Take that Monsanto!

I won't expound too much on my issues with Monsanto, but this piece speaks for itself.

Monsanto has developed plants that are resistant to one of their herbicides - Roundup. The vast majority of soybeans, corn and cotton grown in the US are these 'Roundup-Ready' varieties. Farmers can then douse the fields in the herbicide without fear of harming their drop. However, Mother Nature is fighting back. There are now weeds that have become immune to the herbicide and farmers are being forced into the fields with hoes. Monsanto is even paying farmers for the purchase of other herbicides!

Roundup Resistant Weeds Pose Environmental Threat

Here at Sand Holler, we never have to fear such an outcome. We don't use herbicides - we are already out there with hoes in hand! We strive towards a system that is as sustainable as possible. We improve the health of the soil and plant vegetable varieties appropriate for our conditions. If everyone took this approach, we could greatly reduce the amount of chemicals - organic or not - that are sprayed on crops and end up in other parts of our environment.

Ripening Tomatoes: grown without 'benefit' of concentrated chemicals

Bring on the peppers!

Our pepper plants are really taking off. It's great to see the summer veggies continue to roll in. Unfortunately our squash is still suffering. Now that we have finally gotten the squash bugs and borers under control, we have mosaic virus! I'm not sure we will get any at all...

No goat emergencies this week. In fact, everyone is doing much better. Shelli is completely over the infection and we finally think Savannah is on the road to recovery. Whew!

Full Baskets

Celebrity Tomatoes
Big Rainbow Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Hungarian Wax Peppers
Slicing Cucumbers
Garlic
Red Norland Potatoes
Cantaloupe

Half Baskets

Yellow Pear Tomatoes
Big Rainbow Tomatoes
Ichiban Eggplant
Poblano Peppers
Hungarian Wax Peppers
Slicing Cucumbers
Cantaloupe
Clemson Spineless Okra

Caprine Calamaties

Our trouble with goats continues. Last year the worst problems we had were the girls knocking heads and getting cut on their scurs. This year the problems seem nearly endless.

Savannah has an infection in her udder - mastitis. We are currently treating it very aggressively. Many times we treat a goat that isn't feeling well with a more holistic and supportive approach and they are able to get back on their feet by the next day like nothing happened. But we are going full Western medicine on Savannah since she has been so sick. She has gotten shots of antibiotics and a different antibiotic infused in her udder. She has had a fever for almost a week but it looks like it might finally have broken...just in time for her twin Shelli to come down with similar symptoms. This time we aren't waiting the lengthy 4 days to get the lab results back and are treating it as if it's the same infection. Shelli's fever is already down. I think we caught it very early. But a sick goat is truly a sad thing to see - their normally perky ears hang limply on the side of their head, they mope around and their rumen becomes less active making them look like they've lost 20 pounds overnight.

(by the way, we never use the milk of a goat that appears to be sick or is on medication)

But that's not all. The two boys who were castrated last week still at like they are in terrible pain and won't come anywhere near me - though they frolic right up to Dale. Guess they recall exactly who put those rubber bands around their 'equipment' (and they've apparently been gossiping - the other two intact boys are also afraid of me now!). But they will get over it eventually.

And then on Saturday 3 of the kids got the runs. This can be very serious in goats. We quickly gave them the medication for the worst of the causes since we'd rather be safe than sorry. They do appear to be getting better now. But it was rough for awhile. And let me tell you, trying to squirt bad tasting medicine in the mouths of 9 kid goats that don't want it, can be quite difficult!

Little Lily was spared the intestinal upset.


Lastly there was a freak accident on Sunday. Dale was taking some people to see the kids when he noticed that Lark looked to be stuck in the hay manager. Thistle, arguably the stupidest goat in Texas, gets his head "stuck" regularly. It's not really stuck - there's plenty of room for him to get his head out. He just doesn't know that. We have to help guide his head back so he can be free. But Lark hadn't done this before. He suddenly pulled back and was free....but there was a wire sticking out of his eye!!! By the time Dale caught him, Pops had come to fetch me to help. The wire had fallen out on its own but it was obvious that it had gone through both his upper and lower eyelid. Somehow his eye completely avoided damage. And when I say "wire" I don't mean something thin like a coat hanger - think more like USB cable (hey, it's the only thing in my field of view that fits!). We cleaned the wound and gave him an anti-inflammatory and painkiller...and hoped. It did swell, but it was already reduced by the next day and he is acting perfectly fine. Whew.

But what's in store for us next week?!?! I can't even imagine...

It's truly summer!

Happy Summer everyone! In case the hot weather hadn't clued you in to the season change yet, the longest day of the year occurred yesterday, marking the official start of the summer. And with the new season comes new vegetables!

And for the start of the hottest time of the year, we now have the cheese kitchen AIR CONDITIONED!!! Yes, I have made all the cheeses in a small metal building with no AC or windows and the stove on full blast last summer and this year. Not fun. And as mentioned previously, air temperature can effect the cheese making process. So now we have one more variable under control - and it will allow me to make some cheeses that require longer incubation times at temperatures less than 100F (seriously, we have a thermometer in there and it regularly gets over 100F...). Yeah!


