Bounty: Growing Season 2015

THINKING LIKE A FOODSHED

LOCAL LOVING CHEFS

GROWING SEASON 2015

LOCAL FARMERS LOOK TO THE FUTURE

SCHOOL FOODSPRINGTIME MAZE

FARMS, MARKETS AND STANDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WARM WEATHER WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS

2 | LOCAL FOOD AND FARM GUIDE

Simple PuréesCarrot • Beet • Peach • Apple. . . . . . . . .Combination purées

Apple/Beet/Coconut Milk/ClovesPeach/Carrot/Coconut Milk/Ginger

Carrot/Potato/Butter/DillApples/Spinach/Chicken BrothApple/Beet/Coconut Milk/Clove

We know you want the best for your child, but we also know you’re busy. So we do the

work for you… from fresh Colorado produce, we flash steam, then purée and freeze in 1 oz. portions, so you use only what you need, when you

need it, leading to less waste!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Our simple purées are single ingredient, so that you can monitor

your baby for food allergies as you’re introducing new foods.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Our combination purées combine

fruits and vegetables, a fat for healthy brain development, and a

spice to mature taste buds.

Organic and local baby food delivered to your doorMade with 100% organic fruits and vegetables sourced

from local farms. With zero additives or preservatives, your baby’s food contains ingredients that you can trust.

highchairfarms.com

Motherlove Herbal Company presents an educational summer series on edible & medicinal herbs with Kathryn Higgins, company founder and herbalist.

Spend a day on our organic farm learning to identify and use the many plants that grow in our own back yard. Afterward Kathryn will teach you the basics of making your own salves, balms, tinctures and other herbal remedies.

Please contact [email protected] for additional information.

FARM STAND OPEN MAY through

OCTOBERF R E S H L O C A L PRODUCE

PICK-YOUR-OWN

STRAWBERRIES —OPEN AUGUST & SEPTEMBER—

gardensweet.com 719 West Willox Lane • Fort Collins, CO

LOCAL FOOD AND FARM GUIDE | 3

WE ARE THRILLED to present the second edition of Bounty Local Food and Farm Guide! This resource and reference provides a complete listing of local farms, food producers, farmers markets, and farm stands, along with a calendar chock-full of agricultural events happening throughout this spring and summer in Weld and Larimer counties. We’ve also included some great articles about our local and regional food scene.

At Fortified Collaborations, we are committed to raising awareness and promoting the efforts of the local farms, businesses, organizations and indi-viduals that comprise an increasingly vibrant and resilient local food scene. We are grateful to be connected to a growing community of people commit-ted to putting our money and energy where our mouths are, and where our hearts are—here, in Northern Colorado. We believe there is no greater con-nection than to the earth and the food it provides for our sustenance.

It’s an exciting and fertile time for local food. Since our first edition last fall, we’ve seen a notable increase in the availability of locally grown food through an increase in the number of local farms (now more than 100 in Larimer and Weld counties), several new farmers markets starting this sum-mer, and the continued growth of LoCo Food Distribution. Community in-volvement and support of local food is also growing. The NoCo Food Cluster continues to make steady progress and build community capacity to increase supply and demand for local food. Poudre School District is participating with the Food Cluster to bring more local fare into school cafeterias, and The Kitchen Community is making exciting progress with school gardens in Fort Collins, with a number of new Learning Gardens in the works. Meanwhile, several organizations are dedicated to increasing the reach of local food to families in need in our community.

Community support for local food is growing and evident throughout all sectors, from individual households to local government. Local food entrepreneurs continue to spring up, and Slow Money inspired clubs such as Living Soil Investments are demonstrating their support of local supply by moving some of their financial resources into the local food economy through microloans to farmers and food-based entrepreneurs.

These examples and efforts represent incredible passion and dedication and together, we will continue conversations and collaborations around supporting local production and capacity to build a resilient local economy and support the health of everyone in our community. This guide is one place to start, and we in-vite you to experience and enjoy the amazing local food available here!

Enjoy the Bounty, Kristina and Malia Fortified Collaborations

FORTIFYING OUR FOODSHEDTABLE OF CONTENTSSTEADY AS SHE GROWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4NoCo Food Cluster Chair Michael Baute shares the nonprofit’s progress and plans

GROWING THE CHOIR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Local farmers deliver the goods but need market expansion to make it work

LOVING CHEFS LOVING LOCAL. . . . . . . . . . . . 8Meet some of our chefs who make it a priority to source locally for their cuisine

LISTING OF LOCAL PRODUCERS. . . . . . . . . . 12Find a local farm near you

LISTING OF FARMERS MARKETS. . . . . . . . . 13Local markets abound. Take advantage of our nearly year-round access

LISTING OF FARM STANDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13A perfect way to get fresh, local goodness to your table

BOUNTY CALENDAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Never a dull moment during a NoCo summer. Check here for farm dinners, festivals, and more

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18PSD seeks collaboration with Food Cluster to get more local fare on the menu

SPRINGTIME MAZE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Kids, put your thinking caps on and find your way through this super-duper maze!

INVESTING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. . . . . 20Slow Money sets forth guiding principles for local groups lending to food producers

TOO IMPORTANT TO FAIL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Food Shift publisher Michael Brownlee weighs in on the importance of thinking like a foodshed

Bounty Local Food and Farm Guide 2015 is a special publication of Fortified Collaborations

and Rocky Mountain Publishing, Inc. Publisher: Kristina Cash; Editor: Helen Taylor;

Contributing Editors: Kristina Cash; Malia Ruchti; Creative Director:

Emily Zaynard; Contributing Photographers: Libby Newell, Cheri Schonfeld; Copyright 2015

Fortified Collaborations, Fort Collins, CO. All rights reserved. Reproduction without express written permission is prohibited.

ABOUT THE COVER: Laughing Buck Farm is a working and educational farm offering camps, workshops and classes for children and families. The farm features horses, chickens, goats, pigs and bees as well as a large garden. Learn more at laughingbuckfarm.com. Photography by Libby Newell.

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THERE’S A WHISPER of innovation happening in the food sector in North-ern Colorado, and while you may not have noticed it, a more robust, resilient and thriving local food system is emerg-ing due to the commitment of keen entrepreneurs, grassroots organizations, and visionary planners and economic developers. Often overshadowed by innovation in high-tech and clean ener-gy, the innovation within the local and regional food system is quietly building healthy communities, subtly retaining our region’s wealth, and deliberately pre-serving our agrarian heritage in our little part of America.

Building on the work of hundreds of community members over the years, the Northern Colorado Food Cluster (NCFC) is steadily gaining momen-tum by bringing the voice of food and farming to high-level decision makers in Northern Colorado for a seat at the table. Now a full-fledged 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a working Board of Directors and dynamic Advi-sory Committee of Partners, the NCFC

is poised to address critical, and some-times difficult, issues within the local and regional food system.

Notably, there are diverse opinions and approaches to food system develop-ment, and many forms of food produc-tion exist that we, as eaters, depend on each and every day. Some focus on the responsibility of feeding the world, while others feel we should focus on feeding our neighbors. While there are more than 30 CSA (Community Supporting Agriculture) programs and market farms that do business in Northern Colorado, there are also hundreds of large family farms and ranches that produce foods and commodities for export and for inputs into other agricultural segments. Value judgments aside, these farmers and ranchers are part of the 2 percent of America that are actually engaged in farming in one form or another, and we all have some common ground.

There’s a place in the conservation movement called the “radical center”; it’s a place in the middle where farmers, ranchers and environmentalists have

met to discuss critical conservation issues like species preservation, soil erosion, pollution and wildlife habitat conservation. Both sides of this heated debate have fought each other in court over the years, but have recently begun to find so much more value in open, democratic dialogue in order to address these critical issues. They’ve found that deep down they’re in it for the exact same reasons: healthy lands, animals and communities. With this new knowledge of each other’s shared goals, both ranchers and environmentalists have made huge strides toward our col-lective conservation goals.

