Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Collards, Turnips, Sugar Snap Peas, Basil, New Red Fire Head Lettuce, Fresh Garlic and Tomatoes

Garden update!
It's been hot. You know that.
Our irrigation has been wonderful. The plants are still getting plenty of Teton snow melt. With heat and water, the garden is growing great. So are the weeds. We are really struggling to keep up this year. Truth is we don't have enough help. The last 2 years we've had enough employees to make it all happen. The garden was weeded and we were feeling fine. This year is rough. We need to get the garlic harvested (which looks GORGEOUS!) but we don't have the time (really people) to stop weeding and do it. We are doing our best and trying to save crops. But we are feeling the pressure.
A big shout out to Slow Food in the Tetons who brought 4 staff members over to help us out on Monday afternoon. We planned the day a couple of weeks ago...and holy lucked out with the first cooler day in a while! We are so grateful to them for their help. With them, we were able to save the  yellow onions, green cabbage, half a row of leeks and some red cabbage! YAY!
The carrot crop was weeded earlier in the season and it's looking great! We lost a whole carrot crop to weeds about 4 years ago and vowed to never do it again. It is way to much of a cherished crop, and the carrots are sensitive to weeds. We should see early carrots in the shares soon.
Brace yourself. Some bad news. We lost the cucumbers. It wasn't the weeds! It was the mice. This never happened before. I'm sad. Cucumbers are one of my favorite garden treats. The hungry little rodents ate every plant. We even replanted them...and they came back and had another feast. We've heard from some other growers they too are having a rough year with the mice and voles. Most likely from the warm winter/spring...and double whammy for us...our beloved farm cat Dumbledore died this spring. Our biggest protector from rodents was missing.
We did get 2 new mouse slayers. Artemis and Bigfoot (aka Underfoot). Yay! New kitties! They are doing a great job and are super sweet. By next year, I'm sure they'll be prowling the fields and hunting everywhere. Currently they are sticking a bit close to the buildings as they figure out what is safe. They definitely defended the tomatoes in the greenhouses! The first ripe tomatoes ripen from the bottom part of the plant, as the plant grows the higher up tomatoes ripen. Without cats, the earliest tomatoes always get nibbled on by the ground squirrels but we have not seen that this year. Our new hunters are helping, they just weren't brave enough to venture out where the cucumbers are. Next year I have high hopes!
The squash plants (summer squash and winter squash) are flowering like crazy. We should have zucchinis, patty pan and yellow crookneck really soon! Dust off your favorite summer squash recipes! Enjoy your share. These are the flavors we dream of in the middle of winter. Savor the abundance!

Party!
I only have this week and next to remind you about our big anniversary party! We are having a FREE CONCERT at the farm. Sunday, August 9th at 7pm. The Deadlocks! Come dance with us. Kid friendly. Details below.

Recipe Ideas: Basil Green Goddess Dressing; Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto; Spicy Collards; Steamed Collard Greens with Miso-Tamari Seasoning; ​Lemon Butter Basil Turnips

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Kale, Fresh Garlic, Basil, Radish, Sugar Snap Peas, Maybe Tomatoes and/or Turnips

Our big celebration is 2 and half week away! We really hope you can join us! We are having a free concert for all of our supporters on Sunday, August 9th at 7 pm. The Deadlocks will be bringing a full stage and we plan on dancing the night away!  Please share this info with anyone you know who has been a fan of Cosmic Apple over the years. This party is about our community and what we have created together!
We are having a Table on the Farm Dinner hosted by Jackson Hole Farmer's Market, prior to the music. This part of the evening requires tickets.
The music is free for all of the Cosmic Apple community!
We think this will be a night to remember!

By working in community (you, us, other local farms and organizations) we have created a thriving local food scene. With CSA's, markets and local stores the Tetons has it going on! One of our favorite things about being around for 30 years is watching new farms pop us and find their niche. Until we drive the Sysco trucks out of our valley's, we have room for more farms.
We've been around long enough that we are considered the old timers in the local food scene, but before there was Cosmic Apple, there was Alpenglow. Farmer Ted Wells was the first certified organic farmer who was growing veggies. He has always been an inspiration and he's still farming!
The first CSA was run by Blue Flax Farm, which is now the location of Sweet Hollow Farm. Jed and I actually met at Blue Flax Farm. I was a volunteer and he was "the new farmer down the road" coming to borrow some tool from Mark and Julia at Blue Flax. It was a very quick introduction.
I was also working in the kitchen at Sweetwater Restaurant in Jackson as a cook. Jed would deliver produce there...but he never wanted to talk and I thought he was annoying because he was always in such a hurry. I wanted to talk about farming since I worked at Blue Flax and had experience on farms in Montana. Finding people my age to talk about gardening with in Jackson was challenging. I now understand he was on deliveries and just wanted to get out of town and back to his farm.
I was the pantry chef and got to create salads with Cosmic Apple ingredients. I was finally cooking with real food in a restaurant. I was happy about that. I was already over Sysco ingredients!
After one summer in Jackson, I started leaving to go apprentice on other farms and come back for ski season. I was living the dream. Farming in the summer, snowboarding at JACKSON HOLE (Squeal!!!) and on the pass in the winter. Amazing.
By the spring of 2002 I remember having the distinct thought when riding a chairlift: "there has got to be more to life then going up and down mountains every day". I was starting to feel unfulfilled with my ski bum, restaurant life. (I'm still super stoked for those who keep at it!! Keep the dream alive friends!)
I really wanted to grow food, AND live in the Tetons.
A friend knew Jed had just been given the opportunity to move his farm to a new 30 acre parcel. She knew he needed help. She knew I had experience after 2 years volunteering and  2 full seasons apprenticing as a farmer. She was also playing matchmaker...but wisely didn't tell either of us.
Jed came to my apartment when he was doing deliveries one day for an interview. He asked me to see some references. There was no internet at the time. I explained to him that I could call some of the farms and ask them to write letters, but it would take time to get them. I also told him that it would be easier to hire me, and then fire me if I wasn't a good worker! I was pretty confident in my abilities.
The day he hired me he tried to get me to commit to covering a weekend at the farm for him so he could go away. I insisted I needed to check my calendar because that date seemed familiar. He really tried to get me to commit to covering. It turned out we both had tickets to the same Phil and Friends show in Bozeman. I refused to skip the show.
We ignored each other when we spotted each other at the show. He was my boss. I was having fun with my friends, and did not want to talk to my boss about work! He later told me, he felt the same way.
When the show was over, spring had sprung in the valley and it was time to get to work. Long story short...Jed and I worked together for about 1 month before admitting we fell for each other.
He didn't fire me.
The music of the Grateful Dead, farming and real food have been things that brought Jed and I so much joy before we found each other and after. We are so happy to mix these things together as we celebrate 30 years. Cosmic Apple is community and food wrapped up in a love story.

Seriously. Please join us to celebrate!!

Recipe Ideas: Kale Tomato Brown Rice Bowl; ​Kale with Bacon; ​Tomato Basil Chicken; Tomato Salsa with Sugar Snap Peas 

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Sugar Snap Peas, Radish, Turnips, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Head Lettuce, Mint and Maybe Tomatoes

Holy hotness. We don't usually get too many days over 90 in the summer, but it's happening. The plants are loving it, and the warm nights. Enjoy the mint this week! As an herb it has cooling properties that are so perfect in this heat. The absolute easiest thing you can do with it is to put a sprig in your water bottle. You can refill it multiple times and get a hint of mint with each bottle you drink!

One of the questions we get asked the most is: How did Cosmic Apple Gardens get it's name? Good question. Honestly, our name doesn't really make much sense, but it does have an origin.
It's a classic business naming story. Waaaaayyyyyy back in 1996, Jed had harvested and was ready to do his first roadside stand in Victor. The City told Jed he need to call the state to get a business license before he started selling. As he was on the phone with the State Tax Commission, they asked him for his business name. He didn't know!!! His buddy said "DUDE! You should call it Cosmic Apple Gardens because you grow at the 'Painted Apple Ranch' and you're all Biodynamic and cosmic and stuff!"
Jed replied "that's the dumbest name ever". But he couldn't come up with anything else before he had to hand the paperwork into the City of Victor. Time was ticking and he figured he'd just change it later when he came up with something better.
30 years later...here we are! Still, Cosmic Apple Gardens.
The "farm" started in a greenhouse in Driggs.  Jed added the greenhouse to a little rental house on 5th St. He only grew basil at the time. The farm became a real farm when it moved to the Painted Apple Ranch and started growing in real soil under the sun in 1996.
In 2002 the farm moved to our current location. A 30 acre alfalfa field with no infrastructure. We put in a well, moved a greenhouse from the Painted Apple and began building "shed village", AKA...buildings we can build in 1 day.
The 3 sheds by the parking area were originally donations from the Dornan family. They purchased canvas wall tents for their employee housing, but the employees didn't like them so they gifted them to us. We eventually had to remove the canvas as it was destroyed by the Idaho wind. We built plywood sides and put metal roofs on them. If you look at them, you can see the original wood on the bottom quarter of the structures. My first summer working at the farm (2002) I lived in the shed closest to the road and parking area by the lilacs.
Every year in the fall we get what we think are funny-sweet phone calls about people looking for "Cosmic Apples". "Cosmic apple" is an apple variety that has recently been developed and is growing in popularity. Folks are wondering if they can come to the farm and pick apples. Wondering if they can bring the family to see a real orchard. Our favorite was an angry call from someone in Georgia who "bought our apples at Walmart" and was furious with us because they said organic but her and her friend (who also bought a bag) assured us they tasted like chemicals anyway. I'm glad that we don't grow apples and ship them to Georgia Wal-marts.
We have a few apple trees. Jed gets me fruit trees for my birthday to grow our collection. The trees are just starting to get big enough to really have some harvests from them. This year they sadly froze and we lost the blossoms. Apples around here yield every 2 years. So maybe in 2028 we'll have enough to share. Fingers are crossed for a great apple crop! Someday we'll have apples from Cosmic Apple Gardens. Until then...we'll just keep confusing folks with our name. The Teton locals are in the know about who we are and what we really grow. I guess we'll be keeping the name for the time being!

