Sundog Farms

Sundog CSA July 20th, 2026

This has been a week of hot days and a fairly dry rain gauge. Friday afternoon there was a short downpour with some fairly strong winds and the gauge registered .25 which was needed after the high double-digit readings on the thermometer. Katy and I were admiring the huge building thunderheads this afternoon (Sunday) and noticed a high soaring buzzard, floating on the thermals up there. Most times when we see them, it will be in a group but this bird was gliding solo. I can understand why people have been fascinated with flying however, no matter how many contraptions we take to the skies with, we will never know the freedom of flight like a common buzzard.

This has been a challenging garden week and not all of it was due to the weather. I am trying not to hold a grudge against the goat herd who jumped fence and took a tour of the top high tunnel, eating and stomping crops as they went up and down the rows. Tomatoes, peppers and green beans took their fancy and they concentrated on the foliage for the most part. Peppers who had hustled themselves up to a couple of feet are now barely touching 12 inches on the yardstick. And the green beans are sticks without leaves! The tomatoes had fruits knocked off and foliage eaten with a few tomatoes snacked on here and there. Thank goodness, Katy was up checking fences and saw the buck with part of a tomato plant in his mouth standing inside the doorway of the tunnel. She did not know that the entire herd was in the tunnel and so when she yelled at him, was surprised to see the netting that covers the sides of the tunnel being busted as the goats tore out, knowing they were in some major trouble. Netting had to be replaced, fences fixed and lost crops mourned and eulogized!

Projects for this week include putting netting around the tomato plot and electric fence around the remaining sweet corn in the hopes that we can save both crops – one from the wandering guineas and our “Houdini” chickens and the other from the raccoons. We have not seen any evidence of raccoons in our garden area but the older gardeners would tell me that raccoons know when the corn is ready before anyone else does and I believe that to be true. Netting does not stop them but they do not like electric wires. The guineas on the other hand have loud conversations about being locked out of any spaces by netting but do not seem to be bothered by electric fences. We also stuck some cucumber seeds in the ground, planted some late cabbage starts and will be putting squash seeds in the ground in the next few days.

YOUR BAG THIS WEEK

  • Potatoes
  • Squash
  • Green Beans
  • Okra
  • Beets
  • And we are sharing the first cherry tomatoes - only a few since the goats had first picks!!

RECIPE SHARE

Beet cooking takes a long time usually but you can hasten that process by using your instant pot. Make sure to scrub your beets thoroughly. Cut the tops off, leaving about an inch attached. Add some water to the pot and cook for about twenty minutes for larger beets and less time for the smaller ones. Allow the pressure to release. Skin them and enjoy! Our family built a clay oven and we usually take cast iron skillets and fill them with vegetables, salt and pepper or season to your liking and I add a dash of red vinegar and we add some olive oil and stick them in. That was today’s supper – we added carrots from the store, scrubbed some beets and potatoes (did not bother peeling) and then added big slices of onion across the top. We are going to have to have a family “oven build” day because the oven needs its floor adjusted and there are big cracks in the dome. Below is a picture of tonight’s supper.

Peppery Skillet Potatoes from Farm to Table Cookbook 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 red potatoes, cut into thin wedges ½ cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons lemon pepper ½ teaspoon salt Chopped fresh parsley (optional) Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion, lemon pepper and salt; stir to coat. Cover and cook 25 to 30 minutes until potatoes are tender and browned, turning occasionally. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving, if desired.

Summer Squash Skillet -“Simply in Season, A World Community Cookbook” 4 cups of whatever squash you have available (sliced, diced or shredded) ½ cup onion (sliced or diced) ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper Sauté together in one tablespoon oil until tender (time will depend on the size of the pieces: grated will cook faster than sliced). Add one of the options below” Option 1: ½ green pepper or chili pepper (diced) 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped) 1 tablespoon fresh basil (chopped) 1 bay leaf ½ cup cheese (shredded; optional) Add the above ingredients except cheese with the onion and squash, cover and steam until tender. Top with cheese just before serving. Option 2: ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped) ½ teaspoon lemon peel (grated) ½ teaspoon lemon pepper (instead of the ¼ tsp pepper above. Add these ingredients and simmer about 2 minutes longer. Option 3: Add soy sauce to taste to the sauteed squash before serving. Option 4: 2 Tablespoons Pesto Add to the sauteed squash before serving.
This recipe was shared by Dawn Showalter, Mary Meyer and Ruth Wiederkehr.

Okra Sauté 2 cups okra Using a large frypan, sauté okra in 2 tablespoons oil for ten minutes. ½ large onion (sliced) 1 green or red sweet pepper (cut in strips; optional) ½ chili pepper (chopped; optional) Add these ingredients and sauté over medium-low heat until onions are transparent. 1 large tomato(diced) Add and cook another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.

Green Beans and New Potatoes 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 small red onion, finely minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 lb. green beans, trimmed 1 lb. new potatoes (if larger than a couple of inches, cut in half) 3 to 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat until it begins to soften. Add the green beans, sprinkle them with some salt and pepper and stir them to coat with the seasoned oil and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the broth. At this time, you can also add a couple of teaspoons of apple cider or red wine vinegar, a couple of teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and a squirt of liquid smoke. These are all seasonings. Stir gently to mix in and then bring to a boil, add the potatoes, and try and get all in the cooking liquid. Cover and lower the heat slightly and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the beans and potatoes are still firm but tender. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Green Bean and Potato Pudding - Madison Herb Society Cookbook, L. Poehlman 1-pound green beans 1-pound potatoes 4 eggs ½ cup grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or 1 tsp. dried marjoram Salt and pepper ½ cup bread crumbs Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook beans and potatoes in boiling water until tender. Blend until smooth in food processor or blender. Blend in 1 egg at a time. Mix in cheese. Sauté garlic, parsley and marjoram in olive oil 1 minute. Combine the two mixtures. Add salt and pepper to taste. Oil large shallow baking dish. Dust with half the bread crumbs, shaking our excess. Pour in bean mixture; top with remaining crumbs. Bake 45 – 50 minutes, until puffed and golden. Four servings.

Seth found this spider this morning which is a Goldenrod crab spider – absolutely beautiful, or at least that is what he thinks and I tend to agree with him. The next picture is a Robber Fly and they are insect predators – obviously we encourage them! And the last picture is a green headed horsefly whose piercing tool left a small hole in my arm as I was intent upon digging out potatoes this morning. He definitely got my attention and while he was busy piercing, I managed to catch him.
So, life is all about surprises, right? It was a surprise to me to come home from work this week and find new residents in the back yard and an electric fence perilously close to my clothesline, making it important that I pay attention as I hang my weekend wash. Life is kind of like that – nothing stays the same or at least that is what these calves seemed to be telling me as they checked out my quilt and underwear Saturday!

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