Crop List: Green Beans, Cabbage, Fennel, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Pickling Cucumbers, Cucumbers, Sunflowers, Turnips, Sugar Snap Peas, maybe Cosmic Mix, Radish and/or Shell Peas

The Cosmic Mix is taking a bit of a hiatus this week. Our new crop had poor germination because of the high heat. The old crop needs a bit of a break to regrow...so we are inbetween! For some items the garden has crossed over the peak. Tomatoes, sunflowers, squash and cucumbers will slow down a bit although the sunflowers, squash and cukes will keep producing until a frost. The tomatoes are tucked in the greenhouse and will keep going until we shut off the propane! The shorter days are starting to affect how quickly the plants grown. Many of the late summer treats are starting to appear...beans, fennel and cabbage! These things are ready earlier then usual thanks to an incredible growing year.

I heard a podcast the other day that resonated with me. Being interviewed was Charlotte Smith, a bit of a farm guru, who helps farmers with marketing, pricing, time management and so many other things that if done improperly can be the difference between a successful farm and one that fails. I usually listen to her podcast...but this time she was being interviewed by another podcaster. 
The interviewer was trying to understand why anyone would want to pay more for locally produced food...and also...WHY is it more expensive?
Smith made some great points in support of local food around health, that I've shared here before. What really got me thinking is...why is local food more expensive?
I have said that I wish I could feed the world for free, but my family also deserves a home, vacation, clothes, a retirement and other things standard in this country. We have examined our pricing and know we can't sell for less then we do...so how is it possible that grocery stores undersell us? Especially since much of the produce is coming from half way around the world? And Cosmic Apple has no middle people (grocery store employees, long distance truck drivers, wholesalers) so it really should be cheaper, right??? Wrong. Smith took the time to explain some of these reasons...I'll summarize!

Huge cooperate farms have economy of scale on their side. They may be farming 1000's of acres and pay the same in government fees and licensees that we pay to farm 50 acres. When purchasing supplies they have more buying power and can buy in bulk. We pay retail for everything, while they are having semis or pallets delivered at a discount.
#2. Grocery store food is kept at an artificially low price. Cooperate farms are getting subsidies, so they can sell products below production cost. After the Depression, Roosevelt said no American will ever stand in line for food again. He pledged to keep food cheap. This was the end of the average American family farm making a good living.  Before this moment farmers were very esteemed in society, farmers fed people...kind of important! Farmers were respected and treated like doctors and lawyers. Things began to change. Food subsidies began and targeted 7 big commodities, instantly making it hard for diversified farms, making a living became harder on the farm. To this day big commodity farms get checks every month from the government to subsidize food production. Small diversified farms aren't eligible for the breaks the big ones get. Policy changes are long overdue.
Her third point is something we rarely acknowledge...because the truth can hurt, and none of us want to face the fact we could be contributing to slavery. Slave labor is still used to produce food. It has been proven that we are sold food grown with slave labor in American grocery stores. Tomatoes are a big culprit. (Do a simple internet search or see these sources here, here and here.) I truly believe everyone would rather pay the true cost of food then admit to be benefiting from slaves...cooperate food doesn't think so. They don't advertise "grown with slave labor", but they sure don't put an end to it either. They are guilty of benefiting from slavery. We have to vote with our dollars to shut this system down. Human lives depend on it. It's atrocious and I don't want that energy in my food. I don't want humans suffering so I can eat a tomato in January.
The final point is a good reminder...many countries in Europe spend 50% of their income on food. Americans average around 4%. Spending just 10% of our household budget on food in America is considered crazy. We have been trained to believe food should be cheap. We have to change our thinking. Cheap food has long term costs, environmental, social and human health are all jeopardized by our dependence on cheap food. Environmental- it's cheaper to spray LOTS of chemicals then it is to pay humans to weed. Social- slavery is still happening. Human health- you can pay your farmer now (thank you!) or pay your doctor later.

When you buy from a small farm you are paying what food really costs. You are paying a local farmer, a member of your community, to make a living, pay a mortgage, send a kid to college or replace an old car.
I know you are here because you have already chosen to support local food, and you know it's more expensive but worth the cost. YOU are the change we need in this world. I'm here because I believe in local food too! I share this info with you, even though you are already here, because it's good for all of us to continue our education around food. We eat everyday! Sharing why we care about local food with peers is important to do when folks ask why it matters or roll their eyes at a "spendy" tomato.
Thank you for being here, caring and playing a part in making the world a better place one bite at a time.

​Lunch on the Farm this week: Peruvian Quinoa Stew; Polenta with Tomato Balsamic Sauce
Recipe Ideas: Turnip, Radish, & Fennel Sauté; Salmon with Cabbage, Cucumber, & Fennel Salad; Caramelized Fennel with Beans, Carrots & Chile Soy Drizzle; ​Cabbage with Indian Spices

Lunch on the Farm this week: Tomato Zucchini Stew; Farm Curry
Recipe Ideas: Sweet Carrot Raita; Creamy Carrot Tomato Soup; Tomato, Garlic and Summer Squash; Classic Gazpacho or ​Mangiatutto al Pomodoro (on the tomato page)

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Collards, Napa Cabbage, Green Beans, Pickling Cucumbers, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Sunflowers, Basil, maybe Sugar Snap Peas, and/or Head Lettuce,

So much goodness is pouring out of the garden right now! The crew is hustling everyday just to keep up with harvesting produce. It has been a wonderful growing year. The temperatures have stayed consistently warm, making life easier on the plants.
We are incredibly grateful for our irrigation system. We are still watering regularly with gravity fed snow melt, straight out of the Tetons. Clean water is precious, and one of the reasons we think our produce tastes so great.
I hope you've been enjoying the sunflowers. It's fun to grow a crop just to bring people joy. No pressure to make sure it tastes good...or to give you a recipe! It's just a bright sunny flower to brighten your home. Sunflowers astound me. And they remind me how cool my life is. I get to go out into the field and gather up beautiful things to bring to people! I have to pinch myself to really believe this is my job.  Sunflowers are gorgeous, showy, statement flowers while being basic, common and chunky at the same time. For me, they are a flower of happiness and brightness. My mama-in-law gave me a great book called the "Secret Life of Sunflowers" by Marta Molnar. It was about Van Gogh and his paintings of them. People questioned why he would waste his time on such a common flower...which I'm guessing grew like a weed where he was. I now have a print of "Sunflowers" next to my computer!
Here are 2 quotes I loved from the book...Both quotes sum up my favorite flowers and some of my favorite ideals in people!
"Sunflowers are adaptable, for one. Seventy species. You plant them somewhere and they'll figure out how to grow... They're scrappy as hell, but they always look like stars."
"Fear no storms, turn in gratitude toward the light"​
I hope the flowers I harvested go out into the world and bring joy and brightness to those who receive them!

How to help your sunflowers last in a vase
Strip off any leaves, stems or buds that will be in the water. It helps keep the water clean if there is not plant matter rotting in it.
Cut the flowers so the head of the flower rests on the edge of the vase. Sunflowers are heavy and if they are propped up by the edge of the vase you won't see the effects of gravity as quickly! Gravity really gets us all in the end!
Keep the water fresh! Change it every 3 days or sooner if it gets murky looking.


Lunch on the Farm this week: Summer Pasta Sauté' and Curried Zucchini Soup
Recipe Ideas: Green Beans with Tomatoes and Herbs; Basil Beans; Tomatoes, Basil and Beans; Steamed Collard Greens with Miso-Tamari Seasoning; ​Napa Cabbage Salad

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Summer Squash, Pickling Cucumber, Tomatoes, Radish, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Sunflowers, Maybe Sugar Snap Peas and/or Shelling Peas

Did you know Cosmic Apple Gardens is Certified Biodynamic? Maybe you did...but what does it even mean and why do we do it?
There are entire books written about Biodynamics. Attempting to sum it up in one newsletter is just going to touch the surface of it!
Biodynamics is a type of agriculture based on a series of lectures by Rudolf Steiner given in 1924. He envisioned agriculture that incorporated scientific understanding and spirit in nature. It has been evolving since 1924 and is practiced all over the world.
We recognize that Cosmic Apple Gardens is a living organism. It is made up of fields, forests, plants, animals (wild and domestic), soils, compost, people, and the spirit of the place. We are responsible for making sure all of these things are treated with respect and know that each is interconnected to make the organism whole. Each element must be cared for to support the health and vitality of the whole.
Another key component of Biodynamics is generating on farm fertility. Biodynamic veggies grow in living soil, providing a quality of health and nutrition unattainable with chemical fertilizers or hydroponic growing. One of the main reasons we incorporate animals is because they provide manure to create the most amazing compost. By composting we are replenishing the nutrients in the soil each year, seeking a more closed loop system by raising animals who are giving back to the land. We are not purchasing off farm fertilizers, even if they are approved for organic production. We also cover crop to stimulate healthy soil structure, create diversity and improve nitrogen.
When we make our compost pile each spring we add six biodynamic preparations to it. Here is a more concise explanation then I could ever provide from the Biodynamic Association:

"Biodynamic compost is enhanced and enlivened through the use of six preparations made from yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark, dandelion, and valerian. Each of these medicinal herbs is transformed through a unique process that brings it into relationship with the animal kingdom, the earth, and the cycle of the year. Bringing these elements together magnifies their healing qualities, fosters the growth of beneficial bacteria and fungi, and creates powerfully concentrated substances to guide the development of the compost. A small quantity of each preparation is added to the compost pile just after it is built, and again after it is turned. Biodynamic preparations strengthen the quality of the compost by stabilizing nitrogen and other nutrients, multiplying microbial diversity, and bringing more sensitivity to the composting process. Biodynamic compost helps attune the soil to the whole farm organism and wider influences while increasing soil life and stable organic matter. Biodynamic compost also brings more carbon into the living realm, helping to restore balance to the climate."

We also spray special biodynamic preparations over the whole farm at different times of the year. Again, the Biodynamic Association explains...
"In addition to the compost preparations, several biodynamic preparations are applied as potentized liquid sprays to bring healing, vitality, and sensitivity to the farm and garden. Horn manure enhances the life of the soil and the relationship between soil and plants, and is made from cow manure buried inside a cow horn during the winter months. Horn silica increases plant immunity, strengthens photosynthesis, enhances ripening, and is prepared from ground quartz crystals buried in a cow horn over the summer months. Horsetail tea helps prevent fungal diseases and balances the watery element in plants and soil. Together, the biodynamic spray and compost preparations bring plants into a dynamic relationship with soil, water, air, warmth, and cosmos to help them develop in a healthy and balanced way, access the full spectrum of nutrients they need, and become more resilient to pests, diseases, and extreme climate conditions."

One of my favorite statements about Biodynamic farming is:
Biodynamics seeks to heal the Earth through agriculture.
​We are not just farming, we are actively seeking to tend our farm in a way that constantly makes it healthier, and more alive. We know the soil is in better shape then when we started growing here in 2002. We also know there is more work to be done for future generations. 

And the BIG WHY? Other then healing the Earth...the taste is why we believe in Biodynamics. I was talking with an employee today. The Tomato Queen to be exact. She knows how to grow tomatoes. She takes care of all of ours, by herself. In the spring she gets some plants started by us to grow in her greenhouse at her home. She swears the tomatoes grown at the farm taste better then the ones she grows in her greenhouse. Even though we started the plants! She attributes it to the care we have put into building the soil through Biodynamic practices, especially the influence of the critters. We gratefully hear it all the time..."your produce tastes amazing!" Cosmic Apple Gardens is so enlivened from treating the whole. The Biodynamic preps make a difference! They support a living system. The fields, forests, plants, animals, soils, compost, people, and the spirit of the place are all honored, integrated and nurtured, for great taste and to heal the Earth.

Lunch on the Farm this week: Burritos w/ Idaho Salsa, Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Recipe Ideas: Curried Zucchini & Swiss Chard; Summer Squash Boats; Lentils with Sausage & Swiss Chard; ​Mint, Yogurt, Cucumber Dressing