also rich in minerals from the soil, particularly potassium and zinc. As other vegetables, it will lose some, though not all of its B complex and C during the cooking process. Some storage tips: Refrigerate immediately and use as soon as possible. Asparagus sugars will turn rapidly to starches, reducing flavor quickly. Wrap asparagus in a damp cloth and store in the hydrator drawer of the refrigerator. You can also store the spears with a rubber band and place upright in a container with an inch of water.

EASY ELEGANT ASPARAGUS - Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

1 pound asparagus 2 tablespoons melted butter

1 ½ tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Wash asparagus; break off and discard tough ends. Steam or cook in small amount of boiling water for 3 to 6 minutes, until bright green and just tender. Meanwhile, toast nuts in dry skillet or hot oven several minutes, tossing often. Mix melted butter and vinegar in a small bowl. When asparagus is ready, drain, drizzle butter sauce on top and sprinkle with nuts. Makes 3-4 servings.

Pulling grass in the mint is a tedious process. Slow and easy is how it goes because hidden within all those beautiful straight mint stalks are Carolina Horse nettles! A handful of these thorny weeds is a definite time-out as you sit and pull

their greetings out, one by one.

The full strawberry moon graced the skies this past Saturday evening - it was a definite beauty!

And here we come to the end of the weekend and the beginning of another week. It is always hard to end the weekend and as I looked back through the two days, I remembered that I had sat down after hanging up a load of clothes and focused on this perfect Goat’s Beard seedhead reflecting the sun in ways that I could not capture with the phone camera. I took the picture and then I blew the seeds! And wished on each and every one as though they were falling stars!

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