Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA June 7th, 2026

The rain gauge has barely had a dry day in the past few weeks or at least that is what it seems like to my mud boots which have been getting a lot of mileage lately. On the hill, it dries out fairly quickly so we were weeding and sticking a few tiny leftover plants in the ground Friday evening. The earth smelled rich and full which is better than dried out so I am going to try and quit griping! I do have to say though that the weeds are getting seriously tall and some of them even look menacing in the dusk!

I am writing this Sunday afternoon as I listen to “toad music” and since I don’t speak “toad”, I am not sure if he is also complaining about the weather or expressing gratitude? There are actually two of them unless he is adjusting his voice up and down the scale.

This week has flown with all kinds of things going on – in the garden and outside of the rows. We planted some new fruit trees as most of our old orchard has died along with a lot of trees that served as a dust barrier along the road. We suspect that the spray plane that our neighbors hired misjudged and dumped some beginnings of their load as they made the turn. It did not kill everything but most were damaged or dead. We are just grateful that it did not come any closer to the house, outbuildings or gardens. We dread weeks of rain because the farmers will hire spray planes since they can’t come into the fields to kill weeds in order to plant. Removing the land cover also helps dry out the fields so they can plant. Anyway, we chose to put some dwarf fruit trees in this year and last year we put in a couple of semi-dwarf trees. Keeping our fingers crossed that we will have fruit in abundance! Garden work consists of our never-ending battle digging bindweed – the only positive being that the goats love to eat it so at least it has some purpose besides frustrating us! We stuck in a few cabbage plants, hoping to miss the next tiny little green worm cycle. Harlequin bugs and potato beetles are gathering forces, multiplying in numbers as we scout the rows. Neither one appeal to the chickens so to the compost heap they will go as we have time to pick them. Izzy and I discovered several spiders as we were picking this afternoon, most carrying large egg sacks and I saw more wheelie bugs. I am always careful around wheelie or Wheel Bugs because I have been bitten and it was not a pleasant experience. I leave them be because they eat so many of the insects that cause problems for gardeners – most particularly caterpillars and stink bugs!

Our Angus/Jersey cross milk cow, Woodrow, had a tiny little heifer on Wednesday and both appear to be doing well. Woodrow has her parenting skills down pat however she has her “hooves” full as her baby girl appears not to listen when mama gives instructions. Batty Eloise and Pumpkin, our two little bottle calves, have been working on halter training as they travel back and forth to their “day pen” out in the pasture. Actually, it is Katy, Seth and Izzy who have been working on this halter training as Batty and Pumpkin have not even passed “beginner’s halter class” yet. They do well for a day or two and then I will hear shouting and see ropes flying and calves running with their tails high. I just keep washing milk buckets!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK

  • Onions
  • Kohlrabi
  • Turnips
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Mixed Greens
  • Lettuce
  • Chives with a sprig of Blue Spice Basil 😊

RECIPE SHARE –

From “Too Many Tomatoes, Squash, Beans and Other Good Things by Burrows and Myers

Stir-Fried Turnips with Ham

Approximately 2 pounds turnips

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup beef broth

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

1 tablespoon soy cause

1 ½ cups thinly sliced ham

Serve this Chinese dish with steamed rice.

Peel turnips. Grate. Sauté for one minute, stirring constantly.

Add broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

Add onions, soy cause and ham. Simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Turnip and Carrot Slaw

4 cups grated turnips

2 cups grated carrots

1 Bermuda or sweet onion, chopped

¾ cup sugar

1 cup cider vinegar

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon celert seed

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

Toss turnips, carrots and onion in bowl.

Bring remaining ingredients to a boil. Pour vegetables. Chill. Serves 6-8.

TURNIPS with a Dip

Raw turnips have a fresh crunchy texture that is lost in cooking. Many find turnips served this way most pleasing.

Peel and cut turnips in wedges. Serve around a bowl of dip topped with minced parsley.

2 cups sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 tablespoon grated onion

¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 ounces chipped beef, shredded.

Mix above ingredients and let stand one hour before serving.

USING SCAPES – Scapes are a spring treat for those who love the mild garlic taste they can add to so many of your favorite foods/recipes. Add them to biscuits, roasted vegetables, salad dressings as well as salads, stir fry recipes and on and on . . . . .

From One United Harvest, Creative Recipes from America’s Community Supported Farms

Scapes Pesto

1/8-pound scapes ¼ cup olive oil ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Chop scapes into ¼ inch sections. Blend scapes with olive oil. Place the blend in a bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Use on bread, potatoes, pasta, over cauliflower or as a dip.

Shared by Elaine Granata, Granata Farms, Colorado.

Our latest barn toad, along with a very protective spider I found while harvesting. Izzy snapped the next two pictures of a spider moving her egg sack to higher ground, only the higher ground she was climbing was my mud encrusted boot and a very sneaky green caterpillar.

First in this lineup is a “mulberry borer” who must be slightly confused because he was trying to bore a turnip which is a little different than a mulberry. Next is a “wheelie” who is not quite a grown Wheel Bug yet. He will change colors and become gray and black as he ages. And last are a couple of pictures of Woodrow’s Wednesday morning baby girl.

I am not sure which method works best – nature’s or ours? These are a few examples of nature planting without tilling or fertilizing or planning. Letting the wind and birds and bugs do the work which on some days sounds like a good plan! The first and third pictures are “Goat’s Beard”, second is Dandelion and the last picture is Musk Thistle. That is a lot of seeds from each flower. I guess we have been thinking about this wild seeding as for the first time in years, we are digging musk thistles on the hill and filling wheelbarrows and buckets as well as tearing off those seed filled flowers and filling up feed sacks with the hope we will be digging less in the years to come. We had worked for several years, digging and cutting the heads but unfortunately, some seeds from a pasture south of us have gifted us with a new crop! Kansas State University information states that a single musk thistle flower can release 10,000 seeds! And the seeds remain viable for a decade or longer! If only our vegetable crops were that prolific and tenuous!

And lastly, Izzy and I couldn’t resist some end of the day photos this evening – –