Blog Posts

Share #10 August 11th and 15th

8/10/2017

Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Summer Squash, Shell Peas, Yellow Beans, Filet Beans, Cucumbers, Swiss Chard, Head Lettuce, Specialty Basil, maybe Tomatoes, Red Cabbage and Sunflowers

The beans are coming in, and it looks like a beautiful crop. Most of the farm's volunteer time now is devoted to picking beans and peas. These lovely crops just take time to get off the vine! Beans are one of the crops that remind me of childhood. The family of a dear friend had a huge garden and I can remember standing in her yard eating beans and running to the back porch to avoid a thunderstorm. I love how flavors have the power to magically turn into time machines.
The sunflowers and tomatoes are taking their mid summer break. The plants just seem to need a moment to pause before putting out the next flush of goodies. We are rotating them around the sites as available.
Broccoli!! We planted a lot this year! It is almost ready. We think it may start in Tuesday's shares, but Friday the 11th will be a bit premature, so get ready for broccoli the week of the 15th! ...at least that's what we think....Mother Nature likes to surprise us sometimes with other plans!
The abundance of the season is upon us. The garden is yielding, and will not stop until early October. The shares will just keep getting bigger! Savor the flavor of summer, this is the time of year I dream about when I read seed catalogs in the middle of winter.

Bob Arndt, we'll miss you...
Many of you know Bob was killed in a car crash on June 30th. Bob and his wife Melanie picked their veggies up a few hours before the accident and were members of the Cosmic Community. Bob was a proponent of local foods for as long as we knew him. He always had a smile at the market for us and was a constant supporter of the farm. He happily bought our eggs for the Harvest store in 2003 when we could not find anyone else to buy them! He always took the time to understand the producers hurdles and it was easy to see his desire to find ways everyone could work together outside of the traditional supply chain, long before it was normal to support local farms. Bob and Melanie helped to build the thriving local food scene we enjoy in the Tetons, slowly, steadily and with kindness. We are grateful for your work, and will miss you Bob.
If any of you are interested in supporting Melanie, a meal train has been set up for her. Details here: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/4d1047

Featured Meat of the Week: Pork Shoulder Roast
YUM! Another really easy meal to come home to after a day on the river! I put mine in the slow cooker, add some Bar-B-Que sauce, turn on low and walk away. Pull the pork and put it on 460 buns. Enjoy with a huge salad and a side of sauteed beans. Our shoulder roast is $8.25/ pound and available in the coolers at your pick-up location!

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, The People's Market and Jackson Saturday Market

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Share #9 August 4th and 8th

8/3/2017

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Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Radish, Basil, Summer Squash, Romaine Head Lettuce, Kale, Cabbage, Bok Choy, Tomatoes, Sunflowers, Maybe Yellow Beans and Pickling Cukes

12 items on the crop list!! It must be August. It feels like it. The grass is getting crunchy, the air is getting smokey, the breeze came out of the North for the first time in a month (except during a blustery thunder storm), goggle tan has been traded for flip flop tan and the eating is good! Lammas was Wednesday, August 2nd, the midpoint between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox.
We harvested all the garlic from the field between 7/27 and 8/1. It is now tucked safely in the barn curing. The stalks will dry down as will the paper surrounding the cloves. Then it will last until next year if stored correctly. In October we will start picking thru it to give out and save seed for planting in November. Some will be given out before then...but no sorting until we can get some time out of the fields! I've written about the garlic plant and its life cycle here:
http://www.cosmicapple.com/uploads/1/7/9/9/17994337/garlic_curls.pdf
I'm definitely smitten with garlic plants!

Pickling cukes?! You don't have to pickle them! This variety just grows great here! Rinse them off, rubbing the spikes gently off and use them like a regular cuke. I like to eat them like an apple. Perfect on a hot summer day. One of my children came out of the field last week and exclaimed, "MOM! I managed to eat 5 cucumbers!" he wanted more but we had to leave. Cucumbers have so much water in them, they are one of the few foods that actually re-hydrate you! So yes, snack on them while you are hiking! The smaller size also makes them easy to slice on a mandolin for sandwiches.
An evolution of the use of plastic bags has been occurring! When we started this CSA program 19 years ago, folks did not think to much about the amount of plastic they used. We ALWAYS could find bags in our bag boxes and had folks giving them to us. But as the awareness of the effects plastic has on the environment has risen folks are striving to use less, reuse more and as a result we don't have as many extra bags floating around. I know this is a great thing, although inconvenient when bags are forgotten! I have noticed many folks pick up in nice reusable bags. I'd love it if those of you who use this type of bag would email me product names and pros/cons of your brand. I'd like to put a list together to recommend to folks!
I also want to wish everyone a Happy National Zucchini Day which is happening on Tuesday the 8th. Please celebrate appropriately.

Featured Meat of the Week: Grandpa Restuccia's Sausage
It's back!!! Many of you love this flavor so much you just closed your device and bee lined it for our coolers. The rest of you need the history. Jed's Grandfather lived in Sicily, and this is the recipe his family used when making sausage. Black pepper and fennel, a simple, classic and perfectly balanced sausage. Delicous with pasta, on pizza or just formed into patties. We are having some tonight (in patty form) with salad and a side of sauteed summer squash, chantrelles, tomato and basil. It is $10.50 a pound, and is "bulk sausage", not linked.

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, The People's Market and Jackson Saturday Market

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Share #8 July 28th and August 1st

7/27/2017

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Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Swiss Chard, Fresh Garlic, Shell Peas, Head Lettuce, Summer Squash,Tomatoes, Oregano and Bok Choy

Why Certify Organic? Part 2
Last week I promised to address why I think certification works and why I think you should feel good about supporting farms who choose to certify.
So why do we do it? We believe in it. Yes, I agree it is sad our food system has gotten to a point that we (you and I) need a third party involved to promise you we grow clean food. But, honestly..Do you want to spend the time and energy reading the USDA Organic regulations and understanding how they apply to farms? The truth is, just because someone does not spray chemicals does not mean they are up to organic standards. There is a lot more involved! There are little things we sometimes don't think of that a certifying agency can point out. We can call them when we have a sick animal to see if there are any approved organic solutions to what the vet is telling us to do. If we do what the vet tells us to do and it is not up to OG standards, the animal gets de-certified. Don't worry, we don't think twice when it comes to a sick animal, we would rather save its life and prevent suffering then have an organic critter, but if there is an option we always go for the "most organic" one!
There are many folks out there trying to take advantage of the Organic standards for profit. Of course they are, we have a good thing going! And yes people do lie and use loopholes to certify things that should not be certified. I believe this happens most at the corporate level, not with small local farms. We have talked to Organic inspectors over the years, and these folks LOVE catching someone trying to sneak in. We have one friend who looks in garbage cans if he suspects foul play! I believe Organic inspectors are committed to keeping food clean.
The small farms who choose to certify are not looking for loopholes. They are looking for integrity. The folks who choose not to certify, but want to call their products Organic ARE looking to make a profit off of something they can't claim.
And what have Jed and I learned about farms claiming to grow things organically but choosing not to certify? Most don't know the rules or are telling you what you want to hear.

We know of one farm who tells folks they grow organically, but have asked volunteers to spray the area around the garden with herbicides. A 25' buffer zone is required to prevent drift. Do you want volunteers who don't know how to spray chems spraying close to your veggies?
We know of another farm who would make the claim, but leave plastic mulch in the field every year because they didn't want to throw it out yes, I get the point of keeping things out of the waste stream, but leaving plastic mulch in the field is not up to OG standards because it contaminates the soil.
Other folks say their animals are grown organically, but they are exposed to pressure treated lumber around their barns and structures.
Notice the boxes produce is transported in. Is it in boxes reused from conventional growers? Some produce is treated with chemicals right before or after they are put in boxes, reusing boxes used by non-organic produce is a violation of OG standards.
I have only met one farmer who read all the Organic standards before deciding to get certified. Prior to reading he thought he was almost certifiable and liked to tell that to people. He didn't follow through because he realized he was going to have change his whole farm after reading the requirements.

Many farms will invite you to come look at their farm, but do you really know what you are looking for? What questions should you ask? Our inspector spends about 6 hours asking us questions during our annual inspection. Claims like "beyond organic", "chemical free" or "all natural" don't mean much, unless you want to start asking LOTS of questions about planting, growing and post harvest handling. Organic farming is MORE then not putting chemicals on your plants. It is about keeping the entire production process free of chemical contaminants. This takes work. It takes knowing how whole farm systems work. It takes a third party helping you find your mistakes, and getting you on track for certification. I do believe once a farm is certified, the consumer can have confidence without having to interrogate the farmer! That has already been done! Please support farms who choose to be certified Organic (or better yet, Biodynamic). You can trust you are getting Organic food if it is certified.

Featured Meat of the Week: Sirloin Butt Steak
Sirloin steaks are great for making kabobs! There are hundreds of recipes online. We are getting into the season with veggies that are chunky enough to grill! Make a marinade of your choice, cut up some steaks, squash tomatoes and garlic for grilling! Our Sirloins are $13/pound.

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, The People's Market and Jackson Saturday Market

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Share #7 July 21st and 25th

7/20/2017

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Crop List: Cosmic Mix, Napa Cabbage, Bok Choy, Sage, Turnips, Tomatoes, Collards and Green Romaine Head Lettuce
Holy Hail! Which has resulted in holey vegetables. We have been hit by a few hail storms, and now your veggies are going to show you what happens to them when ice balls pelt thru their tender leaves. For the next couple of weeks check out your produce, you will see the results. When the sunflowers come in you will be able to still see the damage on the leaves. I like it when veggies come in and I can look at them and remember a particular storm, or what I was doing while it was hailing. (Usually looking out the window thinking protective thoughts for the garden!) The veggies can tell us a story! We just have to listen!

Getting Certified!
There are lots of opinions on getting Certified Organic. Some farms don't want to do it because it is expensive (it is!), the government is involved (they are!), farmers don't want to keep records (neither do I...Yay for Jed!) or they don't believe it works (we think it does).
The arguments against: Too Expensive. Yep. It is, but we pay Demeter, who is a Biodynamic Certifiing agency. Not the government. I like Demeter (http://www.demeter-usa.org/). They have integrity and use the money to do good things. I like paying them for what they are doing for the world. I feel like we work with them, not us against them. We all have the same goal, to make sure our food is pure and to "heal the earth thru agriculture". I strongly believe the service they provide us (you and I) is worth the money we pay them.
The government...well farmers are kind of known for the anti-bureaucracy mentality. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does regulate Organics. Many folks were upset when the USDA made it so farms were unable to use the term "organic" unless they became certified. I can see why that upset folks who were at it for a long time. But the truth is the word meant nothing because it was so abused before certification. Anyone could claim they were OG but it was not defined. The USDA defined it, and thus "owns it". But we needed something. Consumers needed a starting point for confidence building. Farmer's markets needed some baseline to understand what they were getting. We at Cosmic Apple do not feel the USDA standards are strong enough, which is why we choose to use Demeter. So the farms who don't like working with the government, can choose other agencies, which the USDA accredits to distribute the Organic label. Some have more stringent requirements, some require the USDA standards. Farmers can choose.
Record keeping...yes, it is a lot of work we could do without. But we have streamlined it into our system and I am loathe to admit it, we are way more organized because of it. And again, the trade off is worth it for the assurance of clean food. When our inspector shows up we often trace the paper trail of an item (like broccoli) from a seed receipt to your veggie pick up.
Next week I'll write about why I think certification works and why I think you should feel good about supporting farms who choose to certify.

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, The People's Market and Jackson Saturday Market

0 Comments

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Share #10 August 11th and 15th

Share #9 August 4th and 8th

Share #8 July 28th and August 1st

Share #7 July 21st and 25th

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