Two Dog Farms 2016 Fall Harvest Week 8

Hi folks, welcome to week 8 of your CSA. Hope everyone had a great holiday spending time with family and friends. Was anyone able to make a pie out of the Kabocha squash last week?  We actually got really sick this holiday and stayed home just the 3 of us. We ate a good turkey sandwich and celebrated the holiday.

We actually lost one of our dogs, Trixie, this weekend It has been really hard for us, but I know she had a great life at the farm getting to run everyday and do what she loved.

We have been getting some rain at the farm, but it has been really hard keeping everything dry under our work shed with 25 mph winds. We are harvesting our BEST crop of carrots that we have ever grown. They are so beautiful! So sweet and delicous. I know they are sure to please. Y'all stay safe out there with this crazy weather, and hope everyone has a good week. Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Swiss Chard

2. Kohlrabi or Yukina Savoy

3. Red Tomatoes

4. Green Tomatoes

5. Butternut Squash

6. Cauliflower

7. Carrots

8. Hakurei Turnips

Roasted Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard

Simple Roasted Cauliflower

Two Dog Farms 2016 Fall Harvest Week 7

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! The cooler weather has moved in at just the perfect time to get into the kitchen to bake and roast so many yummy Thanksgiving dishes. 

We did get a freeze this past weekend and lost our tomato plants, summer squash plants.  We did however pick all of our tomatoes red and green, so needless to say your box will be full of red and green tomatoes! A few ideas for the green tomatoes this thanksgiving might be to fry them as an appetizer of course, or make a chutney to use and save for the holidays. I was thinking how good a green tomato chutney would be with a pastry wrapped brie! If you have never had pastry wrapped brie before, it is to die for and so so easy to make. Recipes for both will be included below. Or for the really adventurous try the green tomato cake. Okay, remove whatever image you have in your head—it's not what you think. Green Tomato Cake, which calls for 2 cups of diced green tomatoes, is more of a spice cake than anything. If you've ever had an apple spice cake baked in a bundt pan, you have an idea of what this cake is like. The dominant flavors of Green Tomato Cake are cinnamon and nutmeg, and there's nothing at all wrong with that. And as such, it's actually the perfect addition to the Thanksgiving table. Be forewarned, though; it's a Paula Dean recipe. It has two sticks of butter in it, and there's no need to add the Brown Butter Icing, but I'm sure its delicious. 

Also, listed below will be the BEST recipe for Kabocha squash pie. It is amazing and so easy to make. Kabocha is a wonderful winter squash with a flavor mixed between pumpkin and sweet potato, so you can see why this is so delicious. I'm sure that it would make a great casserole as well, but I have never tried it. If anyone does, please let me know how it is. 

Hazel and I were visited by some family this past weekend and have gotten sick, so we might end up having a quiet Thanksgiving to spare anyone else getting sick. I will be bringing out the crock pot as well for some simple and oven-freeing dishes like a broccoli and cauliflower casserole recipe I found online, which is also posted down below. 

We hope everyone has such a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and enjoy their time with friends and family over some home cooked vegetables. We are so thankful for every single one of y'all!! Thank you so much for supporting us and trusting us to provide vegetables for you and your families. Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!! 

Contents of this week's box:

1. Broccoli

2. Cauliflower

3. Cabbage

4. Butternut Squash

5. Kabocha Squash

6. Daikon Radish

7. Collards

8. Green Tomatoes

9. Red Tomatoes

10. Dill

Green Tomato Cake

Green Tomato Sweet Chutney

Crescent Wrapped Brie

Broccoli and Cauliflower Crock Pot Casserole

KABOCHA SQUASH PIE

YIELD: 4-6 servings

PREP TIME: 50 minutes

COOK TIME: 35-40 minutes

2 cups squash cooked and mashed

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese

2 cups of sugar

1 tsp. of vanilla

4 eggs

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Halve and de-seed squash. Place cut side down on oiled cookie sheet. Roast at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes until fork tender. Scrape out cooked squash and mash with fork.

Blend squash and cream cheese with hand mixer. Add remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake for 35-40 min at 350 degrees

Two Dog Farms 2016 Fall Harvest Week 6

Hi Folks, welcome to week 6 of your fall CSA. Hope everyone had a wonderful week. Our tomatoes are really starting to peak. So many are coming out of the field. We are picking as many as we can to prepare for the possibility of a frost this weekend. If we do get a frost it will be the end to tomatoes, squash, and basil, but I just love this time of the year and the weather so much right now. Minus the lack of rain part of course, but the nights feel wonderful! It really feels like the last transition into winter. 

We planted a large cover crop/deer deterrent under the huge super moon. It was so beautiful and felt so close to us. Hopefully the deer will find this mix of greens planted tasteful and will prefer it over our crop of vegetables. 

Looking forward to this week with the Food Summit at the Ag. Museum. It is such a wonderful way to gain knowledge about the food around you. There are so many speakers from all over the country and such inspiring people there to talk to. We hope to see some of you there. 

We would like to remind everyone that we will only have one pick-up day next week, which is the week of Thanksgiving. It will be on Tuesday, November 22. Two pick up locations include at M7 Coffee house in Ridgeland or at the farm in Flora from 4-6pm at both locations. We will send out an email to further explain the details and ask you where you will be picking up. Please keep on the lookout for this email. We would also like to let y'all know ahead of time what will be in your box for next week's holidays, so you are able to plan around the veggies you will be getting. You can expect to see Kabocha squash, which makes the best squash (pumpkin) pie! You can also expect to see butternut squash, plenty of greens to cook down and roots to roast, broccoli for casseroles, cabbage, and more tomatoes, plus some other yummies. 

Be sure to look at the pictures below, our CSA member Barbara sent pictures of her cauliflower pizza she made!! Looks delicious. Also, there is a recipe below for an easy cheat to cauliflower pizza. Hope y'all have a wonderful week. Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Broccoli

2. Curly Kale

3. Cauliflower

4. Beets

5. Zucchini or Squash

6. Spaghetti Squash

7. Tomatoes

8. Watermelon Radish

Cauliflower Pizza Cheat

Buffalo Cauliflower Steaks

Two Dog Farms 2016 Fall Harvest Week 5

top left to right: tomatoes, acorn squash, lemon cucumbers

middle left to right: Hakurei turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini/squash

bottom: curly mustard, bok choy

Hi everyone, Van did his rain dance and it worked! We are finally getting some much needed rain at the farm. Actually, we are getting the perfect rain "slow and steady". It has rained for 24 hours straight! Praying it continues and we can clean the mud off Van's dancing shoes. 

With the days getting shorter, we are finding ourselves staying in the fields even after the sun goes down. Headlamps are a much needed commodity. Van stayed late last night to pick broccoli in the dark, in the rain. He found some beautiful, large heads! 

We were able to make it to an annual pumpkin drop in Flora this past Saturday after the farmer's market. Van was invited to drop a pumpkin out of a plane and he actually hit the target!

While he was flying above, he noticed the food plots in the surrounding area around the farm are all empty. This KIND OF explains why the deer are as persistent as they have been. I never thought they could have been any worse than they were last fall, but I was wrong. 

Hopefully the rain keeps them at bay.

We hope everyone has a great week, and be safe out there this Election Day! Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Cauliflower- a member of the brassica family, this favorite is delicious raw, roasted, sautéed in a stir fry, or made into a healthy pizza crust! We like to throw a little hot sauce on the head and roast in the oven. 

2. Tomatoes- many of these that are in your box this week will need to ripen a day or two.

3. Cucumbers- there will be either lemon or slicing cucumber in your box.

4. Broccoli

5. Hakurei turnips

6. Curly Mustard Greens- loaded with disease fighting nutrition, mustard greens add a rich peppery flavor to any dish.

7. Acorn Squash- a hard-skinned, winter variety squash. They may be peeled, but are most often cooked with their skin-on. When cooked the skin is edible making the squash ideal halved, baked and used as a bowl stuffed with meats, cheese, grains, soups, or other vegetables.

8. Bok Choy

9. Squash and/or Zucchini

Van celebrating the rain:

Simple Sauteed Mustards

Classic baked Acorn Squash

Baked Acorn Squash with Greek Yogurt, Honey, and Pecans

Citrus and Ginger roasted Broccoli

SO MANY TURNIPS YOU DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO? Stir Fried Greens with Turnips

Cauliflower Crust

Two Dog Farms 2016 Fall Harvest Week 4

Top left: Watermelon radish, Hakurei turnip, Yukina Savoy, below the Yukina from left to right: green cabbage, Spaghetti squash, broccoli, and collard greens. Below tomatoes and then lemon basil.

We hope everyone had a great week! Van and I had a very busy week moving from our house in Madison that we recently sold and moved to a 5th wheel travel trailer in Flora. We decided to do this to save money and live a more simple life close to the farm. This week's harvest is full of fabulous fall produce with a few hints of the remaining summer season, such as lemon basil and tomatoes. 

We wanted to inform everyone of an event coming up in a few weeks. The Mississippi sustainable agricultural network has put together an event called The 2016 Mississippi Food Summit & Agricultural Revival. It's a great event to learn about local farming and gardening. Here is a link to their website. http://www.mssagnet.net/programs/ms-food-summit/

What: 2016 Mississippi Food Summit & Agricultural Revival 

When: Thurs-Sat, November 17-19

Where: Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland AveJackson, MS) 

Hope everyone has a great week and look forward to digging into their box this week! Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Cabbage- A head of green cabbage.  One of my favorite ways to eat this is Sliced about an inch thick and roasted in the oven. Try putting slice of bacon on it to roast as well.

2. Hakurei turnips

3. Collards

4. Lemon Basil- Fragrant basil that makes for wonderful sauces, marinades, or drinks.

5. Spaghetti squash- This wonderful winter squash is delicious as a side dish or try substituting for noodles in a dish. Once cooked, you can spoon out the squash which looks similar to spaghetti noodles.

6. Tomatoes

7. Yukina savoy- This leavy green produces thick and savoyed leaves in dark green color. The plant grows very well in various climates. Young tender leaves and stalks are excellent for salad mix and stir-fry dishes. Also referred to as Asian spoon spinach because it cooks and looks similar to spinach.

8. Watermelon radish- An heirloom variety of daikon radish originate in China that doesn't actually taste like watermelon, but once cut into it resembles a watermelon with its green exterior and pink interior colors.

9. Broccoli 

Yukina Savoy Skillet Roast with Broccoli and Chicken

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

TRY ADDING YUKINA SAVOY TO THIS EASY RECIPE Lemon Basil Orzo

Lemon Basil Grilled Pork Chops

Lemon Basil Margarita

Two Dog Farms 2016 Fall Harvest Week 3

Hi folks, welcome to week 3 of your CSA. Fall is approaching fast with these cooler nights. It feels so good at the farm in the mornings and evenings. Looking forward to grilling out more on these cool evenings. One of our favorite ways to eat Bok Choy is to throw the head on grill. It's great when you can allow the choy to sit in the marinade for about an hour before. I enjoy the recipe listed below. It calls for baby bok choy, but I just halve or quarter a regular head instead. Also would pair great with salmon or pork tenderloin thrown on the grill. 

We are still working hard pulling weeds and scaring off deer. It really is the most challenging part of our season so far! The deer have walked down rows and taken a single bite out of butternut squash, acorn, and are now eating beet greens and cilantro. Cilantro?! They really are just treating the farm like an all you can eat buffet. It's awful! Van shined a light out in the field and saw 16 deer at once in our winter squash patch.

We are hoping for more rain, the amount we got was just a tease, but made things a little less dusty for a brief moment. 

Hope everyone enjoys the box this week, it sure is a really great one! Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Beets- One of our favorite root crops. I personally like beets roasted and I like to sauté the greens! They actually cook down wonderfully with the swiss chard. 

2. Tomatoes

3. Swiss Chard

4. Turnip Greens- a southern favorite. I have also been throwing them in my smoothies and also using the greens as lettuce on my sandwiches. 

5. Zucchini

6. Bok Choy

7. Kohlrabi

8. Lemon Cucumbers- An heirloom variety of cucumber. Sweet and mild. The lemon cucumber does not have a lemony taste, just the shape and color. Get to these as soon as you can because we notice them spoiling quicker than the other types of cucumbers. 

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Grilled Sesame Ginger Bok Choy

OR TRY THIS

Roasted Spicy Bok Choy

Miso Honey Glazed Turnips (Rainbow has a large selection of different misos)

Roasted Beet Salad with Flash-Pickled Radishes and Swiss Chard

Two Dog Farms 2016 Fall Harvest Week 2

Contents of this week's box include: lettuce, dill. Next row tomatoes, zucchini, squash, kale, napa cabbage, daikon radishes, and hakurei turnips.

Hi folks, welcome to week 2 of your fall CSA! We hope everyone was able to get into the kitchen a little more last week and eat some fresh veggies. 

The last couple days' weather has been really enjoyable out on the farm! Hazel has been having the best time helping out! She is definitely a farmer's daughter. The deer are still present on the farm. We have yet to go buy a blow up halloween yard decoration. We have to do that this week. Or anyone else have any other ideas? Shoot us an email! We have tried every thing from a fence, moving farm equipment around, blasting talk radio in the fields at night, and hanging ivory soap. We were even getting hair from the local barber and stuffing it into panty hose to hang on the fence. It worked for a couple days, but they catch on quickly! Hopefully we will be able to outsmart them.

Y'all have a great week, and get into your kitchens and cook some food with the ones you love. Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Hakurei Turnips- Like all turnips, the Hakurei, or Tokyo, turnip is a member of the Brassica family. This Japanese variety is sometimes referred to as a salad turnip, due to its crisp, delicious raw flavor. Unlike other turnip varieties, hakurei do not need to be cooked. They have an even-textured density and the flavor pairs well with a  variety of different food items. Eat them raw (just whole, or chopped/grated in salads), make a quick pickle, or cook with their greens to enhance their natural sweetness. We also love to throw them on the grill whole or roasted whole in the oven.

2. Radishes- the variety this week is my absolute favorite!! It’s the Daikon variety. This massive radish has a cylindrical body with white skin. A tangy and milder radish. Throw it into a stir fry, it is SO delicious when cooked with a little soy or tamari. Don't forget to remove greens before storing, and place aside because you can also add to a stir fries or soups. To not confuse anyone with the turnips, we will be putting a colored rubber band on the Daikon radishes, and a neutral colored rubber band on the turnips.

3. Lettuce- a head of lettuce grown in the dirt.

4. Kale

5. Napa Cabbage- Also referred to as Chinese Cabbage. This delicious cabbage is packed full of vitamin C. Great to make into a slaw or use as lettuce in salads. Also these cabbage leaves make for a perfect cabbage roll

6. Summer Squash

7. Zucchini

8. Tomatoes- that's right, big, juicy, home grown tomatoes! Ripened on the vine!

9. Dill- I love dill and put it on anything and everything. Great in dips and I especially love it chopped up finely and thrown into my salads. Give it a shot. 

6 THINGS TO DO WITH NAPA CABBAGE

DAIKON RADISH CHIPS

RADISH AND DILL DIP

Two Dog Farms 2016 Fall Harvest Week 1

Contents of this week's box: Top row: cucumber, zucchini, squash, kohlrabi, lettuce. Bottom row: dino kale, easter egg radishes, swiss chard, bok choy

Hi Folks and welcome to week 1 of your fall CSA. We are so thankful and excited to have everyone join us this season! It is so great to have our returning members back for another season, and we have many new members this season as well! 

A lot has been going on at the farm and now we are desperately trying to fend off deer. It's amazing that our 3 dogs have no interest in chasing deer off! Really?? Is that even normal? Van has had a genius idea to buy the blow up halloween decorations that go in your yard, and put it out in the middle of our vegetable rows! Hilarious and festive! I will post a picture as soon as it happens. 

We are also busy planting the last of our crops for the season, and fending off lots of weeds. "Pig weed" is so bad this season and we are trying to remove the 'blankets' of it from our direct seeded crops such as carrots, beets, mustard greens, turnips, etc. If you don't know what a Pig weed is, it is one nasty weed, big, vigorous, and has thorns all over. Not a weed that you want with your seedlings.

It is very dry at the farm and so thankful for irrigation, but there is nothing like God's rain that makes a plant grow big and happy. Let's all say a prayer and do a dance.

We have some yummy greens and vegetables to share with you this week, and look forward to seeing everyone! Have a great week and cheers to a great season!

Below is a list of the bounty in your vegetable box this week followed by pictures and recipe suggestions:

1. Bok Choy- a very tasty asian green. The entire plant is edible, and leaves will be milder than white stalk. Great for stir fries.

2. Swiss Chard- Such an earthy tasting green! Great sautéed, and thrown into everything from quiche to pasta, or just eaten by itself. YUM. 

3. Lettuce- A head of lettuce grown in the dirt (we will only have lettuce this week and next week since most members purchased the additional hydroponic lettuce). 

4. Kohlrabi- This is one of our favorite vegetables, and has been gaining popularity. It is incredibly versatile! You can eat raw, with just a little s&p, or made into a coleslaw. It can be sautéed, roasted, baked, thrown into soups.. the possibilities are endless. It is a wonderful potato substitute for fries, chips, or Au gratin. Make sure to peel until you get to its crispy apple like texture, and don't discard those greens, they are also edible. 

5. Kale- The variety this week is Tuscano, also called Dino Kale. We actually like to substitute for lettuce or mix it with lettuce in our salads. Kale yeah!

6. Radishes- This bundle will be a Easter Egg variety. Did you know that the leaves have more protein, vitamin c, and calcium than the roots. Spicy, peppery throw into smoothies, soups, or make into a pesto. If leaves are removed before refrigerating, the radish will store longer and stay crisp. 

7. Summer Squash- Toss on the grill, eat raw in salads, stuff them with other veggies and cheese, or simply dip in hummus or your favorite dip.

8. Zucchini- same as above.

9. Cucumber- A big and delicious slicing cucumber. 

10. Salad Days Hydroponic Lettuce (if already purchased)

KALE & BOK CHOY SLAW WITH SPICY SESAME-GINGER DRESSING

KOHLRABI AND ZUCCHINI FRITTERS WITH SRIRACHA MAYO

BOK CHOY STIR FRY WITH SAVORY MUSHROOMS AND CHILI SAUCE

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 16

Top left to right: Cucumber, krimzon lee, peaches

Middle left to right: Eggplant, honey, Bell Peppers, Okra

Bottom left to right: Shishito and corno di toro 

Hi Folks, welcome to the final week of your Spring/Summer CSA. We hope everyone has enjoyed the last 16 weeks of produce. We have enjoyed getting to know everyone, and we are so grateful for you all! We really hope to have y'all join us again in the fall! 

We have the website updated to accept fall CSA members! So please go ahead and secure your spot to join us. We have also added Salad Days lettuce as an add on to your CSA box this fall.  If you would like to receive hydroponic lettuce  with your weekly box, please add "Lettuce Share" to your cart when checking out.

We have gotten 5+ inches of rain in the last week! It was been great for the plants, but we are looking forward to a break so the ground can dry out enough for us to get our fall tomatoes planted. We are working hard getting plants seeded and everything prepped. I love the fall season, it is my favorite time of the year to grow, harvest, and eat local produce. 

Between the heat and our cooler freezing we are having to supplement more items this week including honey from MS Bees Honey in Flora. They have about 40-50 bee hives on our farm. The peaches are from Cherry Creek Orchard in Pontotoc, Ms, they are also our neighbors at the High Street Farmers Market. 

Thanks again for helping us have a great season and we look forward to seeing everyone in the fall! Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Bell Peppers

2. Okra

3. Eggplant

4. Slicing Cucumbers

5. Shishito Peppers

6. Krimzon Lee Peppers- A large paprika frying pepper. Sweet and spicy thick flesh is choice for roasting, frying, grilling, salsa, and adventurous salads. 

7. Corno Di Toro- translates to 'Horn of the Bull'. So juicy and so sweet, this Italian heirloom variety is sure to be a favorite! (bagged with the shishitos to not cause any confusion with the Krimzon Lees. 

8. Honey- A bottle of honey from our friends at Mississippi Bees. 

9. Peaches- from our friends at Cherry Creek Orchard.

These are great looking recipes all suggested to me by a few CSA members, Enjoy!! 

Roasted Spanish Tapas Peppers

Easy, Stacked Eggplant Parm

This recipe looks really great. Substituted Okra. Here are a few adjustments: regular flour instead of chickpea flour, and she cut the little okras in half and then quartered the larger okras:

Cornmeal Masala Roasted Okra

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 15

top left to right: hot pepper mix, eggplant, bell peppers

middle left to right: cubanelle peppers, cantaloupe, anaheim peppers

bottom: okra, eggs, onions

Hi Folks, and welcome to week 15 of your CSA. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. We have been busy ordering seeds and starting what seeds we already have to get ready for the fall. There is a short window to get everything seeded, I have had some extra help from Hazel, and the ground worked and prepped to make sure we will have produce available before the first frost. But of course some plants depend on the frost to deliver a sweet, delicious crop like winter squash for example. Also, root crops turn sweeter once a frost is upon them as well. I can't wait for the fall bounty. We are looking forward to a really great fall CSA and hope to have you join us! We will be accepting applications starting next week, so don't delay and reserve your spot. We will have a link on our website to do so. 

Well, it is always something. Our cooler at the farm malfunctioned and froze all of our produce that we had in it. We had to throw away HUNDREDS of melons, eggplant, squash, zucchini, peppers. It will literally make you sick and want to take the week off. BUT that is what farming is, and you just do the best you can do. That's what we have to remind ourselves anyways.... So this week we are supplementing some fresh brown eggs from our friend Mike at the Brown Egg Co. You will be receiving a half dozen share in your box along with quite a few peppers. We have added a hot pepper mix, that makes for a great hot pepper sauce, which would be perfect to put on all those yummy greens coming out of the field in the fall!  Van's dad sent us a bottle he made, and it turned out so good! Or try a hot pepper jelly. I hope everyone has a great week and are able to get into the kitchen and clank some glasses. Here is the bounty of this week's box:

1. Onions

2. Cantaloupe

3. Cubanelle Pepper- Great mild/sweet family friendly pepper

4. Okra

5. Hot Pepper Mix- A mix of Jalapeños and Serranos

6. Bell Peppers

7. Anaheims- Great mild/sweet family friendly pepper. Great for rellenos or stuffing

8. Eggplant

9. Brown Eggs

Pepper Vinegar Sauce

Pepper Jelly

Anaheim, Sweet, Hot, Bell Pepper Egg Scramble

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 14

Howdy folks and welcome to week 14 of your CSA. We are moving right along through the season and now we are looking forward and getting ready for our fall CSA. The fall CSA's bounty will include a lot of the same cooler weather vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, greens, kale, brussels sprouts, radishes, carrots, beets etc. And we are also planting another round of summer squash and zucchini and tomatoes that will hopeful make it to your box for the first couple of weeks. 

Sorry about the blog being tardy, but our internet has not been working. We are starting to work the ground and seed some more plants. Right now we are seeding an assortment of winter squash and pumpkins. I am getting excited because I know that cooler weather is right around the corner! The 'real feel' at the farm today was 110 degrees!  IT IS HOT! 

I was hearing a lot of really good feedback about the Shishito peppers, and they are back in the box this week. And new to the box are beets and cantaloupe. 

