Share #10 August 5th & 7th

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

Recipes

We have lots of extra goodies available at your pick up. If you want something specific, please email me and I will make sure it is in the cooler, reserved just for you. Dinner just got easier!
The coolers at your site are stocked with a selection of Lifeline Cheese and Cosmic Apple Pork and Beef (listed below). I don't send every cut every week, they simply won't all fit!
​Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Spare Ribs, Boneless Loin Roast, Hock, Leaf Fat, Tenderloin and Back Fat
Beef Available: Sirloin Steak, Patties, Stew Meat, Sirloin Tip Roast, Round Roast, Flat Iron Roast and Beef Fat
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.
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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
The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7
Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12

Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected]