This past weekend I loaded up the veggie van with spinach & salad mix, sweet salad turnips & crisp french breakfast radish and made my way to the Memorial Day Craft fair in Red Feather Lakes.
We’d been delivering greens to the N40 Mountain Alliance Food Pantry, The Trading Post & even some of our CSA customers over the past month but this was my first true day off the farm and talking with our customers and here’s the question I was often asked.
“How do you grow veggies in the mountains?”
The answer is with a whole lot of determination & effort!
Over the past three months we’ve witnessed the farm transform from fields of bare soil to a farm filled with food.
We’ve weeded and prepared over 60 raised beds. Grown and transplanted 1000’s of transplants.
Each night we cover the plants to protect them against frost and each morning we uncover them to experience our incredible sun.
I estimate we’ve covered & uncovered the farm over 120 times in the past 2 months. Each time lifting several hundred sandbags to secure frost fabrics from blowing away in the wind. Yep, we’ve gained some muscles!
We go to additional extremes when snow or temps in the teens are predicted and yesterday the crew got a first hand experience in protecting against hail - “Save the veggies - skip the flowers!”
Mornings are filled with peace and beauty. Afternoon breaks taken with butterflies and evenings spent in conversation with bunnies.
Actually, it’s one bunny and we’ve been in training.
We chase him out of the veggies but leave him be when he’s along the perimeter eating grass. I’d like to think we’re getting through to him. Training him on what’s on and off limits. But…it’s more likely that the stern conversation Mark had with him has more to do with his good behavior.
All of this has led to the moment we’re in now.
A farm filled with food for our mountain communities in Livermore & Red Feather Lakes.
Mountain grown greens & sweet salad turnips at the Red Feather Lakes Memorial Day Craft fair.