Recipe Ideas: Dale’s Classic Mint Tea; Mint Vinaigrette; Mint Glazed Turnips; Dale’s Mint Quinoa with Veggies; Snap Pea & Turnip Salad

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Arugula, Collards, Basil, Radish, Garlic Curls, Bok Choy, Lettuce, maybe Radish and/or Sugar Snap Peas

The crop list is shifting to early summer. For me, the shift is noticeable by the addition of crunchy things, we are moving beyond just leafy greens. Radish, Bok Choy, Garlic Curls and of course...Sugar Snap Peas!!
The end of this week is looking like a hot one. As long as we can keep everything watered, the plants will be loving it! Warm nights, long days and irrigation are the magic trio for rapid growth. The sugar snaps are on the "maybe list" because we are tentative to promise them before we actually pick them. Writing a farm newsletter can be tricky, because it's really hard to look at a row of peas and guess how many pounds are out there! Once they start coming in, everyone will get them!
The sugar snap peas are going to come on fast. The plants are loaded, and still have so many beautiful flowers waiting to turn into more peas. Our crew will spend a lot of time diligently picking the peas in the next few weeks.
Pea picking sounds like an easy job...but if you've never done it, it's not for the faint of heart.
While it is fun to be in the field with a group of people chattering away, solving the world's problems, telling jokes or recounting last night's events, it is a "minds on job". Paying attention is imperative. Peas like to hide, they are the exact same shade of green as the plant. Every pea one sees involves a decision. Is it under ripe? Over-ripe? Or perfect? Perfect peas go in the bucket. Filling a bucket with peas is one of the most satisfying jobs on the farm. When you start with an empty bucket each pea added makes a pleasant "thonk" sound! If a pea is under ripe, it gets left on the vine. The most challenging thing to learn is the difference between a pea that needs a tiny bit more time to ripen because it is kind of ripe..., and one that will be over-ripe before the next picking. A fine line to walk!
Everyone gets bummed when picking, a row and it's is laden with over-ripe peas. It's a waste of time, and so sad to see the missed peas. Picking peas involves paying attention and moving efficiently so the row gets picked properly!
We know we'll never be able to pick enough peas to satisfy the CSA. The labor involved is just too much. And the peas come in at a time that is our "weed it or loose it" time of the year! We need to get the peas picked and get back to slaying the weeds to save the future crops!
You'll notice our peas are sooooo much sweeter then anything you can buy in the store. Because we pick by hand, the whole plant is not just stripped by a machine and every pea added to a conveyor belt. Like I said earlier, we are looking for perfectly ripe peas! You'll definitely taste the difference! And, ummm, if you have kids, make sure you put a secret stash of peas somewhere, or your kids will eat them all before you make it home from your veggie pick up!

Cosmic Apple History note...
Jed had a dog named Harpooha. That dog LOVED sugar snap peas. He was happy if you tossed him one when harvesting.  We gave him the ones that a bug nibbled on.  Sometimes he'd get a pea before dinner while his human was cooking. He eventually got sick of waiting and figured out how to pick his own. He would find the ripe ones and eat them right off the vine! We'd find him lingering in the pea patch when we moved irrigation pipe. Moral of the story...don't let your dog learn how to graze in the garden!

Recipe Ideas: Thai Bok Choy with Garlic Curl; Spicy Collards; Blistered Radishes with Parsley; ​Honey Basil Dressing