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Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Spicy Mix, Garlic Curls, Cilantro, Swiss Chard, Non- Organic Basil, Bok Choy, Radish and Spinach 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 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 10 acres. 13 acres are in pasture for the 7 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. The 10 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. 10 rows of potatoes. 8 rows of garlic. 15 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, and 10 teenagers. The teenagers are about 3 months old. They will be butchered at about 8 months. We are getting 75 new chicks on Wednesday! There are about 70 hens in the old flock. For cows we have a total of 7. 1 Brown Swiss (Bertha), 2 Jerseys (Annie + Rosie), 2 mixed steers (Smokey + Charger Bandit) and 2 Highlanders (Red Rosie + Harry). 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 10 people: 1 wash station manager, 1 workshare manager, 1 truck driver, 1 market manager, 1 tractor driving cultivator, 1 person who does chores (so Jed can have a few shifts off!) and 4 market preppers. We have 25 volunteers who come to the farm 1 time each week for 5 hours and 6 site hosts. 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 are putting the finishing touches on our 5th greenhouse. Which means, more tomatoes!! 50.72% of the people who filled out last year's survey want more tomatoes!! 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 transplanter. It allows us to plant up to 1000 plants in 9 minutes with 5 people. We know of 4 weddings that are a result of meetings at Cosmic Apple! Cosmic Apple is started in 1996. This is our 22nd season of growing for our community! Whew. That was fun! Weekly Recipe highlights: I added a recipe for garlic curl hummus! Workshare lunch this week is burritos with Dale's burrito sauce! The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me or tell your site host 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, New York Steak, Rib Eye Steak, Sirloin Steak, Sirloin Tip Roast, Pastrami, Bottom Round Roast, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties and Heart Pork Available: Tenderloin, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Shank, Spare Ribs, Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage, Grandpa Restuccia's Sausage, Neck Bones, Fat and Heads 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 Saturday Market: Saturdays 8-12 (starts 7/7) Questions? Comments? recipes to share? [email protected]
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Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Spicy Mix, Radish, Bok Choy, Spinach, Pirat Red Butterhead Lettuce, Savory and maybe Turnips, Kale or Collards Hello Cosmic CSA Members! This is Emily, your current veggie processor at the farm. My main role at the farm this year is to intercept the veggies from the workshares after they harvest them. Get them in cold water as soon as possible to help them stay fresh for a long time in your fridge and organize the bounty for your CSA pickup. This is a job I had for 6 years in a row many moons ago, before we had our new washstation. I am on my 10th year at the farm and, after a short hiatus last year, am happier than ever to be a part of the Cosmic Apple. I have seen many changes at the farm over the years, from the beginnings of our plant start program to new greenhouses and buildings, as well as a growing number of employees helping to get the food to the people. While things at the farm were changing and growing, I was also experiencing personal growth and change. Jed, Dale and the kids provided a home away from home for me, standing by me through thick and thin, hard times and overwhelming beauty. The last year and a half were especially tough for me personally, life threw some unexpected curveballs that sent me on intense journeys of grief, healing and acceptance. While weighing a Cosmic Mix harvest a couple of weeks ago, I was overwhelmed with such gratitude to be handling such precious, life-giving food. I reflected on how lucky I am, how honored I am, to be a part of such an amazing group of people. Knowing that I am putting the most nutritious food in my body makes me feel like I have a solid foundation for being open to anything life throws my way. Though we are all changing, growing and adapting, Jed and Dale have an unwavering commitment to growing the most nourishing and energy-giving food possible for us. Their dedication to the land, the plants, the animals and all of us never ceases to amaze me. And, of course, none of us could be doing what we do without the support of our members. As you enjoy your shares this summer, know that the Cosmic Crew is on the farm putting our hearts and souls into your growing your produce. And now that we can stream KHOL (89.1 Jackson) in the washstation the veggies are getting a little extra pep in their step as I occasionally dance the produce into the walk-in cooler. Please come say hello at the People's market on Wednesday evenings or the Driggs market on Friday mornings; I would love to see all of your beautiful faces! The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me or tell your site host 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, New York Steak, Rib Eye Steak, Sirloin Steak, Sirloin Tip Roast, Pastrami, Bottom Round Roast, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties and Heart Pork Available: Tenderloin, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Shank, Spare Ribs, Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage, Grandpa Restuccia's Sausage, Neck Bones, Fat and Heads 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 Saturday Market: Saturdays 8-12 (starts 7/7) Questions? Comments? recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Bok Choy, Oregano, Large Baby Kale (Teenager?), Bok Choy, Non Organic Lemon Basil or Holy Basil, maybe Spinach, Radish and Butterhead Lettuce We did it! We got the first share out the door and started the markets. This week feels so much easier! Thank you to all for getting your veggies and working with us on any bookkeeping mistakes. The kids were asking why the first week of shares is such a mental feat for me. I told them how sometimes it is hard to get our own family out the door. Making sure we have all of our gear, supplies and then figuring out the logistics of getting each of us to the proper place. I told them we had to get 263 people to the right places with all the right supplies! (I'm grateful to each of you for putting your own shoes on.) Starting shares has gotten easier over the years, we have gotten more organized, and email is cool! I want to encourage you to get to know your sites hosts! We have team of great folks helping us get the veggies to the people this year. They are there to help you use the veggies! Please ask them if you are not sure what to do with something. Also check our recipe bank. I used to send recipes out with each newsletter and because of the limitations of paper, I could only send a handful a week. Now we have them all in one place! There is a page for each vegetable and herb. We have some special notes about where some of them came from. Some are "farm family favorites", "workshare lunch" and "shareholder favorites". Send us your favorite recipes! We love adding to the collection! Some words about our Non-Organic Basil. According to Organic Standards, we can't have any critters around the veggies 90 days before harvest. We messed up and did not get the chickens out of the greenhouse until April 18th . The basil was not planted yet, and the greenhouse was tilled after they moved out. These same basil plants will be certified organic on July 18th. 90 days after the chickens moved to summer pasture. We want to be completely transparent with our farming practices! Let me know if you have any questions. Speaking of questions! If you have any topics you would like me to cover in this weekly newsletter just email me! The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of the beef and pork listed below. If you know you want something, please email me or tell your site host 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, New York Steak, Rib Eye Steak, Sirloin Steak, Sirloin Tip Roast, Pastrami, Bottom Round Roast, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties and Heart Pork Available: Tenderloin, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Shank, Spare Ribs, Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage, Grandpa Restuccia's Sausage, Neck Bones, Fat and Heads 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 Saturday Market: Saturdays 8-12 (starts 7/7) Questions? Comments? recipes to share? [email protected] Crop List: Spicy Salad Mix, Spinach, Arugula, Pea Shoots, Sorrel, Chives and Basil
HI!!! Welcome to our 2018 Community Supported Agriculture program. We have been having a great spring getting ready for the season. We have been building a new greenhouse and have a new root washer that needs to be put together. Some employees have returned (YAY!!) and we are training the new ones. This week we start the shares (as you know!), The People's Market and the Driggs Market (members get 20% off at markets!). That is a lot of things to start in one week! I am completely wrapped up in the feelings of spring. I get excited. I squeal everytime I see a new bird species returning after the winter. I anxiously await each new flower that blooms and joyously run out to smell it, cheering for my children to join me. My favorite color combo of the year is happening now. I love grey clouds, spring green, and yellow dandelions. The earth is soft and moist to walk on with bare feet, even in the sagebrush areas. Everything is new, full of hope and promise. I feel like my life is perfect and I'm in love with all that surrounds me. I still have energy and the garden is weeded! Then spring gives me a rainy day and reminds me to rein (ha!) it in. We have not reached the jumping off point of the summer. Slow down a bit, it's spring! A bit of winter mixed with a bit of summer. Spring is not all or nothing like summer and winter. I tend to be an all or nothing kind of gal. I can ease into this. Easing in to it is way more grounded, something the farm helps me with. The garden knows how to ease into summer. We start with light delicate green things. All that's needed to wake up the taste buds and digestive system to the new season. The shares start out light, green and fluffy. These early plants bring the feeling and taste of hope and the promise of things to come. The spicy salad mix grew two times as fast as the lettuces that growing with it! The spicy plants are heartier and like the cooler spring weather. Cut the spice with a honey mustard vinaigrette or something else sweet. Or pile it on a burger or in a wrap. Sorrel is one of my favorite crops. We have been eating it for about 4 weeks now. It is one of the first perennials up every spring. It is brave and tough to poke out so early, but the leaves are so very tender and flavorful. The perfect balance of spring! Hint: check out the sorrel cream sauce recipe if you need convincing on this veggie! (The link to all Cosmic Recipes is at the bottom) Pea shoots! What is more full of hope then a pea shoot? The full flavor of a pea with no crunch. Suddenly a essence you can't describe is right there, promising more amazing flavor form the garden. Here we go! Spring in the Tetons is here. The garden is almost all planted and everything is gorgeously green. We are honored to be growing for you. We are full of hope for an abundant year. Thanks for joining us! Meat and Cheese coolers! The meat and cheese coolers are stocked with beef, pork and Lifeline cheese. Ask your site host to see what goodies we have to go with your veggies. Help wanted! We need a site host for the Thursday site in Wilson. This is one of the best farm jobs because hosts get to hang out with you! Hosts get 1/2 a share. We also have a market harvester position available at the farm. This is a paid position. Please help Spread the word!!! Please ask anyone interested to email me for more info. 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 Saturday Market: Saturdays 8-12 (starts 7/7) |
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Victor, ID 83455 |