Sundog CSA July 17th, 2023

We were the lucky ones this week as the clouds dropped 1.38 on top of the hill late Friday afternoon and they did it without resentment as there were no tree limbs broken or power lines on the ground. The earth here is so dry that I was digging in dusty dirt this afternoon (Saturday) as I hunted for potatoes. The surface of the garden is damp but there was no mud. My diggings were the same as a couple of weeks ago when I dug a few rows – small potatoes and very few of them. The spring rains did not come this year and potatoes are stingy if they do not get water. Hopefully this rain will bring up that experimental potato planting that we did a few weeks ago and, in the meantime, we will keep digging for treasures! 😊

Putting up netting around the tomatoes is on the list of things to be done as the chickens have been marching up and down the rows. The T-posts are in and the netting is waiting for the clips that we ordered to arrive. Attaching deer netting is a frustrating job and we have been doing it with plastic zip ties but decided to try some clips this year. Besides guarding tomatoes, we have been pulling weeds and pulling more weeds. Hopefully the weather settles down a little and gives us some days in the 80s or low 90s rather than those triple digit or near triple digit readings on the thermometer. All of the crops ( and us people) would breathe a sigh of relief at that kind of forecast!

Tonight, we are going to go worm picking because the worms have been eating tomatoes with wild abandon it looks like to us. If only the chickens would eat the worms instead of the tomatoes, gardening would be easier! I think that we have “army worms”, all colorful in black and yellow, in addition to our regulars, the tomato hornworms. I saw a few grasshoppers so they may be dining uninvited also. Blister beetles are growing in population and this week the Japanese beetles arrived. So far, they have been spending their time on the Buffalo Burrs and must be enjoying what they find as they are as loud as locusts as they whirl through the air exchanging greetings with other beetles. Forecasters are predicting storms again this evening so maybe the wind will blow some of these bothersome pests off the hill! 😊

UPDATE: No storms, no rain and all bugs still in residence! And we did not find one single worm last night! ☹

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK – grown in an organic manner!

• Cherry Tomatoes
• Large Tomatoes
• Sweet Pepper
• Squash and or Eggplant – different varieties
• Swiss Chard/Kale Bundle
• Potatoes – red, white and blue
• And an onion! 😊

RECIPE SHARE –

More recipes from One United Harvest: Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms

Collected by Julie Sochacki

EGGPLANT PIZZA

Eggplant cheese large tomatoes or chunky sauce

Oil favorite herbs

Slice eggplant into uniform ¼ to ½ inch thick rounds (the skin is healthy too but you may prefer to peel). Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil on a large cookie sheet and spread to cover. Lightly sprinkle your favorite dry herbs or “salt” blend over oil. Swivel a side of the eggplant over a bit of the oil layer, flip over and position on sheet. Repeat with all, redoing a bit of the oil mix if needed. Bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Prick with fork to see when they feel almost tender, then flip over. Top with one 1/8 to ¼ inch thick slice (s) of tomato for quick version OR sauté a tomato sauce using chopped tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, favorite herbs and spread one to two tablespoons over top of each eggplant round. Sprinkle with as much grated cheese or slices of cheese as you would like on top of tomato layer and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Recipe shared by Jill Fish, Pitcher Mountain CSA, New Hampshire

SUMMER SQUASH WRAPS

1 head of leaf lettuce (romaine or other leaf lettuce) 3 T. balsamic vinegar, divided

3-5 small zucchini, yellow squash or patty pan 2 T. olive oil

Sea salt to taste ¼ cup fresh croutons

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Wash lettuce in cold water and discard damaged leaves. Separate leaves (keeping them whole) and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Wash and trim ends of summer squash. Do not peel them. Slice them lengthwise about one inch thick. Brush with balsamic vinegar and olive oil (about half of each) and salt. Cook them on a preheated smoky grill over medium heat. Cook several minutes on each side until slightly brown. Remove squash from grill and cube in about one-inch cubes. Gently mix with croutons, pine nuts and remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Salt to taste. Place in serving bowl. Place fresh cold lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Let each person scoop the hot squash mixture and place it in the leaf, rolling it to be eaten like a taco or small burrito.

Recipe shared by Penny and Brian Toth, Maple Creek Farm, Michigan

BUDIN DE ACELGA (Swiss Chard Casserole)

5 slices bread, crumbled 2 carrots, shredded

Milk, enough to soak bread 1 large bunch of Swiss chard, chopped finely

Olive oil, for frying vegetables salt and pepper, to taste

1 onion, diced 1 egg, beaten,

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Soak bread in milk in large bowl. Set aside. Fry together in large pan; onion, garlic and carrots. Add Swiss chard with a little water until cooked. Add this mixture to the bread and milk mixture. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Put into greased casserole pan. Brush top with one beaten egg. Bake at 350 degrees until firm. RECIPE NOTE: This recipe comes from my Chilean “mother”, Edith Navarrette in Temuco, Chile. Best if served with boiled potatoes with oregano and a fresh sliced tomato salad (tomatoes with oil and salt).

Recipe shared by Heidi Loomis, Village Acres Farm, Pennsylvania

This beauty is worth carrying water to on these hot dry days - Bee Balm! Izzy’s Cicada catch and the tree frog who has taken up residence in the barn. No matter how many times we move him to the garden, he reappears or at least we think it is the same tree frog? 😊

Izzy’s lucky 4 leaf clover find on Saturday!

TOMATO damage and one of the possible pests that we found today as we were pulling weeds. We were not sure if he was a friend or foe so we just transferred him to another part of the garden! It could be that he is a bug eater. We are pretty sure that the tomato damage is the result of a “worm party”!

We are also not sure which one of these critters cause the most damage. Snickers, the above innocent faced goat, has taken up eating rose moss while the ugly bug pictured next to her is spending his days in the potato patch or at least that is where he was found today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATY! Today was her birthday and we spent the day digging in the dirt, gathering vegetables, and chasing goats among other things. We are looking forward to celebrating with Zach and Jen in true birthday style soon. Izzy and Seth do not really believe that it is your birthday unless you have cake and ice cream! 😊

My sister and brother-in-law gifted us with a small chicken house so we hauled it home one day a few years ago and set it beside the garden. The chickens watch us as we pull weeds and collect produce and there is usually a lot of “chicken conversation” going on as we pile weeds or vegetables – both of which they are interested in seeing up close. Today we were digging out a row of potatoes, pulling weeds in the process and found a forgotten cabbage that was long past its prime. As I pulled it out, it kind of came apart and was definitely headed for the compost pile however, the bright-eyed biddies cackled so loud as I started by that I opened the door and tossed it in. There was more excitement than when I tossed them an army worm earlier today and a few minutes later, it was as though that cabbage had never existed and the chickens were lining up to see if we could find another. I decided that the old saying should be “one man’s trash/compost (an old rotten cabbage) is a chicken’s treasure - at least some of the time”!!

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