Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Radish, Green Beans, Carrots, Shallots, Turnips Basil, Parsley, Maybe Cucumbers, Summer Squash and/or Sunflowers I was wrong last week! All the cucumbers didn't die in the frost...just the pickling cucumbers did. So we still have some cucumbers in the shares. The cucumbers and the summer squash plants will love this heat we are having and may have a slight resurgence this week. By the end of the week the humans may be looking for the stashed away long underwear to get through the cooler wet weather in the forecast. We had two mama cows give birth to calves this week. Both births happened during the night and we were surprised in the morning. We are so grateful to our cows for all they provide for the farm and we do our best to give them a great life. Our herd provides manure to create our compost pile, which is the main part of our farm's fertility. Organic agriculture has no restrictions on where the organic amendments added to soil come from, other then the ingredients. Sea bird guano from Argentina? Sure! Biodynamic farms seek to create their own fertility in a more closed loop system. Biodynamic agriculture treats the farm like a living organism. Like all living things, nourishment is required to keep sustaining life. We must take care of the soil, the most important part of the farm, so it can keep yielding nutrient rich food. We replenish the soil with compost every fall. This is our way of "feeding" the soil so it can feed all of us. All the cool, geeky soil stuff aside...baby cows are cute! Here are some photos to help you feel warm and fuzzy! Lunch on the Farm this week: Pad Bai and Farm Curry (Summer Squash page) Recipe Ideas: Basil Beans; Green Beans & Tomatoes in Oil; Baked Carrot Fries; Parsley Vinaigrette; Persian Chopped Salad Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier!
The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Loin Roast, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 (last one 9/25) The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 (last one 10/4) JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 (last one 9/28) Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected]
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Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Cilantro, Beans, Basil, Turnips, Carrots, Tomatoes, maybe Sunflowers, Pickling Cucumbers, Cucumbers, Broccoli and/or Summer Squash When I wrote last week's newsletter I was in utter denial about a pending frost. The weather forecast was going all over the place. Some reports calling for 38 degrees, others 32. I thought we'd skirt it and if we got one it would be really light...just enough to stress the plants but not kill anything. I was wrong. The temp got to 32.5 degrees. We did get a light frost. It killed the cucumbers. Damaged the squash plants. The tops of the potatoes are dead. The squash may bounce back, it is still flowering, but it will definitely slow down. It will actually benefit the potatoes. The plants will react to the freeze and start to wrap the spuds in a thicker skin which will prepare them for harvest and storage. The cucumbers are done. I'm really sad. They are one of my favorite summer treats and I was not ready to give them up. If you get any in your share this week, they are all the ones we pulled in after the vines died. Savor them!! The crew did manage to get the beans covered. I'm so grateful. The plants have been looking incredible and a big bean harvest was pending. The plants died where there were holes in the cover, but the rest are absolutely fine and yielding! The beans are so good right now, I'm glad we get to enjoy them! Some years the beans don't make it. They are one of the crops we walk a thin line with growing in the Tetons. They need a bit longer season to ripen then we usually get around here. The sunflowers are on the way out. They survived the frost, but almost all of them have bloomed and been cut now. The tomatoes and basil in the greenhouses are all fine, yay for plastic and propane! The shorter days have brought a slow-down in growth, which will be evident in decreased tomato yields. The carrots will start to sugar up and the winter squash will start to ripen. We have many other beautiful fall treats coming out of the garden we are excited to share with you! It is amazing how one night of cold weather can start a symphony of change. Lunch on the Farm this week: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup; Peruvian Quinoa Stew Recipe Ideas: Green Beans with Tomatoes and Herbs; Tasty Green Beans; Marinated Zucchini & Green Bean Salad; Carrot Ginger Dressing; Roasted Carrot and Tomato Soup with Basil Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier!
