Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA September 9th, 2024

September was originally the seventh month of the year when the Julian calendar was used which makes sense since the word originally meant seven. Now what was the seventh month of the year has become the ninth and is the month holding the beginnings of the autumn/fall season. The hot sweaty days seem to turn overnight into mornings that are chilly with the heavy dew soaking my shoes as I head to the barn in the early mornings. The world is not silent but it is much quieter and I am seeing the beginnings of the day as the slow to rise sun is barely pinking the sky at six. Those are the changes this ninth, used to be seventh, month is bringing to my days. It is also bringing changes to the gardens as the plants respond to the shorter and cooler days and even the bugs are slower! 😊

We have been picking tomatoes and picking tomatoes and finally we are seeing a slowdown in fruits setting on so even though there are blooms, we know that the harvest is coming to an end. Carrots are doing well in the bottom plot and the beets are beginning to take off as well. The peppers are slow and we are wondering if the roller coaster of temperature changes have affected set on and ripening of fruits. Clouds have been stingy in dropping water on us for a couple of weeks with the results being dust clouds drifting off the dirt roads and hanging lazily in the air as we drag and re-position water hoses.

Our building repair project continues slowly with the structure becoming more solid as we repair the foundation. In sharing excitement about the joining or patching of boards, a good friend, Marvelle gave us a new term for what we were doing – “sistering”. She said a person who worked on such projects told her that is what is what called when you joined boards in a way to strengthen what was weak. The other project that we worked on over Labor Day was honey extraction. All of us donned our bee hats and assisted Izzy and Seth in removing frames per our friend Shawn’s instructions and then the magic of extraction happened at her home with both kids spinning bee juice, golden and delicious, into the bucket.

Saving the best for last, we were able to spend a couple of days with Zach this past week. Walking and talking, reading jokes out of a corny book, posing for silly pictures and getting the best hugs was the perfect remedy for our spirits!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

  • Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Carrots
  • Okra
  • Basil/Chives/Parsley
  • Peppers – Sweet
  • Peppers – HOT

CARROT INFORMATION: The following is taken from “From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce”

Carrots come from a large family called the “umbeliferae” family. There are about 2500 members in this family and among them are parsley, celery, parsnips, cilantro, fennel, dill and weeds like Queen Anne’s lace. Carrots originated in middle Asia and were first eaten by hill dwellers of Afghanistan with the early cultivated varieties being purple and pale yellow. Orange varieties did not appear until the 1600’s in the Netherlands. Carrots are high in vitamin A and beta carotene and also high in fiber, calcium, potassium and other trace minerals.

COOKING TIPS: Eating carrots raw is your best source of nutrients. Light steaming retains most of the nutrients, about 5-10 minutes. Fresh carrot greens can be chopped into a green salad or stir-fry. Greens can be dried and used as an herb like parsley. Blend carrots into homemade tomato sauce to add sweetness. Dice, slice or cut into chunks and toss carrots into soups, stews, casseroles and stir-fries.

OVEN ROASTED CARROTS from Taste of Home’s Garden-Fresh Recipes

This recipe is shared by Marlene Schott

2 pounds baby carrots - substitute peeled and halved or quartered carrots, depending on size

4 small onions, quartered

6 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 to 2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Place carrots, onions and garlic in two greased 15-in x 10-in. baking pans. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper and gently toss to coat. Cover and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes; stir. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes; stir again. Bake 10 minutes longer or until carrots are crisp-tender.

Maggie’s Fresh Tomato Sauce from One United Harvest, Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms

3# tomatoes, peeled and diced 2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup olive oil 2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

¼ cup chopped fresh basil 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Penne pasta

Combine all ingredients except salt and pasta. Let it sit in a large non-aluminum bowl at room temperature, covered for 30 minutes or longer. Prepare pasta. Toss with sauce and add salt, just before serving.

RECIPE NOTE: I love to prepare this first thing in the morning and let it sit on the counter all day. It fills the kitchen with the most heavenly aroma and keeps me away from the stove. I usually toss with pasta but I can just as easily drain the tomatoes and make bruschetta with this versatile sauce – Maggie.

Recipe shared by Maggie Wood, Golden Earthworm Organic Farm, New York

Praying mantis pictures – one is green and one is brown. Yes, you can be bitten by a mantis but it has no lasting effect and you are advised to wash your hands thoroughly. And in the middle of the mantis pictures is a new variety of tomato that we grew this year called Kansas Depression. Below are the pictures of the frame being removed to harvest honey.

Edible chive flowers, a clever hen hid her nest by the side of the building where we have been working – right uinder our noses! A splash of sunflowers and pictures of our floor repairs, using boards from the first building to fill in holes.

The beginnings of the day on the hill – a scattering of clouds with some barely soft pinking on the edges as the sun began its morning rise.

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