NEWSLETTERS AND FARM UPDATES

Share #18 October 6th and 10th

10/5/2017

Crop List: Purple Carrots, Yellow Carrots, Orange Carrots, Red Norland Potatoes, Fingerling Potatoes, Beets, Leeks, Daikon Radish, Kale, Parsley, Winter Squash and yet to be ripe Tomatoes!

Here it is, the last week of shares for 2017. We sincerely hope you have enjoyed the gifts of the garden this year. We loved growing for you, and are honored to be your farmers.
We have been working hard for the past month to get the garden emptied out and have been challenged by the weather. Our mudroom has become a revolving display of drying work gloves. At this point in the season, I can say we got most of the produce in! We will now turn to putting the garden to bed for the year. We need to plant next year's garlic. Clean out some beds. Spread the compost and Biodyamic preparations over the entire farm. Party with the workshares. Put all the supplies away and tidy up the farm. I know there are more things on the list but I can't think of them now! I'd rather stare at the hills and drink in the fall colors with the snow-capped mountains in the background!
We will most likely have a fall sale day at the farm before the month is over. I'll send out more details when we have more info.
Reflecting on 2017 our favorite crops were beets, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, arugula, spinach and radishes! These crops thrived this year. One of my favorite things about farming is how every year different crops really stand out...even when we think we are handling everything consistently. Weather, timing, weeding and a pile of other variables all play in to create different crops every year. Overall it was a great year to eat veggies!
It is hard for us to put into words how much Jed and I love the work we do, and how grateful we are to grow food for you and your family. We hope you enjoyed your share of the harvest. We hope you feel nourished and ready for the change of season.We wish you a peaceful winter in the beauty of the Tetons.

Seeking your input!
I will send out an end of season survey in the next day or two. I finally made the leap in learning how to use Survey Monkey. I'm new to it and just hope it goes smooth! We look forward to hearing your input, so please take the time to fill it out. We are always welcome to feedback via the phone, email, in person or any other way you want to communicate about veggies!

Sign-up for 2018!!
If you purchase your 2018 share at a 2017 pick-up you will get a free Cosmic Apple hat or T-shirt, both made with organic cotton! Please plan on paying with cash or check. We may be able to take cards at a couple of the sites, but are not set up to do so everywhere, and it will add 3% to your cost! Also, check out our payment plan options on the sign-up sheet!

Cosmic Meat!
I have started stocking the coolers with beef and pork roasts as the weather gets chillier!
Here is a full list of what is available. As always, feel free to email me if you know you want something and I will reserve it for you at your site!!
Beef: Ground Beef, Patties, Roasts, liver and Heart
Pork: Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage, Grandpa's Sausage, Fresh Fennel Sausage (made with fennel from our garden, a fall specialty!), Boneless Loin Roast, Shank, Pork Chops, Spare Ribs, Shoulder Roast, Neck Bones, Head, Heart, Liver and Fat.
WASH YOUR VEGGIES!!
Whole and Half pigs for sale. Email [email protected] for details!
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 Driggs Market (last one 10/6)

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Share #17 September 29th and October 3rd

9/28/2017

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Crop List: Carrots, Beets, Leeks, Parsnips, Potatoes, Basil, Winter Squash, Specialty Radish, Broccoli Florets, maybe Green Tomatoes or Turnips

One more week!
We will be going until week #18 this year. October 6th and 10th will be the last share days. The wet cold weather really slowed us down. We are watching the soil dry out, crossing our fingers, peeping at the radar and HOPING we get a window of dryness so we can use the potato digger to free the spuds. We have about an acre of potatoes out there, and digging by hand with digging forks is fun...but takes a long time. All potatoes so far have been hand dug. To use the digger, the plants have to die, which happened in the frost. As the green part wilts the potatoes start to "suberize", a fancy word for getting tougher skin. Without the tough skin, the potato digger is too rough on them. It really is more satisfying at this point in the season to use the tractor to dig them. It scoops them up and puts them back on the ground so "all we have to do" is pick them up by hand. So if all goes smooth, next week you will get lots of potatoes, carrots and beets.
We did just have two glorious days of cloud free sky. The fall leaves on the trees are beautiful and I got to wear flip-flops again.
We are really happy with the high quality of the roots crops this fall. They are at the peak of maturity, the colors are vibrant, the moisture content is perfect. The carrots will be among some of the sweetest you've ever had. After a frost the plants sugar up and get sweeter. Growing roots in a warm climate is no good. Cold climate farming is sweeter!

Sign-up for 2018!!
We are on week 17! This year we will be going to week 18 (Oct. 6th and Oct 10th). Find lots of bags and give yourself some extra time because the shares will be BIG. Bringing a big box may even be helpful!
If you purchase your 2018 share at a pick-up you will get a free Cosmic Apple hat or T-shirt, both made with organic cotton! We will begin handing out the paperwork this week!! Please plan on paying with cash or check. We may be able to take cards at a couple of the sites, but are not set up to do so everywhere, and it will add 3% to your cost!

Cosmic Meat!
I have started stocking the coolers with beef and pork roasts as the weather gets chillier!
Here is a full list of what is available. As always, feel free to email me if you know you want something and I will reserve it for you at your site!!
Beef: Ground Beef, Patties, Roasts, liver and Heart
Pork: Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage, Fresh Fennel Sausage (made with fennel from our garden, a fall specialty!), Bacon (limited to 1 package per customer), Boneless Loin Roast, Shank, Pork Chops, Spare Ribs, Shoulder Roast, Neck Bones, Head, Heart, Liver and Fat.
WASH YOUR VEGGIES!!
Whole and Half pigs for sale. Email [email protected] for details!
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 Driggs Market (last one 10/6)

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Share #16 September 22nd and 26th

9/21/2017

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Crop List: Onions, Leeks, Carrots, Potatoes, Collards, Specialty Radish, Beets, Sugar Dumpling Squash, Maybe Turnips, Garlic, Tomatoes

I'm sending all of you out there warm dry thoughts! It has been a rough week on the farm. I admit, my visions of fall involve gorgeous hillsides of color, elk bugling, sweaters and flip-flops. Most years it seems the cold weather creeps in slowly. 3 days of sleet followed by 5 days of gorgeousness. I guess Mama Nature had to balance out the the high temps of the summer! Oh well. I'm building character and an appreciation for good rain gear.
What does this weather mean for you? Your veggies may be a bit muddier. It is hard to wash things when it is 40 degrees and one is covered in mud and the fingers are barely working. Think of it as being closer to the source of your food! Check out our amazing soil! The workers are moving slower. We are doing our best to empty the garden, but this kind of moisture slows us down. No Cosmic Mix this week. It is really hard to cut delicate green leaves with gloves on, and too cold to work without gloves! Cutting mix, requires moving down the row on your knees. Ugh. We crossed it off the list!
We are cleaning, counting and dividing garlic when time permits. Everyone will get the same amount as we get it processed.
Even if the weather is not conducive to high speed harvesting, the veggies are awesome right now! Slow down, turn on the oven, soup season is here, roast some veggies, so much to enjoy! Winter squash is one of my favorites. It has been slowly growing all season, getting sweet and ripe. We picked it last week before it had a chance to get frosted. Sugar Dumplings!...how can you go wrong with that name?
Stay warm, appreciate your cozy home and thanks for supporting us!

Sign-up for 2018!!
We are on week 16! This year we will be going to at least week 17 (Sept 29th and Oct 3rd). We are hoping to have the garden emptied out by then! If anything changes, we will let you know! Find lots of bags and give yourself some extra time because the shares will be BIG. Bringing a big box may even be helpful!
Starting September 22nd we will be taking sign-ups for 2018! If you purchase your 2018 share at a pick-up you will get a free Cosmic Apple hat or T-shirt, both made with organic cotton! We will begin handing out the paperwork this week!! Please plan on paying with cash or check starting the 22nd! We may be able to take cards at a couple of the sites, but are not set up to do so everywhere, and it will add 3% to your cost!

Cosmic Meat!
I have started stocking the coolers with beef roasts as the weather gets chillier!
Here is a full list of what is available. As always, feel free to email me if you know you want something and I will reserve it for you at your site!!
Beef: Ground Beef, Patties, Roasts, liver and Heart
Pork: Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage, Bacon (limited to 1 package per customer), Boneless Loin Roast, Shank, Pork Chops, Spare Ribs, Shoulder Roast, Neck Bones, Head, Heart, Liver and Fat.
WASH YOUR VEGGIES!!
Whole and Half pigs for sale. Email [email protected] for details!
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 Driggs Market (last one 10/6) and Jackson Saturday Market (last one 9/23)

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Share #15 September 15th and 19th

9/14/2017

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Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Winter Savory, Baby Red Fingerling Potatoes, Orange Carrots, Beets, Broccoli, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Leeks, Onion, Garlic, Specialty Radish Maybe Tomatoes and Cabbage

Changes!
Over the years the two most common changes our customers have asked for have been pick-ups on a day other then Friday and more tomatoes. We have been on the same harvest schedule for about 15 years. For the most part it works for us. When the kids were little I needed that Wednesday at the house to wash diapers and give my body a break from carrying other tiny bodies. Something changed this spring and I'm not sure what it was, but all of a sudden I could see how a Tuesday and Thursday pick up could work. We have thought about it every which way possible and logistically we know at this point the thing that will make it hard is something we have not even thought of. The truck is not double booked and the wash station can handle two processing lines. Wednesdays may be challenging trying to get the morning harvest in for the CSA and getting the People's market produce ready. But with a very deep, pensive breath...we are going to go for it. Next year's veggie pick-ups will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Whoa.
The thing you have not been asking us to do, is raise our prices. We want to pay our employees more. We want to have folks who work with us for multiple seasons and can support themselves and their families here in the Tetons. We also want to put some money away for big farm improvements. A hay shed, another greenhouse, fencing and tool storage. It works out to $3 more a week (less then $2 a week for a half share!) and as your farmers, we are going to ask for this to help the farm run better.
And of course...back to the tomatoes! We are really hoping to be able to purchase another greenhouse this fall, which will mean more tomatoes. Jed promised the last greenhouse he built would be the last one ever, but those red things really are the best and we want you to have more.
Maybe those changes don't feel that big to you, but we are feeling excited and nervous. We want it to work for you and for us. The logistics of how the farm runs have evolved over the years as the farm has grown, finding the right moments to do each thing. For the most part we can get it all done on a weekly rhythm that Jed and I have lived for a decade and a half. We want this to work because it is important to you and you are important to us.

Sign-up for 2018!!
We are on week 15! This year we will be going to at least week 17 (Sept 29th and Oct 3rd). We are hoping to have the garden emptied out by then! Find lots of bags and give yourself some extra time because the shares will be BIG. Bringing a big box may even be helpful!
Starting September 22nd we will be taking sign-ups for 2018! If you purchase your 2018 share at a pick-up you will get a free Cosmic Apple hat or T-shirt, both made with organic cotton! We will begin handing out the paperwork this week!! Please plan on paying with cash or check starting the 22nd! We may be able to take cards at a couple of the sites, but are not set up to do so everywhere, and it will add 3% to your cost!

Cosmic Meat!
Ok...the meat of the week feature got away from me. NEW this week is Breakfast Sausage! Flavored with sage and white pepper. Perfect with a bit of maple syrup drizzled on top! In bulk (not linked) for $10.50/lb.
I have also started stocking the coolers with beef roasts as the weather gets chilier!
Here is a full list of what is available. As always, feel free to email me if you know you want something and I will reserve it for you at your site!!
Beef: Ground Beef, Patties, Roasts and Heart
Pork: Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage, Tenderloin, Pork Chops, Spare Ribs, Shoulder Roast, Neck Bones, Head, Heart, Liver and Fat. (Bacon coming soon!!)
WASH YOUR VEGGIES!!
Whole and Half pigs for sale. Email [email protected] for details!
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 Driggs Market (last one 10/6), The People's Market (last one 9/20) and Jackson Saturday Market (last one 9/23)

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Share #18 October 6th and 10th

Share #17 September 29th and October 3rd

Share #16 September 22nd and 26th

Share #15 September 15th and 19th

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