The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 (last one 9/27) JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 (last one 9/28) The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 (last one 9/25) Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Kale, Radish, Head Lettuce, Basil, Dill, Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Pickling Cucumbers, Sunflowers, Maybe Cucumbers, Bok Choy and/or Cabbage The farm vibe has moved to late summer. Temps are a bit cooler, the days shorter but the summer flavors are still on! A tank top feels great in the sun...but my house stays cool all day and I need slippers inside. The summer squash it abundant and yummy...but I am wondering what the potatoes and carrots will look like when we dig them. This is the time of year I never want to wish away...but at the same time I know I can not sustain my current pace for the whole year. I wear a necklace this time of year that has a bee on it. It is my reminder to keep going for the hive. It would be easy to ignore some responsibilities, but it is the time of year to keep bringing in the harvest. It is the season of abundance and the abundance needs management. My bee necklace reminds me that my hive is depending on me. My family, our farm crew, you, our market customers. I want to keep moving, growing and harvesting for my hive. I know my time of rest will come. After my initial stumble out of bed in the morning and getting going, I sometimes realize how lucky I am. I cut flowers as part of my job description!! I mean, seriously, how did I land this gig? I am breathing fresh air, feeling the sunlight, watching the bees, smelling the faint scent of sunflowers, seeing the blue sky, watching hummingbirds and cutting flowers!!! Okay...I have to concentrate enough to count every stem I cut, and those buckets get heavy to move. But the downsides are few. I was having one of those "I'm so grateful moments" watching hummingbirds, flowers and LOTS of bees while I was walking a full bucket of flowers out of the field. In that exact moment I got stung. It only happens every few years, I have learned how to move my hands safely around in the flowers. (A year in a vineyard with black widows hiding on the vines taught me how to mindfully move my hands while working!) I happened to have irrigation boots on because we just watered. I think the bee fell off a flower in the bucket I had hoisted to my shoulder to carry and landed in my boot as I walked. Ouch. The thing about getting stung is, I was now marked. When I got stung the bee injected a pheromone into me to alert the other bees I was a problem. The last time I was stung, I ended up getting stung 2 more times that day. Ugh. Now I was a bit nervous as I completed the harvest. Bees are amazing, the ways they are constantly communicating with each other to help the whole hive. In its final moment, the bee was alerting and protecting the hive. I can relate to bees...they work together to collect ingredients and make food, they dance, they visit flowers, they work together for protection and safety. I truly relish my idea of a "hive mindset" this time of year, it keeps me going. Our farm community is so important. I am not just shipping this food off to a warehouse. I can see your faces, watch your children grow and bump into you around town. While we are growing food for your benefit and health, we also reap the same rewards. On those slow mornings my bee necklace reminds me it is not just about me getting out of bed in the morning. I have a hive of people to feed! Thanks for bee-ing part of our hive!!! Lunch on the Farm this week: Tomato and Summer Squash Stew, Summer Sauté over pasta Recipe Ideas: Yogurt Dill Dressing; Zucchini-Basil Muffins or Panzanella Salad Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier!
The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Arugula, Collards, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Fresh Garlic, Sunflowers, Turnips, Fennel, Pickling Cucumbers and Maybe Cucumbers It rained on Sunday night. Really rained, for a long time as I was falling asleep. The ground was wet in the morning and the puddles lasted well into the day. It thundered and lightninged for a long time too. It was beautiful, even though our brave shaking, whining farm dog disagreed. I think it is the first rain that was enough to actually water the Earth in Victor on a deeper level then the light showers we have received. The cucumbers will be delivered with a bit of soil on them thanks to the lovely rain. Other items may have more soil then usual also. All the garlic has been harvested and moved to the storage shed to cure. Curing is the process of drying down the stalks so the bulbs will last all winter. This week will be the last of the fresh garlic. Make sure to use the fresh garlic up because it is not dried down and ready for long term storage. The garlic you receive a bit later in the season will be for long term storage. This is the time of year the shares are BIG and need to be used soon. The soup we are having for lunch this week is one of my favorite ways to preserve the harvest. The recipe is really easy to change as needed, just stick to the spice and water amounts and add whatever veggies you have on hand. Fill the pot up to the top of the water line with various vegetables. This week I will put summer squash, collards, fennel, turnips and tomatoes in it. Make a big batch to use up your veggies if you need to. Then freeze it! You will be so glad to pull this colorful treat from your freezer in January. It is great over rice and arugula. Jed told me this morning he calls this "freestyle cooking". I think in the recipe world it is just called seasonal cooking. It is time to improvise with what is abundant in the moment. I do have this belief that if something is ripe...it will probably taste good with the other items that are ripe at the same time. Mother nature really has designed the best menu. Lunch on the Farm this week: Curried Zucchini Soup and Pita Pockets with Tzatziki Recipe Ideas: Creamy Zucchini- Cumin Dip; Zucchini Parmesan Crisps; Shaved Fennel Salad; Pasta with Fennel and Baby Collard Greens Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier!
The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Radish, Basil, Shell Peas, Head Lettuce, Pickling Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Bok Choy, Summer Squash, Sunflowers and maybe Cucumbers We are at the point of the season where it seems all of our energies are going towards harvesting. It is becoming more challenging to keep up with the bounty the garden is providing, a great problem to have! Picking peas is very time consuming, but yields such a sweet reward. The garlic is calling us. It is ready to be pulled from the field and put in the shed to dry. We may have had a record sunflower and tomato harvest on the same day. We are running out of buckets to harvest into! The walk in refrigerator is so full that it feels like playing a puzzle game when we need to fit something else in there. I hope you can feel the ability of the Earth to nourish you right now. I hope you can taste how good all the fresh veggies are right now. It is a really great time to be an eater of food in the Tetons! We woke up Monday morning to a rain shower and then it drizzled for about an hour. The day stayed cool and breezy, it was a big change from the constant heat we have been having. The forecast is calling for cooler temps, but nothing in the freezing zone. It seems like the garden will continue to grow and thrive as it has been all summer. Pickling Cucumbers? They are one of my families favorite garden veggies. You don't have to pickle them!! We like them because the skin is more tender and less bitter then a standard cucumber. Use them the same way you would any cucumber. We love them so much we eat them like apples. Did you know cucumbers are one of the few foods that actually hydrate you when you eat them? Most foods require more water from your body to digest then they actually give you, but cucumbers provide more water then you need to digest them. We take them with us on hikes as a snack. I can vividly remember my little ones sitting in their car seats eating cucumbers whole as we headed out for an adventure. Now as teenagers who are way cooler then me...they still look happy when we get the first pickling cukes of the year. Lunch on the Farm this week: Polenta with Summer Squash, and fresh tomato sauce. Burritos with Idaho Salsa Recipe Ideas: Turnip and Chard Soup; Roasted Hakuri Turnips with Israeli Couscous Salad, Lemon Butter Basil Turnips or Curried Zucchini & Swiss Chard Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier!
The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Bacon, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Kale, Shell Peas, Parsley, Napa Cabbage, Head Lettuce, Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Turnips, Maybe Radish, Sugar Snaps and/or Sunflowers The beginning of August is a mile stone on the farm. It marks Lammas, the traditional "beginning of the harvest season" and the peak of summer. Lammas, August 2nd, is the day in the middle of the Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. In ancient times communities would gather to celebrate if it was to be a good harvest year. When things were looking bleak, the gathering would consist of planning how a community was to survive a winter with less food then hoped for. Sometimes it was agreed to plant more short season crops that could be grown quickly to boost the late fall harvest. Sometimes it was a joyous gathering and an excuse to take a break and be grateful for the upcoming harvest. Even though we can have a good guess of how crops are looking for the fall harvest, we still don't know if the crops will truly come to fruition. Drought, storms, freezing temps and hungry critters can still ruin a beautiful harvest. It is a time of being grateful for what we have, what is to come and to put good intentions out there for a bountiful harvest and stocked larder for winter. For our crew, August 1st is the official halfway point in their season. We start May 1st and work until October 31st. We are so grateful for our coworkers. They work hard to plant, weed and harvest food for their community. They make us laugh, teach us things and quickly become friends. We truly enjoy the folks we work with. We are incredibly grateful for their willingness to be a part of our dream. In an effort to introduce you to some of the workers I sent out some questions to them! Introducing the fabulous Roberta, Emma and Deb! These three work at jobs with lots of customer interface, so hopefully you have met them at some point. Roberta is our truck driver and chore helper (she takes care of the animals in the winter so Jed has some nights off). Emma works at the Driggs markets on Fridays. Deb is the Tomato Queen (this important title has only been bestowed upon Deb, she manages and harvests all the tomato greenhouses) and she works at the People's Market on Wednesdays in Jackson. Why did you want to work at Cosmic Apple? Roberta: I wanted to work at Cosmic Apple because local organic agriculture is something I deeply value, and I’m of the persuasion that it may just save the world! I found the biodynamic practices both mysterious and intriguing. Also Cosmic Apple has been serving the people of the Tetons for nearly 30 years! Emma: To learn, to connect with awesome people, and to act on my deeply held beliefs about local food. Deb: I’ve always loved gardening. I’m happiest when my knees are dirty. It may be genetic — I come from a long line of gardeners and farmers on both sides of my family. Years/seasons working at Cosmic Apple? Roberta: 4 years Emma: Two at the market. I had a workshare (volunteer) years ago too. Deb: 9 years Favorite item we grow? Roberta: Sunflowers, Tomatoes and Potatoes Emma: Beans Deb: It’s a toss up between Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes & Green Zebra Tomatoes Favorite item you wish we could grow? Roberta: Corn or Lychee! Emma: Pomegranates Deb: If only . . . Sweet White Corn The thing about farm work that is the most rewarding? Roberta: Knowing that Cosmic Apple takes the time and effort to build healthy soil to grow the most nutrient dense vegetables to share with our community. Emma: Being a part of something I truly believe in. Deb: I love seeing the excitement people have when they pick up their share or come to the market to buy veggies. Plus I love working with all the young folks at the farm ‘cuz I’m old enough to be their grandmother. The thing about farm work that is the most challenging? Roberta: When I used to work in the fields, the long term squatting to harvest and the heat of the sun midday were the most challenging for me. Emma: Grappling with the unjust, systemic problems that small farms are up against. Deb: Trying to stay ahead of the weeds. One thing you wish all the farm CSA members knew? Roberta: their support is crucial, it allows the farm to continue working its magic. CSA members role model mindful citizenship to their communities and the next generation! Emma: That I'm currently running for Teton County (ID) Commissioner and can be reached at 781-929-0148. Favorite recipe on the Cosmic Apple Recipe page, or one we need to add? Roberta: Leek & Potato Gratin Emma: Zucchini cakes and dill sauce! (One to add: smashed turnips! Boil whole turnips until tender, then smash/flatten with a spatula on a towel and let drain 20 mins, then drizzle both sides with olive oil and salt and pepper and coat with grated cheese. Bake at 375 for about 10 mins per side until golden. So yummy!) Deb: Sorrel Cream Sauce with Zucchini Cakes as a close second Favorite farm job? Roberta: Milking the cows! Emma: Keeping the Driggs market stand looking beautiful and chatting with the customers about recipes! Deb: I got to milk the cows a few times and you really have to be totally present to them when you are doing it. You get to let go of everything else in your life and just focus. Very peaceful and centering. Something you want to learn more about or how to do at the farm? Roberta: the Vortex Brewer! Emma: Caring for the cows. Deb: When do I get to drive the tractor? Something farm related that makes you happy/proud to be part of our crew? Roberta: I love to help steward all the animals (cows, pigs, chickens, and Dumbledore the cat) through our harsh winters! Emma: How wonderfully well the soil is cared for! I am so grateful to the farm family and crew for your commitment to the holistic health of land, animals, and people. What does our food do for you? Roberta: The food provides real, healthy nourishment and a remembrance of the infinite generosity of Mother Earth. Emma: It brings me joy, nourishment, and the freedom of being able to live more fully in line with my values. Is there a question I should have asked? Roberta: Favorite Farm Animal or Pet? Cosmo the dog!! Emma: What else do we do in the community? I'm on the boards of Teton Valley Housing and Teton Valley Community Recycling, and I'm a full-time mom to my two-year-old daughter, Poppy. Lunch on the Farm this week: Zucchini Cakes Recipe Ideas: Napa Cabbage Salad; Chimichurri Sauce (parsley page); Zucchini Frittata Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! There will be no coolers or eggs at the Jackson pick up site on 8/6.
Sorry for the inconvenience. Email me an order if you want something reserved for you after the 7th. We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier! The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Bacon, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Collards, Basil, Head Lettuce, Bok Choy, Tomatoes, maybe Summer Squash and/or Sugar Snap Peas The summer flavors are in! Zucchinis, tomatoes and sugar snap peas. The eating is GOOD right now!! It's the stuff we dream of all winter. The Cosmic Mix is starting to come in again. We are past the crop that suffered through the June frost. The crew is working hard picking sugar snap peas. The shares are starting to gain some weight as we have moved beyond delicate spring greens. Summer in the Tetons is such a special time. The temperatures are awesomely warm during the day and the nights are cool enough for deep sleeping. Being outside feels so good, and we are surrounded by beauty everywhere we look. The Tetons are vacationland for many and we who call this place home are so blessed. When I landed here, I never wanted to leave in the summers...except to go backpacking in the Winds, but is that really leaving? I've gotten to a place where I do want a vacation now and then. For years taking a vacation during the summer was not possible, we didn't have enough help. The winter trips were short because of the animals. When our kids were little, they didn't care, a day at the lake was great...and being on the farm was really fun too. As they got older they began to care and we did too. We needed to carve out more time together doing fun things or relaxing. Collecting eggs together has lost it's luster. Convincing a teenager that cutting sunflowers is cool and a great way to spend time together is impossible. We took our first ever summer vacation together in 2022. We met my parents, brother and sister-in-law at the beach for a week. It felt scary and big. The farm has so many moving parts to walk away from and most of the parts are alive and need