Share #11 August 25th & 27th

Crop List: Romaine Lettuce, New Red Sails Lettuce, Tomatoes, Sage, Broccoli, Cabbage, ​Cucumbers, Fennel, Maybe Summer Squash, Beans and/or Sunflowers

It is Monday afternoon as I write this. I am peaking at the radar when I get mini-breaks today. There are some thunderstorms building and I am calling them in our direction. We could really use some rain. It has not rained in Victor in over 4 weeks. We got a bit of drizzle but not enough to actually wet anything. I have seen Jackson and Driggs get some rain but it has been missing us every time. The garden is in good shape thanks to our great irrigation system, but it would be nice to see the trees and the surrounding forests rejuvenated a bit! Knowing how dry it is makes wishing for thunderstorms tricky. I pray for rain, but could hold off on lightning. The heat has been great in the garden, but we do think the smoke slows the plants down. It is just more difficult to photosynthesize when there are so many particulates blocking the sun's rays!
Cosmic Mix is taking a break this week. Our head lettuce all ripened at once! We will have more Cosmic Mix in the future.
We have our annual organic/Biodynamic inspection on Wednesday afternoon this week. We will begin with giving the inspector a farm tour as he makes notes and asks us many questions about our operations. We will then shift to going over the paperwork. The inspector will not be coming to our office this year and it will be Jed's first ever Zoom meeting! Even with Coronavirus, our work is not possible to do virtually, except for the inspection! So this will be a new experience. We figured it would happen to us at some point! Good thing our oldest is a teenager so we have in house tech support.
The inspection usually takes several hours as we review all of our inputs (seeds, feed, bedding, soap, soil starting mix, animal medications, animal minerals...) to make sure everything we add is up to organic standards. We will then go over all of our outputs (butcher receipts, harvest records, share records...) to make sure we can trace everything we claim to grow back to the beginning. The Romaine lettuce you get today?...we can show the inspector where the seed came from, the day it was planted, what was in the soil we planted it in, the day it was transplanted, where it was in the garden, the day it was harvested, how much was harvested and how it was distributed (CSA or Market). These are not the romantic details folks think of when they envision living on an organic farm!
We have been at this long enough that keeping track of everything is just part of how the farm works. We also want to do it. We want to be certified organic and Biodynamic. We truly trust how the Organic program works for small growers. Yes, we believe big-ag can get away with some stuff, but on the small scale, we really trust the Organic label when applied to small farms that have been inspected. We trust less when small growers tell us they "grow organically but choose to not get certified." We have heard this over and over again, and when we start talking to them in depth about their growing practices....they are not up to Organic standards. It is exhausting, defeating and confusing for the consumers. So thank you for supporting farms who take the time to get certified. We work hard to make it happen because we believe in it, and it holds us accountable for our actions.
I better go get my paperwork organized!

Lunch this week: Summer Saute' over pasta and Farm Curry (both on the Summer Squash page)
Recipe Ideas: Broccoli with Asian Style Dressing, Shaved Fennel Salad, Fennel and Potato Gratin

Recipes

The coolers at your site are stocked with Lifeline cheese and 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!
Beef Available: Tenderloin, Ribeye, New York, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, Tri-Tip, Flat Iron Roast, Brisket, Flank Steak, Skirt, Hanging Tender, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, Liver, Ground Beef, Patties, Stew, Kabobs, Hot Dogs and Bratwurst
​Pork Available: Neck Bones 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 20% off at the Farmer's Markets!
The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7
The Driggs Market: Fridays 9-1
Jackson Hole Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-1
Farm to Fork Festival: October 3rd 11-4  Center for the Arts
Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected]