Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Tomatoes, Kale, Carrots, Basil, Summer Squash, maybe Sugar Snap Peas and/or Cucumbers 

September is coming in HOT! The forecast is calling for lots of heat in the next week with no chance of frost. Any frost free day in September always feels like a gift. We will keep harvesting the summer squash and cucumbers until they freeze. The cucumbers had a rough start and are just getting going. The tomatoes and basil are tucked in the greenhouses, so thanks to plastic and propane, they will keep producing even after we frost. The fall crops are shaping up nicely and it looks like it will be a promising harvest.
Once September arrives, folks start asking when the shares will end. Truthfully...we don't know. It is weather dependent. Our goal is to put out 16 shares. Some years it takes us longer to clean out the garden, other years we get it done quicker. After we freeze, it depends on how many hands we have to help get the thousands of pounds of produce out of the ground. It also depends on the weather. If it is cold and wet it slows us (and everyone else!) down. I promise to keep you posted on the fall progression, but like I said Mama Nature is in charge!!

​​Volunteer!
Here's the big secret. September is the best month to volunteer. It is the month of some of the biggest shares. Help us wrap up the harvest and receive lots of veggies!!
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 a 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, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Fennel, maybe Sugar Snap Peas, Beans, Basil and/or Parsley

​In last week's newsletter I touched on the cover crops we have been planting. The truth is...we went big with cover crops this year. A cover crop is planted to "cover" the soil so it is not bare, which leaves it susceptible to erosion and available for weed seeds to grow in. Cover crops also improve the microbial life in the soil, which I spoke of last week.
We have multi species cover crops in 3 places. In the garden we alternated the veggie rows with rye and vetch. In the greenhouses and in the garden paths we planted plantain, clover and grasses. The "pasture to be" is the big one, it now grows grasses, legumes, radish, turnips, collards, oats, barley, wheat, flax and chicory! It is a mix of perennials and annuals and the cows are gonna love it! The grasses need a couple of years to establish themselves but the annuals will be food for the cows this fall. The pig yard has oats, barley, wheat and winter peas in it. Our 4th cover crop is where the garlic was harvested from. It is only winter peas, since they were the only seeds we could get this time of year.
We now have more soil covered then before. I think of the forest in relation to cover crops...there is never bare soil in the natural world, you always have to dig down to find it. This is how the farm should be mostly. Most of the veggie crops are the exception, they need to have some space around them for harvesting and so the plants have enough room to grow with limited competition. But we have started to make sure the paths between garden beds have cover crops growing.
At Cosmic Apple the cover crops feed the soil and suppress weeds. Luckily for us, erosion is not a big deal because of our location (wind deposits soil, instead of taking it), and flat topography (water does not move soil). With cover crops interplanted as paths and alternating garden beds we are feeding the soil at the same time we are harvesting from it.
During our yearly organic inspection a hole was dug in a cover cropped path. The soil was moist, rich, full of worms and crumbly. It had good moisture retention and had become a soil microbe reservoir! A hole was dug in an old path that had not been cover cropped. The soil was compacted and dry...Jed said "it was not pretty."
We recently learned that soil microbes proliferate when 4 or more plant species are growing together...again the forest floor! Most farms in the US are mono-cropped.
And now to get completely geeky about soil.... 
Plant roots release this stuff called root exudates. The exudates come out of the roots and improve the microbial life and resist harmful microbes. Weeds (the ones that are prolific at the farm) only put 20% of their energy into the soil through root exudates. The veggies and cover crops put about 60-70% of their energy into root exudates. SOOOO what does this mean and why does it matter? Guess what else root exudates do? They sequester carbon! It's all a very complex process and I don't really understand it... people are getting Doctorates trying to explain it all kinds of papers right now!
Once again...it feels like we are on the right path trying to grow the best food. The practices that make sense to us to help get rid of the weeds are good for the earth. And as usual diversity wins. 

​Volunteer!
Here's the big secret. September is the best month to volunteer. It is the month of some of the biggest shares. Help us wrap up the harvest and receive lots of veggies!!
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 a 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, Red Kale, Tomatoes, Maybe Shell Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Summer Squash and/or Baby Carrots

Holy amazing rain. We were on a bit of an irrigation roller coaster at the end of July. The night before we left for our trip, we found out the water was being shut off before we returned. Ugh. I did not want to come back to a brown and dead garden. Then halfway through our vacation we found out we had another week of water. (giving us to August 9th) Woohooo! I was so relieved. I told Jed and he was so even keeled about the whole thing it was puzzling to me. He just laughed and said he got used to the idea of not needing to move pipe when he returned. Vacation suited him well.
Then the rain started. Big soaking downpours. Only a tiny bit of hail! The garden is now so well hydrated we have not been moving pipe. We have not heard anything about the state of our irrigation...but because of really complicated water laws, we are feeling pretty secure about the garden staying green for the duration of the summer.
 
