Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Radish, Basil, Shell Peas, Head Lettuce, Pickling Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Bok Choy, Summer Squash, Sunflowers and maybe Cucumbers

We are at the point of the season where it seems all of our energies are going towards harvesting. It is becoming more challenging to keep up with the bounty the garden is providing, a great problem to have! Picking peas is very time consuming, but yields such a sweet reward. The garlic is calling us. It is ready to be pulled from the field and put in the shed to dry. We may have had a record sunflower and tomato harvest on the same day. We are running out of buckets to harvest into! The walk in refrigerator is so full that it feels like playing a puzzle game when we need to fit something else in there.
​I hope you can feel the ability of the Earth to nourish you right now. I hope you can taste how good all the fresh veggies are right now. It is a really great time to be an eater of food in the Tetons!
We woke up Monday morning to a rain shower and then it drizzled for about an hour. The day stayed cool and breezy, it was a big change from the constant heat we have been having. The forecast is calling for cooler temps, but nothing in the freezing zone. It seems like the garden will continue to grow and thrive as it has been all summer. 
Pickling Cucumbers? They are one of my families favorite garden veggies. You don't have to pickle them!! We like them because the skin is more tender and less bitter then a standard cucumber. Use them the same way you would any cucumber. We love them so much we eat them like apples. Did you know cucumbers are one of the few foods that actually hydrate you when you eat them? Most foods require more water from your body to digest then they actually give you, but cucumbers provide more water then you need to digest them. We take them with us on hikes as a snack. I can vividly remember my little ones sitting in their car seats eating cucumbers whole as we headed out for an adventure. Now as teenagers who are way cooler then me...they still look happy when we get the first pickling cukes of the year.

Lunch on the Farm this week: Polenta with Summer Squash, and fresh tomato sauce. Burritos with Idaho Salsa
Recipe Ideas: Turnip and Chard Soup; Roasted Hakuri Turnips with Israeli Couscous Salad, Lemon Butter Basil Turnips or Curried Zucchini & Swiss Chard

Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Kale, Shell Peas, Parsley, Napa Cabbage, Head Lettuce, Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Turnips, Maybe Radish, Sugar Snaps and/or Sunflowers