care. I met an old farmer once at a conference and I asked her what is was like for her AND her husband to leave the farm for an extended period...all she said was "everything was alive when I left, I'll see when I get back". It is so true and terrifying. We pour our heart, soul, blood, sweat and my tears (Jed doesn't cry in moments of frustration!) into it all. Walking away for a week with so much happening is a big leap of faith. The reasons to walk away are important too. Family time is precious. If parenthood had seasons, Jed and I have moved into the fall of being responsible for our eldest son. He is 17 and he has begun the conversations of what moving out on his own might be like. Daily time together is waning (more tears). Our parents are also getting up there in the years (again, the tears). We all need time together. We have had to learn how to go on vacation. What the farm needs when we leave. What our employees need without us there to succeed. How to step away. We are so incredibly grateful we have been able to learn this through vacation instead of a family tragedy that forced us to step away. We have shifted our thought patterns around "farmers don't get a break" to "farmers do get breaks." Farmers can take vacations just like everyone else. Our own thoughts were one of the biggest hurdles around vacations. So obviously...We are taking a vacation!!! The farm family is beach bound for a week with some of our extended family. We have left the farm in good hands and those hands have phones if something comes up. We could not do this without our incredible employees. I'll thank them properly in next week's newsletter! The one thing I can't change my mindset about around leaving? The food. I am really sad to not be eating Cosmic veggies this week. That part is going to be hard, especially now with the summer bounty rolling in! Recipe Ideas: Tomato, Garlic and Summer Squash; Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto; Balsamic Grilled Summer Squash Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! There will be no coolers or eggs at the Jackson and Wilson pick up sites on 7/30, 8/1 and 8/6.
Sorry for the inconvenience. Email me an order if you want something reserved for you after the 7th. We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier! The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Bacon, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Swiss Chard, Romaine Head Lettuce, Bok Choy, Fresh Garlic, Basil, maybe Tomatoes and/or Sugar Snap Peas It has been a hot and dry month on the farm! This weekend I watched storms pass over Driggs and Jackson...Victor got some sprinkles, but not enough to water anything. Luckily we can keep irrigating with the amazing snow melt coming off the mountains. The garden is thriving with the heat and irrigation. Thanks to our amazing crew we are getting somewhere with the weeds. It is the make or break season for some crops "weed wise". The crops want to stretch up and out, if they are too crowded with weeds they won't make it. We are trying to get through the harvest every morning and turn to weeding in the afternoon. We have gotten through a lot of crops! The cucumbers, cabbage, garlic, summer/winter squash and potatoes are looking gorgeous right now. We are so close to being done with the carrots. We are half way through the beets. On the list to start is the second weeding of sunflowers and cabbage. We have to move around the garden based on where the irrigation pipe is. Even with this heat it is not fun to weed under the sprinklers! The irrigation is on a set rotation that we must keep moving or the plants will suffer. So we weed where ever it will be most effective each day...not necessarily which row would be most satisfying to finish. 30 feet left from yesterday's project...oh well, it's under the irrigation now! We try to weed a crop when the soil has the optimal moisture for pulling weeds. We have to find a balance of soil moisture, weed size and crop size. When soil is really dry, big weeds tend to break and the roots of the weed keep growing. The large root systems can also pull up the desired crop when the soil is dry. If the weeds are little, a hoe will chop the weed in a dry bed and the roots will wither because of dryness and lack of reach for water. Weeding a moist bed will get a hoe all stuck up with soil and make it unusable. Sometimes the best case scenario is hand weeding a moist bed. We sometimes call it "glory weeding" if the conditions are just right. It's kind of equivalent to "hero pow" for all your skiers! When the weeds are big and the soil has just the right amount of moisture, the weeds come out quick and easy. When hand pulling huge weeds in a moist bed, the progress is so easy to see and getting rid of one big weed makes a big difference. Weeding is our biggest need and use of time on the farm. Because we don't spray herbicides we have to remove the weeds somehow. Human labor is the best answer so far. We have a couple of tractor implements to help, but they can only do so much. Maybe someday someone will invent an affordable device that weeds by itself with our destroying all the life in the soil. For us, for now, people are still where it's at! Lunch this Week: Pasta with lots of butter, Swiss Chard, Basil and Tomatoes; Chili Mint stir fry with Cosmic Beef, Sugar Snap Peas and Bok Choy Recipe Ideas: BLT with Romaine, Tomato and Cosmic Bacon! Bok Choy, Swiss Chard and noodles; Swiss Chard with Pine Nut, Parmesan and Basil. Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! Let us help you avoid the grocery store!!
