Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA June 15th, 2026

Added some more to the rainfall totals Saturday night – 1.44 here on the hill which makes a total of 2.97 for the first 14 days of June! That makes two fairly strong storms here within 5 days! I am hoping for a few days of dry out time before the next rain and as long as I am hoping, I will wish for a gentler delivery without the wind. Monday evening’s storm left us without power. The roof the milkhouse took the brunt of the wind with a large limb sitting on top of it Tuesday morning. We were able to duck under and get in the barn to do chores and later that day, Dan, with lots of advice from the “ground crew” was able to use the pole saw and chain saw to get it off the roof without taking out the electric line that runs the barn. The wind blew the top off of one of the bee hives but they never even looked in her direction as Katy set it back to rights the next morning. Most of our damage was broken tree limbs other than Dan who received a large cut under the eye as one of the hackberry limbs turned in the opposite direction and clipped him.

The livestock made it through without loss and we were glad that Pearl waited until Thursday to birth a new baby girl. Mom and calf are doing well although we did have the vet out to check Pearl out on Saturday as she seemed a little slow in recovering from the birth. Steve, our vet, checked her out Saturday and removed afterbirth that Pearl had not delivered while Seth and Izzy observed – at least when Seth was not hiding behind Izzy. I don’t think that he is headed to vet school. The pigs are taking mud spa treatments every day and looking good. We have been watching our chickens fairly close as we hear that several people have lost hens to coyotes and racoons. I wish I could say that Hank, Izzy’s dog, was also keeping an eye out for predators but the only thing Hank watches is his dog food bowl.

The garden is growing weeds as well as crops and sometimes we have to go on a treasure hunt to find what we are looking for. We spent the weekend pulling weeds in the outside garden on Saturday and inside the high tunnel on Sunday. Pigweed, bindweed, wild lettuce, lamb’s quarters and all kinds of vegetation have tripled in size in the last five days. One of the more invasive weeds – besides bindweed which is in a class by itself is “shaggy or gallant soldier”. It is also an edible weed but it is not in your bag or on our weekly menu although we did try it raw. We decided that we would stick with our greens!

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK

  • Onions
  • Turnips
  • Kohlrabi
  • Beets – these are a few baby beets as we work ourselves down the row – remember to eat the greens!
  • Garlic Scapes
  • Mixed Greens
  • Lettuce
  • Chives with a sprig of Rosemary

RECIPE SHARE –

Turnip Info - -from “ From Asparagus to Zucchini, A guide to Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce

Turnips are a good source of vitamin C (particularly raw) and the minerals potassium and calcium. Turnips are also one of the cruciferous vegetables believed to prevent cancer. TIPS: Scrub turnips with stiff bristled vegetable brush and trim away damaged spots. Try them raw by slicing them thin or cutting them into sticks. Grate them raw into salads.

One of the things we look forward to at “turnip time” is PICKLED TURNIPS. One of our subscribers shared a recipe and we tried it and loved them. They are crisp and delicious. They are a refrigerator pickle and require no canning. It is basically either sliced or “stick slices” of turnips with a salt and vinegar brine poured over. Differences in the recipes are that some add onions, celery and beets to this mix and then seasonings like peppercorns and garlic. We encourage you to experiment because it is simple and quick to make and they are ready to eat in a very short time. There are lots of recipes online – if you try one, let us know!

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

Stir Fried Turnips with Ham

Approximately 2 pounds of turnips

4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

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

1 cup beef broth

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

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

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 ½ cups thinly sliced ham

Add the onions, soy sauce and ham. Simmer uncovered 3 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice. Serves 4-6.

KOHLRABI INFO - from “From Asparagus to Zucchini, A guide to Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce

Kohlrabi appeared suddenly and without explanation in Europe in the middle of the 16th century. It remains popular in many European cuisines today. It offers a generous vitamin A and C and emphasizes the minerals potassium and calcium. It is a high fiber vegetable.

Crunchy Red Devils – recipe by A Doncsecz, Vegetarian Gourmet, Spring ‘94

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon grainy mustard

2 shallots, minced ½ teaspoon sugar or granulated fructose

¼ cup hot red pepper sauce 3 medium size kohlrabi bulbs

Whisk together all ingredients except kohlrabi with ½ cup water. Peel and thinly slice kohlrabi; stir into marinade, coating evenly. Cover and refrigerate 2-3 days, stirring occasionally. Serve cold or at room temperature. Makes 3-4 servings.

Sauteed Kohlrabi – Oak Ridge Farm, adapted from Cook’s Garden Cookbook

2 kohlrabi (3 of small) 4 tablespoons butter or light oil

1 medium onion, sliced 1 tablespoon fresh herbs (thyme, chives, sage, etc.)

1 teaspoon salt

Grate kohlrabi, place in colander and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30 minutes to drain. Heat butter over medium heat, add onions and sauté onions a few minutes. Stir in kohlrabi, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and sit in fresh herbs. Makes 2-4 servings.

Pictures of the newly “storm decorated” milkhouse. Hank does not seem concerned at all! And below is Pearl with her Thursday morning calf. Pictures courtesy of Izzy.

Izzy took some absolutely beautiful sky pictures with her cat, Jack, roof sitting as the storm moved in. And Katy took another one of the incoming storms. We remained sky struck until the wind picked up and we lost sight of the clouds as blowing sheets of rain drenched all of us.

And the aftermath of the storm is this fragile sweet pea, coated in sticky rain drops without one single petal broken.

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