The Northern Colorado Food Cluster is interested in this concept of the “radical center” in which all forms of agriculture have a voice in the con-versation. As an inclusive organization, we desire the many differing views about food production and community development at the table, as we strongly feel that by working together we will be more effective. It’s time for collabora-tion, and we invite you to pull up a chair and engage with other passionate people to create a healthy, resilient Northern Colorado. In Soil We Trust.

Michael Baute is chairman of the Northern Colorado Food Cluster.

STEADY AS SHE GROWSThe Northern Colorado Food Cluster Brings Diverse Parties to the TableBY MICHAEL BAUTE


CREATING A HEALTHY

COMMUNITY THROUGH A

RESILIENT, LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM.

The Food Cluster convenes businesses, organizations, and individuals to contribute directly to the scope and projects and initiate public/private partnerships. Collectively, these partners have significant capacity to coordinate a unified voice in efforts to influence public policy decisions, establish high impact projects, and create a strong network of food system leaders in our community.nocofoodcluster.com


GROWING THE CHOIRLocal Farmers Look to Food Cluster to Expand MarketBY HELEN TAYLOR

AFTER 32 SEASONS, Bailey and Dennis Stenson, owners of Happy Heart Farm in Fort Collins, are beginning to think about retirement. A day will come when it’s time to pass the torch to the next generation—younger farmers with more energy and more cartilage.

During decades spent forging the local farming scene and refining their biodynamic farming practices, the Sten-son’s have logged a number of firsts: Their farm was the first in the state to offer CSA shares. They’ve trained more than 60 new farmers through their unique apprenticeship program. They’ve created Friends of Happy Heart, a nonprofit that provides fresh, local produce to more than 30 low-income families each season. They’ve launched an urban food school—a week-long camp designed to get kids on the farm. And with others of their ilk, they’ve sustained a tireless effort to raise awareness of the importance of locally produced food—heralding the value inherent in knowing where your food comes from and helping support the brave souls who choose to live close to the soil and grow that food, despite the perilous economics of the business.

The good news, says Stenson, is that there are more local farms than

ever before—120 in Northern Colorado at last count. And with literally dozens of CSAs in the region, their dream of having a CSA on every corner begins to feel like more of a reality. But it’s not enough. Until more consumers know about and invest in the local food sys-tem and more land is preserved for local farming, the viability of the business model remains in question.

“On my cynical days I think more people know about the beer than about the farms,” says Stenson. “We’ve had to grow the food and also educate people on its importance.” Now, she hopes that the nascent Northern Colorado Food Cluster will take on more of the education piece and help produce a bumper crop of new local-food consumers, or as Stenson pre-fers to call them, “participants.”

“The term ‘consumer’ puts too many burdens on the farmer,” she says. “People want non-GMO, organic, pesticide free, all these great things, but do we want to pay what it really costs? “‘What, I don’t get four avocadoes for a dollar?’ people say. Well, no, but [you’re paying for your] health through connecting with food and the community that grows that food.”

Luke Hall, who describes Shire, his two-acre CSA in Fort Collins, as more

of a large garden than a farm, concurs. He says it’s not easy to find 100 people willing to plop down $500 up front for a CSA share, but what many don’t realize is that’s only a fraction of the actual cost to produce that food.

“Prices aren’t based on reality; they’re based on the market,” he says. “We’re expected to offer grocery store prices, but without the migrant labor and subsidies that keep those prices low. It should be more like a $1,000 a share.”

Wary of sounding bitter, Hall says he thinks things will improve as more people make buying local food a prior-ity. It helps, he says, that there’s now a certain amount of glamour around local food and farming. “It’s cool now,” he says. “More restaurants are buying in because it’s good business, it’s a lifestyle more people are into, and this commu-nity really supports that.”

STANDING ON THEIR SHOULDERSMore than a decade ago local activist Gailmarie Kimmel started the nonprofit Be Local Northern Colorado to encour-age the citizens of Fort Collins to spend their money at unique, locally owned businesses and keep that cash circulat-ing through the community. People got

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it, and others followed Be Local’s lead. Four years ago Elizabeth Mozer founded LoCo Food Distribution, a wholesale food distribution company that sells lo-cally grown and produced food to restau-rants, grocery stores and institutions from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.

“We’re standing on the shoulders of Be Local,” she says. “They established the importance of buying local—the im-pact it has economically and in terms of relationships and community develop-ment. Now we need that same conver-sation around food, because people can’t support what they don’t know about.”

Like Stenson, Mozer is involved with the new Northern Colorado Food Cluster, working collaboratively to fa-cilitate that education. Food Cluster Board Chairman Michael Baute says the group is still in development, but already they’ve seen some results from early efforts. “We got the farmers together and they asked for help promoting the Winter Market,” he says. A targeted social media campaign helped boost traffic, and this past season was the mar-ket’s best yet. Meetings with the city’s economic development arm have also proved fruitful. “We weren’t ready for BOB 2.0,” Baute says, “but we definitely want to be part of the city’s economic development strategy going forward.”

EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPSIt’s a good sign when Josh Birks, the city’s director of economic health, is mentioning local farms in his update to City Council, but for many local farmers, the margins are so narrow it’s a question of whether they’ll make it from one season to the next. For these folks, a few thousand dollars can make a big difference. Enter, Living Soil Investments. Gailmarie Kimmel, of Be Local fame, has worked with a handful of local-food devotees to build a small investment group that makes microloans to local vegetable farmers and food producers.

“This is relationship-based lending,” says Kimmel. “We’re okay lending in the spring and not expecting payments until later in the season. We can be patient and offer friendly terms.”

Loans in the $5,000 to $15,000 range can, for example, extend a farm-er’s season. “If they know we can help [finance] a walk-in cooler, they can plan

better, plant more and improve their bottom line,” says Kimmel.

The investment group is still small and has come together mostly through word of mouth, but Kimmel would like to see it continue to grow and says they’re actively recruiting members.

Kimmel has also been active in the effort to promote secured land tenure for farmers.

“These young people are doing a huge public service deciding to grow food. It’s high-risk and low-profile, because that’s how we’ve decided to value it,” she says. “We’re looking at how you mobilize com-munity capital not on the microloan level but at higher levels to purchase land and hold it in perpetuity for the farmer.”

Kimmel says the group working on this has identified a piece of land for a pi-lot project. “The county is tracking with us, and the conversation now is around what that capital structure could look like—something that would offer rent stability with a 20 to 30-year lease,” she says. “It takes that kind of time to build the soil, and soil fertility is a crucial piece of this.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTUREThis summer, bustling farmers markets and farm stands, sold-out CSAs, and restaurants jostling to promote local-ly-grown fare will suggest a thriving local food system and a growing choir of supporters. The Food Cluster plans to convene regional farmers market orga-nizers to assess their needs, and Eliza-beth Mozer will continue to expand her

distribution network and field calls from folks around the country wanting to replicate what she’s created.

Luke Hall, like other farmers, will be putting in 15-hour days, and he’s happy to be part of it all, even with an uncertain future. He figures he’ll probably make $12,000 to $15,000 this season, but one hail storm could wipe him out, and long-term viability is far from assured.

“It’s a hard business, but it’s also a choice,” he says. “Nothing says farmers need to suffer for the community. Just like a restaurant that closes. You know, if I liked that restaurant, I should have gone there more. There are lots of things like that.”

For Bailey Stenson, each new sea-son is an act of faith. As she and Dennis plan for the time they’ll wrap up their farming careers, she remains optimistic.

“I see people from lots of different parts of the [local food system] com-ing together to solve challenges,” she says. “We’re reforming something we thought was working—the industrial farming model—but that doesn’t work because of the environmental impact and other issues. Convenience rules in our culture. People are stretched in terms of time and money, so we’ve trusted our health to corporations that don’t have our best interests at heart. The call to action,” she says, “is ‘get involved.’ Farming is a wonderful, com-munity-centered activity. Know your farmer. Each one is different, and each is a hero, giving up the culture of secu-rity for a connection with the earth.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT OUR LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMThere are lots of things you can do to help sustain and grow Northern Colorado’s local food system. Here are a few:

• Purchase a CSA share. With dozens to choose from, you can sample what dif-ferent farms have to offer and tailor your selection to the needs of your family.

• Patronize your local farmers markets and the restaurants that buy food from local farmers

• Take your kids to the farm. Many farms welcome visitors and The Food School offers agricultural experiences for kids and adults. Visit edibleshcoolyard.org

• Join Living Soil Investments. For a $5,100 investment, you can become part of this group of co-investors making critical microloans to local farmers and pro-ducers. Visit livingsoilinvestments.wordpress.com

• Support The Growing Project, a nonprofit that promotes the value of a strong, diverse and just local food system through a variety of initiatives and services. Visit thegrowingproject.org

• Attend a farm dinner

• Know your farmer and know the source of your food.


LOVING CHEFS LOVING LOCAL Local Chefs Make Farm-To-Table A Priority

IN NORTHERN COLORADO we’re fortunate to enjoy the creative efforts of some truly great chefs. Not only do these culinary artists bring us delicious fare designed to delight the senses, many of them also make a point of sourcing locally grown and produced food. Much more than a fad, this move toward local food has become a standard way of doing business for sustainably minded restaurants around the region. Here’s what some of our top chefs have to say about sourcing locally.

TROY HELLER - ACE GILLETTSI use locally sourced ingredients for fresh-

ness and to contribute to growing our local economy. I buy from

Jodar Farms, Spring Kite Farm, Ingrained Bakery, MouCo

Cheese, Hazel Dell Mush-rooms and Café Richesse,

to name a few.Ace Gilletts’ menu

changes in the fall and the spring, and we do our best to take advan-tage of what each season offers. One of my favorite dish-es is Jodar Farms pork belly braised and served with butternut squash puree, bacon marmalade, apricot jam

and pickled cherry.

ERICH WHISENHUNT - EL MONTE GRILLI buy local in order to support the local economy and people we live, work and play with everyday. I want to provide the highest qual-ity, freshest and most nutritious food to our guests and to connect with food on every level. It ’s also important to me to minimize our

impacts on the environment and to help build a stronger local and region-

al food system. We aim to work with several small

local producers. We visit their operations and plan with them on how we can best work togeth-er. Most the time the relationship starts small and grows over time.

Challenges for us are finding some of the ingre-dients we want and need, because we’re focused on Mexico and Latin America, and tropical fruits and veggies can be a bit hard to come by here. We

♥❤


LOVING CHEFS LOVING LOCAL Local Chefs Make Farm-To-Table A Priority

highlight local vegetables where we can, so we don’t have just one dish centered around local ingredients.

This season we’ll be featuring some new, locally sourced side vegetables such as spring carrots, spring peas, Hazel Dell mushrooms, summer squash, and two spring-vegetable centered salads.

MCKINZY CALAPP – CAFÉ VINOCafé Vino is a local, employee- owned restaurant and because of that we take great pride in having good relationships with our farmers and helping support local agriculture. Also, the fresh produce is delicious, and has a longer shelf life than the produce from the large food-service companies.

This winter I met with Eli from Revive Gardens, and Katie from Native Hill farm, and we talked about what they’re planning to grow this season and what I wanted to see as far as fresh produce goes. I coordinate with the farmers and change my menu according to the produce we talk about and the time until harvest. I match up harvest timelines with menu changes and adjust prep based on available delivery days.

I love being able to use all of the fresh produce we get from the farms in our “farm fresh veggie plate.” We roast up beautiful, fresh farm veggies and serve them simply dressed in olive oil and herbs. I love letting the veggies speak for themselves.

AMELIA MOUTON- RESTAURANT 415For me it ’s important to have

a good understanding of where our food comes

from, how it ’s grown, and what it takes to get it from farm to table. Locally it ’s far easier to make those connec-tions, not to mention the pride the farmer takes in the food. That

good energy gets passed to the people preparing

the dishes and goes into the mouths we feed. So lo-

cal leads to a trail of happiness in my mind, and a happy community is a goal for me.

We built the menu from the beginning with the idea of sourcing locally. At the same time 415 was opening, Elizabeth Mozer was starting Loco Food Distribution, which was a perfect resource for us as a new restaurant trying to figure out the farm to table connection. It was so great to have one place with the answers and produce we

were seeking. Originally I wanted to create a menu that reflected seasonal change, but I learned that would be too difficult, once we opened and realized how busy we would be. Also we were finding that farms couldn’t consistently supply what we needed.

My favorite local dish we serve is our summer-time, spinach-stuffed shells featuring local spinach, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and tomato cream sauce. It comes with our 415 salad which features

Quatrix Aquaponics romaine, house-made croutons, and shaved Parmesan in a house-made lemon, garlic

dressing. It’s a classic dish and very satisfying.

SCOTT OLIVIA - FORT COLLINS BREWERY’S MODERN TAVERNBuying local means supporting our community and pro-viding our guests with delicious, high quality, responsibly sourced food. We try to get as many local ingredients as possible in-corporated into the menu, however it can be limited, depending on the avail-ability of certain produce items. To accommodate local crop production, we’ve created a menu with seasonal flexibility.

Chicken and Waffles is my favorite! Our chicken breast comes from Boulder Natural Meats out of Boulder, and we use FCB’s spent grain fresh out of the brewery in our waffles. There’s FCB’s Red Banshee in our syrup and herbs from the greenhouse in the butter. Overall it’s fresh and delicious.


JASON GLINSKI – FISHI’ve got a few reasons to

go local: First, it helps empower the com-munity and creates networking among everyone involved in the process. Sec-ond, it increases the producers’ visibility in the community

through their food and locally grown atti-

tude. Everyone benefits from the process.I usually use a process

known as the “slap in the face ef-fect.” I usually meet the grower through chance or word of mouth then slowly bond with them. Red Dirt Farms formerly known as Owl Canyon Organics, is a small, local farm specializing in micro greens and sprouts, and he’s also a close friend, so it seemed right to help get his voice heard. Working with duck farms and Amy’s greens is always a great way to spend the day as well. When I buy, I expect quality over quantity; that allows the farmer to grow what’s seasonal and profitable for them as well. A lot of people enjoy the fact that the farmer can’t always supply the same product, so there’s always something new and exciting to try.

A favorite dish? Well, I’d say we’re experimenting with Leopold Brothers and having a pairing dinner, which will be exciting. The dish that stands out is a local, smoked trout, savory cheesecake, with local quinoa crust and a roasted white balsamic onion jam, Red Dirt Farms micro chives and baby fennel greens.

RICKY MYERS – JAX FISH HOUSE & OYSTER BARSourcing locally allows me to find the best possible ingredients while sup-porting local farms as well as the local economy. I work on new items months ahead. I talk to farm-ers about what they have growing, when it will be ready, and how much I can get a week in advance. Oftentimes, I have to juggle more farms into the mix in order to fulfill what I will need for the week.

Right now, a favorite is our Aspen Ridge (out of Greeley) Braised Short Rib with Rustic Hazel Dell Mushroom Lasagna.

Our local food system helps protect our health and the health of our community and stimulates

our local economy. Bounty Local Food and Farm Guide celebrates the local farms, producers and distributers that are part of an increasingly vibrant and resilient regional food hub.

The Guide includes:• A comprehensive listing of local farms, ranches,

food producers, farmers markets and farm stands• Coverage of current topics on our regional food system• A calendar of upcoming events around local food

20,000 Copies Distributed in Northern ColoradoFor information, contact Kristina Cash

970-217-8786 [email protected]

ADVERTISE IN BOUNTY LOCAL FOOD AND FARM GUIDE!


www.greeleygov.com/fm970.350.9783

SATURDAYSMay16 - October 31 • 7:30am-Noon

WEDNESDAYS July 8 - September 30 • 3:00-6:00pm

Where fresh and fun are always in season!

902 7th Avenue

www.facebook.com/greeleyfarmersmarket

FOOD TRUCK RALLY

Reminder - Seating is limited, bring your favorite blanket to stretch out on the lawn...

MAY 5, 19

JUNE 2, 16, 30

JULY 14, 28

AUGUST 11, 25

SEPTEMBER 8, 22ALL WILL BE HELD AT FORT COLLINS

CITY PARK FROM 5pm-DUSK.

NOW ACCEPTING CREDIT CARDS

REALTORS® with a passion for sustainable living.

Kelly Renz 970.800.1516

[email protected]

Lara Williams & Dave Sanders970.631.2666

[email protected]

GreenTeamRE.com


2 R’s Farm 19361 Hwy. 61 Platteville (970) 737-2689

Amy & Ellen’s Grass Fed Beef 181 Lazy D Ranch Rd. Bellvue, barncatservices.com grassfed beef

Anders Farm 8443 Hwy. 85, Fort Lupton

Bartels Farm 3424 E. Douglas Rd. Fort Collins thebartelsfarm.com

Bayberry Fresh CSA, [email protected] 719-580-3236

Bee Squared Apiaries Berthoud, bethsbees.com

Big Willy’s Farm 300 42nd St SW Loveland, bigwillysfarm.com

Blue Barrel Farm CSA, Fort Collins, bluebarrelfarm.blogspot.com

Blue Bench Farms 33772 State Highway 257 Windsor, facebook.com/bluebenchfarms

Blue Sky Farm Windsor, blueskyfarmcolorado.com natural angus beef

Bracewell Produce 30951 County Rd. 27, Greeley

Bucking Horse Farm CSA, Fort Collins

C&R Farms Palisade, candrfarms.com, peaches

Carrie’s Clucks CSA, 37477 County Rd. 21 Windsor carriesclucks.com, pork, poultry, eggs

Clarks Honey Farm Evans

Colorado Honey Co. Fort Collins, beeyondthehive.com

Colorado Wise Acres Farm 8695 County Rd. 29.5, Fort Lupton coloradowiseacresfarm.com

ColoState CSA CSA, Fort Collins, facebook.com ColoStateCSA

Copia Community 1601 N. Shields Fort Collins

Copoco’s Honey Fort Collins, fortcollinshoney.com

Cozy Cow Dairy 28607 County Rd. 17, Windsor cozycows.com

Craig Angus Ranch 6018 N. County Rd. 19, Fort Collins craigangusranch.com grassfed beef and natural pork

Cresset Farm CSA, 5609 E. County Rd. 52/Richards Lake Rd., Fort Collins cressetfarm.com

Croft Family Farm CSA, Kersey, croftfamilyfarm.com beef, pork, organic veggies

D&H Farms CSA, Ault, dhfarms2000.com

D-L Cattle Co Estes Park, (970) 690-0150 grassfed beef

Donoma Farms CSA, 10018 Weld County Rd. 110 Carr donomafarms.com

Ela Family Farms Hotchkiss, elafamilyfarms.com tree fruit

Ewe Bet Ranch 1850 E. Hwy. 60 Loveland ewebetranch.com, lamb

Fair Eliza’s Flowers CSA, Fort Collins, fairelizasflowers.com

Foco F.R.E.S.H. Farm 2225 W. Vine Dr., Fort Collins

Fossil Creek Farms CSA, 7100 Silver Mist Ln. Fort Collins fossilcreekfarmsllc.com

Friendly Critters Farm 3915 N. County Rd. 19 Fort Collins friendlycrittersfarm.com pork, poultry, eggs

Front Range Apiaries 4130 Hayes Ave. Wellington

Gaia’s Farm and Gardens CSA, LaPorte, gaiascsa.com

Garden Sweet CSA, 719 W. Willox Ln. Fort Collins gardensweet.com

Ginger’s Farm CSA, 12037 County Rd. 74, Eaton [email protected] 970-631-3631, pork

Grant Farms CSA, Wellington, grantfarms.com

Grassmere Farm CSA, Fort Collins, grassmerefarm.com poultry and eggs

Green Dog Farm CSA, 1807 W. Vine Dr. Fort Collins, greendogfarmcsa.com

Happy Heart Farm CSA, 2820 W. Elizabeth St. Fort Collins happyheartfarmcsa.com mushrooms and tofu shares, among other goodies

Harvest Farm CSA, Wellington, harvestfarm.net beef and vegetables

Hazel Dell Mushrooms 3925 Carpenter Rd. Fort Collins hazeldellmushrooms.com

h-Beef Platteville, h-beef.com, beef

Heritage Lavender 4809 Foothills Dr. Berthoud heritagelavender.com fresh and dried lavender

High Altitude Organics CSA, 25572 Weld County Rd. 32 La Salle, highaltitudeorganics.com beef, pork, lamb, goat, poultry, eggs

Highchair Farms 914 Cottonwood Dr. Fort Collins highchairfarms.com farm fresh baby food purees

Hope Farms CSA, 1601 N. Shields Fort Collins hopefarmsfc.com

Jodar Farm CSA, 5100 E. County Rd. 48 Fort Collins jodarfarms.com beef, pork, poultry, eggs

Kiowa Valley Organics Roggen, kiowavalleyorganics.com organic beef

Lakeridge Farms CSA, Fort Collins, lakeridgefarms.org

LaVida Greens CSA, Fort Collins, lavidagreens.com greens & herbs

Lazy Bee Ranch 2503 County Rd. 47 Hudson lazybeeranch.com

Leffler Family Farm & Local Motion CSA CSA, Eaton, lefflerfarms.com

Lindenmeier Farm CSA, Fort Collins lindenmeierfarm.com

Living Water Ranch Livermore livingwaterranch colorado.com grassfed & finished beef & lamb

Long Shadow Farm CSA, 101 Bothun Rd. Berthoud longshadowfarm.com lamb, poultry, eggs

Lukens Farm 9378 County Rd. 78, Fort Collins (303) 579-2668

Lyons Farmette CSA, 4121 Ute Highway, Lyons lyonsfarmette.com

Masonville Orchards Masonville, masonvilleorchard.com apples & pears

Mazzotti Farms 2628 Weld County Rd. 49, Hudson mazzottifarms.com

Miller Farms CSA, 13912 County Rd. 19 Platteville millerfarms.net

Monroe Organic Farm CSA, 25525 Weld County Rd. 48, Kersey monroefarm.com, beef, pork, lamb, eggs, honey, produce

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FARMSTANDS

Anders Farm -8443 Hwy 85, Fort Lupton

Bartels Farm-3424 E. Douglas Rd, Fort Collins

Big Willy’s Farm-300 42nd St SW Loveland

Blue Bench Farm-33772 State Highway 257, Windsor

Bracewell Produce- 30951 County Road 27, Greeley

Carrie’s Clucks-37477 CR 21 Windsor, 7 days a week, 10-5, 970-213-4902

Copia Community Farm Stand-Sundays, Noon-6 ,Odell Brewing Company, 800 E Lincoln, Fort Collins

Cozy Cow Dairy-28607 CR 17, Windsor

Cresset Farm-5609 E CR 52/Richards Lake Road Fort Collins www.cressetfarm.com/red-barn-farm-store.html

Croft Family Farm -Centerplace of Greeley, June-October, Tues.-Fri. 1-6, Sat. 10-6

FoCo F.R.E.S.H. Farm-2225 W. Vine Drive, Fort Collins, dawn to dusk daily self serve

Garden Sweet-719 W. Willox St, Fort Collins, May-October

Ginger’s Farm-12037 County Road 74 Eaton, 7 days a week

Happy Heart Farm-2820 W. Elizabeth St. Fort Collins

Hazel Dell Mushrooms-3925 E County Rd 32, Fort Collins, Mon.-Fri. 8:30-4:30

Heritage Lavender-4809 Foothills Drive Berthoud

High Altitude Organics-25572 Weld County Road 32 La Salle

Hope Farms-601 N. Shields St, Fort Collins, Tues. & Fri. 3-5

Jodar Farms -5100 E County Road 48, Fort Collins, Sun. 11-1

Long Shadow Farm-101 Bothun Rd, Berthoud

Native Hill Farm-2100 County Road 54G, Fort Collins, self serve

On the Vine at Richmond Farms-3611 Richmond Dr., Fort Collins

Revive Gardens-1413 W 57th St, Loveland, Tues. 4-7

Spring Kite Farm-2917 S. Taft Hill Rd, Fort Collins, MWRF 3-7

Sunny Daze-901 S County Rd 5 Fort Collins 80524, Tues. & Thurs. 4-8

Tigges Farm-12404 WCR 64 ½, Greeley, 80631, August-October

FARMERS MARKETS

CAMC Fort Collins Farmers Market Harmony & Lemay, Ace parking lot, May-Oct. Sun. & Weds. 11-3

CAMC Loveland Farmers Market Garfield & 33rd St., Hobby Lobby/Arc parking lot, May-October Tues. 11-3

Downtown Mead Farmers’ Market- Mead Town Park, June 7-August 30, Sun. 12-4

Drake Road Farmers’ Market- 802 W. Drake Rd. April-October, Sat. 10-1

Estes Valley Farmers Market- 1209 Manford Avenue, Estes Park, summer, Thurs. mornings

Greeley Farmers Market- 902 7th Ave., May-October Sat.s 7:30-noon; July-Sept. Weds. 3-6

Jessup Artisan Village Farmers’ Market Blackbird Dr. & Timberline, Fort Collins, June 4-October 15, Thurs. 4-7

Larimer County Farmers’ Market Larimer County Building, Fort Collins, May 16-October 24 Sat. 8-12

Loveland Farmers Market at Fairgrounds Park Fairgrounds Park, 700 S. Railroad Ave., June 28-September 27 Sun. 9-1:30

Northern Colorado Farmers Market- 3522 West County Rd. 54G, LaPorte May-October. Sun. 10-2

Wellington Farmers Market- Centennial Park, Wellington, June-October 4-8 /dusk

Morning Fresh Dairy 5821 W. County Rd. 54E Bellvue morningfreshdairy.com milk, yogurt, cheese

Morton’s Orchards Palisade, mortonsorchards.com tree fruit

Motherlove Organic Farm 503 S. County Rd. 1 Johnstown motherlove.com, organic herbs

Native Hill Farm CSA, 2100 CR 54G Ft. Collins nativehillfarm.com

Ole Dern Farm CSA, Fort Collins

On the Vine at Richmond Farms CSA, 3611 Richmond Dr. Fort Collins onthevineatrichmondfarms.com

Quatrix Aquaponics LaPorte, quatrix.us aquaponics tilapia & greens

Raindrop Retreat CSA, 6410 Placer Ct. Bellvue raindropretreat.com

Raisin Roots Farm CSA, 901 S. County Rd. 31 Berthoud poultry, eggs, fish

Raspberry Hill Farm CSA, Wellington, raspberryhill.farm

Red Dog Expressions Fort Collins, reddogexpressions.wordpress.com, lavender

Revive Gardens CSA, 1413 W. 57th Ave. Loveland farmfortcollins.com, eggs & produce

Rock Ridge Ranch 8851 W. US Hwy 34 Loveland rockridgebeef.com, beef

Rock Soup Ranch 2420 E. County Rd. 68 Wellington rocksoupranch.com

Sauer Family Beef 6681 County Road 50 Johnstown sauerfamilybeef.com, beef

Scarecrow Gardens 2235 N. 47th Ave. Greeley scarecrowgardens.com

Shire CSA CSA, 713 E. Prospect Rd. Fort Collins shirecsa.com

Sixdog Farms Wellington, sixdogfarms.com organic eggs

Spring Kite Farm CSA, 2917 S. Taft Hill Rd. Fort Collins springkitefarm.com

Sunny Daze 901 S. County Rd. 5, Fort Collins SunnydazeGardens.com

Sunray Natural CSA, Fort Collins sunraynatural.farm

Sunrise Ranch CSA, 100 Sunrise Ranch Rd. Loveland sunriseranch.org grassfed beef

Sylvan Dale Ranch Loveland, sylvandale.com grass-fed and finished natural beef

The Old Fence Farm Berthoud, theoldfencefarm.com lamb

Tigges Farm 12404 WCR 64 ½, Greeley tiggesfarm.com pumpkin patch, roasted chilis

Top Notch All Natural Meats Pierce, topnotchmeats.com beef, pork, poultry

Von Trotha-Firestien Farm at Bracewell 30951 County Road 27, Greeley bracewellfarm.com

Westbridge Farms 1225 Blue Spruce Dr. Fort Collins westbridgefarms.com greens

WiseAcres Greenhouse 3545 W. O St. Greeley


APRIL 15 Foraging Roots & Shoots: Asparagus and Cattails 5:30- 7 p.m. at the TGP Educational Garden at Shire CSA, 713 E. Prospect. $10 reservation required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops. Learn about edible, medicinal, and useful roots and shoots found in Fort Collins.

APRIL 18 Fort Collins Nursery Open House 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Fort Collins Nursery, free admission. 50% of all 2 ½ inch herb sales will benefit Friends of Happy Heart Farm’s Feeding the Families program. Hands-on activities for children about food and gardening.

APRIL 18 6th Annual Earth Day Fort Collins 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. at Civic Center Park. Free admission; www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/event/earth-day-fort-collins. Earth Day is a combination of activities & events for the entire family, featuring informational booths and displays, arts & crafts, live music, speakers, local food and a beer garden.

APRIL 18 & 19 Gardening Intensive Kick-Start April 18, 9a.m.- 4p.m. and April 19, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. at The Lyons Farmette 4121 Ute Highway, Lyons, CO 80540 www.lyonsfarmette.com. We’ll build a compost pile, start seeds, build raised beds, put in drip irrigation and plan your season from start to finish. Bring: your work gloves, grubby clothes, a soil sample from your garden site, and your sense of adventure!

APRIL 19 Gardener’s Gallop Old-Fashioned Jog-A-Thon 5 p.m. start at Bath Garden Center and Nursery, $20 advance registration www.sproutinup.org.

APRIL 25 Soils & Three Methods of Composting 12- 4 p.m. at 3833 Starlight Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80524. $40, 12 people max www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/abundant-backyard. Come learn what’s in your soil, how to care for and nurture it and ways to improve the structure and tilth of your soil for better growing.

APRIL 25-27 Northern Colorado Spring Home and Garden Show At Larimer County Ranch. www.visitftcollins.com/events/northern-colorado-spring-home-garden-show. Over 185 booths will have information on everything for your inside and outside home improvement. Check out the latest technology and get ideas for conserving energy and saving money.

APRIL 26 Fermentation with Ozuké 3- 5 p.m. at The Lyons Farmette 4121 Ute Highway, Lyons, CO 80540 www.lyonsfarmette.com. Learn how to simply and easily ferment vegetables to make gorgeous sauerkrauts, pickled veggies, and much more.

APRIL 29 Eating Bugs 101 5:30-7 p.m. at TGP Educational Garden at Shire CSA, 713 E. Prospect. $12 reservation required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops. Terri Randolph and Rachael Sitz will cover what insects are edible, how to prepare insects, and why you should incorporate insects as part of your diet. Samples provided!

MAY 1 Spring Swing Square Dance and Hoedown 4:30-8 p.m. at Laughing Buck Farm 3724 N. County Road 13, Fort Collins 80524 $3 entry. www.laughingbuckfarm.com/family-square-dance. We will have a May Pole for the kids along with the usual promenading, allemande left and good times with friends.

MAY 2 Fruit Tree Grafting 10- 12 p.m. at Fort Collins Nursery Wholesale Greenhouse. $25, 20 people max www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/abundant-backyard. Come and learn the ancient skill of fruit tree grafting at our hands-on workshop. You will leave the workshop with your own grafted apple tree. Rootstocks and scion wood will be provided.

MAY 8-10 Gardens on Spring Creek Spring Plant Sale May 8: 3- 6 p.m. - Members Only Sale May 9: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. May 10: Noon- 4 p.m. www.fcgov.com/gardens. Select from many standard and unique varieties of annual plants, vegetable starts, herbs, and perennials. Plants are grown by the Gardens on Spring Creek and the students of Colorado State University and Front Range Community College.

MAY 9 Basic Cheese Making 6- 8:30 p.m. at River Rock Commons Community House, 520 N. Sherwood #35, Fort Collins, CO 80524. $30, 12 people max www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/wise-kitchen. The job of the cheesemaker is to convert milk into cheese. Learn the craft with us, and then make your favorite varieties at home.

MAY 13 Foraging Roots and Shoots: Cow Parsnip, Queen Annes Lace, Water Hemlock, and Wild Carrot 5:30- 7 p.m. at Lee Martinez Park; meet in the parking lot. $10 reservation required http://www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops.html. Learn the important difference between these locally foraged plants: Cow Parsnip, Queen Annes Lace, Water Hemlock, and Wild Carrot.

MAY 16 Self Healing and Natural 1st Aid 12- 4 p.m. at River Rock Commons Community House, 520 N. Sherwood #35, Fort Collins, CO 80524. $45, 15 people max www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/wise-kitchen. Learn to use homeopathy and herbs as a first aid treatment for both minor and major accidents.

MAY 16 Small Acreage Workshop 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. at the Larimer County Ranch, hosted by CSU Larimer County Extension. Contact Karen Crumbaker, 498-6000.

MAY 17 8th Annual Tour de Coop 8:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. $25 includes lunch www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/event/tour-de-coop/. A 6 to 8-mile bike ride from coop to coop in and around Fort Collins. Learn about chickens from beak to butt from experienced backyard chicken owners. Starting location to be announced.

MAY 18 Food For Thought Film Series 6- 8 p.m. Avogadro’s Number 605 S. Mason. Fort Collins. www.fcfood.coop 970-484-7448. Join us for a free screening of Power of Community with a panel discussion following the film. Presented by the Fort Collins Food Cooperative and The Growing Project.

MAY 21 Shire CSA Community Open House 4- 7 p.m. Enjoy farm fresh food, meet the farmer, and purchase your 2015 CSA membership.Follow Shire CSA on Facebook for current information, or email [email protected]

MAY 22-24 Shamanic Boom Festival “Immersion” Presented by BE FREE Healing at Grant Farms in Wellington Tickets $75 www.befreehealing.com/#!shamanic-boom-immersion-festival/c1n1v. IMMERSION will promise to be a weekend of transformation, expansion, love, ceremony, healing and celebration. You will leave healed, expanded and inspired.

CALENDARofEVENTS


MAY 24 Eat Your Weeds! 1- 3 p.m. at Golden Poppy Herbal Apothecary, 212 South Mason, Fort Collins, CO 80524. $20, 15 people max www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/abundant-backyard. Learn more about common ‘weeds’ that grow all around you and how they can be useful to you. Bring samples of the weeds that grow in your backyard and learn which are edible, medicinal or poisonous.

MAY 27 Vermiculture 101 by John Anderson 6- 8 p.m. at the TGP Educational Garden at Shire CSA, 713 E. Prospect. $12 reservation required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops.html. Learn about the benefits of keeping worms and proper care and maintenance for worm bins.

MAY 30 2nd Annual Poudre River Fest 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. at Legacy Park, Fort Collins, free entry. www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/event/poudre-river-fest/ Poudre RiverFest is a free, family-friendly festival that restores, celebrates and educates people about the Cache la Poudre River and raises funds to support local conservation and education nonprofit groups in Fort Collins.

MAY 30 Farm Open House Von Trotha-Firestien Farm at 30951 County Road 27 www.BracewellFarm.com. Activities to include pony rides and barrel train rides for the kids. Educational displays, Ag in Motion displays, antique tractor display. Lunch will be served by Blazing Clovers 4-H Club. Day ends with a polka dance.

JUNE 2 Home Doctoring from the Kitchen 11a.m.- 1 p.m. www.sustainableliving association.org/workshops/wise-kitchen. Learn effective naturopathic medical knowledge for emergency or for optimal health that can be used at home, on the job site, in the back country, while traveling down the road or in the emergency room.

JUNE 6 Grant Farms Spring Farm Tour Come visit the farm for an Educational Farm Tour, attend workshops on Permaculture, gardening, eating healthier, sustainable agriculture, and social justice. Visit our Farmer’s Market or the Local Vendor Village, and enjoy some great LIVE Music! Check our website for updated and additional information. www.grantfarms.com

JUNE 9 Chocolate or Beer? Why Choose? 7- 9 p.m. Odell Brewery; advanced tickets $12; at the door $15 www.happyheartfriends.org Fundraiser to benefit Friends of Happy Heart Farm featuring four pairings of Radiantly Raw chocolate and Odell Brewery beers. Live music and a drawing for prizes.

JUNE 13 Canning 101 9:30 a.m.– 12 p.m. at the Food Bank for Larimer County, 1301 Blue Spruce. $15 reservation required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops. Hands-on class about the basics of canning your garden bounty.

JUNE 13, 14 & 20 Natural Building with Cob: Pizza Oven Workshop This workshop is three full days, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. (ish) on Saturday, June 13th, Sunday, June 14th and Saturday June 20th at 2817 Cherry Lane. Only 10 spaces available! $125 reservations required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops. Scholarships may be available. Learn how to combine clay, straw, sand, water, and other materials to create a cob pizza oven and counter top. Lunch, snacks, and beverages will be provided.

JUNE 16 Food Dehydration 6- 8 p.m. at Larimer County Extension Office, 1525 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins. $25, 12 people max www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/wise-kitchen. Learn basic methods of drying fruits, vegetables, herbs, leathers and jerkies.

JUNE 17 Foraging Flowers: Asters and Lindens 6- 7:30 p.m. $10 reservations required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops

JUNE 20 LoCo Food Distribution Warehouse Day 1- 4 p.m. at LoCo warehouse 229 N US HWY 287 Fort Collins, CO 80524. www.locofooddistribution.com

JUNE 20 Solstice Dinner Ring in the summer with drummers and fire dancers!! Featuring guest chefs, seasonal cuisine and Sommelier Paul VanderTop to introduce and suggest wine pairings and bottle service. Tickets prices vary $75 to $120 ea, check our website for updated and additional information. www.grantfarms.com

JUNE 20 Summer Solstice Celebration 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. at the Fort Collins Food Co-op 250 E. Mountain Ave. www.fcfood.coop, 970-484-7448. Presented by the Fort Collins Food Cooperative and Trees, Water and People. Live music, Kid zone, veggie races, vendors, food trucks, silent auction. Free & open to the public.

JUNE 27 Fermenting 101 9:30 a.m.– 12 p.m. at the Food Bank for Larimer County, 1301 Blue Spruce. $15 reservation required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops. Hands-on class about the basics of fermenting your garden bounty.

JUNE 30 Sproutin’ Up Fundraiser 7- 9 p.m. at Odell Brewing Co. $10 includes two beer tickets www.sproutinup.org.

JULY 11 Herb Walk 10 a.m.- noon at Motherlove Farm, 503 South CR1 Johnstown. $25 includes a copy of the Pocket Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants by Kathryn Higgins [email protected] or 970-493-2892. Identify and use the many plants that grow in our own back yard. Learn the basics of making your own salves, balms, tinctures and other herbal remedies.

JULY 15 Foraging Flowers and Making Medicine: Clovers, Alfalfas, Calendula 6- 7:30 p.m. at the TGP Educational Garden at Shire CSA, 713 E. Prospect. $12 reservation required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops. Learn about making medicines and tinctures with locally foraged flowers.

JULY 19 FOCO Cafe Bike-In Music Fest At Shire CSA. Call FOCO Cafe for information (309)368-1659, or visit FOCOCafe.org An afternoon of live music to support the FOCO Cafe. Bring your own picnic, or dine at one of the delicious food trucks. Local beer and free iced tea will be served!

JULY 19 Heart of Summer Farm Dinner At Happy Heart Farm. Details at www.fortifiedcollaborations.com

JULY 25 Farm Dinner Grant Farms CSA is hosting four amazing “themed” farm dinners this summer. Themes range from Boots & Spurs, to Colorado Black Tie, ticket prices vary $75 to 120 ea, check our website for updated and additional information. www.grantfarms.com

JULY 25 Garden a’Fare Wine Night, 5 p.m. www.fcgov.com/gardens Experience The Gardens through all your senses. Garden a’Fare is a series of two culinary pairing events highlighting produce grown in the Garden of Eatin’ along with Odell beers and selected wines. Wine night will include a seated dinner paired with wine while beer tour will include tastings from several local restaurants paired with Odell brews.

JULY 25 Four Season Gardening 12- 4 p.m. at 3833 Starlight Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80524. $60, 12 people max www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/abundant-backyard. This course introduces everything you need to know to get started growing outside year round.


JULY 27 Basics of Preserving Food Safely 6- 8 p.m. at the Larimer County Extension Office, 1525 Blue Spruce Dr, Fort Collins, CO 80524. $12 reservation required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops. Presented by The Growing Project and CSU Extension, an overview of the basic methods of food preservation: canning, freezing and dehydration.

JULY 31 Blue Moon Dinner Grant Farms CSA is hosting three incredible “MOONLIGHT” farm dinners this summer featuring seasonal cuisine with produce and meats from our farm, wine from Vintages in Fort Collins, tours, live music and an elegant dinner. Check website for updated and additional information. www.grantfarms.com

JULY 31-AUGUST 4 Larimer County Fair At the Larimer County Ranch www.larimercountyfair.org

AUGUST 1 Herb Walk 10 a.m.- noon at Motherlove Farm, 503 South CR1 Johnstown. $25 includes a copy of the Pocket Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants by Kathryn Higgins [email protected] or 970-493-2892. Identify and use the many plants that grow in our own back yard. Learn the basics of making your own salves, balms, tinctures and other herbal remedies.

AUGUST 1 Make Your Own Herbal Remedies 2- 5 p.m. at Motherlove Herbal Company 1420 Riverside Avenue Suite 114 , Fort Collins. $35, limited to 15 people, [email protected] or 970-493-2892. Each attendee will leave with their own oil, salve, tincture and spray. Must attend morning session Herb Walk.

AUGUST 4 Basic Floral Design 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at The Lyons Farmette 4121 Ute Highway, Lyons, CO 80540 www.lyonsfarmette.com Learn the basics of arranging flowers from the Farmette’s very own florist, Mary McHenry. Mary has had a hand in flowers since she was very young, and will be arranging all the Farmette’s wedding flowers in 2015. This will be a hands-on class and you’ll be able to choose and harvest your own flowers from our gardens!

AUGUST 4 Canning Jams, Jellies and More 6- 8:30 p.m. at Larimer County Extension Office, 1525 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins. $30, 12 people max www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/wise-kitchen. The workshop will cover the basics of water bath canning to ensure safe preservation. This hands-on workshop includes a jar of jam to take home.

AUGUST 9 3 Forks Progressive Farm Dinner At Hope/Copia/The Growing Project Farm, Native Hill Farm and Garden Sweet Farm. Diners are encouraged to ride their bikes on this 3 mile loop to enjoy fresh food and experiences at each farm. Tickets at www.fortifiedcollaborations.com


AUGUST 17 Food For Thought Film Series 6- 8 p.m. at Avogadro’s Number 605 S. Mason. Fort Collins. www.fcfood.coop 970-484-7448. Join us for a free screening of a documentary with a panel discussion following the film. Presented by the Fort Collins Food Cooperative and The Growing Project.

AUGUST 22 10th Annual Tour de Farms 8:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. $25 includes lunch http://sustainablelivingassociation.org/event/tour-de-farms-2/ Fort Collins Riders will be able to join on a leisurely 8 mile tour to various farms and gardens. Support area efforts to strengthen our local food system and eat delicious local food.

AUGUST 22 Farm Dinner Grant Farms CSA is hosting four amazing “themed” farm dinners this summer. Themes range from Boots &S purs, to Colorado Black Tie, ticket prices vary $75 to 120 ea, check our website for updated and additional information. www.grantfarms.com

AUGUST 23 Fermentation 6- 8 p.m. at River Rock Commons Community House, 520 N. Sherwood #35, Fort Collins, CO 80524. $30 per person www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/workshops/wise-kitchen. We’ll ferment a batch of vegetables together and get you comfortable transforming the seasonal bounty into naturally preserved goodness.

AUGUST 23 Foraging Fruits of the Fungal Kingdom 12- 4 p.m. meet at Ted’s Place on 287. $20 reservation required www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university-workshops.html. Learn about foraging mushrooms in the foothills.


AUGUST 29 Make Your Own Herbal Remedies 2- 5 p.m. at Motherlove Herbal Company 1420 Riverside Avenue Suite 114 , Fort Collins. $35, limited to 15 people, [email protected] or 970-493-2892. Each attendee will leave with their own oil, salve, tincture and spray. Must attend morning session Herb Walk.

AUGUST 29 Sturgeon Moon Dinner Elegance in C… for CSA! The Sturgeon Moon Dinner will be our “Colorado Black Tie” themed moonlight dinner, featuring chamber music, exquisite cuisine, wine from Vintages in Fort Collins, and tours, in a picturesque garden setting. Sommelier Paul VanderTop will be available to introduce and suggest wine pairings and bottle service for dinner. www.grantfarms.com

AUGUST 29 Garden a’Fare Beer Tour 5 p.m. www.fcgov.com/gardens Experience The Gardens through all your senses. Garden a’Fare is a series of two culinary pairing events highlighting produce grown in the Garden of Eatin’ along with Odell beers and selected wines.


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IT SEEMS THE STARS are aligned to make significant strides in the effort to get more locally produced food into our school cafeterias. Nicole Turner-Ravana, nutrition coordinator for Poudre School District, says that updated nutrition re-quirements; a move in the district to ditch fast food and put in healthy fare; greater public awareness of local-food sourcing; and the potential for better collaboration with support from the new Northern Col-orado Food Cluster have put the district in a better position than ever to get more local food into our kids.

“We’re poised for broad scale com-munity collaboration on this,” says Turn-er-Ravana. “We just need to bring all the players together and figure out the logis-tics. The Food Cluster has already been involved and can really help us with that.”

Already the district sources locally produced milk, bread, tortillas, spices, sea-sonal produce and other items, but locally produced items account for only about 20 percent of all the food served daily in PSD cafeterias. Salad bars have become ubiquitous, and events such as Colorado Proud Day call out the increased pres-ence of local food, so awareness is up. But the challenge, says Shannon Schriener, who manages the district’s food budget and handles the logistics of procurement, is to boost volume without busting the budget and to streamline delivery. “We basically have 45 restaurants to supply,”

she says. “What we need is one-truck delivery, so everything hits the dock at the same time. It’s really difficult to have multiple farmers showing up with small deliveries.”

It’s not particularly feasible for the small farmers either; most sell their bounty through their CSAs, on-site farm stands, and farmers markets or to local restaurants that don’t require a particu-larly large or reliable source of produce. Elizabeth Mozer, who owns LoCo Food Distribution, says she’s working with PSD to make delivery of local products more convenient, and Schriener and her colleagues also hope to benefit from the Food Cluster’s aim to develop unique food strategies, increase collective capaci-ty and reduce redundancy.

“With the Food Cluster up and going and all the community interest, I’m really optimistic that we’ll make great headway on this effort,” says Turner-Ravana.

DIGGING IN THE DIRTThe goal of getting more local food into schools is of course to provide more nutritional meals to children, but PSD School Wellness Specialist Amanda Brantley says it’s also to raise awareness of where their food comes from and what it took to produce it. To that end, school-garden installations and oppor-tunities for students to interact with local farmers are also on the rise.

“Fourteen of our schools have gar-dens now, and we hope to have 20 by the end of the year,” says Brantley. Fund-ing for these projects can come from grant programs and fundraisers, and an active partner in the effort has been the Kitchen Community, the nonprofit arm of The Kitchen Restaurant. Gardens can range in cost from $2,000 to $20,000, says Brantley, so it’s really up to the par-ents, the kids and the administration of a particular school to decide what design best suits their environment.

Increasingly, kids are also getting out to meet the farmers who grow their food. The Food School, Future Friday, pro-grams hosted by The Growing Project, and others give kids more opportunity than ever to learn about farming life. The greatest value of school gardens and farm tours, says Brantley, is education.

“We’re teaching kids to eat healthy, familiarizing them with different types of vegetables, and showing them where food comes from,” she says. “It’s taking a whole-child approach to promote holistic health.”

DOING OUR PARTIf you’re a parent of a PSD student or simply a citizen who believes this all makes good sense, there are plenty of things you can do to support the push for more local food in schools. You can:

• Volunteer with a school Wellness Program

• Buy your child school lunches to help fund the purchase of more lo-cal food

• Visit the PSD website and phone app for new menu information and follow “Poudre School District Child Nutrition” on Facebook

• Learn more about school gardens through the School Garden Re-source Packet

• Support the Northern Colorado Food ClusterThis is a unique community with an

impressive number of local farms, an estab-lished creed of buying local, and a predilec-tion for healthy living. Still it will take some creative thinking and sustained collabora-tion to get more local food in schools and more kids aware of why it matters.

“Being in this community makes a big difference,” says Turner-Ravana. We live in a place where these ideals are im-portant and they come to life.”

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?PSD Primed to Serve More Local FoodBY HELEN TAYLOR

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Step 1: Using a pencil, start with the chick at the entrance to the maze.

Step 2: Work your way through the maze.

Step 3: At dead-ends,turn around.

Step 4: Find your way to the exit of the maze and reunite the baby chick with the hen. Good luck!

To learn more about HIGHCHAIR FARMS BABY FOOD, go to www.highchairfarms.comto check out their locally-sourced and chock-full-of-nutrition purees for your kiddos.


AS IT IS with the soil, so it is with business: We must nourish and replenish the place from which we harvest. Slow Money is a national nonprofit dedicated to creating sources of capital for small food enterprises. Since 2009, the or-ganization has invested $39 million in nearly 370 small businesses. The group is bringing people together around a new kind of investing that nurtures local food systems by providing financial sup-port to the entrepreneurs that create it.

SLOW MONEY PRINCIPLESIn order to enhance food security, food safety and food access; improve nutri-tion and health; promote cultural, eco-logical and economic diversity; and ac-celerate the transition from an economy based on extraction and consumption to an economy based on preservation and restoration, we do hereby affirm the

following Slow Money Principles: I. We must bring money back down

to earth. II. There is such a thing as mon-

ey that is too fast, companies that are too big, finance that is too complex. Therefore, we must slow our money down—not all of it, of course, but enough to matter.

III. The 20th Century was the era of Buy Low/Sell High and Wealth Now/Philanthropy Later—what one venture capitalist called “the largest legal accumulation of wealth in history.” The 21st Century will be the era of nurture capital, built around principles of carry-ing capacity, care of the commons, sense of place and non-violence.

IV. We must learn to invest as if food, farms and fertility mattered. We must connect investors to the places where they live, creating vital relation-

ships and new sources of capital for small food enterprises.

V. Let us celebrate the new gener-ation of entrepreneurs, consumers and investors who are showing the way from Making a Killing to Making a Living.

VI. Paul Newman said, “I just hap-pen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer who puts back into the soil what he takes out.” Recogniz-ing the wisdom of these words, let us begin rebuilding our economy from the ground up, asking:

• What would the world be like if we invested 50% of our assets within 50 miles of where we live?

• What if there were a new genera-tion of companies that gave away 50% of their profits?

• What if there were 50% more or-ganic matter in our soil 50 years from now.

To learn more about Slow Money and affirm a vision of healthy, local food sys-tems and a healthy economy, please visit slowmoney.org and join the more than 30,000 people who have signed these principles.

INVESTING FOR THE 21ST CENTURYSlow Money Invests in Food, Farms and FertilityBY SLOW MONEY AND BOUNTY STAFF


Our small community group meets monthly to review applications and host conversations with potential borrowers. If you are interested in becoming a co-investor, discussing a loan, or curious to learn more, visit LivingSoilInvestments.wordpress.com or contact us at [email protected]

Living Soil INVESTMENTS

Strengthening our local food economy and enhancing soil fertility by making

microloans - with patient terms -

to farms, ranches and the food businesses

that help them thrive.


LOCAL FOOD IS not some hip life-style movement. It’s become a broad effort to localize our food supply to the greatest extent possible—a revolutionary movement that seeks to build a resilient alternative to the failing global industri-alized food system. This is perhaps the most important and most urgent social cause of our time.

Currently, demand for local food far outstrips supply. The only way many of our food-producing farmers can grow their operations significantly is to reach new markets—retailers, schools, and institutions. But they can’t get to these larger commercial markets with-out an infrastructure, along with mov-ing up to a certain level of increased scale and efficiency. This helps to ex-plain why so many food hubs are under development in Colorado today.

Over the last few decades we’ve seen the steady growth of the organic foods industry. In 2014, total organic food sales in the U.S. reached a record $35 billion in the U.S., representing about four percent of the total U.S. food industry.

Meanwhile, organic farming ac-counts for only one percent of total farmland in the U.S. There is growing concern that because of the slow rate of conversion of conventional farms to organic, the rapid growth of the organic foods industry simply cannot continue.

In early 2012, for the first time we began seeing industry data pointing to the stunning news that more people preferred local food than those who preferred organic. This was a milestone, a marker of a significant shift in our so-ciety. The local food industry—which hit $12 billion last year—will likely grow to actually eclipse the organic food indus-try in the next few years.

This is happening not because of powerful and well-financed marketing campaigns, but because eaters have decided that we want our food to be produced as locally as possible, that we want to know who grew our food and how they grew it, that we want to make sure our food is as fresh and as healthy and as nutritious as possible, and that we will do whatever it takes and pay whatever we must to have such food,

because we know that it is essential to the health and well-being of our bod-ies, our families, our communities, our environment, and our local economies.

So the big news is that the market for locally-produced, sustainably and compassionately-raised food is rapidly growing. Those food purveyors and en-trepreneurs and farmers who don’t pro-actively organize to serve this market will quickly find themselves left behind.

It’s heartening to see a new crop of food entrepreneurs sprouting up to begin to meet the demand for local food, and they are hungry for capi-tal. With the arrival of Slow Money thinking and awareness, some of our citizens are beginning to discover the satisfaction of moving a portion of their financial resources into the local food economy.

Inevitably, our emerging local food system must grapple with this critical challenge: How can local production capacity be increased, and how can this be done in a manner that is economical-ly viable for buyers and producers and eaters? Responding to this challenge will require a collaborative, cooperative ap-proach—thinking like a foodshed.

Michael Brownlee is co-publisher of Local Food Shift magazine, to begin publication in July 2015.

TOO IMPORTANT TO FAILMeeting Demand for Local Food Requires Thinking Like a FoodshedBY MICHAEL BROWNLEE


FORT COLLINS EXCLUSIVE GROWER’S-ONLY MARKET— we grow what we sell — May 16, to October 24, 2015

8:00am to Noon200 W. Oak Street

LARIMER COUNTY COURTHOUSE PARKING LOT

Larimer County Farmer’s Market Since 1975!

Get Fresh in Old Town on Saturdays

www.larimercountyfarmersmarket.comwww.facebook.com/larimercountyfarmersmarket

WE ACCEPT

BENEFITS!


For tickets and more information visit: [email protected]

F L:™

Bounty: Growing Season 2015

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