Share #6 July 21st & 23rd

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Napa Cabbage, Tomatoes, Winter Savory, Swiss Chard, Radish and Sugar Snap Peas

Jed and I both of fell into farming. Farming was more of a calling then a conscious choice. One of the reasons we both became enamored with it was the simplicity of it, that we were meeting a basic need of the community. We were drawn to the purity of the work. The song lyric by Bob Dylan always spoke to the virtue we found in farming, "His clothes are dirty but his, his hands are clean". We saw farming as something we loved to do, and as work that could make the world a better place. There are so many jobs that fit this description, but for Jed and I, farming was our path. For us farming was also always a social justice cause. Tied to environment, food rights and people's access to real food. 
This spring has felt incredibly exciting to me although I could have done without the layer of Covid on top! Racial Justice was pushed to the forefront. The uprising around the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice and countless others caused many white people to begin to reckon with racism in our county. As with many huge problems, I felt powerless. Time and money are not things I have in excess to put behind social change. I needed to stay present for my family and the farm, not be drawn off in another direction.
Gratefully, there is inner work to be done. While continuing to address my own biases and working to change them I finally remembered the farm is a vehicle for social change. 
The farm has a place in the food system in the Tetons and in world. As farmers, we must work to understand systemic racism and how it relates to the food system. As Cosmic Apple we must examine our business and eradicate any ways we are perpetuating systemic racism. After receiving a nudge from Slow Food in the Tetons, we are committing to 6 concrete things we can do.
#1. Commit to Knowledge
We acknowledge the food system in this country was built upon the backs of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). We refuse to accept the whitewashing of history. We will instead seek the voices of BIPOC to guide us towards the work that needs to be done to remove racism from the food system. We will apologize if we act from ignorance and be grateful to learn as we actively move towards a more just world. Each of our employees choose a book from this list to add to the farm library. (I would also recommend Billionaire Wilderness by Justin Farrell, while not about food it is about the income gap in Teton County, WY and racism is at play) We hope to begin a dialogue around the information gained and explore how it relates to the farm and what things we can do differently to create more equality.
#2. Donate $523 yearly (the equivalent of 1 Share) to help BIPOC farmers
Realizing the history of slavery and systemic racism has made it more difficult for BIPOC to purchase and hold onto land, we will donate money to organizations working to change that. (For more info on the history of black landownership listen here Episode 4+5) We may also use this money to help young BIPOC farmers with farm training, issues associated with farm worker rights or for issues associated with food justice. We will find the organizations through Civil Eats.
#3. Act to challenge racism in the food and farming communities and beyond
We vow to speak up when we witness any form of racism in action. We will challenge ourselves to continuously look at our business and ourselves to see how we can do better in relation to BIPOC. We stand with and believe Black Lives Matter.
These are the first 3 actions we are taking. We have 3 more we are working on and are eager to share them with you in future newsletters. It feels great to have a direction to go towards creating change, even though we realize these are just the beginning steps. I know 2020 for many has been hard, and it has not been all sunflowers here either, but the potential changes to grow out of this year may be tremendously positive. I choose to hold onto hope and keep moving forward, while growing vegetables for the People of the Tetons!

Farm lunch this week: Simple stir fry with Napa, Sugar Snap Peas and Tomatoes over rice.
Recipe Ideas: ​Napa Cabbage Salad, Swiss Chard with Eggs on Sourdough, Chard Patties

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 Steak, Sirloin Steak, Eye of the Round Steak, Round Roast, Sirloin Tip Roast, 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]