Crop List: Orange and Purple Carrots, Julika Potatoes, Huckleberry Potatoes, Basil, Kale, Spaghetti Squash, Garlic, Tomatoes and Cauliflower I am typing on the last day of summer. Tuesday welcomes fall. Fall helps me relocate my equilibrium! Day and night are equal, this always reminds me of the balance required in natural relationships. A constant giving and receiving. The plants give us oxygen, we give them CO2. The garden gives us veggies, we give it compost. Grass gives cows energy, cows give grass manure to replenish the soil they grow in. Bees receive pollen from plants and plants receive pollination from bees. We are still incredibly busy, but the garden's pace has changed. The summer squash is not bearing down threatening to get bigger overnight. Tomatoes are not cracking from overripening. We are not concerned about frost, been there, done that! Things are winding down on the farm and we are in countdown mode. 5 more markets, 4 more CSA deliveries, 3 more beds of carrots, 6 more rows of potatoes, 3 greenhouses to empty, 1 crop of garlic to plant. Fall always brings the season of letting go and being grateful for what we have. (Planning for more is on hold until after the Winter Solstice!) The harvest is almost in and any crisis that came up we weathered and survived, success! I am always humbled by what the garden provides each year. Fall is the time to give thanks and celebrate! It is the time of year I savor the sun on my skin and drink in all the gorgeous colors before the snow starts to fall. The Earth is pulling itself inward and beginning to rest. After we harvest everything and the garlic is planted, Jed will begin to spread compost for next year's garden. Our compost is generated on farm by our cows. We spread in the fall and it always feels like an offering to the garden. An offering of gratitude for feeding us all year. The compost is a way to help the garden replenish itself as it sleeps. I picture the Earth energies pulling inward and bringing all the nutrients needed from the compost with it. All winter as the garden rests these nutrients are being absorbed and amalgamated before the reawakening of spring. I can feel myself shifting inward. The coming darkness, pulling me inside in the evenings. The change of diet to heavier root crops that take longer to cook and digest, require me to slow down. I look for my slippers in the morning and await the sun's warmth instead of being greeted by brightness when I open my eyes. The shift is subtle, especially because I still feel the warmth of summer mid-day! September weather has been dreamy! I am grateful we still have the sun on our backs as we finish the harvest. As the garden rests we continue to delight in the treasures provided. Roots and squash will last a long time! Please see individual recipe pages for storing techniques. Free T-shirt or Hat for a 2021 CSA sign up! We are kicking off our 2021 CSA membership drive! If you sign up for next year's CSA at a pick up location before the season ends, you will receive a free organic cotton t-shirt or hat! Your site host will have sign-up sheets, one is attached to your email or you can get one here: http://www.cosmicapple.com/uploads/1/7/9/9/17994337/2021_sign_up.pdf We will definitely make it to share #16 this year! See you next week too! Lunch this week: Merav's Carrot Soup, Sausage Kale Soup Recipe Ideas: Carrots, Potatoes Roasted with Onions & Garlic, Scallop Potatoes and Carrots, Colcannon, Oven Roasted Carrots & Kale The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye, New York, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Tri-Tip, Flat Iron Roast, Brisket, Skirt, Hanging Tender, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs and Hot Dogs Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 (last one on the 23rd) The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 (last one on 10/2) Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 (last one on the 26th) Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 1:30-4:30 Teton County Fairgrounds Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com
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Crop List: Fingerling Potatoes, Rainbow Carrots, Onions, Garlic, Tomatoes Sugar Dumpling Squash, Murdoc Cabbage or Red Cabbage Last week's frost did more damage then we thought. The broccoli and the cauliflower are not very happy, but we are hoping they can dig deep and bounce back. The Cosmic Mix is taking a break and we are hoping for some more. I know I want at least one more salad! Until then, we will begin digging lots of potatoes and carrots! Carrots of the rainbow! We hope you enjoy the different varieties we grow. It is fun to step outside the world of orange carrots. Most carrots grown when the carrot was first cultivated were purple, yellow and white. Around the 17th century the Dutch were known to be carrot farmers and the reason we now have orange carrots? Political. The Dutch Revolt against the Spanish was led by William the Orange. To celebrate the conqueror who brought them freedom from Spanish rule the Dutch began to grow orange carrots instead of yellow, purple and white carrots. Quite a tribute! I want to assure you we grow our multi colored carrots with no political figures in mind...past or present! Mixing up the color of foods can make meals more interesting. Cook up an all purple carrot soup or a rainbow carrot salad. Do a taste test and see which color tastes the best to you. Kids love to be blindfolded for a really "serious" comparison and it is really fun to hear their reactions! Slip a store bought carrot into the mix also! Lunch this week: Pad Bai Recipe Ideas: Roasted Carrot & Sweet Dumpling Squash Bisque (How to bake any squash is on the Winter Squash page), Fermented Ginger Carrots; Carrots, Potatoes Roasted with Onions & Garlic The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye, New York, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Tri-Tip, Flat Iron Roast, Brisket, Skirt, Hanging Tender, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 (last one on the 23rd) The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 (last one on 10/2) Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 (last one on the 26th) Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 1:30-4:30 Teton County Fairgrounds Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com Crop List: Carrots, New Red Norland Potatoes, Tomatoes, Maybe: Cosmic Mix, Swiss Chard, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Sunflowers and/or Beans My mind can change so quickly sometimes I surprise even myself. One week ago I typed this newsletter feeling sad that the garden may freeze. Even though I made peace with it, we escaped it for one more week! Tonight (9/7) it sounds inevitable. The predicted temperature is 27 degrees with some snow. I am fine with it, I don't need to take deep breaths to accept it. I am ready to get the garden emptied out and begin the process of turning inward, embracing the darkness, settling in for the winter. The garden also needs rest and to rejuvenate. I don't know if the first cold snap prepared me for frost by touching some cellular knowing that it is time to shift. Maybe it was the last variety of sunflowers blooming that convinced me my garden dreams had been achieved for the year. It could have been my head winning out with the knowledge we are further into September then many years without freezing. Whatever it was that convinced me a frost was okay, I'm grateful. We realize the crop list is all over the place. The plants freezing in the beginning of the week will cause the end of the week share to look completely different. There are many "maybes" because of the transition. On Monday we picked all the summer squash, cucumbers and beans for the last time. If you receive any of these in your share, savor them and give thanks to the garden. We had a great year most of these items. We also pulled in all the winter squash to protect it from any frost damage. We will store these treats and start sharing them soon. Our energies will now turn to emptying out the garden! The race is on to get all the carrots, onions, leeks and potatoes harvested and ready for you. We will still have lots of other veggies coming your way until the shares end. "When will the shares end?" starts to be a big question right now. We don't know. It is all weather dependent. If the weather stays sunny and glorious we are able to harvest faster. If we start getting a lot of moisture things get muddy, heavy and cold it just slows us down. I am fairly confident we will make it to at least Share #16, maybe more! We will keep you posted with information as soon as we have it. May your transition to fall weather feel smooth and welcoming. May the crisp air invigorate you. May the fall produce provide you with the stamina to turn inward. Lunch this week: Shish Kabobs with Lemon soy marinade over rice and greens. Peruvian Quinoa Stew (tomato page) Recipe Ideas: Grilled Steak with Chard, Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, Roasted Tomato Crostini The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye, New York, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Tri-Tip, Flat Iron Roast, Brisket, Skirt, Hanging Tender, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 (last one on the 23rd) The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 (last one on 10/2) Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 (last one on the 26th) Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 1:30-4:30 Teton County Fairgrounds Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Kale, Carrots, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Basil, Maybe Sunflowers and/or Beans It is Monday afternoon and it is raining. A steady downpour. The farm needs it. Our forests need it. I am grateful. For us, the question is what comes after the rain? The moisture is expected to move out tonight, taking the clouds with it. This means an opportunity for cold temps to settle in. Jed and I had a gently heated debate of "who read what temps where" this weekend. I was confident we would be fine, the forecast I read called for a low of 39. His sources said 33. We finally compared what weather apps we were looking at. It turns out we both have NOAA, but are getting different predictions for Victor! Neither of us can figure out why. Today on Monday, after checking several sites the temps predicted have narrowed in on 33-35 in Victor. If it hits 32 things will change quickly in the garden. Some plants may be damaged at 33-35, because there always seem to be little pockets that get colder. We will not recover the many of the sensitive plants with frost protection at this point in the season. It would take us half a day to get it done, and it does not guarantee anything. We will take a deep breath (several!) and release tensions surrounding things we can not control. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the garden stay frost free until mid September! Every time I think of the garden today I am envisioning a warm still blanket of air settling over the farm. The above was written Monday afternoon....the Tuesday morning update is: We hit a low of 33. Frost was pretty widespread. We will see what bounces back. In the meantime. Savor the cucumbers, sunflowers, beans and squash we harvested on Monday. It may be the end of them. A cold snap means carrots will begin to get really sweet and are ready to start harvesting!!! Important farm info, please read!: --Our pick ups run from 5-7 pm. If you arrive before 5, please be prepared for your site host to not be ready for you. Be prepared to wait until 5. The shares are getting big and it takes more time to set up. Also, our pick ups end at 7:00. Our site hosts are all volunteers. Please respect their time. Arrive before 7:01. --I will take egg cartons. ONLY one dozen size (no cartons for 6 or 18 eggs), ONLY paperboard (no plastic or Styrofoam). --If you are splitting a full share, please remember you may not use our scales to split the share in half. It congests the line. You received a price break to split a full share and part of the deal was sending only one person to the pick ups and splitting the share away from our tables. Thanks to all our awesome members for helping to keep the pick ups running smooth!! Lunch this week: The curry I said I'd make last week (oops) and Burritos Recipe Ideas: Sweet Carrot Raita, Holly Pratt's salad (carrot page), Carrots au Gratin The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye, New York, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Tri-Tip, Flat Iron Roast, Brisket, Flank Steak, Skirt, Hanging Tender, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 (last one on the 23rd) The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 (last one on 10/2) Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 (last one on the 26th) Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 11-4 Center for the Arts Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com Crop List: Romaine Lettuce, New Red Sails Lettuce, Tomatoes, Sage, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cucumbers, Fennel, Maybe Summer Squash, Beans and/or Sunflowers It is Monday afternoon as I write this. I am peaking at the radar when I get mini-breaks today. There are some thunderstorms building and I am calling them in our direction. We could really use some rain. It has not rained in Victor in over 4 weeks. We got a bit of drizzle but not enough to actually wet anything. I have seen Jackson and Driggs get some rain but it has been missing us every time. The garden is in good shape thanks to our great irrigation system, but it would be nice to see the trees and the surrounding forests rejuvenated a bit! Knowing how dry it is makes wishing for thunderstorms tricky. I pray for rain, but could hold off on lightning. The heat has been great in the garden, but we do think the smoke slows the plants down. It is just more difficult to photosynthesize when there are so many particulates blocking the sun's rays! Cosmic Mix is taking a break this week. Our head lettuce all ripened at once! We will have more Cosmic Mix in the future. We have our annual organic/Biodynamic inspection on Wednesday afternoon this week. We will begin with giving the inspector a farm tour as he makes notes and asks us many questions about our operations. We will then shift to going over the paperwork. The inspector will not be coming to our office this year and it will be Jed's first ever Zoom meeting! Even with Coronavirus, our work is not possible to do virtually, except for the inspection! So this will be a new experience. We figured it would happen to us at some point! Good thing our oldest is a teenager so we have in house tech support. The inspection usually takes several hours as we review all of our inputs (seeds, feed, bedding, soap, soil starting mix, animal medications, animal minerals...) to make sure everything we add is up to organic standards. We will then go over all of our outputs (butcher receipts, harvest records, share records...) to make sure we can trace everything we claim to grow back to the beginning. The Romaine lettuce you get today?...we can show the inspector where the seed came from, the day it was planted, what was in the soil we planted it in, the day it was transplanted, where it was in the garden, the day it was harvested, how much was harvested and how it was distributed (CSA or Market). These are not the romantic details folks think of when they envision living on an organic farm! We have been at this long enough that keeping track of everything is just part of how the farm works. We also want to do it. We want to be certified organic and Biodynamic. We truly trust how the Organic program works for small growers. Yes, we believe big-ag can get away with some stuff, but on the small scale, we really trust the Organic label when applied to small farms that have been inspected. We trust less when small growers tell us they "grow organically but choose to not get certified." We have heard this over and over again, and when we start talking to them in depth about their growing practices....they are not up to Organic standards. It is exhausting, defeating and confusing for the consumers. So thank you for supporting farms who take the time to get certified. We work hard to make it happen because we believe in it, and it holds us accountable for our actions. I better go get my paperwork organized! Lunch this week: Summer Saute' over pasta and Farm Curry (both on the Summer Squash page) Recipe Ideas: Broccoli with Asian Style Dressing, Shaved Fennel Salad, Fennel and Potato Gratin The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye, New York, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Tri-Tip, Flat Iron Roast, Brisket, Flank Steak, Skirt, Hanging Tender, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 11-4 Center for the Arts Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Tomatoes, Basil, Iceberg Lettuce, Garlic, Arugula, Maybe Cucumbers, Summer Squash and/or Sunflowers Cosmic Apple By the Numbers What are some of the measurable things we know about Cosmic Apple? Here are some figures to make the farm a more tangible place! Facts, measurables and numbers! The farm is at an elevation of 6300' and is comprised of 50 acres total. 5 acres are fallow. We planted them for many years and now they are resting before becoming pasture again. The garden is 12 acres. 14 acres are also in pasture for the 6 cows. 1/2 acre for the breeding pigs, 2 1/2 acres in buildings, sheds and greenhouses, and 16 acres in non-production for the natural influence and as a buffer to protect from chemical drift from the neighbors. This buffer is required by Organic Ag regulations. The 13 acre veggie garden is divided into 5 sections. Each section has beds which are 500 feet long. A football field is 360 feet long! It is no small task to weed one bed. We have about 90 beds this year. Each bed has 1-4 rows of plants in it. 8 rows of potatoes. 10 rows of garlic, which were harvested. 12 rows of sunflowers. 9 beds of summer and winter squash. 8 rows of onions. 18 rows of carrots. And many more rows of other things! We irrigate the garden and pastures with a hand line of irrigation pipe. We move it two times a day. It takes about 45 minutes for each move. There are 30 lengths of pipe and they put down about 2” of water every 12 hours. We have 2 breeding pigs...who are not breeding right now. Come on you two! We have 75 new hens who will begin laying in early October. There are about 70 hens in the old flock, who are still giving us a small number of eggs...about a day. For cows we have a total of 6. 1 Brown Swiss (Bertha), 2 Jerseys (Annie and Butternut), 1 Angus/Jersey (Ms. Moo Moo Face) 1 Angus (Solstice) and 1 Highlander (Red Rosie). Butternut is a bull and we are hoping all 5 female cows are pregnant. Annie will be the first to calve in mid-October. 2 cats, Dumbledore and Zedd, keep the non counted mice and chislers in check. The farm is run by Jed and Dale. We have 3 children (Dagan, Axel and Roxanne) and 1 dog (Cosmo).The farm employs 13 people: 4 full time Field Crew, 3 part time Field Crew, 1 wash station manager, 1 truck driver, 1 market manager, 1 tomato greenhouse manager, 2 very part time folks who do chores (so Jed can have a few shifts off!). And 6 site hosts who are volunteers! We do 2 CSA deliveries a week, supplying about 230 shares each week. If each full share feeds 4 people, then we are feeding 920 individuals each week. Based on current populations of Teton Counties (ID and WY) we feed about 2.73% of the people of the Tetons, just through the CSA! We also do 3 markets a week. When we harvest something like bok choy or head lettuce, we need 248 heads to get enough for one CSA delivery. We need about 500 total to do all the deliveries in one week. We have 5 tractors; the newest one is from 1965! (Jed, why do we have so many tractors?) Our favorite tractor implement is the water-wheel trans-planter. It allows us to plant up to 1000 plants in 9 minutes with 5 people. Our goal is to put out 16 weeks of shares every year. Most years average around 17-18. One year the fall was really tough and we only managed 15 weeks. Last year we harvested 35,448.83 pounds of produce from the garden and greenhouses. Some items we count instead of weigh. In 2019 we also harvested: 9425 heads of lettuce, cabbage and bok choy. 11,823 bulbs of garlic and 10,108 garlic curls 1668 winter squash. 