Crop List: Purple Carrots, Radish, Cilantro, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Huckleberry Gold Potatoes, Shallots, Bok Choy, Lacinato Kale and maybe Tomatoes

The shares are getting heavy! Here comes the poundage. Remember way back in June when the shares were light, leafy and green? Now is the time of year for dense, earthy and weighty veggies. This time of year we are usually happy to be moving around heavy crates because it warms us up. While we are still happy to be moving the bounty of the harvest... we are not actively seeking heat. These fall days have been dreamy. The temperatures are delightful for what is happening on the farm right now! We are savoring the warmth and colors. 
We are in the process of digging carrots and potatoes. We pulled out the potato digger on Monday and are cruising through the rows. We have 12 rows each 500' feet long of spuds out there to collect. Every yellow crate we have will be in use, and we end up pulling out sacks to put the remainders in.
The carrots are calling us too. We have another 3 rows (also 500' long) to dig. We use a tractor implement called an "undercutter" to dig the carrots. It is a bar that is pushed under the soil about 18" by the tractor and it "undercuts" the roots to loosen them and then we can just grab them instead of using a digging fork and digging by hand.
Cosmic Mix may be done for the season. We have a crop out there, but it is not as eager to grow as we would like.
We will be giving out lots of veggies this week and next. Be sure to check out the recipe pages for storage tips.

Free Cosmic T-shirt, Hat, Mug or Water Bottle!
We have started our 2023 CSA membership drive! If you sign up for next year's CSA at a pick up location before the season ends, you will receive a free organic cotton t-shirt or hat...or a non-organic mug or water bottle! Your site host will have sign-up sheets, one is attached to your email or you can get one here: ​Sign-up sheet
Sign up early to get the best prices and to guarantee the pick up location/day you really want...and did I mention the free swag?! Shirts available in Men's, Women's, Kid's, Toddler and Onesies! Hats are cap style or trucker style. Mug or water bottle in blue or black are insulated and have a cool magnet lid.
Speaking of Cosmic Merch...I have not mentioned it, BUT we have awesome Organic Hoodies, Bigger Mugs and Water bottles too. If you want anything, you can purchase it online and we will happily bring it to your pick up site and refund the shipping cost. (We can't give these out with a share purchase, but they sure are cool!)​
Link to check out all merch: here

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Fingerling Potatoes, Winter Squash, Basil, Carrots, Parsley, maybe Tomatoes, Radish and/or Beets

Jed has been evaluating the garden and figuring out what is left out there. I've been told there is a lot! We will be providing 16 shares this year! Please mark your calendars. The last dates will be: Tuesday, October 4th and Thursday, October 6th.​
We still didn't see a frost in the forecast strong enough to kill the tops of the potatoes, so Jed mowed them. This will signal the plants that the time has come to "suberize". We are soon going to get the potato digger out and go to work on harvesting them all. The fingerlings in your share this week are still hand dug and have sensitive skins. They need another week or so in the ground to be considered storage potatoes.
The garlic is done curing! The bulbs in your share this week can be stored for months. The stalks are dried down and the paper has also.
The tomatoes have really slowed down. Even with plastic and propane, they are dependent on how many hours of daylight they get...and we are not getting them grow lights!
​The Fall Equinox is on Thursday. Day and nights are equal. We are returning to the dark time of year. I can really feel the pull to slow down and go within. But the reality of slowing down is always just over the horizon right now. There is still much to be done. Lots to harvest, dry, ferment and store. I feel like a mouse scurrying around trying to get it all done right now. I watch the landscape slowly let go and wither back to the earth, while I attempt to stock up and sustain life all winter. I'll admit to having tired moments when I just want to lay on the earth and melt into her embrace, really letting it all go. But as a healthy human...when I do lay down, it seems to revitalize me. I rise and get back to the to do list of fall. With fresh eyes I can witness all the beauty of fall. The smoke is gone, sky is blue and the leaves are starting to change. We have days forecasted in the dreamy 70's for the next week. May you feel embraced by fall in this gorgeous place we get to call home!!!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Rainbow Carrots, Purple Potatoes, Tomatoes, Basil, Red Kale, maybe Slicing Cucumber and/or Summer Squash

The garden received a frost on early Saturday morning. It got to 31 degrees for about an hour. The summer squash and cucumbers are done.  We harvested on Friday afternoon in an attempt to save some things, the squash and cucumbers in your share are from those efforts.
Everything else is still looking good. The carrots will now get sweeter. The cold weather shocks the plants into producing more sugars as the threat of freezing stimulates their desire to survive. We wish the potato plants would have frozen a bit more! When the tops of the plants die, the potatoes (safely tucked underground) grow tougher skins. The tougher skins make harvesting easier on us and they also store better. If they don't freeze soon we will mow the tops to encourage the spuds to toughen up!
I admit it...I was not quite ready for the frost this year. I could have used one more week. The cucumbers just got going and they are one of my favorite garden treats. Some years it is very easy to step into fall, other years I try to hang on a bit longer. I guess it's one of those hanging on years. I know in my core hanging on is futile and just creates strife. It's time to let go of the summer days, swimming, wide open windows, and grazing in the garden. I'll welcome fall...eventually. The rain and cooler temps this week will have me looking for my slippers I haven't seen since June, making more tea and wanting to cook dishes that need time in the oven. I will get excited about tasting the garden delights that have needed all season to be ready for us. I am already looking forward to a bit of cooler temperatures. And hiking! This is my favorite time of year to get out in the woods. Okay, thanks for listening. Newsletter therapy is really helpful.
We do still have lots of goodies growing in the garden for you. We are now in "empty the garden mode"!
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​​​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 10-15 hours left this 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, Chives, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Head Lettuce, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, maybe Beans and/or Sugar Snap Peas
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 The cucumbers decided to join the party this week. We have been coaxing them along all summer, and they have arrived. Enjoy them, they are extremely frost sensitive and may not last long. We grow 2 types of cukes. Pickling and slicing. BUT! Refrain from feeling limited by their names. You can use pickling cucumbers just like slicing ones. Our household prefers the picklers for all uses. They have a much more tender and less bitter skin then the larger slicers. We eat them like apples. It is one of our favorite snacks on a hot day. Usually the picklers come in earlier and are more prolific all season which is why we grow both. The slicing cucumbers are larger and more traditional. All bets are off this year about timing and abundance of cucumbers...they have grown differently this year then other years. This week the slicers were way more prolific!
We have begun harvesting small amounts of potatoes. These early season spuds are called "new potatoes" because the skin is still tender. They will not store for a long time like the ones you will get later in the season. Consider these new potatoes a warm up for your spud skills! We have lots more coming as the season progresses....would you expect anything less from an Idaho farm?
​It is still summer on the farm with temps reaching the high 80's everyday and warm nights. The hills are green with no real hint of leaf color change yet. The grasses at the farm have gone to seed and turned a beautiful beige and some bird species have begun moving through on their journey south. Fall feels imminent, but just out of reach. I am savoring the heat, soaking up as much sun as I can on my skin to store the warmth for the winter!

​​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 15-20 hours left this 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: Burritos with Idaho Salsa and Summer Sauté
Recipe Ideas: French Chive Dressing, Honey Roasted Potatoes, Summer Squash Boats
Lifeline Cheese Update:​ We have cheese again!!!!
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!
Lifeline Beef Available: Ground Beef, Patties and Stew Meat
​Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!), Fat, Country Ribs, and Hock

WASH YOUR VEGGIES!!
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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 (ends 9/30)
JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 (ends 9/24)
The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 (ends 9/21)
Farm To Fork Festival: Saturday, October 1st; 1-4 at the Center for the Arts
Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected]