Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA August 5th, 2024

August, the eighth month of the year and a month that is named after the Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar. It is on the first day of August that Lammas Day was celebrated – the midpoint between summer solstice and autumnal equinox and a time of harvest beginnings for those who grew oats, barley and sunflowers. Tenant farmers would present the first crop to the landowner as part of the celebration in England. In our neighborhood, the harvesting of hay continues as the different types of grasses are wrapped tight for winter feeds – alfalfa, brome and prairie grasses. The smells of newly shorn grasses, laid down in curving windrows to cure almost makes you envy the cows!

In the gardens, tomatoes are the “queens” as the ripe fruits hang heavy on our vines – all sizes and colors. I am pleased to say that the tomato I ordered for the name “Hazel May” is beautiful and delicious. I ordered it because my grandmother’s name was Hazel and I was curious as to whether I would like it or not. It does not seem to be a huge producer but I am pretty sure that I am going to grow it again. This is what Hazel looks like, inside and out. It could have used a little more ripening, however, sitting in the sunshine with a salt shaker and a knife, we shared it and judged it good!

Weather this week surprised us with .61 hundredths of rain on Wednesday night/Thursday morning and although it came with lots of wind, we did not have the damage that other areas of northeast Kansas received with their “watering”. We also had a couple of showers on Tuesday that put a total of .13 in the gauge so an August start of .74 so far. Temperatures have ranged from sweat running heat to a couple of perfect days that made a person want to call in and excuse themselves from work. The forecast looks hot for a couple of days and then absolutely perfect for the rest of the work week. And there were even a couple of rainclouds on the 8-day outlook! I hope that the weatherman has it right!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Large Tomatoes
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Onion
  • Okra
  • Potatoes
  • Beets
  • Squash - Lebanese Marrow variety
  • Swiss Chard
  • Herb Bundle – Parsley, Chives, Basil

RECIPE SHARE:

Beet Greens with Ginger and Hot Peppers - One United Harvest, Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms Collected by Julie Sochacki

Beet Greens with Ginger and Hot Peppers

1 large bundle beet greens, about ¾ pound (add chard from your bag if desired)

Half to whole hot green pepper, about 2-3 inches long

1 inch piece fresh ginger root

1 Tablespoon oil, peanut or vegetable

4 Tablespoons water

Salt to taste

Wash greens thoroughly and shake but do not dry. Remove stems and keep leaves whole or cut into thin ribbons. Slice pepper in half and remove stem, seeds and white pith. Mince finely to make about 2 to 3 teaspoons. Peel ginger and slice very thinly. Stack slices together and cut into small matchsticks. In a large nonstick pan, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add ginger and hot pepper. Stir-fry for about a minute. Add beet greens and heat and stir until wilted. If no liquid remains in the pan, add a tablespoon or two of water; cover pan. Steam for another few minutes until greens are tender. Remove lid and stir to evaporate liquid, watching carefully so that greens do not burn. Season with salt, if desired. Serves 4.

RECIPE NOTE: To preserve the color of the greens and keep them from turning brown or gray, add salt at the end of the cooking process. CAUTION: Wash hands and don’t rub eyes after touching or cutting a hot pepper.

Recipe shared by Susan at Provident Farm, Maryland

Chesapeake Bay Okra– One United Harvest, Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms Collected by Julie Sochacki

Okra, washed and trimmed with a quarter or half -inch of stem, keep the whole okra intact

Vegetable oil

Old Bay seasoning or seasoning of your choice

Roll okra in a small amount of oil, and then sprinkle with seasoning. Spread the okra onto a pan and broil until tender.

RECIPE NOTE: from Robert and Carrie, Clagett Farm, Maryland. I love okra so much that I will eat it raw. But even when I am inclined to cook, speed and ease are critical. This recipe is so fast that I can cook it in the toaster-oven for just twice the time it takes to toast bread! – Carrie

OKRA PILAU - One United Harvest, Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms Collected by Julie Sochacki

2 cups thinly sliced okra

1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, well drained OR 3 fresh tomatoes, peeled, quartered and seeded

3 bacon slices, diced

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup chopped onion

¾ cup long grain rice, uncooked

2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. salt or to taste

Sauté okra and bacon until lightly browned. Add green pepper and onions and continue cooking until vegetables are tender. Add rice, chicken broth, tomatoes, and salt. Bring to a boil. Stir once, cover, reduce heat and summer 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff lightly with fork and serve.

Recipe shared by Jolinda from Hamilton Farms, Arkansas

OKRA and POTATO RAGOUT - One United Harvest, Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms Collected by Julie Sochacki

2 lbs. okra 3 cups water

¼ cup olive oil 2 Tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely sliced 2 large ripe tomatoes, cubed

2 large potatoes, cut in quarters juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

Clean and wash okra well. Cut in half lengthwise, if large. Drain and salt. In a large saucepan, heat oil and sauté onion until golden. Add potatoes and 2 cups of water. Summer covered for 25 minutes. Add one cup of water, okra, parsley and tomatoes. Cook gently for an additional 15 minutes. Increase heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, uncovered. Five minutes before cooking is complete, add lemon juice. Shake saucepan (do not use a spoon). Let stand for 8 minutes before serving.

Recipe share by Kelly, Desert Roots Farm CSA, Arizona

ONION FACTS: (From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce) The bulb onion is the most universal seasoning used by humans. Believed cultivated since prehistoric times, the onion seems to have originated in the middle East and southwest Asia with references dating back to 3200 B.C. The ancient Egyptians saw the concentric circles of the onion as a symbol of the universe and treated it as an object of worship. In North America, the native peoples used wild onion long before European settlers arrived with cultivated varieties. The pungency of an onion directly reflects the amount of sulfur in the soil in which it was grown. A sulfur compound within the onion turns into sulfuric acid when in contact with the water in eyes, causing a cook painful tears.

If you want to know more about this amazing vegetable, check out the National Onion Association’s website. And in the meantime, try this recipe (From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce)

ONION BISCUITS

2 large eggs, well beaten 2 teaspoons baking powder

2 large yellow onions, grated 1 teaspoon sugar

½ cup canola oil ½ cup poppy seeds or sesame seeds

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 400 degrees; lightly grease cookie sheets. Whisk eggs in a bowl; add onions and oil. Sift in dry ingredients. Add poppy seeds and 2 tablespoons water. Mix well. Drop by tablespoonsful onto cookie sheets. Bake until nicely browned, 10 – 15 minutes. Makes 40 appetizer-size biscuits. Shared from ROOTS: A Vegetarian Bounty

Some of the things that we found in the garden this week - an okra loving frog sitting on one of those itchy leaves was a welcome sight after all those beetles covering our attempt at pumpkin growing. We washed the beetles off in warm soapy water and fed them to the chickens! Sitting on a tomato leaf was an army worm. They are no more welcome than the beetles and he was buried in the hopes that he made decent fertilizer! We also found a beautiful textured spider sitting on some basil leaves and a volunteer gourd growing beside some seeded asparagus.

Driving home on this dirt road after work last week and was lucky enough to see this glimpse of light coming thru a parting of the clouds while in the distance, someone was getting rain. During a day, I probably make 10 – 15 foolish wishes for all kinds of things and most of the time, it is a good thing that the majority of those wishes do not come true as they are made on the “fly”. The wish that I had this night is one that is often repeated though and it is that I wish I could gather these moments, these photographic pictures of magic and give them life so that I could share the moments in their depth because they are such a gift.

Here’s hoping that you are gifted with one of these “pictures” this week!

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