Sundog CSA August 14th, 2023
Mid-August on a rainy Sunday afternoon and the hill is definitely grateful for the moisture. It is one of those warm rains that you don’t mind walking in so we have been out harvesting tomatoes in the tunnels, picking peppers and getting ready to pull some beets and carrots. So glad to have some seeds in the ground to soak up these perfect soft falling showers – greens, kohlrabi and beans were some of the latest to be hidden under the dirt. We are usually lax about planting for fall but this year has been challenging so decided to try the later plantings and hope that with water and encouragement, we could get a few pickings for the bags and ourselves before frost. It seems wrong to even type the word frost in mid-August but there is already a countdown of summer days left on the refrigerator out in the milkhouse and we are down to 41 days as of today since the first day of Fall is September 23rd!
The cucumbers and squash that we planted in the chicken pen have yet to germinate but the beets joined the turnips above ground this week. Other garden chores were to weed around our asparagus planting that we dug in this spring. Everything that we have read says that we need to pay some special attention to these roots if we want a harvest next spring and we do! We have a larger bed of asparagus down in the bottom field but we find ourselves not taking as good of care of it as we should be in the way of weeding, fertilizing etc. Grass is a real problem with asparagus beds and the old-time remedy was the rock salt water from ice cream makers – the ones that you would sit and crank with a burlap sack wrapped around the top when you finally made it to “done”. And then everyone sitting and waiting for the ice cream to “ripen” which for us kids was torture as we had to listen to grown up talk while we sat as close as we could to the wooden tub, dishes and spoons to the ready. Finally, out it would come - the metal stirrer inside the container and if we had done a good job, each of the little rungs would be holding ice cream! When the last drops were licked out, the ice melted and the dishes stacked, someone would carry the tub to the asparagus patch and empty that water on the ferns. Now maybe this would not work if you made ice cream every week? If this water would kill squash bugs, we would be cranking ice cream every week! We are still at war with these persistent critters because they have moved to the tomatoes and chard. So far, they have not done too much damage.
YOUR BAG THIS WEEK - grown in an organic manner!
- Tomatoes - still producing large amounts
- Cherry Tomatoes - less harvest this week
- Potatoes – red, white and blue assorted
- Beets and Carrots, bundled
- Chard
- Sweet Pepper
- Onions
- Basil and Chives
Just in case you find these in your bag, here are some pictures of the varieties that we are growing this season –
On the top left are a couple of tomatoes that we were lucky enough to be able to start due to the generosity of our friend, Judy, sharing seeds. The pure white, ruffled one is White Tomesol and the smaller one with the slight blush to it is Thornburn Lemon Blush. The top right picture is Raspberry Lyanna and the small green shouldered one is Black Prince. The bottom picture is of a large Artisan Pink and some small Barry’s Crazy Cherries. Each of the tomatoes that we grow is an adventure in taste! 😊
I could not resist taking this picture of our beautiful “zig-zag” spider on her rain droplet covered web this morning. She must be catching lots of bugs because she seems to grow daily as we walk past her on the way to the barn!
RECIPE SHARE –
This recipe comes from The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. I was always intrigued with another cookbook that Mollie authored, The Moosewood Cookbook.
This recipe is for SPANISH RICE
1 to 2 Tbsp. Olive oil 3 medium sized ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded & minced
1 ½ cups minced onion (or I cup canned tomatoes, drained and chopped)
¾ tsp. salt ½ cup sliced, pitted green olives
1 large bell pepper, minced freshly ground black pepper
2 large cloves garlic, minced cayenne
½ tsp. dried oregano minced fresh parsley, as a topping
2 tsp. dried basil about 6 cups cooked rice
Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and half the salt, and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
Add bell pepper, garlic and herbs. Sauté over medium heat for another 5 minutes or until the pepper is just tender.
Stir in the cooked rice, tomatoes, remaining salt, and olives. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and cayenne.
Serve hot, topped with minced fresh parsley.
Another recipe book that I have had for several years is Too Many Tomatoes, Squash, Beans and other Good Things; A Cookbook for when your Garden Explodes by Lois Burrows and Laura Myers.
Marinated Tomatoes
10 – 12 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oregano or 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Combine the tomatoes and onions in a bowl.
Combine the remained of the ingredients and mix well. Pour over tomatoes and onions. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours, basting occasionally.
Sprinkle with parsley to serve.
ROADSIDE POTATOES from the above book
Mix the following ingredients in your blender to puree onion.
1 cup milk, 1 ½ tsps. flour, 1 tablespoon salt, Dash of Tabasco, 1 large onion, diced.
Grate 4 medium potatoes, peeled and ¼ pound Cheddar Cheese into the milk mixture. Bake in 8-inch greased pan at 350 for one hour and 15 minutes until golden.
And last of all from the above book is TOMATO PIE
You can use one cup of biscuit mix or you can make your own from the following recipe –
1 cup flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. shortening, olive oil, or melted butter.
Whichever biscuit mix you choose, add ¼ cup water and 1 tablespoon soft butter and mix it with a fork and press into a 9-inch pie pan.
Next take 4-5 medium tomatoes, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick and layer the slices on your crust. Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese on top. Mix and spread the following over your cheese: ½ cup mayonnaise, 1-2 green onions, minced and 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley. After spreading it over your cheese, Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in lower half of oven. Serve immediately.
This is the picking crew although I don’t know if Hank, the dog, is really a picker? Picking tomatoes in the high tunnel means that we rest before we pull the cart back up the hill!
Zach and Jen’s excitement for the week was an unexpected visitor last night. A bat flew up out of their basement which was a “first”. Zach said that he did not think he had ever been so close to one before. I know that I have never been close to one although I have heard their wing sounds as they zoom by when we are down by the pond in the near dusk. He was able to catch it in a blanket and release it into the back yard. It reminded me of the time that I rescued an owl with an injured wing on the bridge over the Dragoon. I saw him in the middle of the road and was surprised when he stayed in the middle as I approached. I realized when I stopped, got out and walked towards him, that he was dragging a wing and was not going to be able to fly. I drove home, got some leather gloves and a cage and went back and managed to load this very ungrateful owl. I brought him home and the kids and I checked out this bird that we heard but rarely saw. There was an animal rescue facility in Topeka and they met me in Auburn. After examining the small barred owl, they felt like he would most likely have to have surgery. I found it hard to understand my longing to be friends with this wild creature whose flights and voice are almost magical and yet I knew as I rubbed the hole in my leather gloves where he had rebuffed my gesture to touch him, that it would be near impossible if not impossible. I have never been that close to one again.
Hoping everyone’s gauge is full - Blessings from the farm - Seth, Izzy, Katy, Dan, Jen, Zach and Teresa