Field Notes

Field Notes is contributed by Molly Bagnato, Jackson Whole Grocer’s Farm Fellow. Molly’s position is one of the best in the store because she gets to be in the gardens of Mountain Meadow Farm with Dick Shuptrine where dirt is beautiful under one’s finger nails. Molly’s work is critical to understanding how to work with our zone 5 growing season and expounding upon our local producers.

A little bit about Molly….”I was born in Norwich, Vermont.  After earning a MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont and traveling to and studying in places such as Kenya, Nepal and India I found my way to Wyoming.  I knew little of the town and it didn’t take me long to realize that not only were my white, rear-entry boots not cool but the issues surrounding conservation were quite different than those in the east.  I came here to work and learn in the fields of conservation and sustainability at the Murie Center.  Now I have been here for over 6 years; it is, in part, my love of the Tetons that has made me stay but more the community and the passion and intelligence of the people here.  I have worked in program development, event planning and administration for the Murie Center, the Teton Sustainability Project and the Teton Wellness Institute.  Currently I am the Farm Fellow for the Jackson Whole Grocer where I continue to explore and understand the connections between local agriculture, environment, community, economy, education and health.”

September 2nd, 2010

Mom’s questions round two.

How do we get the garden and greenhouse ready for winter?  I don’t know completely because most things are still producing, thanks to the cool weather.  What I do know from flower gardening is you pull out the plants, stick them in the compost and weed the beds.  I have started to do this in rows that have passed, like the radishes; you want to get the weeds out before they go to seed and get the compost-yummy extra parts of the plants into the pile.

How do you know what vegetables and/or berries will sell well?  Because Dick started the garden for his family and friends there hasn’t always been a strong business angle.  In the past he  has simply observed what folks are excited about, what other farms do or don’t have and alters accordingly.  We still grow half a row of turnips because folks from the south think they are to die for.  Something about sow parts cooked in the greens…  This year we are keeping track of poundage from the garden, what is left over after the markets and what veggies sell better than others.  Based on this year and with Dick’ cumulative knowledge from years past we will alter what we plant next year.

What do you do with the produce you can’t sell?  We eat them, give them away, and let them rot in the compost pile.  With bigger gardens you can do what they call “gleaming”.  One example I have read about is in Vermont where an organization goes around and gleans garden beds, taking the extra produce to families and individuals in need.  Slow Food organizes a national day to encourage gleaning across the country and for the first time Teton County ID and WY will participate on September 30^th.

Is there any connection between the farm/grocery and those who have trouble buying “good” produce?  Not sure if I fully understand this one and I just called and you were asleep so I will have to interpret on my own.   We do not offer discounts on local food and the price point is similar to that of organic produce.  This makes it very difficult for many to afford.  This is a large problem that has begun to be solved by the newest farmer’s market in Jackson, The People’s Market, which accepts Snap Benefits (formally known as Food Stamps).

Thanks Mom.

August 26th, 2010

My mom discovered what a blog was last week.  Eager to help her understand what I was doing in my new position as Farm Fellow I sent her a link to my blog, the Jackson Whole Grocer and the Vertical Greenhouse Project.  Lo and behold she commented and with good questions to boot!  So here you go mom….

Mountain Meadow Garden is owned and operated by Dick Shuptrine and is located in Game Creek, 6 miles south of Jackson.  It is the only large scale farm in Jackson.  We have one greenhouse where tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs grow.  Outside there is just under an acre in production where we grow a large variety of lettuces, greens (mustard, chard, kale, turnip, collard), squash, broccoli, potatoes, garlic, onions, peas, beans, asparagus, carrots, turnips, beets, arugula, spinach, more herbs, peppers, cabbage, radishes, pumpkins, raspberries and sunflowers.  The Farm is not certified organic but we do not use any pesticides, herbicides or any other “cides” and the location of game creek offers clean soil, air and water, untouched by any other agricultural production.

We sell the produce at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, the Wednesday People’s Market and through the Jackson Whole Grocer.  Every so often we also get an order from local restaurants and chefs requesting greens and/or herbs.  Once the raspberries start to flourish (like right now) we take orders from families and friends who want a flat.  We have 6 wonderful work-trades; Jill, Amber, Sunny, Dana, Lisa and Jessica.  They come out on Thursdays or Fridays and help harvest for the Saturday market.  For the most part Dick has operated his garden as a way to provide food for his family, neighbors and friends.  He is passionate about growing food and has done so well at it he now has enough to sell through 3 markets- pretty impressive for someone who is supposed to be retired.

August 11th, 2010

Lately I have been thinking a lot about food and the categories of food eaters.  When I was in college I was a vegan for 2 years.  I became so out of environmental concern.  I read about the feedlots, the mistreatment, and the environmental price-tag that eating meat and dairy carried.  So I thought the way to care for and respect animals were to not eat them.  Unbeknownst to me I was supplementing with foods that were highly processed, preserved and altered and the impact to my own health and that of the planets was not what I had had originally intended.  (I know there are many vegans who eat a balanced and educated diet, I was just not one of them.)

I am and have been a vegetarian since I was little.  But in the past year I have begun to really investigate why as well as partake in the samplings of local meats.  I am not bought or sold on the wonders or hazards of meat, dairy, soy, acai, organic, coconut water, natural, ion water or wheat.  What I know is where the Swiss chard and goat cheese that I ate for dinner came from and how it arrived on my plate. The origins of the quinoa and olive oil that I also consumed might as well be a mystery but I can live with that compromise.  Buying whole, real food with a concentration on locally produced is not only the best for you but for the Planet (and don’t get too hung up on your food eater label because you may just be missing out on something delicious.)

July 28th, 2010

It’s an amazing thing what a week means in terms of farm growth.  As I write this I am eating a cucumber with salt and cilantro and tomatoes with basil.  This is why I love summer and why I love farm work- it tastes so damn good.  Yesterday was my first full day at the farm alone and my task was to harvest veggies for the Whole Grocer’s Wednesday Farm to Market.  There aren’t a lot of vegetables that I haven’t harvested before but at the same time everyone does it differently.  I feared, as I cut romaine, that I was doing it wrong.  Leaf by leaf or the whole head?  Something else that is taking me time to adjust to- the simple knowledge of growing food is not always so simple.

At last week’s Farmer’s Market a very kind lady inquired about how to peel cucumbers if they aren’t straight.  I briskly replied that there is no need to peel a cucumber; the peel is good for you.  She than pointed out the little spikes on her soon to be purchased produce.  I told her to eat them and Dick commented they were good roughage.  She may have laughed at Dick and I can’t recall whether or not she bought the cucumber but what this made me think about was the common misconception that vegetables are supposed to look the same.  So part of the shift to supporting local agriculture is education and awareness that cucumbers may be curled but they are still delicious.  And another part is that nothing is easy to everyone else and there are lots of different kinds of intelligence.

July 21st, 2010

This is my first blog post as a “Farm Fellow” for the Jackson Whole Grocer.  I have been working for Dick Shuptrine at Mountain Meadow Farm for two and a half months.  These past weeks have taught me a lot; about patience, about control and what really goes into that salad I ate for lunch.  After years of programming and administrative work the switch to gardening has been a very different kind of challenge.  Growing food here in Jackson does not grant instant gratification, social outlets or any other reward that I was used to.  In the first weeks we encountered many obstacles; cold temperatures, deer, hale, mice, aphids and rain, rain and more rain.  Each problem does not grant an obvious solution, sometimes there is no “fixing” what is wrong but simply letting go and starting over.

And than there is Dick the man who has been gardening in this valley since 1972 and been running Mountain Meadow for 10 years.  Up until now he has worked the garden primarily by himself.  His love of fishing, mushroom hunting, rivers and wildness led him to seek out an assistant of sorts so that he could get away.  Bob Arndt from the Jackson Whole Grocer saw an opportunity when he heard Dick’s desire for some help- hire someone to work for the store at the farm, the perfect link between production and distribution.  I am consistently impressed by Bob’s forward thinking when it comes to sustainability, community and the connections that lay within.

As I mentioned earlier this season has not been simple but today we are harvesting arugula, salad mix, basil and other herbs, tomatoes, radishes, turnip greens, collard greens, and bok choy.  Now I can taste the reward.  What I have learned beyond the basics of growing food in this climate and at this elevation is an extreme appreciation for the farmers in this area.  It’s not easy, it’s barely profitable, it demands an incredible amount of time and effort and yet the growers here do it because they care about soil and water, about community, conservation and providing good, clean food.  Next time you visit the store and see the local offerings, go to the Wednesday People’s Market or the Saturday Farmer’s Market, see these people, thank them and enjoy their delicious food.