Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA June 9th, 2025

And the rain continued all week long here on the hill. What was not absorbed is seeping out of the hill and trickling in rivulets downward to level spaces or to the creek, whichever comes first. It is fascinating to see the force of water as all those drops come together and begin to push forward through whatever is in the way which is why I see the paths in the gardens where I did not make paths and crops re-arranged. I am not sure that the wheat crops I see flattened by flooding waters will be able to pop back up since the heads are heavy with grain. The next few days are forecasted to be dry and warm so we will keep our fingers crossed and hope for minimal damage.

Rain fall Totals: Tuesday – 2.64; Wednesday - .51; Saturday - .70 and today (Sunday) - .07. Added to the last eleven days of May which was 3.75, we now have a total for the last 20 days of 7.67. A few dry days sound great!

One tiny little rain drop hanging on the cow panel is a shimmering piece of magic. Lots of those drops coming together and wetting the earth earn the gratitude of mud boot manufacturers everywhere!

We managed to get through this weekend without any vehicles breaking down and checking in at the summer pasture found all the cows and the guest bull accounted for and doing well. My oldest cow, Uma, had a calf and although she is being a great mom, she is not able to provide enough milk for her new little girl so Katy was required to do some rodeo work to catch the babe and Izzy and I have introduced her to a calf bottle to supplement what she is getting from mom. That was enough excitement for our weekend!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

  • Onion
  • Lettuce
  • Mixed Greens
  • Turnips
  • Kohlrabi
  • Green Beans - The very first of the season
  • Rhubarb

REMEMBER: These crops are being grown using natural methods and avoiding the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers that do not meet organic standards. Unfortunately, bugs like our way of growing as much as we do so they come without an invitation and snack. PLEASE WASH all the produce.

RHUBARB – this is a beautiful crop to grow with huge leaves that cover the stems, making you look underneath to see what is going on. My thoughts about rhubarb have changed over the years. As a kid, I did not like “grass pie” which was what my grandma called it as she brought it to the supper table. She had a rhubarb patch on the west side of the cedar trees that lined a small path between the two main driveways to my grandparents’ home. So, my desire to grow rhubarb was definitely more about my grandma than it was about wanting to taste rhubarb again. Rhubarb leaves contain a large amount of oxalic acid and it is advisable not to consume them.

In an old cookbook I found a recipe for rhubarb pie:

3 cups rhubarb or equal parts rhubarb and sliced, fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 ½ cups sugar

Line a pie plate with pastry. Cut rhubarb in ¼ inch pieces; sprinkle with cornstarch. Add egg and sugar, mix well, turned into lined pie plate. Cover with top crust or lattice strips. Bake in a hot oven 30 minutes at 425 degrees F., reduce heat to 325 degrees F. for 15 – 20 minutes.

Above recipe from The Settlement Cook Book

Looking for some different turnip recipes, in an old edition of “Joy of Cooking”, I found a reference to a traditional German recipe called “Himmel und Erde”. Joy of Cooking describes it as a peasantry dish made up of mashed turnips, potatoes and seasoned apples, combined in any proportion. Out of curiosity, I looked it up and here is what I found —-

First of all, “Himmel und Erde” means “heaven and earth” which made this recipe sound even more interesting. If anyone out there tries, let us know what you think! Himmel Und Erde Recipe courtesy Alisha Vargas

4-5 potatoes

1-2 turnips (depending on size)

3 tart apples

2 medium yellow onions

Salt and pepper to taste

3 slices bacon, optional

4 tablespoons butter, or more to taste

Peel and slice the apples. Peel and cube the potatoes. Peel the rough spots off the turnips and then cube them. Try to get 1 ½ cups of cubed turnips. Now comes a choice, you can either put each of the items (potatoes, turnips, and apples) into their own pan, or you can throw them all into one pan together. Cooking the items separately allows them to cook more evenly and retain better individual flavor, while cooking them together saves on stovetop space and pan usage. It’s up to you.

Whichever you chose, cover the potatoes, apples, and turnips with water and cook them on medium until soft. While the potatoes, turnips, and apples are cooking, fry up the bacon. If you are vegan or vegetarian feel free to omit the bacon. While the bacon is cooking, slice up the onions. Once the bacon is cooked, remove it to drain on a paper towel-covered plate. Add the onions to the hot grease. If preparing this as a vegan or a vegetarian version, feel free to substitute another oil for the bacon grease. Cook the onions until caramelized, slightly brown and soft. When the apples, turnips, and potatoes are cooked soft, drain them and throw them all in one pan together. Toss in the onions, then mash everything together. Mash potato mixture well, but leave it just a little lumpy. It’s nice to get the occasional small piece of apple, turnip, or potato in a bite. Mix in salt and pepper to taste. Place the Himmel und Erde in a serving dish, then top with butter. Crumble the bacon strips over top and serve warm.

And if you are looking for a recipe to use some of those kohlrabi –

Potato Topped Cottage Pie “From Asparagus to Zucchini; A Guide to Farm Fresh, Seasonal Produce”

5 medium kohlrabi, peeled and chopped 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried

½ cup pearl barley ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 onion, chopped ½ cup red or white wine (there are several different substitutions available)

1 small celeriac root, sliced for 1 rib celery 1 cup vegetable stock

1 carrot chopped 4 cups mashed white potatoes

½ cup chopped mushrooms 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried

Place all ingredients except white potatoes in a large saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and summer until vegetables and barley are tender, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled casserole dish and top vegetable mixture with potatoes. Bake until edges bubble and potatoes are golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Six servings.

NEW Bug of the week –

This is a tortoise beetle and according to the information, one of the species is a thistle eater! I found two of them in the high tunnel while we were weeding. Currently, there is lemon balm in the tunnel and the other species is a beetle who loves that plant.

We found these other critters on the outside of the high tunnel. It was so exciting to see dung beetles pushing a rounded smooth ball of dung. I had never seen them do that. Reading up on it, it said that the male and female work together to push that ball to a place where they can bury the ball underneath ground and mate and start a family! I have seen dung beetles before - just had not seen them with their ball of mud. The second picture is a moth that Seth found in the goat pen during milking. I sent it to our friend Sally who identified it as Polyphemus moth. She said that the eyes were meant to scare off potential predators which would usually be birds. Those “eyes” are what caught Seth’s attention. The last moth was on the backside of the bottom high tunnel door. He is a “5-spotted hawk moth” and he is going to grow up to be a tomato hornworm and even though we would rather not have tomato hornworms, the moth is so beautiful and soft to the touch that we set up some protection for him and just enjoyed watching him.

The last two pictures are Saturday morning greeting me – such a beautiful sky and butterfly weed sitting besides red clover and showing off its beginning blooms. The beautiful blooms made the five-gallon bucket of water I was toting to Uma much lighter. I sent Zach cloud pictures and he said he drove towards clouds similar on Thursday morning on the way to work. They swell, filling the bottom of the sky and then whirl into pieces that fill the sky with white art – hope you all got to see it!

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