Sundog CSA May 18th, 2026
It is almost Monday as I write this late at night, listening to the wind blow strong on a night that seems more like summer than spring. The forecast says there is a chance of severe weather tonight and for the next couple of days. I wish we could sit on the porch and see the rain drip down instead of blowing in sheets across the pasture. Rain has been both buckets and barrels full to overflowing with long dry stretches in between this spring. Temperatures have also been swinging from one end of the thermometer to the other, giving me little time to add or subtract blankets. From the way it felt today, I think that we are solidly into the warm season!
We spent time today cleaning out the bottom tunnel. One of our challenges is bindweed. Tightly embracing everything in its way, it sends out the most innocent of blooms to try and distract you from digging it out which is only a temporary win. As I was pulling and plucking it out today, I noticed some of the leaves were inhabited by bugs that I had not identified. Google Lens identifies them as “Argus Tortoise Beetles”. The funny thing is that with my sweat coated glasses, I read it as Angus Beetles! Anyway, Argus or Angus beetles are bindweed eaters supposedly. I did not trust that my information was solid enough to leave them in the tunnel so we let them out into the pasture and told them to eat all the bindweed they could find. We also found a beautiful large moth with the most interesting eyes who turns into a “tomato hornworm” - we also let this find go in the pasture.
UPDATE: The rain last night was hard as well as generous in amount. We rinsed most of the greens and ask that you take them out and pat them dry if possible. They made need a second rinse!
Argus beetles and their eggs, a beautiful blooming stem of butterfly mullein, a very solemn frog watching Katy bottle feed a calf and a sideways portrait of our moth before becoming a hornworm!
Your bag this week – a spring bag is mostly greens. Eat them raw or steamed, mix them with milder greens as some of them are quite spicy. I learned this season that horseradish leaves are not only edible; they are also good for you so we have included a few of them for you to try!
YOUR BAG THIS WEEK
- Onions
- Rhubarb
- Arugula
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Mixed Greens
- Lemon Balm
If you are opposed to Rhubarb/Strawberry pie, you might want to try making some Rhubarb Lemonade. Katy found a recipe that we are experimenting with - the tartness of rhubarb does to the lemonade what rhubarb does to strawberry pie. We think that you will like it! The first step is making rhubarb syrup – chunking your rhubarb and simmering it with some lemon and sugar and then running it through a sieve or strainer and then adding it to sparkling water or ice water - delicious. You can also add some mint when you are simmering to change the flavor. Another favorite is adding lemon balm to your favorite sun tea recipe or you can chop it up and add it to your salads!
There was an incident at the farm this afternoon where criminal threat charges were a possibility. Katy had spent a good hour hoeing all the weeds out of three okra rows in the garden bordering the “chickmobile” where some of our hens are “summering”. Somehow the gate came open and the chickens went out to work the garden where they had seen Katy laboring. Unfortunately they do not discriminate between okra plants and weeds so took out her carefully weeded okra. I heard phrases of soup pot and chicken pot pie etc. being muttered. Hopefully most of the okra survived! 😊
Blessings from the farm - Katy, Dan, Izzy, Seth, Jen, Zach and Teresa