Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA June 30th, 2025

Just checked the weather forecast and it says that we have a chance for showers late, late tonight which is actually Monday morning sometime between four and 8 o’clock. We are doing the rain dance and hoping that the forecast holds as it is very dry up here on the hill. This morning the clouds, in passing, dropped .03. In dry times, we watch the gauge carefully and record those tiny amounts. On Thursday that tube held .09 and earlier in the week on Tuesday, we received a whopping .36. If the temperatures were a little cooler and that hot, dry wind had not blown, the half inch of water would have felt differently.

So, the gardens are dealing with high temperatures, a lack of moisture, wind and bugs of all kinds and colors. I found three different kinds of worms in the high tunnel today while carefully picking the first few ripe cherry tomatoes. Those first tomato bites are not always the best tasting but somehow, they are the most special as they signal a change in the bag content as it switches from greens and cole crops to the heat loving members of the nightshade family – tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant.

Gardening this week has been weed pulling and chigger scratching! It must be a hatch out time because we sit in companionable silence, itching our bite covered legs and wishing we could at the very least see the enemy. We found potato beetles on the eggplant and lots of ants on our pepper plants. We did some researching about the relationship between the ants and aphids which we also found on the peppers and we discovered that the ants protect the aphids because those little pests secrete “honeydew” and that is a food source for the ants. We intend to remove the ant’s food source asap.

Making time to cut thistle tops and dig their stalks out is on our to-do list. Katy worked on this task last week while Izzy and I worked on a mulching project. Building #3 repairs are progressing. We spent some time this weekend digging out underneath the building so that we can see what the bottom structure might require. Dan and Katy were trying to work as a team leveling but there was some challenge as to the definition of the word “level”. The building is sitting higher on concrete blocks and I have a huge pile of rocks that I have scraped out from underneath ready to find a new address – maybe down in the garden as part of our ongoing terrace project.

Seth and I found this interesting spider while digging potatoes this afternoon. From what information we could find on him, he is a trapdoor spider. Seth felt that he was a risk and kept a close eye on him as we went down the row!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK –

  • Green Beans
  • Potatoes
  • Onions
  • First sweet pepper and a taste of first tomatoes
  • Kohlrabi
  • Mixed Greens with basil
  • Squash
  • Rhubarb

RECIPES

One-Crust Strawberry Rhubarb Tartlet

From Lori, Yorkville CSA

We don’t get enough rhubarb to make a 9-inch pie, but we have just enough for this 6-inch version. If you think it’s not worth taking the time to make a homemade crust, use part of a store-bought one and save the rest for another use. This is also a good way to use the trimmings from another crust (you save them, right?).

Top off with a scoop of ice-cream for an extra luscious treat.

For the crust:

4 TBS cold butter, cut into four pieces

¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS or more very cold water

For the filling:

8 oz fresh strawberries, sliced (approximate amount)
6 oz rhubarb, diced small
¼ cup brown sugar (white is fine, too)
1 TBS lemon juice or orange juice

Assembly:

2 TBS cornstarch (optional, but the filling will be less cohesive without it)
1 TBS flour
1 TBS water
1 TBS white sugar

Instructions

  1. For the crust: Put all the ingredients, except for the water, into a small food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the water in a steady stream until it forms a ball. If a ball doesn’t form, add more water one teaspoon at a time and keep pulsing until everything comes together. Remove the dough from the food processor, place it on wax paper or plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate the disk for at least an hour.

  2. For the filling: Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Put the bowl in the refrigerator for an hour.

  3. When you’re ready to assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Roll out the dough to ⅛-inch thick. Cut it into 1 ½-inch x 7-inch strips. Roll out the trimmings and cut into smaller strips.

  4. Drain the filling (save the juice – it will make a good dressing for fruit salad). Add the cornstarch and flour to the filling and mix well. Spread the filling in a6-inch tart pan. Arrange the strips over the filling in a lattice pattern. Sprinkle the water and then the sugar over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: You can double the crust and press a bottom crust into the bottom of the pie plate—but you really don’t need it.

Kohlrabi carrot apple slaw From Lori, Yorkville CSA

Ingredients

2 medium kohlrabi bulbs peeled
1 apple cored and peeled
2 medium carrots peeled
2 TBS olive oil
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
¼ cup raisins
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Shred the kohlrabi, apple, and carrots, then place into a large bowl.

  2. In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest and juice, raisins, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

  3. Gently toss with the shredded kohlrabi, apple and carrots until evenly mixed.

Variations

  1. Apple cider vinegar can be substituted for the lemon juice.

  2. Try using one green and one purple kohlrabi for variety.

The dark colored bug clutching lunch in his mouth is a “broad headed bug” and the green beauty sitting on a green bean is a stink bug. Neither one should be invited in the garden gate! 😊

Katy’s cloud picture. I love cloud pictures and take more than I should because I am fascinated with the constantly changing canvas above me. I think that I passed that fascination on to my kids because they both notice cloud art. I stepped outside my office on Thursday to see the rain clouds pass by – looking like they were in a hurry!

Wishing you the magic of fireworks and the company of family and friends as we celebrate the 4th of July. At our farm we hope to be eating strawberry rhubarb pie maybe with a plop or two of ice cream on top sitting in the soft light of dusk while the cows and goats watch us from the nearby pasture and fireflies fill the sky and Hank hides under the table and hopes for someone to drop their pie! Of course if it rains, we will sit on the porch and celebrate even more!

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