We are looking forward to sharing more info with y'all soon about the fall CSA, and hope to have y'all join us for another season. Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Sweet Peppers

2. Cantaloupe

3. Watermelon

4. Beefsteaks

5. Okra

6. Eggplant

7. Shishito Peppers

8. Lemon or Slicing Cucumbers

9. Beets

Mexican Casserole with Eggplant

Italian Eggplant Casserole

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 13

Hi Folks and welcome to week 13! One more month left to get your fresh local veggies. We hope everyone has been enjoying everything so far! Thanks for being the best bunch that we could have asked for this season! So thankful for y'all!

We are excited to be adding a couple of melons to your box this week! We really wanted to add the seedless variety to your box, but unfortunately they didn't produce as many as we were hoping. BUT the ones that we did pick we sold to Rainbow Co-op. So, if you are around the area stop in and pick up a really great seedless watermelon from them along with some other goodies. Nonetheless, we have some really delicious melons coming your way. 

Shishitos are also new to the box this week. These little peppers are SO good. When I am packing and picking them at the farm, I continually eat and eat and eat them raw. A mild  and sweet pepper with a delicious flavor. Great pepper to blister on the grill and very delicious to enjoy as a sautéed pepper as well. I have added a link at the bottom of the page for an excellent and simple way to enjoy these! Especially during cocktail hour. The restaurants have been loving them as well! We have sold tons to The Manship, Walkers, Local 463, and others around town. 

We can't believe how long and how much the lemon cucumber plants have been producing! This little cucumber is such a mild sweet cucumber and seems to pair well with everything or makes a great pickling cucumber. Also, a good idea is someone mentioned was they slice these up and put in a pitcher of water! And boy do they produce! But their time is coming to an end soon. 

We got quite a bit of rain this past weekend! I think it was close to an inch. Everything enjoyed a nice drink of water and made for a cooler evening on the farm last night. Hope everyone has a great week and enjoys the bounty of this week's box:

1. Bell Peppers

2. Shishito Peppers- Sweet, Asian pepper. The pepper is small and finger long, slender and thin walled.

3. Beefsteaks

4. Cherry Tomatoes

5. Okra

6. "Galia" Tropical Melon- This melon is a hybrid mix of cantaloupe and honeydew. Outer husk looks like a cantaloupe but the inside meat is green like a honeydew melon and has a sweet and nutty flavor. 

7. "Little Baby Flower" Watermelon- A very small personal melon. Has seeds and red meat. A very sweet melon with a small rhine. 

8. Eggplant- We grow a few different varieties you might see. "Clara" Italian variety white, very creamy. "Black Beauty" traditional Italian variety and black. "Beatrice" has a light bright purple color and is shorter and wider than traditional. "Orient Express" Japanese variety that is long and deep purple.   

9. Slicing Cucumbers

10. Lemon Pickling Cucumbers

Sautéed Shishito Peppers

Okra with Tomatoes I think this would be an easy recipe to replace canned and frozen ingredients with fresh ingredients from your box. A take on a southern classic dish. Add bacon if desired!!

Seared Okra and Tomatoes A simple, quick sauté equals a non-slippery okra dish! 

Baked Eggplant  easy and delicious way to serve eggplant. 

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 12

top left to right: cherry tomatoes, carrots, anaheim peppers

middle left to right: eggplant, lemon and pickling cucumbers, onion, bell peppers

bottom left to right: heirloom tomatoes, beefsteaks

Hi Folks! Welcome to week 12 of your CSA! We had a really great Fourth of July and hope the same for everyone!

We made some hamburgers with some ground meat from Reyer Farms and added a slice of a striped german heirloom tomato and it was almost double the size of the bread and beef patty! So juicy and delicious. We also sliced some eggplant and threw it on the grill, then put the grilled eggplant on our burgers. It was so good and creamy that I didn't even have to put cheese on the burger. 

If you haven't seen this link on our Facebook page, here is a link that the Clarion Ledger posted of a short video of how we use the water wheel planter. Peppers were being planted in the video, and it is neat to think that now you are able to enjoy this great bounty. 

Watermelons are getting close to being ready. We cut into one the other day and it was about 90% ripe. 

We hope everyone has a great week and enjoys the bounty of this week's box:

1. Bell Peppers

2. Carrots or Okra

3. Yellow Onions

4. Beefsteaks Tomatoes

5. Cherry Tomatoes

6. Heirloom Tomatoes

7. Lemon Cucumbers

8. Eggplant

9. Anaheim Peppers- great mild- medium heat chili with a rich flavor makes this a family favorite! Its large size makes it a very versatile pepper. Really nice to stuff or make a mild salsa with it. 

10. Pickling Cucumbers

Roasted Eggplant with Pepper, Tomato, and Herbs

Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 11

Hi folks and welcome to week 11 of your CSA. Hope everyone has had a good week and are looking forward to this upcoming holiday weekend. Included again in your box is a large variety of tomatoes for everyone to share in salads or throw on hamburgers this weekend when celebrating the 4th. The growing season for tomatoes is 4-6 weeks in Mississippi, so get them while you can!! I personally plan to eat them until I get sick, but also want to make sure I have plenty of sauce put up to last me thru the upcoming winter. We are selling 10 pound boxes of the beefsteak tomatoes for $20.00 and 10 pound boxes of heirloom tomatoes for $30.00 . If you are interested in getting a box of "sauce" or "salsa" tomatoes please let us know via email twodogfarmsllc@gmail.com. It took a while, but we have pulled all of our onions out of the field! Thank goodness!! They are now drying at our dear friend, Mr. Charles' shop just down the road from the farm. Hope you enjoy the red onions in your box along with these contents:

1. Kale or Swiss Chard

2. Squash or Zucchini

3. Lemon Cucumbers

4. Slicing Cucumbers

5. Carrots

6. Heirloom Tomatoes

7. Beefsteak Tomatoes

8. Cherry Tomatoes

9. Red Onions

10. Cubanelle or Sweet Banana Peppers- Cubanelle is a sweet pepper that has a thin wall and is typically a frying or stuffing pepper; Banana Peppers are typically eaten raw or pickled

Unstuffed Pepper Recipe

Cucumber and Red Onion Try adding tomatoes to this salad! 