I asked the crew what I should write about today. Answers were: Kids eating veggies, garlic harvest, cooking and the big picture of the farm.
How to get kids to eat veggies. Oh my. I don't have a magic answer. The closest thing I have to sorcery is butter. Cook veggies in butter. I swear it helps and kids need healthy fats to grow their brains. Yummy sauces for dipping. Hummus, yogurt dill, "the ultimate dressing", yogurt-cuke-mint. Let them free range eat. Put out a snack so they can munch and play. Let them help prepare the food. I think my kids were always more willing to eat things they helped to make. Bring them to the farm. Making the connection between food growing in the garden and then seeing it on their plate is huge. Our farm members are welcome to walk around any time. The teenage pigs are near the parking area...and will definitely provide some entertainment. If we know you are coming I can sometimes get my daughter to give you a tour. I'll even pay her to say she likes veggies!
​
Garlic Harvest! It's happening...happened! As I type the last two rows are being pulled. It looks large and healthy. Some of it went out in last week's share. The rest of it is now curing in our storage shed, waiting to be distributed to you in the fall or planted for next year's crop in October. I have written all about garlic's unique lifecycle on the "Garlic" page in the recipes. Check it out!!
Speaking of recipes...if you are not sure how to use a specific veggie, check out each corresponding page on our recipe link. There are also storage and cooking tips on each page.

And finally...the "big picture of the farm"? Our goal is to "Grow the best food for the People of the Tetons". Every single thing we do comes back to that little sentence. It all starts with the soil. It is our most precious resource and preserving its health is our greatest job. The soil is alive. This following fact is mind boggling:
*There are more living organisms in 1 teaspoon of healthy topsoil then there are people in the world.*
That is a lot of life to protect and preserve. There is more life below our feet then above it. It makes me want to hover over the soil in constant amazement and gratitude. All this life is literally holding us up and the irony is we are walking around on it not noticing our foundation!
Our caretaking of the soil involves many layers. We use Biodynamic preparations to enhance the microbial life in the soil. We don't use sprays that kill things. We are currently experimenting with cover crops to feed the soil and to promote diversity. The water we irrigate with is Teton snowmelt so nothing creepy is being added to the farm when we water. We strive to keep the soil "covered". We don't have large sections of unplanted garden for long. The soil needs plants to protect it and hold it in place.
The compost pile from our animals is an integral part of the farm. Our cows make manure all winter which is put into a pile in the spring. The compost pile cooks all summer long and is spread in the fall to replenish the nutrients we harvested as vegetable matter. The microbes in the living soil break down the compost further to create more humus. The compost also improves the soil structure. 
We have been farming at the same location for 20 years now. In the time we have been here, a tangible difference in the soil is evident. The soil has grown darker since we started farming here. The structure is better...more aeration occurs. And honestly...the farm soil is just gorgeous. It is a rich brown and feels amazing when I hold it. The smell alone seems to nourish me. Walking barefoot in the garden (in the thistle free zones!) is one of my favorite sensations ever, I can feel the life beneath my feet, holding me up, taking care of me. I hope in return, we take care of the soil in the way it needs us too so we can continue to grow the best food possible!

Volunteer!
Here's the big secret. September is the best month to volunteer. It is the month of some of the biggest shares. Help us wrap up the harvest and receive lots of veggies!!
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 a 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, Collards, Tomatoes, Garlic, Head Lettuce, Bok Choy maybe Basil, Sugar Snap Peas, Shell Peas and/or Summer Squash

Tuesday the 2nd of August was Lammas, the day half way between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. It is considered the beginning of the harvest and the season of fire...not just the forest type. The sun burns brightly above us, tempers flare and a feeling of scarcity of summer days creeps in for some. The urge to pack it all in is upon us. At the farm this translates to getting the harvest in. There is so much to do. We planted a lot and now we must reap it!
In August I like to wear a necklace I have with a bee on it. Bees amaze me. Everything they do is for the hive. The necklace reminds me to keep going "for the hive". The season of rest will be upon us soon, until then the eating is still so good!!!!
I was unable to write about Lammas last week because the farm family took our first ever summer vacation. We did it!!! My parents were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and we wanted to be there. We went to the beach. In the summer. Our whole family! It was great. I feel refreshed and even more committed to growing great food. Getting out of the farm bubble makes it easy to see how hard it is to access really good food. Although the kids were really happy about all the options on the boardwalk! I ate as much corn on the cob with Cosmic butter as I possibly could. 
Traveling in the middle of summer made me so incredibly grateful for the thriving local food scene in the Tetons. We managed to find some fresh, locally grown items that were not organic. And we managed to find one natural food store that had some non-local organic produce. They only had 1 farmer's market that we did not attend because the timing did not work. But...wow...3 cheers for all the growers around here supplying the stores and the 3 different regional markets. Good food is way more accessible here. A huge part of that is the work local consumers are willing to do to access it. So thanks for putting the time in to keep the local food scene thriving. We need you!
We could not have pulled our vacation off without the help of our employees. We sincerely knew the farm was in good hands and we were genuinely able to relax. Some employees worked extra hours so we could go. Everyone had extra tasks to get done. They all pulled together and did it. So once again...and never enough....YAY FARM CREW!

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 a 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!