We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier! The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Bacon, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Arugula, Garlic Curls, Kale, New Red Fire Head Lettuce, Maybe Sugar Snap Peas and/or Tomatoes We had some challenges with the weather in June...remember the cold wet spring? It resulted in some poor germination which is the cause for this week's amount of Cosmic Mix. We have plenty more to come...but it will be a bit slim this week. Yay for head lettuce! We are starting to see fruits on the summer squash plants! They have been growing under row cover all season, and are being uncovered as I type! We uncover them when they start to flower. It makes it easier for the pollinators to do their magic. We also have to be able to access them two times a week and covering and uncovering is too time consuming. I love squash plants. They look tropical in our Idaho garden, with the big leaves and bright yellow flowers. It some spots the plants were so big they were pushing on the row cover. The Cosmic Apple Community needs a big shout out!! Last fall we put out the call for our CSA Members to donate money so we could grow shares for the Teton Valley Food Pantry (TVFP). We have been donating 4 shares a year, but with the money you all donated the Pantry is now getting 15 shares a week. Donations came in all sizes. Some gave $10, some gave $2000, some are even donating their volunteer share. Every penny (and donated labor hour) is going to food for our community. Your donations totaled over $7200. The Cosmic Community is AMAZING!!! We believe everyone has the right to healthy food. Getting oneself out of a crisis situation can be hard enough...but imagine doing it without food that truly nourishes you. The feedback from the Pantry has been heartwarming. If you happen to see a list of sponsors from the TVFP, you can see that is says "Cosmic Apple Community". This means you! It was important to us that our larger community knows this is not just from Jed and I, but from all of us. Thank you for joining us on this journey to love and help each other however we can. Lunch this Week: Garlic Curl Pesto over Quinoa with turnips, collards and bok choy (I am using leftovers from last week! You can sub sugar snap peas, kale and tomatoes!) Recipe Ideas: Dale's Burrito Sauce (Garlic Curl page); Kale Tomato Brown Rice Bowl; Kale with Bacon Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! Let us help you avoid the grocery store!! We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier!
The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Bacon, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Arugula, Collards, Mirlo Head Lettuce, Garlic Curls, Turnips and maybe Bok Choy This week brings the garlic curls to your share. I love garlic curls. What other produce can you wrap around your wrist as a fashion statement? They taste amazing and last forever. Seriously, I have never had them go bad before using...I'm talking MONTHS in a bag in the fridge. Use them just like garlic. Mince them and add them to your cooking oil or salad dressings. Cut them long like a green bean and add amazing texture and flavor to dishes. I equate one garlic curl to one clove of garlic when using recipes. If you want to google them...use the term "garlic scape". Jed and I started calling them garlic curls before the internet was an option for learning about things. Yes, we are that old. We spent years convincing customers to eat them and by the time we learned they were called "scapes" we had trained too many people to call them "curls" to go back on our word. So there. We are old, stubborn and still love garlic curls! I can feel a palpable shift in the season. We are at the point where the garden seems to take a big pause. The moment of actually switching to summer in the Tetons. We are almost out of all the tender spring greens. They don't love the heat and have bolted or stopped growing. The bigger chunky, crunchy, more famous veggies are about to appear. Things like peas, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. The unirrigated grass has turned brown. The biting flies are having their last hurrah! It is suddenly warm enough to want to swim in frigid mountain water. Summer is here! We are getting ready for a hot week on the farm. When I left on Monday afternoon the greenhouse thermometer said 104 degrees...while it was completely vented. This is great news for the tomatoes! The plants are loaded with green fruit and the heat will prompt the switch to gorgeous reds and oranges. I don't think we will have enough to spread around to the CSA this week, but VERY soon! Lunch this Week: Roasted Garlic Curl Hummus with build your own sandwiches. Recipe Ideas: Grilled Garlic Curls; Quick and Easy Collards Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes! Let us help you avoid the grocery store!! We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier!
The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit! Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Tenderloin, Bacon, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) Hock and Fat Beef Available: Tenderloin, Sirloin, Eye of the Round, Patties, Stew Meat, Ground Beef, Sirloin Roast, Tongue and Liver Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location. 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 10% off at the Farmer's Markets! The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1 JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected] |
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