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 10

Hi folks, welcome to week 10 of your CSA! Hope everyone has had a great week, and a great weekend with loved ones. Happy belated Father's Day to all the Dads out there. Did y'all enjoy the bounty of last week's box? 

We have a great one this week including even more tomatoes! A nice big heirloom, lots of beefsteaks, and cherries. I am excited to make some tomato pies and tomato gravy dishes. Try tomato gravy, served on top of Swiss chard greens served on top of grits or rice. Yum! 

The fields are really starting to crank out the tomatoes. Unfortunately, we are finding Southern Stem Blight on some of our cherry tomato plants, and are having to pull out a large number of plants. Tomatoes are especially prone to this disease. It starts where the stem meets the soil and will kill a plant quickly. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do but pray that it doesn't keep spreading. 

In other news, we were able to take a delivery to New Orleans Saturday evening and then head east and meet some of Van's family in Santa Rosa beach. We were able to enjoy all day Sunday celebrating Father's Day on the beach. We had such a great time! Then drove back Monday afternoon. It was a short but sweet trip. Hazel is fearless of the water and enjoyed herself playing in the sand! So much fun!  Hazel and I are very lucky and proud of the man we get to call DaDa. The hardest working, loving, caring, and most fun Dad we could ask for. We love you Van!! 

We have just gotten new hats in, and a limited amount. Get them while you can! The bounty is grand this week, and we can't wait to share with you. Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Swiss Chard

2. Carrots

3. Lemon Cucumbers

4. Heirloom Tomato

5. Beefsteak Tomatoes

6. Cherry Tomatoes

7. Pickling Cucumbers

8. Squash

9. Zucchini 

10. Onions

Swiss Chard and Garbanzo Beans with Fresh Tomatoes

Swiss Chard with Carrots and Onions

Marinated Cucumber, Onion, and Tomato Salad

Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Chard and Goat Cheese

Tomato Gravy

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 9

from top left to right: parsley, slicing cucumbers, safari zucchini, zephyr squash

middle left to right: purple cabbage, carrots

bottom left to right: cherry tomatoes, green tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, dried yellow onions

Hi folks, welcome to week 9. This week we have 3 types of tomatoes! Cherry tomatoes that are great for salads, or if you are like me, I pop them like potato chips. Big Beef beefsteak tomatoes, great for sandwiches, salads, etc... and green tomatoes which can be fried or try making a little relish or chutney. If you have an abundance of squash and zucchini you can also make a relish, see recipe below. 

We are also excited to have added a beautiful bunch of carrots to your box this week! These are the most beautiful carrots we have ever grown! It has been difficult digging them, but the rain sure has helped soften the ground. Thankful for the rain. The carrots are delicious, but also try the greens! Try them in a pesto, add parsley as well. Or try the recipe below, warm chickpea salad with greens. I also enjoy throwing these herbaceous greens into a smoothie. Some of these carrots grow in peculiar ways, and I had one that decided to sit and stay a while (see picture below). I love it!

We have little watermelons on the vine! I am so excited about this, but know I must wait patiently. It takes almost a month for them to ripen, but will be worth the wait to have this sweet treat on a hot day. Speaking of hot days, it is really starting to heat up on the farm. We have been trying to keep up with the tomatoes, which has grown wild on these hot days. We keep up with them by stringing them. We weave string from post to post to insure, most of the time, they grow upwards and not into our aisles. We are still pulling onions to cure. We probably have about 10,000+ more to pull out of the 30,000 we planted this spring. 

We have new comfort color tanks for sale in a nice watermelon and teal/aqua color. These are so awesome! Great for all summer outdoor activities. I am sad they weren't delivered sooner! We hope everyone has been able to beat the heat, get in the kitchen, clank some glasses, and have a great time doing so! Here are the contents of this weeks box:

1. Green Tomatoes- this is a beefsteak tomato. Try as fried, as a relish, chutney, or salsa.

2. Beefsteak Tomatoes- the variety is Big Beef. Delicious, juicy, and vine ripened under the sun.

3. Cherry Tomatoes

4. Carrots- The variety this week are Rainbow and Nelson. Don't discard those greens! Try the salad below, the pesto recipe, or try them in your smoothie.

5. Purple Cabbage

6. Cured Yellow Onions

7. Parsley

8. Zucchini

9. Squash

10. Slicing Cucumbers

Warm Chick-pea and carrot top salad

Carrot top and parsley Pesto

Green tomato and onion Gratin

Green tomato Chutney

USE IF YOU HAVE ABUNDANCE OF SQUASH/ZUCCHINI Tangy Squash and Zucchini Relish

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 8

top left to right: Toscana Kale, mint, green sorrel, thai basil

middle left to right: slicing cucumbers, green beans, daikon radish, lemon cucumber

bottom left to right: Patty Pan squash, cherry tomatoes, zucchini

Hi folks and welcome to week 8 of your CSA. We hope everyone is having a great week so far. We can't believe we are already half way into this season! 

Last week we discovered that we had worms on a variety of plants in the field. This is just a part of farming, and especialy when you don't spray harsh chemicals. We did however spray an organic bacteria that kills the worms once they ingest it. It is called bt bacillus thuringiensis. And we then spray a neem. All natural. Just wanted to keep everyone up to date on what is being sprayed on the plants. We apologize to anyone that might have found any worms on their kale last week! 

Well we have found the perfect job on the farm for Hazel. She is a natural born tomato picker and taste tester. She loves to pick the cherry tomatoes, and then of course once picked the next step is to taste it. Now I am trying to teach her the difference between a ripe and unripe tomato! Also, Elvis is back at the farm and doing great! We are relieved and happy to see him adjusting so well. 

It is that time of the year to get busy in the kitchen and put back some jars. Jars that can be later enjoyed during the off season. Don't limit your pickling or fermenting with just cucumbers. One of our CSA members pickled her radishes and kohlrabi she had left. I also love to pickle beets and green beans! The bounty this week makes me think of Asian cuisine and making some spring rolls, sushi, stir fry, or curry. I just LOVE Thai food! Here are the contents of this week's box:

1. Kale- The variety this week is Toscana kale.

2. Mint- great to use for flavoring iced tea, mixed drinks, shredded salads, spring rolls, or garnish your favorite dessert with it.

3. Green Sorrel- the lemon of the vegetable world is back by high demand! 

4. Thai Basil

5. Slicing Cucumbers

6. Green Beans- We grow a variety of pole beans: The Rattlesnake, green with purple streaks, Louisiana Purple Pod, and the light green variety is the Provider.

7. Lemon Cucumber- An heirloom variety of cucumber. Sweet and mild. The lemon cucumber does not have a lemony taste, just the shape and color. 

8. Zucchini

9. Daikon Radish- Cylindrical and mild tasting radish. One of my personal favorites. Great to be eaten in salads, stir fries, or when rolling your own sushi! I love it pickled as well or roasted. 

10. Summer Squash

Thai Steak Salad with mint and basil

Sorrel and Cucumber Soup

Thai Style Peanut Chicken Wraps

Cucumber Mint Salad with Thai Dressing

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 7

top left to right: kale, dandelion greens, and collards

middle left to right: slicing cucumber, bag of pickling cucumber with dill and garlic, beets, and radish

bottom left to right: yellow patty pan squash, round and straight zucchini, and dried onions

Hi Folks and welcome to week 7 of your CSA. We hope everyone got to enjoy the holiday weekend and remember those that weren't able to spend it with you. We had a good bit of family in town this weekend. We actually got to take the day off on Sunday and spend time with everyone. It was very relaxing! Hazel got to go swimming in a big pool. She loved it! I say big pool because we actually have her a kiddie pool that we fill up when at the farm! She loves the water so much. 

The farm has been very hot! I can't believe that this is just the beginning and it will be getting hotter. The tomato plants are loving the heat and have grown a foot since last week! The peppers and eggplant are also starting to get bigger. Tomatoes should definitely make an appearance in next week's box. The rain has unfortunately been dodging Flora. We got a good rain last night at our house near Gluckstadt and thought for sure it would be raining at the farm, but it missed Flora. Hoping for rain later this week!  The heat also ensures the arrival of insects. We have had to harvest the radishes in your box this week without the greens, since the beetles have found them. It has also been really hot for the beets and we harvested them without the greens as well because they were starting to wilt. We are also pulling onions out of the field and letting them dry and cure. We have pulled 2 rows so far and have about 5 more to go! Our cucumber and squash plants are really producing some vegetables. With the rate they are going we were nervous how quickly they will be done producing so yesterday we seeded some more rows of cucumbers, zucchini and squash. 

We are definitely staying busy on the farm with the arrival of summer. A big thank you to our CSA member Nell Floyd for doing a great write up on the farm in the Clarion Ledger. If you haven't read it yet, check it out here: http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2016/05/29/mississippi-veggie-growers-make-possible-eat-local/85039904/ 

We have been getting a lot of pictures and recipes from members. We really appreciate the input! Thanks for sharing! SEE BELOW! I'm excited to see what y'all do with this week's bounty. Here are the contents of your box: 

1. A 2lb. bag of pickling cucumbers accompanied with a sprig of dill and garlic clove. Try the easy refrigerated pickles recipe in the link below! 

2. Radish- the variety shown in the pic above are watermelon radishes. These are a beautiful pink color on the inside. 

3. Red Beets- delicious roasted or peeled and sautéed. I also enjoy pickling my beets as well! `

4. Dandelion Greens- these are a very bitter green. Wonderful when braised. 

5. Kale- the variety shown above is the Siberian Kale. 

6. Collards

7. Squash- the variety shown in picture is a Patty Pan called Sunburst.

8. Zucchini- the varieties shown in picture are round 8 Ball and traditional straight. 

10) Dried Onions

Refrigerated Garlicky Dill Pickles- http://www.thekitchn.com/small-batch-recipe-cucumber-pickles-urban-preserving-with-marisa-mcclellan-173303  Substitute the Dill seed for fresh Dill! 

10 Ways to Use Dandelion Greens- http://www.thekitchn.com/10-ways-to-use-those-dandelions-recipes-from-the-kitchn-188774

Beet, Radish, and Cucumber Salad-  http://tonispilsbury.com/beet-cucumber-radish-salad/ You could try roasting the Beets and Radishes for this salad also! And add on top of the Kale instead of lettuce! 

OR try this Recipe our CSA member Ben sent us! 

Roasted Squash Casserole

★★★★

Side, Vegetable

Makes 6-8 ∙ Source Tea-Time at the Masters

Ingredients

• 2 pounds yellow squash, sliced into coins 
• 1 green pepper, diced 
• 1 onion, sliced and quartered 
• 4 T butter 
• 3 c cheddar cheese, sharp, finely shredded 
• 2 eggs, beaten 
• ½ cup evaporated milk 
• 16 saltine crackers, crushed 
• salt, to taste 
• white pepper, to taste 

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F. Roast squash, green pepper, and onion for 20-25 minutes, until the squash is fork tender. You may want to take the pepper and onion out of the oven ~5 minutes earlier than the squash since they will carmelize faster.

Turn down oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mash squash, pepper, and onion. Mix in butter and 2 c cheese. Mix in eggs, milk, and cracker crumbs. Season to taste.

Pour mixture into greased 2 quart casserole. Top with remaining 1 c of cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Notes

Original recipe calls for the veg to be boiled and drained, instead of roasting, before mashing, but I prefer to roast. The original recipe also calls for margarine, not butter. Also, be conservative with the salt and white pepper. I like salty food and I forgot to add the seasonings the first time I made this casserole, but to my surprise I did not miss them at all.

And another recipe our member Chris sent to us! 

Made this with broccoli beets and Onion. Used Cajun seasoning and made glaze with apricot jam and Worcestershire sauce. Baked it in oven for 30 min then put glaze on it back in oven for 15 min. It was wonderful.

And a picture from a dish Fran made last week! 

Two Dog Farms 2016 Spring/Summer Harvest Week 6

Hi Folks, we hope everyone is well and had a great week. We were able to finish planting our summer crop with no time to spare! We will finish connecting irrigation in the next day or two to help water transplants and get our beans to germinate since we did not get much rain. 

The farmer's market seems to really be picking up. A good sign that summer is right around the corner. We had a really busy market on Saturday, and had a lot of Tshirt sales! I know I am loving mine! Elvis is doing well, and I hope he will be able to get his staples out this week. We are eagerly awaiting his return to the farm, and I know he is too. It hasn't been the same without him.

Well our baby Hazel turns ONE today! I still can't believe it.  This past year has been one of the wildest rides we have gone through, but she has brought so much laughter and love into our lives! So grateful to be her parents. 

Your box this week is a very full box! This will be the last appearance of broccoli in your box, and I'm sure some of you are rejoicing and some are not. We had a very long run of broccoli this year and have learned a lesson or three from it! We are hoping for a bit of moisture because we went to harvest carrots for this week's box and the ground was so hard it was actually damaging the carrots to pull them out! Hopefully by next week we will be able to have them. Many different varieties of plants are now bolting and producing beautiful flowers for the bees to enjoy. Some of my favorites are the dill flower (pictured below) and the onion flower. Not only are they beautiful, but also all the flowers are edible and add a lovely pop of flavor to any dish. We hope to include some for you soon. Looking forward to getting into the kitchen this week. Here are the contents of this week's box: 

1. Fennel

2. Onions 

3. Genovese Basil

4. Garlic- raw garlic

5. Swiss Chard

6. Green & Purple Cabbage

7. Zucchini

8. Squash

9. Kohlrabi- one large bulb or two small bulbs.

10. Slicing Cucumbers- great for salads, gazpacho, or on sandwiches!

11. Broccoli

SUBSTITUTIONS CAN BE MADE WITH ITEMS IN YOUR BOX

Braised Summer Squash with Fennel, Basil, Olives, and Swiss Chard- http://www.highgroundorganics.com/recipes/braised-summer-squash-with-fennel-olives-basil-and-chard/#more-9542

Fennel and Cabbage Sauté- http://www.highgroundorganics.com/recipes/saute-of-savoy-cabbage-and-fennel/

Lemony Grilled Squash with Herbs- http://www.highgroundorganics.com/recipes/lemony-grilled-squash/

"Carpaccio" of Summer Squash or Zucchini- http://www.highgroundorganics.com/recipes/carpaccio-of-summer-squash/

Two Dog Farms Spring/Summer Harvest Week 5

top left to right: onion, Thai basil, and garlic

middle left to right: parsley, squash and zucchini, and beets

bottom left to right: broccoli, purple cabbage, and bibb lettuce

Hi Folks. Hope everyone had a good week and are enjoying this cooler weather!!! It has been a relief to be planting on these cooler, cloudy days, and the plants do much better being transplanted on days like these as well. We got our rows up and covered, but to our surprise the farm never got a heavy rain. Hoping to get a light rain in the next couple of days. LIGHT was the keyword there. We still have several rows that need to be planted.

The past week has been really hard for our family. Our sweet boy, Elvis, had a terrible accident and had to under go surgery. We had a specialist out of Tupelo come to town to perform surgery, but unfortunately Elvis' rear leg had to be amputated. We were really praying and thought that his leg would be able to be reconstructed. Unfortunately, the doctor found some fractures during surgery that didn't show up on the X-ray, and decided this was his only option. He is recovering exceptionally well. He has even jumped up on his favorite chair without any coaxing. I was very surprised! It's amazing his will to be a survivor! 

We are excited to announce we will have new T shirts for sale by this weekend at the Farmer's Market downtown. The design is so awesome, we love it! We will also have women's fitted Tees and hats! Come see us downtown and get your summer gear. 

Hope everyone has a safe week, are able to cook some tasty meals, and spend time with loved ones. Here are the contents of this week's box: 

1. Onions

2. Garlic- Raw Garlic

3. Bibb Lettuce- A tasty hydroponic head of lettuce from our friends at Salad Days. Perfect lettuce for lettuce wraps, Recipe links below. 

4. Thai basil- If anyone has eaten Thai food they are definitely familiar with this potent herb found in so many Thai dishes. It has a slight licorice flavor. Please be sure to put basil in a vase or cup of water on your counter. DO NOT REFRIGERATE!

5. Parsley- try the parsley pesto recipe below! If you don't have enough parsley, perhaps you could add some leftover basil to recipe as well!  

6. Broccoli

7. Purple cabbage 

8. Squash

9. Zucchini- does anyone have a zucchini spiralizer to make pasta noodles? I've been dying to get one! Try the recipe link below with the zucchini noodles. 

10. Beets

Take a look at our farm from an aerial view! 

6 Parsley recipes including a parsley salad and Chimichurri- http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/04/01/parsley-recipes-kathy-gunst#chimichurri

Cabbage Soup- https://snapguide.com/guides/make-cabbage-soup/

Parsley Pesto with Walnuts- http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/walnut_parsley_pesto/

Zucchini Noodles with Parsley Pesto - http://dishingupthedirt.com/zucchini/zucchini-pasta-with-parsley-pesto/

Thai Basil and Chicken Lettuce Wraps-http://communitytable.parade.com/9638/wearenotmartha/thai-chicken-basil-lettuce-wraps/

Grilled Thai Basil Zucchini and Summer Squash- http://www.fortheloveofbasil.com/grilled-thai-basil-zucchini-and-summer-squash/