The beginning of August is a mile stone on the farm. It marks Lammas, the traditional "beginning of the harvest season" and the peak of summer. Lammas, August 2nd, is the day in the middle of the Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. In ancient times communities would gather to celebrate if it was to be a good harvest year. When things were looking bleak, the gathering would consist of planning how a community was to survive a winter with less food then hoped for. Sometimes it was agreed to plant more short season crops that could be grown quickly to boost the late fall harvest. Sometimes it was a joyous gathering and an excuse to take a break and be grateful for the upcoming harvest. Even though we can have a good guess of how crops are looking for the fall harvest, we still don't know if the crops will truly come to fruition. Drought, storms, freezing temps and hungry critters can still ruin a beautiful harvest. It is a time of being grateful for what we have, what is to come and to put good intentions out there for a bountiful harvest and stocked larder for winter.
For our crew, August 1st is the official halfway point in their season. We start May 1st and work until October 31st. We are so grateful for our coworkers. They work hard to plant, weed and harvest food for their community. They make us laugh, teach us things and quickly become friends. We truly enjoy the folks we work with. We are incredibly grateful for their willingness to be a part of our dream.
In an effort to introduce you to some of the workers I sent out some questions to them! Introducing the fabulous Roberta, Emma and Deb! These three work at jobs with lots of customer interface, so hopefully you have met them at some point.
Roberta is our truck driver and chore helper (she takes care of the animals in the winter so Jed has some nights off).
Emma works at the Driggs markets on Fridays.
Deb is the Tomato Queen (this important title has only been bestowed upon Deb, she manages and harvests all the tomato greenhouses) and she works at the People's Market on Wednesdays in Jackson.
Why did you want to work at Cosmic Apple?
Roberta: I wanted to work at Cosmic Apple because local organic agriculture is something I deeply value, and I’m of the persuasion that it may just save the world! I found the biodynamic practices both mysterious and intriguing. Also Cosmic Apple has been serving the people of the Tetons for nearly 30 years!  
Emma: To learn, to connect with awesome people, and to act on my deeply held beliefs about local food.
Deb: I’ve always loved gardening. I’m happiest when my knees are dirty. It may be genetic — I come from a long line of gardeners and farmers on both sides of my family.
Years/seasons working at Cosmic Apple?
Roberta: 4 years
Emma: Two at the market. I had a workshare (volunteer) years ago too.
Deb: 9 years
Favorite item we grow?
Roberta: Sunflowers, Tomatoes and Potatoes
Emma: Beans
Deb: It’s a toss up between Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes & Green Zebra Tomatoes
Favorite item you wish we could grow?
Roberta: Corn or Lychee! 
Emma: Pomegranates
Deb: If only . . . Sweet White Corn
The thing about farm work that is the most rewarding?
Roberta: Knowing that Cosmic Apple takes the time and effort to  build healthy soil to grow the most nutrient dense vegetables to share with our community. 
Emma:  Being a part of something I truly believe in.
Deb: I love seeing the excitement people have when they pick up their share or come to the market to buy veggies.  Plus I love working with all the young folks at the farm ‘cuz I’m old enough to be their grandmother.
The thing about farm work that is the most challenging?
Roberta:  When I used to work in the fields, the long term squatting to harvest and the heat of the sun midday were the most challenging for me. 
Emma: Grappling with the unjust, systemic problems that small farms are up against.
Deb: Trying to stay ahead of the weeds.
One thing you wish all the farm CSA members knew?
Roberta: their support is crucial, it allows the farm to continue working its magic.  CSA members role model mindful citizenship to their communities and the next generation! 
Emma: That I'm currently running for Teton County (ID) Commissioner and can be reached at 781-929-0148.
Favorite recipe on the Cosmic Apple Recipe page, or one we need to add?
Roberta: Leek & Potato Gratin
Emma:  Zucchini cakes and dill sauce!
(One to add: smashed turnips! Boil whole turnips until tender, then smash/flatten with a spatula on a towel and let drain 20 mins, then drizzle both sides with olive oil and salt and pepper and coat with grated cheese. Bake at 375 for about 10 mins per side until golden. So yummy!)
Deb: Sorrel Cream Sauce with Zucchini Cakes as a close second
Favorite farm job?
Roberta: Milking the cows! 
Emma: Keeping the Driggs market stand looking beautiful and chatting with the customers about recipes!
Deb: I got to milk the cows a few times and you really have to be totally present to them when you are doing it.  You get to let go of everything else in your life and just focus.  Very peaceful and centering. 
Something you want to learn more about or how to do at the farm?
Roberta: the Vortex Brewer! 
Emma: Caring for the cows.
Deb: When do I get to drive the tractor?
Something farm related that makes you happy/proud to be part of our crew?
Roberta: I love to help steward all the animals (cows, pigs, chickens, and Dumbledore the cat) through our harsh winters! 
Emma: How wonderfully well the soil is cared for! I am so grateful to the farm family and crew for your commitment to the holistic health of land, animals, and people.
What does our food do for you?
Roberta: The food provides real, healthy  nourishment and a remembrance of the infinite generosity of Mother Earth. 
Emma: It brings me joy, nourishment, and the freedom of being able to live more fully in line with my values. 
Is there a question I should have asked?
Roberta: Favorite Farm Animal or Pet? Cosmo the dog!! 
Emma:  What else do we do in the community? I'm on the boards of Teton Valley Housing and Teton Valley Community Recycling, and I'm a full-time mom to my two-year-old daughter, Poppy.

Lunch on the Farm this week: Zucchini Cakes
Recipe Ideas: Napa Cabbage Salad; Chimichurri Sauce (parsley page); Zucchini Frittata

Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Collards, Basil, Head Lettuce, Bok Choy, Tomatoes, maybe Summer Squash and/or Sugar Snap Peas

The ​summer flavors are in! Zucchinis, tomatoes and sugar snap peas. The eating is GOOD right now!! It's the stuff we dream of all winter. The Cosmic Mix is starting to come in again. We are past the crop that suffered through the June frost. The crew is working hard picking sugar snap peas. The shares are starting to gain some weight as we have moved beyond delicate spring greens.

Summer in the Tetons is such a special time. The temperatures are awesomely warm during the day and the nights are cool enough for deep sleeping. Being outside feels so good, and we are surrounded by beauty everywhere we look. The Tetons are vacationland for many and we who call this place home are so blessed. When I landed here, I never wanted to leave in the summers...except to go backpacking in the Winds, but is that really leaving? I've gotten to a place where I do want a vacation now and then.
For years taking a vacation during the summer was not possible, we didn't have enough help. The winter trips were short because of the animals. When our kids were little, they didn't care, a day at the lake was great...and being on the farm was really fun too. As they got older they began to care and we did too. We needed to carve out more time together doing fun things or relaxing. Collecting eggs together has lost it's luster. Convincing a teenager that cutting sunflowers is cool and a great way to spend time together is impossible.
We took our first ever summer vacation together in 2022. We met my parents, brother and sister-in-law at the beach for a week. It felt scary and big. The farm has so many moving parts to walk away from and most of the parts are alive and need care. I met an old farmer once at a conference and I asked her what is was like for her AND her husband to leave the farm for an extended period...all she said was "everything was alive when I left, I'll see when I get back". It is so true and terrifying. We pour our heart, soul, blood, sweat and my tears (Jed doesn't cry in moments of frustration!) into it all. Walking away for a week with so much happening is a big leap of faith.
The reasons to walk away are important too. Family time is precious. If parenthood had seasons, Jed and I have moved into the fall of being responsible for our eldest son. He is 17 and he has begun the conversations of what moving out on his own might be like. Daily time together is waning (more tears). Our parents are also getting up there in the years (again, the tears). We all need time together. We have had to learn how to go on vacation. What the farm needs when we leave. What our employees need without us there to succeed. How to step away. We are so incredibly grateful we have been able to learn this through vacation instead of a family tragedy that forced us to step away.
We have shifted our thought patterns around "farmers don't get a break" to "farmers do get breaks." Farmers can take vacations just like everyone else. Our own thoughts were one of the biggest hurdles around vacations.
So obviously...We are taking a vacation!!! The farm family is beach bound for a week with some of our extended family. We have left the farm in good hands and those hands have phones if something comes up. We could not do this without our incredible employees. I'll thank them properly in next week's newsletter!
The one thing I can't change my mindset about around leaving? The food. I am really sad to not be eating Cosmic veggies this week. That part is going to be hard, especially now with the summer bounty rolling in!

Recipe Ideas: Tomato, Garlic and Summer Squash; Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto; Balsamic Grilled Summer Squash​

Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Swiss Chard, Romaine Head Lettuce, Bok Choy, Fresh Garlic, Basil, maybe Tomatoes and/or Sugar Snap Peas

It has been a hot and dry month on the farm! This weekend I watched storms pass over Driggs and Jackson...Victor got some sprinkles, but not enough to water anything. Luckily we can keep irrigating with the amazing snow melt coming off the mountains.​​ The garden is thriving with the heat and irrigation.
Thanks to our amazing crew we are getting somewhere with the weeds. It is the make or break season for some crops "weed wise". The crops want to stretch up and out, if they are too crowded with weeds they won't make it. We are trying to get through the harvest every morning and turn to weeding in the afternoon. We have gotten through a lot of crops! The cucumbers, cabbage, garlic, summer/winter squash and potatoes are looking gorgeous right now. We are so close to being done with the carrots. We are half way through the beets. On the list to start is the second weeding of sunflowers and cabbage.
We have to move around the garden based on where the irrigation pipe is. Even with this heat it is not fun to weed under the sprinklers! The irrigation is on a set rotation that we must keep moving or the plants will suffer. So we weed where ever it will be most effective each day...not necessarily which row would be most satisfying to finish. 30 feet left from yesterday's project...oh well, it's under the irrigation now!
We try to weed a crop when the soil has the optimal moisture for pulling weeds. We have to find a balance of soil moisture, weed size and crop size. When soil is really dry, big weeds tend to break and the roots of the weed keep growing. The large root systems can also pull up the desired crop when the soil is dry. If the weeds are little, a hoe will chop the weed in a dry bed and the roots will wither because of dryness and lack of reach for water. Weeding a moist bed will get a hoe all stuck up with soil and make it unusable. Sometimes the best case scenario is hand weeding a moist bed.  We sometimes call it "glory weeding" if the conditions are just right. It's kind of equivalent to "hero pow" for all your skiers! When the weeds are big and the soil has just the right amount of moisture, the weeds come out quick and easy. When hand pulling huge weeds in a moist bed, the progress is so easy to see and getting rid of one big weed makes a big difference.
Weeding is our biggest need and use of time on the farm. Because we don't spray herbicides we have to remove the weeds somehow. Human labor is the best answer so far. We have a couple of tractor implements to help, but they can only do so much.  Maybe someday someone will invent an affordable device that weeds by itself with our destroying all the life in the soil. For us, for now, people are still where it's at!

Lunch this Week: Pasta with lots of butter, Swiss Chard, Basil and Tomatoes; Chili Mint stir fry with Cosmic Beef, Sugar Snap Peas and Bok Choy
Recipe Ideas: BLT with Romaine, Tomato and Cosmic Bacon! Bok Choy, Swiss Chard and noodles; Swiss Chard with Pine Nut, Parmesan and Basil.
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Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Arugula, Garlic Curls, Kale, New Red Fire Head Lettuce, Maybe Sugar Snap Peas and/or Tomatoes

We had some challenges with the weather in June...remember the cold wet spring? It resulted in some poor germination which is the cause for this week's amount of Cosmic Mix. We have plenty more to come...but it will be a bit slim this week. Yay for head lettuce! 
We are starting to see fruits on the summer squash plants! They have been growing under row cover all season, and are being uncovered as I type! We uncover them when they start to flower. It makes it easier for the pollinators to do their magic. We also have to be able to access them two times a week and covering and uncovering is too time consuming. I love squash plants. They look tropical in our Idaho garden, with the big leaves and bright yellow flowers. It some spots the plants were so big they were pushing on the row cover.
The Cosmic Apple Community needs a big shout out!!
Last fall we put out the call for our CSA Members to donate money so we could grow shares for the Teton Valley Food Pantry (TVFP). We have been donating 4 shares a year, but with the money you all donated the Pantry is now getting 15 shares a week. Donations came in all sizes. Some gave $10, some gave $2000, some are even donating their volunteer share. Every penny (and donated labor hour) is going to food for our community. Your donations totaled over $7200. The Cosmic Community is AMAZING!!! We believe everyone has the right to healthy food. Getting oneself out of a crisis situation can be hard enough...but imagine doing it without food that truly nourishes you. The feedback from the Pantry has been heartwarming. If you happen to see a list of sponsors from the TVFP, you can see that is says "Cosmic Apple Community". This means you! It was important to us that our larger community knows this is not just from Jed and I, but from all of us. Thank you for joining us on this journey to love and help each other however we can.