5029 sunflowers. We know of 4 weddings that are a result of meeting at Cosmic Apple! Cosmic Apple is started in 1996. This is our 24th season of growing for our community! Whew. That was fun! Lunch this week: Curried Zucchini Soup Recipe Ideas: Summer Squash Boats, Greek Stewed Zucchini, Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye, New York, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Tri-Tip, Flat Iron Roast, Brisket, Flank Steak, Skirt, Hanging Tender, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 11-4 Center for the Arts Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Basil, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Sunflowers, Kale and maybe Radish or Scarlet Ohno Turnips An important reminder!!! Weighing your veggies is like playing "The Price is Right!". You must stay under the weight listed on the board. We know it can be really challenging to get those tomatoes to the exact weight, but if you go over, even by .01 we risk running out. We weigh the produce carefully and come up with correct weight so we can give out as much as possible! Please be respectful of your fellow shareholders and only take the weight designated for you or below. Speaking of tomatoes...We are thrilled to finally have 3 20' X 100' greenhouses growing for you! Those of you who were members the last 2 years know it has been a journey. We completed the 3rd tomato greenhouse in July of 2018. Like most construction projects it took us longer then expected. Go figure! July was too late in the season to get a crop from it. Our tomatoes normally go in the ground at the end of April! We reluctantly decided to get excited more red delights in 2019! We were finally going to have more tomatoes! They were planted and looked incredible. Then on June 8th, 2019 the farm got down to 23 degrees. Yikes! Our propane company neglected to fill our tank even though we were on the keep fill program. Luckily the 2 greenhouses closest to the tank, and with better fans, made it. Even though we were heartbroken, I will give credit to the propane company for coming through with an insurance settlement to cover our loss. We still felt the sadness of letting our CSA members down, we would have rather had the tomatoes and basil then a check. It turns out 2020 is the year of more tomatoes! YAY!!!! The bulk of what we give out are a variety called New Girl. It is a consistent producer with great flavor. We pick them at the peak of ripeness so they are ready for you right away. We don't pick them underripe so they can handle transport like grocery store tomatoes. All of our tomatoes are grown in greenhouses. We start the seeds at the end of February and coax them along while the snow storms keep coming. Many years the tomatoes are the first thing to be put in the ground. Even before seeding in the garden during some of those extra special Teton springs! When we plant them they are about 6-8" tall. Now many of the plants are towering over our heads reaching the top of the greenhouses. They are still loaded with fruits! They will keep producing until we shut off the propane. Usually around the end of September, when the cost outweighs the return. The plants slow down when the temperatures drop and the daylight starts to wane. But until then, they will be safely tucked in the greenhouses every night! We hope you have been enjoying the increase in production! "More tomatoes" has always been the most consistent feedback we have received and we are happy to provide. Farm lunch this week: Zuchinni Cakes (maybe the most popular farm lunch of all time.) Tajiki with raisins over Cosmic Mix with Cucumbers and Tomatoes in a Pita Recipe Ideas: Dale's Sesame Basil Vinaigrette, Bruscetta, Summer Squash Ribbons, Kale Tomato Brown Rice Bowl, French Breakfast Radish (even though these are a different variety it is still yummy!) The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye, New York, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Tri-Tip, Flat Iron Roast, Brisket, Flank Steak, Skirt, Hanging Tender, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 11-4 Center for the Arts Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Basil, Collards, Shelling Peas, Red Oak Lettuce, Garlic, Maybe Cucumbers +/or Sunflowers August! The pace of the farm always picks up this month and goes strong until the first hard freeze. As I type this newsletter the crew is working really hard in hot weather to get the garlic in. The whole crop was dug with an undercutter bar on the tractor. It must then be picked up, soil knocked off the roots, stacked in piles, then loaded on a trailer. It is then transferred to the "old horse barn" where it will dry and cure. It is a dusty dry job, but the garlic needs to be harvested when it is dry. Moisture slows the curing and will tempt rot. Garlic is one of the more labor intensive crops we grow, but it grows so good here! We will save about a third of the crop to be our seed this fall for 2021's crop. (Over the years I have written more about the life cycle of garlic and added it to the recipe page.) We are in the middle...of a lot right now! Our employees work May 1st- October 31st, so we just hit the half way point in the season with them. Our goal every year is to have at least 16 weeks of shares...most years we make it to 17 or 18 depending on how fast we can empty the garden out and how long nice fall weather lingers. Share #8 puts us in the middle of that goal! We also just passed Lammas a "cross quarter day" on August 2nd, the day half way between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. We now begin to really reap what we sowed. We know we can depend on our amazing employees who are now trained and committed to this growing season and the work of feeding their community. The garden is on a steep upward trend to its peak of fruition. The fire in the sky is burning strong and bright right now to keep us going. Fire season is upon us in the Tetons as we have reached the dry part of the year. It is the time of the year you can feel the burn of the season! Tempers flare as people can feel hot, tired and cranky. We all strive to savor the last month of summer and squeeze it all in. On the farm we start to make choices about which crops will make it and need our attention immediately, and which crops need to be tilled in because of poor germination or no time to weed. It is the time of year to buckle down and start choosing where our energy will go and what we want to reap for the long term. Farm lunch this week: Polenta with collards, peas and tomatoes. Gazpacho Soup Recipe Ideas: Chilled Cucumber Mint Soup. Slice Tomatoes thin, put on a plate sprinkle with chopped Basil and drizzle a bit of Balsamic Vinegar over the whole plate... add salt and pepper and the appetizer is ready! Simple Perfect Peas with Butter and Salt The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye Steak, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 11-4 Center for the Arts Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Tomatoes, Marjoram, Turnips, Kale, Cucumbers, Fresh Garlic, maybe Summer Squash and/or Sunflowers The cucurbit family is beginning to yield! Cucumbers, Zucchini, Patty Pan and Yellow Crooknecks are all beginning to show themselves. We have 4 rows dedicated to these beauties. We keep them covered until all threat of frost is gone (does that ever really happen around here?). They are usually beginning to flower when we uncover them. They have gorgeous big showy yellow flowers. The first fruits off of each plant can be a bit funky. Generally one end of the squash is smaller and soft. This is because of improper or poor flower fertilization. It is hard for the insects to do their job when the plants are covered. Once the plants are free of the row cover the insects help grow our food. We depend on them and are grateful to hear them buzzing around the garden. It is always a joy to watch the bees crawling in and out of the flowers. A single cucurbit plant grows male and female flowers. The male flower pollen is needed to fertilize the female flower, the stem of the female flower becomes the fruit. The bit of dried brown papery residue on the end of your cucumber or summer squash is the dried flower. Our cucumbers don't look like the ones in the store! We grow a variety of "pickling" cucumbers because they produce a lot, in a short amount of time...in other words, they work for a Teton summer! We also chose this variety for its flavor. The skin is nice and thin. My kids want nothing to do with traditional slicing cucumbers when they have the choice of eating the "pickling cukes". You can use them just like a regular cucumber after you wash the little spikes off of them. We eat them like apples. They are the best trail snack on a hot day! Cucumbers are 95% water and are one of the best foods to eat to hydrate yourself. We went camping last weekend with another family and our middle son was so excited about the cucumbers coming in that he picked 20 for the trip. All 6 kids with us were thrilled to be eating whole cucumbers on the banks of a high mountain lake and they finished them all! Zucchinis are famous for getting huge when they are missed during harvesting. It can be easy to neglect a fruit when you are harvesting and when you come back it is the size of a small wiffle ball bat. We harvest every Monday and Thursday. What those plants do in the days between is incredible. Pounds are put on! Our workers have to wear protective clothing to pick the squash plants. The stems and leaves are really spiky and hurt! Some people can have an allergic reaction to the plants but are fine eating the fruits. Without gloves and long sleeves you must move slow and look really hard to find the fruits. The protective layers allow you to move the leaves to get a better view...and we don't have time to go slow! The summer squash (zuchinni, yellow crookneck and patty pan) and the cucumbers are just starting to come in. They will keep producing until we get a freeze. These veggies symbolize of August for me! They also mark the turning point of things becoming more heavy from the garden. It's not just leafy greens any more! Farm lunch this week: Veggie (Squash, turnips and Kale) Burritos with Idaho Salsa Recipe Ideas: Lemon Marjoram Vinaigrette (you can sub Marjoram for oregano in any recipe! This is actually on the Oregano page...but use marjoram instead!), Garlicky Greens (using Kale), Zucchini with Garlic and Tomatoes (add some marjoram!) The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye Steak, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 11-4 Center for the Arts Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Napa Cabbage, Tomatoes, Winter Savory, Swiss Chard, Radish and Sugar Snap Peas Jed and I both of fell into farming. Farming was more of a calling then a conscious choice. One of the reasons we both became enamored with it was the simplicity of it, that we were meeting a basic need of the community. We were drawn to the purity of the work. The song lyric by Bob Dylan always spoke to the virtue we found in farming, "His clothes are dirty but his, his hands are clean". We saw farming as something we loved to do, and as work that could make the world a better place. There are so many jobs that fit this description, but for Jed and I, farming was our path. For us farming was also always a social justice cause. Tied to environment, food rights and people's access to real food. This spring has felt incredibly exciting to me although I could have done without the layer of Covid on top! Racial Justice was pushed to the forefront. The uprising around the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice and countless others caused many white people to begin to reckon with racism in our county. As with many huge problems, I felt powerless. Time and money are not things I have in excess to put behind social change. I needed to stay present for my family and the farm, not be drawn off in another direction. Gratefully, there is inner work to be done. While continuing to address my own biases and working to change them I finally remembered the farm is a vehicle for social change. The farm has a place in the food system in the Tetons and in world. As farmers, we must work to understand systemic racism and how it relates to the food system. As Cosmic Apple we must examine our business and eradicate any ways we are perpetuating systemic racism. After receiving a nudge from Slow Food in the Tetons, we are committing to 6 concrete things we can do. #1. Commit to Knowledge We acknowledge the food system in this country was built upon the backs of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). We refuse to accept the whitewashing of history. We will instead seek the voices of BIPOC to guide us towards the work that needs to be done to remove racism from the food system. We will apologize if we act from ignorance and be grateful to learn as we actively move towards a more just world. Each of our employees choose a book from this list to add to the farm library. (I would also recommend Billionaire Wilderness by Justin Farrell, while not about food it is about the income gap in Teton County, WY and racism is at play) We hope to begin a dialogue around the information gained and explore how it relates to the farm and what things we can do differently to create more equality. #2. Donate $523 yearly (the equivalent of 1 Share) to help BIPOC farmers Realizing the history of slavery and systemic racism has made it more difficult for BIPOC to purchase and hold onto land, we will donate money to organizations working to change that. (For more info on the history of black landownership listen here Episode 4+5) We may also use this money to help young BIPOC farmers with farm training, issues associated with farm worker rights or for issues associated with food justice. We will find the organizations through Civil Eats. #3. Act to challenge racism in the food and farming communities and beyond We vow to speak up when we witness any form of racism in action. We will challenge ourselves to continuously look at our business and ourselves to see how we can do better in relation to BIPOC. We stand with and believe Black Lives Matter. These are the first 3 actions we are taking. We have 3 more we are working on and are eager to share them with you in future newsletters. It feels great to have a direction to go towards creating change, even though we realize these are just the beginning steps. I know 2020 for many has been hard, and it has not been all sunflowers here either, but the potential changes to grow out of this year may be tremendously positive. I choose to hold onto hope and keep moving forward, while growing vegetables for the People of the Tetons! Farm lunch this week: Simple stir fry with Napa, Sugar Snap Peas and Tomatoes over rice. Recipe Ideas: Napa Cabbage Salad, Swiss Chard with Eggs on Sourdough, Chard Patties The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved for you. I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye Steak, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst Pork Available: Neck Bones and Fat WASH YOUR VEGGIES!! Bring Bags to pick-ups! If you can't make it to pick up your veggies, send a friend! Missed shares are forfeited for the week. Members get 20% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1 Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 11-4 Center for the Arts Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? dale@cosmicapple.com |
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