Full Baskets

Cardinal Basil
Roma Tomatoes
Purple Cherokee Tomatoes
Clemson Spineless Okra
Kirby cucumbers
Country Gentlemen Sweet Corn
Purple Beans
Ichicban Eggplants
Poblano Peppers

Half Baskets

Cardinal Basil
Roma Tomatoes
Purple Cherokee Tomato
Clemson Spineless Okra
Kirby cucumbers
Red Norland Potatoes
Butter Beans
Jalapeno Peppers
Garlic


Roasted Okra

This is a delicious way to cook okra that I only recently discovered. If you think you don't like the vegetable, try it this way!

Preheat the oven to 450F. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil and drizzle a little on the okra. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes. They should be browned in a few places and slightly crisp. Excellent!

Goats are a handful

The past week has been full of goat "fun". First, Matilda, our unbred doe gave birth! I promised to post pictures and write up the whole story early but of course got busy with all sorts of other things. The short version - the breeder still swears that there is no way Matilda could have been bred at her place...but the little baby looks just like his daddy so we know somehow the deed was done!

That little buck was disbudded this weekend - a chore that is not pleasant, even if you aren't the one doing it. Our disbudder also taught me how to 'band' the older boy goats - the bloodless way of castration. It was easy enough and I was able to do it after being shown. But then the boy goats truly acted like they were dying. It was hard to watch. Another part of owning livestock though.

And finally, our much beloved Savannah (Nanna Goat) is sick. We still aren't sure what's wrong with her but she stopped eating on Saturday and spiked a 107 degree fever (normal for goats can be as high as 103.5). We've given her all the supportive care we can over the weekend until we could send samples to the lab and consult with a vet. She seems to be doing better but isn't out of the woods yet. It was a rough weekend.

Shelli peaking out of the barn wondering what kind of angst to give us next.


But farming goes on. Weeds in the garden don't take the day off when we spend that time working with the goats! Our second batch of squash is looking like it will make it. We've had a few casualties from the squash bugs but many of the plants are strong and vigorous. The cucumbers and melons (also tasty to squash bugs) seem to be holding their own too! So it looks like we may be winning!

Here's what's likely to be in your box this week:

Herb of the week: Sage

All baskets:

Detroit Dark Red Beets: I expect all our subscribers to have strong healthy blood after all these vitamin packed beets.

Cucumbers: The heat can make cucumber skins bitter. Peeling easily remedies this problem,

Tomatoes: The big ol' suckers are Brandywine heirloom tomatoes. These are delicate fruits and bruise easily. Any bruises can just be cut out - the rest of the flesh is fine. The tomatoes are on the top of your basket - be sure to rescue them quickly so they don't get crushed!

Italian Parsley: The parsley is getting strong in the heat - you might need to use less than usual to get the same flavor.

Poblanos: Most poblanos are pleasantly mild...but beware that an occasional pepper can really kick you in the pants. It's completely random and you never know what you are going to get!

Half baskets:

Ichiban Eggplant: Want to try a new eggplant dish? Give Baba ghanoush a try!

Full baskets:

Potato Medley: Yes, those are blue potatoes!


Fresh Garlic: Sand Holler Farm, helping keep vampires at bay since 2008.


Scarlet Nantes Carrots: An heirloom variety rich with typical carroty flavor.

Greek Cucumber Salad

1 1/2 lbs cucumbers
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp minced oregano
1 tbsp minced mint
2 oz feta

Peel cucumbers. Cut in half along the length and remove seeds if they are large. Slice into quarter inch half moons, put in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Drain for 1-3 hours. For an even crisper salad, weight the draining cucumbers with either a ziplock full of water or a plate and a large glass of water during draining.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients (without the cheese) and toss with the drained cucumbers. Sprinkle with feta and enjoy!

Farm Baskets

Our cheeses are truly artisan farmstead cheeses. They are nothing like the mass produced cheeses at the grocery store. They are also fairly dissimilar from cheeses purchased at a farmers market as most of these are still produced in large batches. Our cheeses are made in 4 gallon batches, one at a time. That means that each and every cheese we make will be unique in flavor and texture. Subtle things such as room temperature, the diet of the goat or even the age of the rennet will change the final results. We can control many factors but the cheese will always be different. And that's the way we love it!

Our best guess for what's in the boxes for this week:

All baskets:

Red Norland Potatoes: Still coming in! The potato season in Texas is short but plentiful. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Cucumbers: Many of the cucumbers in the boxes might not look like what you are used to - the usual long thin 'slicers' from the grocery store. These short stubby cukes are 'picklers' - which are called Kirbys when eaten fresh. A Kirby has a true and strong cucumber flavor.

Tomatoes: FINALLY! We have many many varieties planted this year and you will get a taste of them all!

Half baskets:

Fresh Garlic: Stinky hands from chopping all that delicious farm garlic? Try washing your hands under running water while rubbing a piece of stainless steel.

Wax Beans or Green Beans: This is likely to be the last of the first flush of green beans. We should have more in a few weeks!

Baby Carrots: The perfect sized snack for kids!

Full baskets:

Beets: The first beets, eaten by the Romans and Greeks, were black or white and not red.

Italian Parsley: When crushed and rubbed on the skin, parsley is said to reduce itching of mosquito bites.

Poblanos: This is the most commonly used pepper for chile rellenos.

Ichiban Eggplant: Still the only variety producing at the farm so far!

Herb of the week: Mint

Moroccan Beet Salad

6-8 medium beets
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
salt and black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Add beets to boiling water in a large saucepan. Simmer until beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Cool, peel, and cut beets into bite-size pieces. place in a serving bowl.

Mix lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Add to beets and toss.

Let sit a few hours and just before serving, sprinkle with parsley.