Lunch this Week: Garlic Curl Pesto over Quinoa with turnips, collards and bok choy (I am using leftovers from last week! You can sub sugar snap peas, kale and tomatoes!)
Recipe Ideas: Dale's Burrito Sauce (Garlic Curl page); Kale Tomato Brown Rice Bowl; Kale with Bacon
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Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Arugula, Collards, Mirlo Head Lettuce, Garlic Curls, Turnips and maybe Bok Choy

This week brings the garlic curls to your share. I love garlic curls. What other produce can you wrap around your wrist as a fashion statement? They taste amazing and last forever. Seriously, I have never had them go bad before using...I'm talking MONTHS in a bag in the fridge. Use them just like garlic. Mince them and add them to your cooking oil or salad dressings. Cut them long like a green bean and add amazing texture and flavor to dishes. I equate one garlic curl to one clove of garlic when using recipes. If you want to google them...use the term "garlic scape". Jed and I started calling them garlic curls before the internet was an option for learning about things. Yes, we are that old. We spent years convincing customers to eat them and by the time we learned they were called "scapes" we had trained too many people to call them "curls" to go back on our word. So there. We are old, stubborn and still love garlic curls!
I can feel a palpable shift in the season. We are at the point where the garden seems to take a big pause. The moment of actually switching to summer in the Tetons. We are almost out of all the tender spring greens. They don't love the heat and have bolted or stopped growing. The bigger chunky, crunchy, more famous veggies are about to appear. Things like peas, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. The unirrigated grass has turned brown. The biting flies are having their last hurrah! It is suddenly warm enough to want to swim in frigid mountain water. Summer is here!
We are getting ready for a hot week on the farm. When I left on Monday afternoon the greenhouse thermometer said 104 degrees...while it was completely vented. This is great news for the tomatoes! The plants are loaded with green fruit and the heat will prompt the switch to gorgeous reds and oranges. I don't think we will have enough to spread around to the CSA this week, but VERY soon!

Lunch this Week: Roasted Garlic Curl Hummus with build your own sandwiches.
Recipe Ideas: Grilled Garlic Curls; Quick and Easy Collards
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Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Arugula, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Turnips and Marjoram

This is the week we find our groove on the farm. By the 3rd share our amazing employees are understanding our harvest schedule and the big picture of getting the veggies to the people! Jed and I have managed to survive all the logistics (and errors!) of getting the first couple shares out. Right now the big cherry on top is the pass reopening!
We thought when it originally slid, it would be at least a year of driving around. We are incredibly grateful to all involved in making the pass accessible. I am a big fan of Mother Nature and her ability to remind us that she is constantly in charge. I need to be reminded that I am just a silly human running around with my to do list and my best laid plans need to adjust to go with the flow (or landslide). I am grateful my kids are older and they can just make themselves a quesa-dilla when needed (thank you Napoleon Dynamite). I know it was not as simple for families with young' ins! 3 big cheers for all the energies directed to making Teton Pass drivable again!

We hope you have enjoyed the first couple of shares and you are finding your own groove for picking up your share and getting it to your table to enjoy. Our goal as a farm is to "Grow the Best food for the People of the Tetons". We hope you are noticing the difference in flavor and freshness after a winter of less then fresh veggies. We consistently hear from our customers how much better our produce tastes then any other option. One of my favorite things about farming is understanding the connection between nutrients and flavor. There is so much talk about how depleted the world's soils are from years of abuse. Soils are missing the nutrients needed to grow nutrient dense food from years of harvesting, chemicals and not being replenished. Did you know that the nutrients in the veggies are where the flavor comes from? It's true when Grandpa tells us how things don't taste like they did when he was a kid! He was eating food from nutrient rich soil. We work really hard to make sure our soils are well taken care of. Which translates to nutrient rich soil, which grows nutrient rich plants. Sooooo....your Cosmic Apple CSA food DOES tastes better because it is full of the nutrients industrial grown food is missing. The winning point here is that it tastes better AND it's better for you, because our soils have more nutrients!
I have noticed I have more energy and just feel better overall now that fresh produce is here again. We hope you are feeling the same. We truly care about your health and we seek to grow nutrient dense food to benefit you AND your taste buds.
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The garden is doing great. The garlic is beginning to grow the infamous "garlic curls" or "scapes". The tomatoes are starting to show some color. The peas are flowering. The summer squash is diligently stretching upward and outward. The sunflowers are not quite "knee high by the 4th of July", but they will soon be the tallest thing in the garden!

