Share #9 August 25th and 27th

Crop List: Arugula, Turnips, Collards, Summer Squash, Head Lettuce, Bok Choy, Parsley, Tomatoes, Maybe Cucumbers, Napa Cabbage, Sugar Snap Peas, and/or Sunflowers

This week will keep us on our toes. Early in the week will be very hot summer temperatures and by mid week it looks like it will be cooling down and getting rainy. This can make the end of the week harvest very different then the early in the week harvest. We show up thinking we know what we are doing but then have to do it all in rain gear and mud. It slows us down and changes the pace the garden grows at. The garden could use a good soaking right now, so the rain will be welcome. The heat has the Cosmic Mix a bit stressed out and it was looking yellow this week so we skipped over to the arugula. We were concerned the heat would have yellowed the arugula also, but we have been pleasantly surprised by what a great crop it is! It is a gorgeous green and has a great flavor. The bug holes are kind of par for the course this time of year, but they don't affect the flavor and sharing is part of organic farming!
Lammas is on Wednesday, August 2nd. This day always creeps up on me and leaves me feeling happy and sad. It is the day midway between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. Traditionally it was celebrated as the beginning of the harvest season. The joy of watching all these crops come to fruition, savoring the flavors, feeling the sun on my skin, getting excited about what is yet to be harvested are all the reasons I love this time of year. Knowing summer has to end at some point because we can't sustain this pace year round brings relief. The sadness comes from letting go of the crops we must admit just won't make it (I don't quite know what this is yet this year!) and the real feeling of how fleeting a Teton summer is.
I can feel the fullness of the season on the farm right now. We have shifted into working hard to get the crops harvested and processed on time for our commitments. Efficiency is everything right now. The weeds are all going to seed and are at their peak of the year. The summer squash is teetering on becoming an emergency...there is so much of it, it's awesome! The sunflowers have started blooming just in time to infuse our lives with more wonder about how beautiful our world can be.
​This is the time of the year I dream about. It is a great time to be an eater of food. It is the time of year we told our employees about when our coffee breaks were a bit more leisurely in the spring. It is go time!
The fullness of the year can also be seen with our sweet herd of cows. We have been expecting 5 of them to have calves starting on Wednesday of this week. The calves could come anytime in the next 2 months. Some of them are doing a very pregnant waddle around udders that are growing large. Some look like wide barrels balanced on toothpicks. Our cows didn't calve in the spring because Full Circle Farm loaned us their bull and the timing of his very productive visit was about 9 months ago. Spring calving can be tricky with the indecisive weather. I love not being concerned about snow and freezing temps right now. The mamas have also been eating lots of green grass which helps them be at the peak of health for baby having.
We had a surprise early arrival on Sunday of this week. Our employee was showing her friend around when she noticed what looked like a sack hanging out of Penguin (yes, the kids name the cows). She went to get Jed and he told her it was most likely really early and to come get him when she saw hooves. She came right back. Jed walked in from the field. He looked at the cow and went to fill up his water bottle to wait and watch. In the 2 minutes it took him to return a healthy calf had arrived.  I can only pray that the other calves have such a smooth arrival, and that the other mamas come out on the other side of birth as easily as Penguin did. I absolutely love the gift of being able to witness a fresh life arriving earth side, but sometimes the best is when the cow and calf just surprise us. The waiting, wondering and watching can get stressful especially during a long birth when we can be deliberating complications.
I hope this week finds you basking in the fullness of summer, drinking in all the beauty around you and murmuring with delight as you taste the flavors only available this time of year.
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Volunteer Special! Have you wanted to try a day on the farm, but can't commit to one day a week? Let us know if you want to work for one morning. 7am-12:15. Monday-Thursday. We'll feed you lunch and give you a half share. You'll get to see where your veggies come from and what it takes to get them on the truck for share distribution. Please send me an email so we can plan for extra hands.
Volunteer-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 20-25 hours for one 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!

Volunteer

Recipes

Lunch this Week: Zucchini Cakes with Tomato Balsamic Parsley sauce. Pita pockets with tzatziki, hard boiled eggs, walnuts, raisins, tomatoes and arugula 
Recipe Ideas: Basic Bok Choy, Steamed Collard Greens with Miso-Tamari Seasoning, Napa Cabbage Salad, Chimichurri Sauce (Parsley page), Persian Chopped Salad (Parsley Page), Tomato Salsa with Sugar Snap Peas​
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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!
Beef Available: Ground Beef
​Pork Available: Grandpa's Sausage, Breakfast Sausage, Pork Chops, Shoulder Roast, Tenderloin, 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
JH Farmer's Market: Saturdays 8-12
The People's Market: Wednesdays 4-7
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Questions? Comments? Recipes to share? [email protected]