Crop List: Arugula, Turnips, Collards, Summer Squash, Head Lettuce, Bok Choy, Parsley, Tomatoes, Maybe Cucumbers, Napa Cabbage, Sugar Snap Peas, and/or Sunflowers

This week will keep us on our toes. Early in the week will be very hot summer temperatures and by mid week it looks like it will be cooling down and getting rainy. This can make the end of the week harvest very different then the early in the week harvest. We show up thinking we know what we are doing but then have to do it all in rain gear and mud. It slows us down and changes the pace the garden grows at. The garden could use a good soaking right now, so the rain will be welcome. The heat has the Cosmic Mix a bit stressed out and it was looking yellow this week so we skipped over to the arugula. We were concerned the heat would have yellowed the arugula also, but we have been pleasantly surprised by what a great crop it is! It is a gorgeous green and has a great flavor. The bug holes are kind of par for the course this time of year, but they don't affect the flavor and sharing is part of organic farming!
Lammas is on Wednesday, August 2nd. This day always creeps up on me and leaves me feeling happy and sad. It is the day midway between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. Traditionally it was celebrated as the beginning of the harvest season. The joy of watching all these crops come to fruition, savoring the flavors, feeling the sun on my skin, getting excited about what is yet to be harvested are all the reasons I love this time of year. Knowing summer has to end at some point because we can't sustain this pace year round brings relief. The sadness comes from letting go of the crops we must admit just won't make it (I don't quite know what this is yet this year!) and the real feeling of how fleeting a Teton summer is.
I can feel the fullness of the season on the farm right now. We have shifted into working hard to get the crops harvested and processed on time for our commitments. Efficiency is everything right now. The weeds are all going to seed and are at their peak of the year. The summer squash is teetering on becoming an emergency...there is so much of it, it's awesome! The sunflowers have started blooming just in time to infuse our lives with more wonder about how beautiful our world can be.
​This is the time of the year I dream about. It is a great time to be an eater of food. It is the time of year we told our employees about when our coffee breaks were a bit more leisurely in the spring. It is go time!
The fullness of the year can also be seen with our sweet herd of cows. We have been expecting 5 of them to have calves starting on Wednesday of this week. The calves could come anytime in the next 2 months. Some of them are doing a very pregnant waddle around udders that are growing large. Some look like wide barrels balanced on toothpicks. Our cows didn't calve in the spring because Full Circle Farm loaned us their bull and the timing of his very productive visit was about 9 months ago. Spring calving can be tricky with the indecisive weather. I love not being concerned about snow and freezing temps right now. The mamas have also been eating lots of green grass which helps them be at the peak of health for baby having.
We had a surprise early arrival on Sunday of this week. Our employee was showing her friend around when she noticed what looked like a sack hanging out of Penguin (yes, the kids name the cows). She went to get Jed and he told her it was most likely really early and to come get him when she saw hooves. She came right back. Jed walked in from the field. He looked at the cow and went to fill up his water bottle to wait and watch. In the 2 minutes it took him to return a healthy calf had arrived.  I can only pray that the other calves have such a smooth arrival, and that the other mamas come out on the other side of birth as easily as Penguin did. I absolutely love the gift of being able to witness a fresh life arriving earth side, but sometimes the best is when the cow and calf just surprise us. The waiting, wondering and watching can get stressful especially during a long birth when we can be deliberating complications.
I hope this week finds you basking in the fullness of summer, drinking in all the beauty around you and murmuring with delight as you taste the flavors only available this time of year.
​
Volunteer Special! Have you wanted to try a day on the farm, but can't commit to one day a week? Let us know if you want to work for one morning. 7am-12:15. Monday-Thursday. We'll feed you lunch and give you a half share. You'll get to see where your veggies come from and what it takes to get them on the truck for share distribution. Please send me an email so we can plan for extra hands.
Volunteer-If you (or someone you know!) is curious about high altitude gardening becoming a garden helper may be just right. We are only asking folks to commit to 1 morning a week for one month, that's 20-25 hours for one month! It feels really good to have volunteers back on the farm, we missed them!! Lunch and veggies are provided! Follow the link below to check it out!

Lunch this Week: Zucchini Cakes with Tomato Balsamic Parsley sauce. Pita pockets with tzatziki, hard boiled eggs, walnuts, raisins, tomatoes and arugula 
Recipe Ideas: Basic Bok Choy, Steamed Collard Greens with Miso-Tamari Seasoning, Napa Cabbage Salad, Chimichurri Sauce (Parsley page), Persian Chopped Salad (Parsley Page), Tomato Salsa with Sugar Snap Peas​
​
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 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: Ground Beef
​Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Tenderloin, Spare Ribs, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) 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 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, Curly Kale, Turnips, Romaine Head Lettuce, Mint, Radish, Summer Squash, Maybe Tomatoes, Sugar Snap Peas and/or Cucumbers 

As a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member you have a vested interest in the farm and our success. Many of you pay for your veggies before we are done harvesting the previous year's crop, committing to a share in the fall for the following summer. This is a leap of faith for you. You should know, many years Jed and I joke about taking the money and splitting for Mexico, we haven't...yet. Us taking the money and running aside...by purchasing your veggies in advance you are agreeing to reap the harvest in good years and in bad. We have had some crop failures over the years, but we grow such a diversity of crops we have never had a full bust, every year we are proud of what we grow and how many people we feed. 
Buying a share is so different from going to the grocery store. Not knowing what you are getting, juggling a small pick up window or not being able to stop back for what you want more of are all things that make it challenging on your end. In return you are helping to build a local food system, getting fresher veggies that are more nutrient dense, taste better and are better for your health. You are keeping more of your money local, reducing your carbon footprint and supporting a local family.
The food distribution system in our country is dangerous at best. We in the Tetons know all to well how fragile our grocery stores are in the winter when storms shut down the roads. Most cities and towns only have enough food for 3 days. The produce ordered by grocery stores comes from huge distribution points which are stocked by huge farms who monocrop vast tracts of land...yes, even the organic ones. The farms send their produce out not knowing where it is going or who is eating it. Grocers order food not caring about where the produce is coming from or ever knowing the names of the farms.
I recently heard another farmer describe the CSA model as "farming in color". For year's she was a dairy farmer, putting her milk on a semi once a week and sending it away, waiting for the check to show up. Living in a black and white world. She now sells milk directly to customers, all who have added so much color to her life. She knows her customers, cares about them and wants the best for their families. There is a reciprocal relationship that has been formed. There is compassion and connection built by knowing others in our community. Trust is built.
If I tell you a crop is short this week, you trust we did our best to bring it to fruition. Farming is a mix of science, art, timing and a hell of a lot of hard work. The end results of what we do don't end up on a store shelf for someone who does not care about where our produce came from. It is for you, the person who believes in our farm, our mission and our family.
We can't always deliver exactly what you want, when you want it like the grocery store can. Grocers don't care where the produce is from as long as it is there. Farmers are at the mercy of Mother Nature, labor shortages, payroll being too high, irrigation limitations and just not enough time in day. We know so many of you get this. It is why you are here. It is why you have chosen to take the road less traveled. You have made a decision to step into a world full of color and taste and relationship. You have chosen to support our farm in abundance and in lack.
I write all this not to set you up for a year of lack! We are having a stellar growing season. We just wanted to remind everyone about the CSA model and how we are all in it together, supporting each other, depending on and trusting each other. Stepping outside of a broken food system with each of us doing our best to build something different.

Volunteer Special! Have you wanted to try a day on the farm, but can't commit to one day a week? Let us know if you want to work for one morning. 7am-12:15. Monday-Thursday. We'll feed you lunch and give you a half share. You'll get to see where your veggies come from and what it takes to get them on the truck for share distribution. Please send me an email so we can plan for extra hands.
Volunteer-If you (or someone you know!) is curious about high altitude gardening becoming a garden helper may be just right. We are only asking folks to commit to 1 morning a week for one month, that's 20-25 hours for one month! It feels really good to have volunteers back on the farm, we missed them!! Lunch and veggies are provided! Follow the link below to check it out!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Bok Choy, Sorrel, Basil, maybe Tomatoes or Sugar Snap Peas

It feels like summer! And it's beginning to taste like it too! The Sugar Snaps are starting to come in. We cruised the row on Friday afternoon and picked a few handfuls with the crew. There were not many ripe ones yet. By Tuesday they should be looking good. Sugar Snaps plump up quick when they decide to do so. We have a lot of peas growing this year. A few crops of Sugar Snaps and some Shelling Peas that will be ready later. To me, fresh crunchy Sugar Snap is about as summery as it gets! The garden is taking a turn away from the early spring crops. The shares will start to get heavier as the produce gets bulkier.
Sorrel is an absolute favorite of mine, and it feels like a springtime flashback. It is one of the first perennials up every spring and we eat a lot of it! We planted a new crop this year, when the old stuff was already above ground...and covered in grass making it hard to harvest. The seeds that were planted in early May are ready now. Most years the sorrel that comes up in early spring is bolted, and no longer tender by the time we start shares. Having sorrel now is a treat. I can't speak highly enough of the Sorrel Cream Sauce as an easy introduction to this lemony delight. And yes! Kids love the sauce!
The summer squash are starting to set fruits​. The sunflowers have flower buds and the garlic will begin drying down soon. The tomatoes are loaded and gradually turning red, yellow and orange. We may only have enough for one pick up location a night to get them this first week. The bounty will make it all the way around eventually...and we keep records to make sure all sites get the same amounts.
It seems this is the week the unirrigated grasses around the valley will turn brown. The sun is warm and there is no rain in the forecast as of now. The grasses stayed green for so long this year thanks to the consistent rain, but the dulling of the green vibrancy is apparent. I can still see snow on Taylor Mountain and in the Big Holes. There is also much more snow visible in the Tetons then usual at this time of the year. The wildflowers are astounding. I have not had much time to make it into the high country recently, but just observing the differences from the valley floor, there is a marked difference in the past 5 years or so. A perceptible shift to the heights of summer is happening. The most obvious difference is that I want to go swimming!
The garden loves this heat and many of the plants are growing inches overnight. We have been weeding with every spare moment we have. I am confident our energies are soon going to be consumed with harvesting as the garden starts to yield more and more!

Volunteer-If you (or someone you know!) is curious about high altitude gardening becoming a garden helper may be just right. We are only asking folks to commit to 1 morning a week for one month, that's 20-25 hours for one month! It feels really good to have volunteers back on the farm, we missed them!! Lunch and veggies are provided! Follow the link below to check it out!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Turnips, Radish, Kale, Baby Bok Choy, Cilantro, Dill and Garlic Curls

Three cheers for all of our Tuesday CSA members who are picking up their veggies on July 4th!! Our summer harvest schedule is so jam packed that we can't switch things around for holidays. The garden just keeps on giving and we are responsible for harvesting when it needs done. We really appreciate your understanding and commitment to getting your veggies. We know it is not always convenient but it sure does taste better!
And how about lots of cheers for our amazing crew who worked all day on the 4th to make sure your veggies were ready for you?! YAY!!!
We are happy to announce that we have enough people hired for the summer. As anyone who runs a business in the Tetons can tell you, this feels amazing! We now have 13 folks working with us. Some work full time, others part time. A small handful will be headed back to school...we have told them their institutions of choice have burned down...but they seem committed to leaving, and we begrudgingly understand.
Our crew is great. Jed and I are always astonished by the folks the farm attracts. We are well aware that every one of our employees could be making more money doing landscaping, serving tables or running a huge tech company. The farm attracts folks looking to learn about growing food, feeding their community and working outside. Some of our jobs are Field Crew, Wash Station Manager (AKA Veggie Caretaker), Greenhouse Manager, Market Helper, Chore Helper and Truck Driver.
This year's field crew is all new folks with the exception of our managers. Most crew members arrived with no prior farm experience. We are so impressed by the way they have learned the job and have taken ownership of the results. They are all learning to farm quickly and efficiently while smiling and laughing at the same time. I didn't mention any names, because I don't want any other local business owners recruiting from our dream team! HA!
Our social life tends to revolve around the farm. Employees become life long friends. Our days are shared with our crew and we eat many meals together. They have seen us having awesome moments as parents and some not so shiny moments since our kids are with us a lot. Our crew gets to work for a married couple who sometimes disagrees with how a project should be done (ever happen to you?). Family farms are gritty, silly, and as individual as each family. Even though we are a family farm, we need more then just our immediate family to make it happen. We truly feel like everyone who works with us is extended family, whether they are there for part of a season, a whole season or many years. Our farm could not function without the amazing folks who show up everyday to help get the veggies to the People of the Tetons. We are truly grateful to each of these individuals. Give them a high five if you ever meet one of them while out and about!

Even though we have a full crew hired...we still need some volunteers. And aren't you curious about all those awesome employees I just told you about? Here is your chance to meet them!!!​
Volunteer-If you (or someone you know!) is curious about high altitude gardening becoming a garden helper may be just right. We are only asking folks to commit to 1 morning a week for one month, that's 20-25 hours for one month! It feels really good to have volunteers back on the farm, we missed them!! Lunch and veggies are provided! Follow the link below to check it out!