THANK YOU  for picking your share up on the 4th of July. We know it is not ideal. We are working hard to keep harvesting since the garden won't take a break.
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Lunch this Week: Quinoa with Mint Vinaigrette, Turnips and Bok Choy; Sautéed Swiss Chard in a grilled cheese sandwich.
Recipe Ideas: Lemon-Garlic-Oregano Dressing; Quick Bok Choy; Salmon with Turnips & Swiss Chard; Chard Patties
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Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Bok Choy, Spinach, Radish, Mint and Roxy Head Lettuce

When I wrote last week's newsletter we were watching the temperatures and the impending snow showers. We did get a frost Tuesday, June 18th that affected some of the greens, the arugula suffered the most. Today I am attempting to keep the house cool and watching the lawn brown! Yay!!! Summer has arrived. It feels so good to be warm to the bone! I am craving salad...to be able to eat a big salad for lunch on hot day is one the ultimate refreshments for me. I love to smoother mine in homemade dressing, feta, olives, hard boiled egg, left over meat and or nuts to make it more of a meal. I am so happy to include radishes and bok choy into my meals...some texture after a spring of greens.
Let's talk salad dressings, it's salad season, and making your own dressing is easy, less expensive then store bought, healthier (bye, bye seed oils!) and a great way to explore less used herbs. Once you start making your own dressings...you probably won't go back to store bought.
My basis for all dressings is the oil to vinegar ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. From there you can add any herbs you want and keep it really simple.
My favorite Mint Dressing
1 c. packed mint
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 ½ c. olive oil
½ c. apple cider vinegar
1 T. sugar
​Put mint, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar in blender. Blend until well mixed and mint is finely chopped. Turn blender on and add oil. 
As you gain confidence, you can switch your oils and vinegars. Sesame oil and Rice Vinegar for an Asian inspired flavor with cilantro! Olive oil and red wine vinegar with oregano to go Greek!
We have an incredible collection of salad dressing recipes (there is a whole button just for dressings!) on our recipe page.

We will have veggies for you at our normal times and places on July 4th!! We know this is complicated for some, but we have not been able to convince the garden to take a day off.

Lunch this Week: Sautéed cut up pork chop with bok choy and radish over rice with Gingery-Butter Sauce (recipe on Bok Choy page)
Recipe Ideas: Spinach Artichoke dip, Wilted Spinach with Warm Feta Dressing, Blistered Radish with Parsley.
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Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Spicy Mix, Arugula, Pea Shoots, Baby Kale and Baby Garlic

Hello! Welcome! We hope you are ready for some seriously tasty green things. Food like you have not been able to eat all winter. Fresh, Teton grown goodness. The crew was working very hard on Monday morning to begin our harvest season. By lunch time, it paid off. We ate a meal of just harvested Spicy mix, baby kale and pea shoots. I felt so incredibly blessed to be eating food that tasted alive again, greens that have texture and flavor.
It has been a cool, wet spring...a more normal Spring in the Tetons. The garden is planted and poised to take off. We have so much planted for you this year. Thank you for joining us to share this year's harvest. As many of you returning CSA members know, we will start off with lots of light leafy green things. The shares will get bigger and heavier as the season progresses. This time of year is nature's way of telling us to lighten up after a winter of heavy eating. I think of all the salad this time of year as a palate cleanser for the upcoming abundance. It's a way to re-set our digestion before eating the more complex combinations the garden will eventually yield. Our plates are green and the hills are green! The season of hope is upon us. May the dreams you plant this spring come to fruition.

In other news...maybe you heard? Teton Pass is closed. So sorry to break that news to you! We are planning to keep the same pick up times. Our volunteers are pitching in extra so we can reroute the truck through Jackson and then to Wilson. We are harvesting a bit earlier so we can get the truck on the road earlier. And currently our drivers (Jed and Dale for the month of June!) are happy we still have a way in and out of Jackson. We are grateful to everyone for being gracious to each other as we all navigate this new situation. The outpouring of support for commuters has been beautiful to witness. We currently have our fingers crossed that when the temporary re-route is opened our truck will meet the criteria to drive the pass again. Until then...the spirit of Mountain Folk will prevail! The steadfast ability to get things done while watching out for one another. 

Use your baby garlic like a leek. Cut the roots off and chop the stalk until it turns into leaves.
Lunch this Week: Spicy Mix, Rice, Ground Beef, Pea Shoots with Peanut-coconut sauce.
Recipe Ideas: Italian Arugula Salad, The Ultimate Dressing, Emily's Overnight Kale Salad​
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Click the button below to access our collection of Cosmic Apple CSA inspired recipes!

Crop List: Beets, Carrots, Kale, Huckleberry Gold Potatoes, Wild Purple Potatoes, Garlic, Basil, Leeks, Tomatoes, Maybe Daikon Radish, Watermelon Radish, Onions, Shallots and/or Winter Squash

This is our last share for the 2023 growing season. Thank you for joining us for this amazing season. It was an incredible growing year. This will be a year to remember with fondness, as a year that just "worked". The weather seemed to cooperate everyday in a way that helped the plants thrive. We missed the late June, mid-July and early August frost this year! Hail was noticeably absent. Rain arrived at convenient times to take a break from irrigating, and we were never stressed about loosing our water either.
Our crew this year! Oh our dear crew. We were blessed to have wonderful employees and site hosts to work with this year. Low drama (yes! it can happen!). I wish we had a stage so they could collectively take a bow for all the hard work they did this season. They deserve a standing ovation. They did it. They grew tons (yes, literally) of food for our community and we are all better because of their commitment to getting the produce to the People! Thank you crew. Jed and I sincerely appreciate each of you.
The Highs and Lows of 2023
I love sharing secrets with you...last year I had to work to balance the highs and lows. 2022 was a tough growing year, and it was tempting to lament more then reaching to find the good. This year is so different. When Jed and I were reviewing the season we both kept getting excited about the bounty! I am confident you can come up with your own list, but this is ours.
The Lows: Carrots, Cabbage and Winter Squash. The carrots are on us. We just could not get them weeded this year. The timing never worked out with people, irrigation or 10 other reasons. I mentioned a couple newsletters back, when we did make it out there to weed, the carrots were extremely tedious. The tops were tiny and the weeds were HUGE. It was hard to find the carrots we needed to protect and they wanted to come up with the weeds. The carrots we have been enjoying still taste incredible. We just wish they were a bit bigger and there were more. I heard our manager telling any employees who return next year that they are to remind us about the need to get the carrots weeded in a timely manner!
Cabbage. We have been trying some different varieties to figure out what works best. We haven't figured it out yet. We also think the soil is not as good where the cabbage was planted this year as the rest of the garden. There was some Cosmic Mix and Bok Choy in the same area that was not very happy. We also went for a closer spacing so it would be less footage to weed, but it seemed to make the cabbage unhappy.
The winter squash didn't do so well this year. We don't know why. The summer squash was abundant. They are all next to each other and were treated the same. The winter squash we did get are lovely, but it would have been nice to see the plants set more fruits.
The Highs: Summer Squash, The Onion family, Tomatoes, Sugar Snap Peas, Basil, Swiss Chard, Kale, Garlic, Beets, Sunflowers, Turnips and Potatoes.
The summer squash was abundant for a nice long time. Some serious weight came out of those rows this summer. 
Onions! And Leeks! And Shallots! This feels like a big win this year. I was at a potluck on Sunday and another gardener was rejoicing because she grew onions from seed this year for the first time ever. I could hear in her voice her joy and reminded myself that yes, onions are tricky to grow here and we did it too! Fist bumps all around.
Tomatoes. I don't ever remember giving out as many tomatoes as we did this year. They started out a bit slow and one of the greenhouses was really struggling. We gave it some extra TLC and when they were ready, the red things were pouring out of them! Actually, our Tomato Queen was working really hard carrying hundreds of pounds from the greenhouses to the wash station...but I like the image of tomatoes self pouring from the greenhouses.
The basil did great this year too. We better managed the cover crop this year and the basil seemed to benefit greatly.
The sugar snaps were large and consistent when they were being harvested. 
Swiss Chard! I also don't remember a year that we had such large leaves on the chard. It was huge, and not damaged by hail. It looked like a tropical plant in the garden, the bright reds, yellows and whites surrounded by green were stunning.
The Kale was prolific like the Chard. They grew together in the garden, so maybe they were cheering each other on?
Beets! They got weeded this year! The beet lovers amongst you have been commenting on how happy they are to see beets again. Me too!
Garlic...we tend to do well with garlic. It loves our climate and is a steady crop for us. This crop looks good this year, it cured well and will hopefully last you for a few weeks depending on how fast you go through it.
Potatoes. Ummm, Idaho rules. Our license plates don't say "Famous Potatoes" for no reason. The potato digger is out and in full swing. The crop coming in looks great. We won't really know how they did until we get to the end of the week and can tally the weight, but the plants have been healthy and doing well all summer. The ones we have dug so far have been consistent and abundant. 
Turnips...Whether you love them, dread them or are somewhere in the middle, they loved us this year! We planted the same amount as last year, crazy right?
Sunflowers. We didn't get any of these last year due to an experiment that didn't go well. They made up for it this year. The blooms were all nice and big. We will always be food farmers first and foremost, but it sure is fun to have something so beautiful on the table during a meal. They bring me a lot of joy and I hope you too.
2024
Remember to sign up for 2024 this week and you will get an Organic Cotton hat or t-shirt. Also, please consider a donation to help purchase shares for the Teton Valley Food Pantry. Any amount helps. You can just add it to your payment. And THANK YOU!!
Special Orders?
​Do you want to stock up on some meat or cheese before we stop seeing each other every week? Just send me an email with what you would like and I am happy to put an order together for you to make sure you get what you want. Even if it is only one item...or more! I am happy to do it.
Fare thee well...
From our whole hearts we hope this season nourished you. We hope you were able to delight in the highs of the season, and understand the lows. We hope you were able to share meals with those you love in this magical place we all call home. We hope eating food from our farm helped you feel connected to our beautiful community and drew your roots to this place a little bit deeper. We wish you the absolute best winter. May you breathe fresh air and feel the sun on your face. May the dark time of year embrace you and provide you solitude and rest. May you continue to feel nourished.
Until we see you again, thank you for trusting us to grow your food. 
With love and gratitude, 
Dale and Jed

Lunch this Week: Vichyssoise; Pasta with butter, garlic, tomatoes and parsley
Recipe Ideas: Ginger Miso Soup w/ daikon, collards and carrots (use Kale instead of collards); Carrot and Daikon Salad; Kale & Sausage Soup #2; Oven Roasted Carrots & Kale; Wilted Greens and Basil; Roasted Beets and Kale; Colcannon #2; Dale’s Oven Fries; Butter Lake Root Bake!​​
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The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of the 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!
Hunters and Huntresses: We have pork fat for your wild game sausage making. Let me know if you want to order any and I can send it to your pick up location.
​Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Neck Bones (make the real deal Ramen!) and Fat

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 (Last one 9/29)
JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12 (Last one 9/30)
The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7 (Last one 9/27)
Farm To Fork Festival: October 7th, Center for the Arts​ 1-4 pm
Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected]