Get in Touch with your Food!
Have you wondered what it really takes to get food to your plate? Find out by volunteering in our garden. Join us the first week of May and you will see a field ready to plant and greenhouses full of plant starts. By mid-summer the garden is producing and the weeds are growing. September is all about the harvest and it is a fun challenge to get it all out of the garden! October finds us cleaning out the garden and putting the fields to rest.
Commit to working 5 hours a week May 1st until October 31st and you will be a part of a working Organic Biodynamic farm.
You will receive in exchange for your work:
We are entering our 21st year of growing for the People of the Tetons!
Commit to working 5 hours a week May 1st until October 31st and you will be a part of a working Organic Biodynamic farm.
You will receive in exchange for your work:
- One full share of the harvest (enough food to feed 4 people)
- A meal after every shift made with fresh garden goodies.
- A t-shirt or hat at the end of the season.
- A cash bonus for completing the season and upholding the the farm agreement. (The farm agreement can be found by clicking "farm agreement" button.)
- The satisfaction of knowing YOU are feeding your community.
- First choice of the "extra veggies".
- Bonus early season shares and late season shares for volunteers only!
- Tips and techniques for High Altitude Gardening.
- A 20% discount at all Farmer's Markets.
- First priority is given to workshares in the pick-your-own Strawberry and Raspberry patches!
We are entering our 21st year of growing for the People of the Tetons!
- We know what works and we are eager to share our techniques with you. Farmers Jed and Dale have been farming for a combined total of 42 years!
- Biodynamic farms rely on animals for fertility. Learn how to truly farm in a sustainable manner!
What do our Workshare Members have to say?
Some reflections of past workshares!
Why do you work at Cosmic Apple?
Why do you work at Cosmic Apple?
Christina- “ I love working at Cosmic Apple because I learn a vast amount of information about gardening/farming, spend time playing in the dirt with like-minded people, harvest vegetables that last me until Spring, and enjoy eating Dale's delicious meals cooked for us every day.”
Theresa- "The lunches we get after a shift never disappoint. Plus working across a garden bed from someone is a great way to get to know them! Lots of interesting folks work out at Cosmic in the summer and though it's hard work it is just a great way to spend a morning or afternoon."
Noah- "The best food for hundreds of miles in any direction, I'm talking fresh veggies AND lunch, Dale's cooking is the best."
Lauren and Evan- "We love the work of Rudolph Steiner especially his Philosophy on Agriculture and Biodynamics. Cosmic Apple has given us an opportunity to put the knowledge we've read in books to the test in the field. Also we find it absolutely fundamental to our family, to know where our food comes from. By volunteering to do a workshare at Cosmic Apple, we not only have the blessing to know where our food comes from, but we get the blessing to harvest that food with our own hands, under the direction of a Master Gardener!!!
What have you learned about gardening?
Sue- “I've learned a ton about gardening, especially high-altitude gardening. My neighbor and I share a garden plot and I have been shocked to realized how much info I've absorbed working at Cosmic. The farmers and managers are so great about answering questions and letting us know Why we're doing What we're doing.”
Jill- "While working at Cosmic Apple I learn how much hard work it takes to keep an Organic, Bio-Dynamic, NON-GMO farm going. I really like the "It takes a village" approach with the volunteers."
Theresa- "I learned quite a bit about biodynamic farming. It's an interesting process and pretty specific too! Sometimes I think it's hard for volunteers to wrap their head around stuff that may seem kind of "out there" but it all boils down to the fundamentals of soil quality and working with the natural cycles of our planet. When you think about it in those terms it really means we are working in harmony with Earth and tending to the medium in which we grow delicious and beautiful veggies."
Noah- "I've learned that growing a garden in a high mountain desert is not easy but there are lots of varieties of veggies and herbs that grow really well outside and taste amazing!"
Lauren + Evan- "We have learned how to Reap and Sow, everything from Carrots, Salad, Garlic, Cabbage, Potatoes, Kale, Tomatoes, Beans, Raspberries, Strawberries, many varieties of Herbs, Pumpkins, Cucumbers, Onions, Sugar Dumplings, Radishes, Daikon, Sunflowers, and Beets. We've also learned how to care for the land, each plant and efficiently control the endless weeds."
Jodi- "I learned just how connected we as humans can be to our planet and the cosmos."
How has working at the farm changed your view of our food system?
Sue- “Working at CA has helped me think beyond just running to the store and picking up food. I'm much more conscious of buying from local farmers and also basic farming methods. I considered doing Bountiful Baskets this summer but a big factor for me was that they ship the produce from as far away as Mexico. So they use tons of gas and then I'm not supporting my own local farmer. I think I would have just considered the money issue a few years ago. Now I'm looking at the bigger picture.”
Jill- "It has made me appreciate the time and love that goes into the food. I now understand why organics are more costly, and that it's totally WORTH IT!!"
Theresa- "My own philosophies have been reinforced. it is important to see the process of growing your own food and see all the love and energy that goes into growing great produce. Cosmic is an awesome opportunity to be an active participant in the production of food you consume."
Noah- "I can't really walk through the produce isle in the grocery store anymore. Working to grow food for yourself and your community is the most rewarding job I can think of. "
Meredith- "It totally challenged everything I thought I knew about food systems in the US. In fact, working at Cosmic Apple had such a profound impact on me that I am focusing my law degree on food and agriculture policy. My goal is to get more legislation passed on a state and federal level that benefits smaller/organic/urban farmers. So, aside from a providing me with a summer full of fresh vegetables, it's been the driving force behind my career path. Wow! Thanks to you guys for such an awesome opportunity."
What was your favorite part of working on the farm?
Jodi- "My favorite part of working on the farm is weeding. Truth."
Lauren- "Dale's lunch hands down every time, every day!!!! "
Noah- "Sitting down with the entire crew for lunch and eating Dale's yummy cooking."
Theresa- "I love chatting with people and hearing their stories. I like the physicality of the work. I like that the work is kind of urgent because farming can be a demanding schedule. Urgency helps make the work feel more important and I like that. I also love Dale's cooking. Simply the best.
Jill- "My Share, the friends i made and the knowledge I went home with at the end of the day."
Grant- "Dales lunches"
What was the most rewarding part about volunteering at the farm?
Jill- "I went home with a share that I helped flourish, and I now can grow a better home garden.My kids loved the fact that I worked on the farm and loved visiting as well. I feel its very important for children to know where their food comes from, and what it takes to get it to the table."
Theresa- "Veggies were a great reward. I love being connected to the land that I have worked on. If you work hard and have a good attitude then you're always welcomed with open arms at Cosmic.I absolutely love taking the opportunity to go volunteer because the people are so great!"
Noah- "Meeting CSA members around the community, knowing you help grow their food and having them thank you for your hard work!"
Lauren + Evan- "Feeding ourselves and our Children clean food, that follow's the season and spirit of our valley. The Cosmic Apple offers the most amazing, flavorful and energizing food we have ever eaten. The gift of being able to bring our kids to the farm and show them where their food comes from. Being able to affordably stock up for the winter with Fresh, Organic, Biodynamic, local FOOD. We Love the Cosmic Apple, and We Love the Family that makes it all Possible. Thank you Jed, Dale, Dagan, Axel and Roxanne. "
Grant- "Shares and cooking shares w/ friends"
Jodi-"The most rewarding part of volunteering are the lunch or dinners. I can feel the vibrant energy of the food Dale prepares."
Deirdre- “Thank you for such an amazing experience and all that you do, making the deslish-isnous available to all of us. Love you! It is an amazing opportunity to work with a local organic farm. Just to get organic veggies and live healthier is enough for me”
What would you tell a new volunteer at Cosmic Apple?
Jill- "I would tell them that they need to be a dependable hard worker, but they will get a lot out of it and don't ever say you're not staying for dinner, you will regret it!"
Theresa- "You get dirty, you sweat, you use your muscles, it's not always comfortable, but you laugh while you do it because you're around good people and happy plants! I would also say that if you aren't willing to work seriously (be on time, work consistently, play by the rules of the farm) then it may not be a good fit. There isn't anything wrong with it not being a good fit but it's better to be honest ahead of time about what you want out of the experience. That being said...you should do it. The experience and the food is great."
Noah- "The people you meet and connections you make on the farm are something you might not think of but will change your life for the better, I promise."
Lauren + Evan- "Be on Time, dress in layers and talk with your mouth not your hands. If you can do that, you will have the opportunity to be apart of a great Team that provides great food, not only for yourself, but your community as well."
Jodi- "I would tell a new volunteer that it is physically demanding and energetically rewarding to work on the farm each week."
Jill- "I would tell them that they need to be a dependable hard worker, but they will get a lot out of it and don't ever say you're not staying for dinner, you will regret it!"
Theresa- "You get dirty, you sweat, you use your muscles, it's not always comfortable, but you laugh while you do it because you're around good people and happy plants! I would also say that if you aren't willing to work seriously (be on time, work consistently, play by the rules of the farm) then it may not be a good fit. There isn't anything wrong with it not being a good fit but it's better to be honest ahead of time about what you want out of the experience. That being said...you should do it. The experience and the food is great."
Noah- "The people you meet and connections you make on the farm are something you might not think of but will change your life for the better, I promise."
Lauren + Evan- "Be on Time, dress in layers and talk with your mouth not your hands. If you can do that, you will have the opportunity to be apart of a great Team that provides great food, not only for yourself, but your community as well."
Jodi- "I would tell a new volunteer that it is physically demanding and energetically rewarding to work on the farm each week."
