I would venture a guess that Fort Collins has one of the largest per capita number of farms located in the town boundaries. I could be wrong, and biased. Either way it seems we are a lucky lot, and Garden Sweet adds to the agricultural richness of the Choice City.

When I think of Garden Sweet, I think of berries. They stand out as a large producer of local fruit. You’ve probably noticed their table at the Farmer’s Market. Honestly, how could you miss those baskets brimming with yummy red fruit in August and September. But Garden Sweet, previously unbeknownst to me, is so much more than strawberries and raspberries. The owner, Amy Kafka, has been growing all manner of produce organically for the last twelve years. Before buying the farm this spring, she was leasing land just a mile or so up the road from her new location. Amy, originally from Chicago, landed in Fort Collins via Sao Paolo Brazil, where she spent some time before realizing she missed the dirt and happened upon  an article on Community Supported Agriculture. The article featured a long standing Fort Collins farm, Happy Heart Farm. Amy took the leap to come to the Rocky Mountain Front Range and attended CSU where she received a degree in Horticulture. She’s been farming in the area ever since.

Amy speaks very highly of her mentors. She currently grows the garlic varieties of Virgil Scott, who for 30 years farmed it here in Fort Collins. She attributes the real hands on learning of farming to folks such as Virgil who have helped her along the way. She also attributes her growing of strawberries to a challenge presented by Dr. Hughes from CSU who said strawberries didn’t grow well here. If you ever taste a Garden Sweet berry you will realize she has laid that myth to rest in a very big way.  She says the bright sunshine of the Front Range and the cold nights make the flavor out of this world.

The year before last Garden Sweet started a Market Style CSA. Folks purchase their share at the beginning of the season and throughout the year they use a debit account which allows them the freedom to choose what they want and how much, as opposed to a weekly box share. This year she is expanding in several  ways. There will be  a u-pick section planted for CSA members and an on-site farm stand (yes!) open to the public which will be open six days a week from noon-6 pm (closed Monday). The stand is currently open weekends from noon to 6pm with starter plants for sale. I recommend you check it out. They have a great selection of tomato starts.

All these expansions became possible with the new location, which Amy hopes will become a destination for folks to come and buy fresh, healthy, organically and sustainably grown food. Her emphasis is also on paying attention to the soils fertility. Creating on-site or locally sourcing the nutrients necessary to build up and revitalize the soil each year is a priority in order to grow the most tasty and nutrient packed fruits and vegetables. Trap crops are also left to assist with beneficial predators.

The new farm consists of 9-1/2 beautiful acres of river bottom dirt with great views of the mountains. And it’s just a quick jaunt to the Poudre River (get those floating tubes out!). Of these 9 1/2 acres, 5 are plowed and ready for planting this years CSA and market gardens. As I look over the fields, one in particular with row upon row of low tunnels running the length, Amy tells me they just planted approximately 20,000 strawberry plants. 20,000! All ever-bearers that will produce an amazing bounty come August. The hoops are her insurance, as learned during a nasty hail storm in 2009. (I remember that one, Oy!)

Finding a permanent home also allows for the cultivation of perennial crops and orchards, both of which are in the plans. Amy also has a penchant for specialty crops. Five years ago she began growing Huitlacoche mushrooms or “corn truffles”, which grow on the ears of corn. She calls it a delicacy and they are in season July through September. (Note to self, check that out!) They are mostly grown for her restaurant customers.

All these wonderful plans will happen with the help of her crew and the “great volunteers” she says without which none of this would be possible. She speaks highly of the folks who helped her dig all, yes all, of the plants from her last property and moved them to the new location. When I stopped by one recent weekend for plant starts there were several volunteers covering the low tunnels and tying them down over the strawberries. We often praise the farmer for providing our sustenance, but we can’t forget the volunteers, interns and crews out there. We are never fed by a single person. We are fed by a community.

I strongly suggest checking out Garden Sweet and visiting their farm stand. While you can still find Garden Sweet at the Farmer’s Markets, especially the one in Old Town on Saturday morning, you can now get fresh produce six days a week at their farm stand on Willox, just north of Old Town between College and Shields. And when you do, tell her Erica sent you.

This is also a great opportunity for learning and getting turned on to the agrarian way of life. Shopping at the local market can create such a disconnection to our food source and the stewardship that is involved. In this day and age so many kids don’t know how their food is created, if they recognize real food at all.

If this type of learning and experience is interesting to you, then check out Laughing Buck Farms Family Fun Day, Thursday May 23. From 10 am to 1 pm you can drop by and for the price of $1 per person you and your kids can hug a chicken, milk a goat, swing in a hay barn or jump into a drum circle. There is no formal schedule of events, so you can meander around the farm or partake in some food, popsicles and smoothies, all for a buck!

In addition, you can get what you need to grow your own at their plant sale, where they will have tomato plants, peppers and other warm weather crops.

And if one day isn’t enough, Laughing Buck hosts horse and pony lessons, summer farm camp, and farm school. How cool is that!

You can find them at 3724 North County Road 13, Fort Collins, CO  80524 or contact them 970-493-0270 or laughingbuckfarm@gmail.com

Tell them Erica sent you!

I will also battle the elusive horn-worm, if last year is any indication. Each evening I went out on a seeking mission to find as many horn-worms as I could. The chickens were very appreciative of my hunting skills. This year I am moving up my strategies and employing guinea hens to do the job. Does anyone have any experiences with this? Between the grasshoppers in the potato patch and the horn-worms, I think they will stay busy, and fat and happy.

One of the best growing tips I received about tomatoes was from an old roommate. Mary Jane was a weed scientist with the local cooperative extension who specialized in organic eradication methods for farmers. One of the easy things about tomatoes, for a rotational gardener, is they like to stay in place for a little while. I usually leave them in a spot for three years. Less if I have had problems in that area with disease or lack of hardiness. But as a general rule, they are homebodies and don’t move around too much.

When digging my holes, I dig one about the size of a gallon pot or larger, especially if my tomato plant is in a gallon pot, then more like a two or three gallon hole. Then I fill the hole about half way with rich compost and composted manure. Tomatoes are hearty eaters. They like it rich. In the rest of the hole I replace the dirt I removed and mix it up. I try to plant the starters as deep as possible, which helps with the drought conditions that we are susceptible to. They will grow more roots from the stock in the ground and the roots will grow deeper. I’ve used this method for the last 16 years and it brings amazing tasting fruit and healthy plants. I also don’t stake my tomatoes typically, especially the viney variety. They don’t stress as much in their branches. However, a little water stress doesn’t hurt and increases the flavors of the fruits. Your bounty may be smaller, as may the fruit, but if you are going for flavor, it sure does get a boost.

Mostly, the fresh eating of tomatoes is called for. Caprese salad being the classic. And trust me, a caprese sandwich on fresh sourdough does the trick too. Slices of fresh tomatoes, my preference for the darker varieties like Black Krim, dressed with fresh snipped basil from the garden, a little olive oil, a little balsamic, a little cracked pepper and smidge of sea salt, and of course layered with fresh sliced mozzarella, preferably from Windsor Dairy. (Be gentle with the basil, she bruises easily.)

Unless I am making salsa, I hang up my canning jars when it comes to this beloved fruit. I cut them in chunks, drizzle olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper to bring out the fruit flavor and put them in the oven to roast. Then I freeze them. They are amazing, especially when they blacken in some areas, and they go in everything through the winter. Soups, stews, casseroles, over pasta. The list goes on.

So today, when I pass by those little sprouts of heavenly goodness, you know I will be daydreaming of a time in the not so distant future when I will be plucking the fruits of my labor and popping them in my mouth to experience summers juicy goodness. Amen to that brother.

Each first Saturday of the month J&T Feed Country Feeds hosts a Market Morning Animal Swap from 7:30 to 11:00 am. Bring some of your small livestock to sell or trade or bring a crate to carry some new additions back to your place. There is no entry fee, you just have to show up. You can find all manner of small animals from weaner pigs, pygmy goats, horses, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, peacocks, bunnies, puppies, kittens and more. As with any purchase, be sure you know what you are looking for and know what you are bringing in to your established packs/flocks etc.

If you are in Greeley this Saturday morning, May 11, say around 10:30 am, there is a Poultry and Small Animal Auction at 22378 HWY 34, Greeley Colorado  80631. They start receiving animals around 7:30 am. You can find all kinds of rabbits, poultry and birds, hay and straw and any other animals that don’t require a brand inspection. If you want more information feel free to email ncpoultryauction@gmail.com. Again, when purchasing at auctions or swaps or even someone’s backyard, do your homework and know what you want and what you don’t!

If you have gone to one of these events, or go this weekend, let me know what you think in the comments section or on our facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/FarmingFortCollins.

Happy swapping!! (ps, depending on how the new chicks work out, I may be looking for a rooster!)

It made me think about how would I describe the food scene here to someone who hasn’t experienced what Northern Colorado has to offer. It is distinctly different and actually quite unique. The soil here is mostly clay, which leads to tougher growing conditions, for both the farmer and the produce. Stress on the plants, whether from sun, soil or limited water can actually boost the flavor in some vegetables and fruits. Just try stressing those tomato plants a little. They may be smaller and less abundant, but man the flavor will be like no other. The root vegetables, who have some reprieve from the sun of a high desert do well and have a noticeable sweetness. The sage that comes through, sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle, in our livestock and game hints to season and forage locale. And you have never had trout like those rainbow trout from a rocky mountain stream in Leadville. Clean, crisp without a hint of the muddiness that can come from lower altitude waters.

The one thing I have come to appreciate is the simplicity in preparation and flavor. In other parts of the country, and even the world, the flavors of an area are born from centuries in place. Cultivated from generations of tradition and experimentation on the foundations of that tradition. Not so in the wild west. Colorado is new, relatively speaking, and it’s local flavor is new, untamed. Not bound by centuries of culinary tradition, it made due with what it had and what it found. It’s not over produced and it’s unpretentious. Emphasis is on the growing, and the flavor of a particular item is complimented by seasoning and companions, but can just as easily stand on it’s own. It is not a menu of heavy sauces and layers. It is a grass-fed steak on the grill with a light dash of salt, pepper, and for the adventurous, a sprinkle of our beloved chipotle. It is beets tossed with local goat cheese. Greens dressed in herbs and with light coatings to enhance and not hide the bitters and bites. It is green chili and roasted corn. It is real, honest and the manifestation of 300 days of sunshine and cool mountain air nights.

You may not taste a watermelon that draws its summer quenching goodness from a season of humid days and long hot nights, but when you taste a Rocky Ford cantaloupe or a Palisade peach, you will become a believer. When you pull strawberry scones with fresh basil out of the oven, you will praise the grower of Fort Laramie strawberries. And the sweet corn will have you wishing for longer summers. Sage honey on fresh biscuits or local yogurt is one of the best desserts. And it will all come from folks who love food.

My appreciation for the culinary adventure that is Colorado came from two folks who gave me new eyes to see what this amazing place had to offer. Reading Gary Nabhan’s Coming Home to Eat and Rowan Jacobson’s American Terroir cleansed my palate so to speak and piqued my curiosity about what our local flavor is. I have not been disappointed by what I have found in the region and neither will any other lover of food. What I say is, come to see for yourself. Let go of any ideas you have about your own geographic terroir, and open yourself to a menu as unique and varied as the location itself. And in the words of the lovely Julia, Bon Appetit.

And… for those lovely little hearts of sweetness that Garden Sweet and others will be bringing to market soon, here is a wonderful treat.

Strawberry Basil Scones (adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe… I think)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tbl. sugar
• 1 tbl. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, cut into chunks
• 1 c. chopped fresh strawberries
• 2 tbl. snipped basil
• 2 eggs (from your girls if your lucky), lightly beaten
• 1/2 c. half-and-half
• Half-and-half or milk for brushing the scones
• Sugar for sprinkling (I like the chunky fancy sugar sprinkles for this. Adds a festive touch)

And to all of the officers patrolling out here…Thank you…and slow down!!

Recently I spoke with Nancy Eason, one of the Chapter Leaders of the Fort Collins Chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation. FoCo’s WAPF Chapter has been active in the area for about three years. Their goal is to educate folks about truly nutrient dense foods. What they are, how to cook them and where to find them. I’m diggin’ that.

With a mailing list of roughly 300 local folks, and about 50 active members, they are certainly getting the word out and would like to do more of that. You can find them in a booth at local fairs like the Sustainable Living Fair or the mostly bi-monthly meetings they host that are open to the public where the talk is about, well, food. Good food. Real food. Locally and carefully raised food. Ahhh, after my own heart they are.

This month on May 8 they are hosting a meeting from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Applied Kinesiology Center of the Rockies on 110 W. Harvard Street, Fort Collins. The topic is “Where’s the beef” and they will be hosting local grass-fed beef farmers, including my neighbor Scott Wiley of Mesa Valley Farms and Keith Parks of Sun Prairie Beef. The discussion will center on how they raise their beef, where you can purchase it and how folks can prepare some of that juicy grass-fed goodness.

I asked Nancy what the groups vision was. She said they hope to continue to provide more sessions such as the one coming up next Wednesday. They want to network, encourage folks to cook really good wholesome food, and increase the number of cooking classes and workshops they host. Nancy’s personal vision would be to have more classes focused on the family and raising healthy children through nutrition. I am sure most of us can appreciate that vision.

To learn more about what’s going on you can check out their website at www.wapffc.org or their facebook page and find their events on meet-up. For more information about Wednesday’s event or the local chapter you can contact Nancy at 970-493-7588. I hope you can check it out!

The farm property, located on Taft Hill Road under the watchful eye of Horsetooth rock, is five acres that was once part of a 300 acre farm that spread to the foothills of Horsetooth and south to Horsetooth Road, was most recently owned by a gentleman who purchased it in the 70′s. He had a hobby farm there with all manner of livestock, including cows. The soil tells that story. Rich and deep brown. Light and loamy. Ready for the 2013 CSA run by Meghan and Michael.

Having farmed in the area for some time, Meghan explained she didn’t grow up with farming. Self described suburb kids, Meghan grew up in Connecticut and Michael in Kentucky. Meghan then attended an Ag college in North Carolina, where she learned about sustainability and local food. She launched a project to bring organic food into the campus dining halls and trekked to Western Colorado as a WWOOFER. She then landed in Fort Collins working on Happy Heart Farm. Where she met Michael. In 2011 they decided to start their own farm and began to search for property. With a clear vision in mind, it was serendipitous when through friends they were connected with the children of the hobby farmer who purchased the land in the 70′s. He had passed away six years ago, and his children had no luck selling the property.

Enter Meghan and Michael, who now lease the five acres as of March 2012, cultivating one acre for the CSA. They had their first CSA last year with approximately 20 members. This year they now rent the adjacent 12 acres with a home and are expanding their memberships, supplying restaurants and you’ll find them at the farmer’s markets in town. With the start of the 2013 season they have grown to 35 members, with 15 working members. While I was there a group from CSU arrived to begin building ponds for growing cyanobacteria as part of a study to grown  fertilizer. Spring Kite is one of several farms participating in the study.

When I asked Meghan what type of farm they envisioned, and why they held out for property in town, she explained they were building a biodynamic farm. Biodynamic farming strives to create an diversified ecological system and on farm sustainability. Creating everything needed for the cycle within the farm. Why they held out for town, well, after living in Old Town they were hooked and wanted to maintain that bicycle centric culture and be close to their community while educating folks about food and farming. As Meghan says, community is the first word in CSA. The design is with the fully engaged CSA member in mind who has easy access to the farm. She explains the biggest responsibilities she sees the farm as having is growing healthy food and teaching folks how to prepare it and preserve it.

The big red barn that stands as an agricultural beacon to Fort Collins rich history, has a processing room that they are transforming into a production and workshop space. The next room is cool and small and is a perfect cold cellar which improvements in the works will maintain that coolness throughout our hot summers. Behind the barn a community member is planting a cut flower garden in the old cow paddock, where again, that black gold is present.

Clearly from the number of folks working on projects this morning, the community part is coming into fruition after just one full season. Last year the CSA delivered shares to an off-site location, but as Meghan puts it, it just didn’t have the same community building result as when folks visit the farm. Both Michael and Meghan love being outside and connecting with people over food. The landlords, after seeing Meghan and Michael’s stewardship have allowed for on-site pick up this year and the farm will be hosting four events, including a n open house and a farm dinner. Today, April 28, at Spring Canyon Community Park they will be hosting a Kite Festival from 10-4. They will also host food demonstrations and tasting on pick up days.

I asked them about the obstacles that come with leasing property versus purchasing. The most obvious, when the desire is to be in town, is expense. Hence leasing is a great option. Spring Kite is currently operating under a year to year lease. They are partnering with the neighbors llama farm to start practicing rotational grazing of the llamas to keep the pastures mowed. The property is lucky enough to be zoned for livestock and agriculture. The water comes from the Pleasant Valley Ditch. Having understanding neighbors is key. Also important is the need to remain good stewards so the owners will want you to stay. They are lucky, as the owners Dad previously farmed the land. So they get it.

Meghan has a vision of developing a conservation land trust and to work with the neighbors to preserve the area, which is a precious resource in the ever growing Fort Collins. Being centrally located maintains the connection to folks and their food source. It doesn’t keep it out of sight, therefore out of mind. In town farming creates the opportunity for folks to do more, and participate in the cultivation of their food source.

If you have a chance, stop by and check it out during their open house May 19, 2-6pm. Tell them Erica sent you!

The concerns in town are usually of the fox, raccoon and winged variety. Keeping 6 backyard chickens safe isn’t too hard. Lots of one inch square wire to keep prying paws out is a necessary expense, but definitely manageable. As you move out of the city, and likely increase your livestock numbers as I am beginning to, it starts becoming a little trickier. The “enemies” grow in equal proportion to one’s required vigilance.

With this last snow I was greeted in the morning not only by my rooster Head-Wound Henry (long story that involves a raccoon and a vet tech), but also by a cacophony of howls from my neighborhood pack of coyotes (hope they are just coyotes). Regularly they sound the alarm at dusk, but this was my first early morning serenade. It alerted me to the numerous tracks in the yard. A super highway of nocturnal life. Last week I, or rather one of my dogs, found a rabbit pelt in the drive, not too far from the coops. A little close for comfort. Apparently three dogs marking everything in sight is not a deterrence. A few weeks before that we spotted a pup at the far end of the field, in the thicket near the irrigation pond. Then this week I find all the tracks in the snow. Around the coop, the compost pile, along the side of the house and exiting to the field across the street. It really was only a matter of time. Seems the pickin’s were slim with the coop doors shut, aside from a compost mouse that was pounced and left in a snowdrift.

The owls and hawks are active, with little beaks to feed (Front Range has four owlets this year in their nest on campus) and the four legged vegetarians are out looking for some green morsels tapping through the wet earth. You know, like your newly planted spinach and greens. The draw is on for carnivores, with fresh lambs and kids shining like an all you can eat buffet beacon.

Admittedly, my vigilence wained through the long nights and cold days. I am lucky I suffered no losses from third parties. My advice to myself is wake up to the signs and build that new chicken run that’s in the works with Fort Knox in mind. With that I leave you with this simple wish. May your livestock be well and your predators fed full elsewhere. Spring, my dear, has arrived.

Luke Hall is the owner and operator of this family operation, run with the assistance of his Dad, brother and his son and recently acquired mascot Pacino (a little black scruff of a dog they found wondering in the street a few weeks ago). Luke graciously gets the credit from his brother for doing “99% of the work”. My first thought entering the property from Parker Street was what a score! At approximately 4 acres, this long property is a garder’s paradise hosting a pond, matured trees and rolling topography. He explained that he was originally the landscaper for the property’s previous owner. By trade he is a landscape designer, with a deep love of plants. When the property became available ten years ago, Luke took the opportunity to write a letter to the owner explaining his intention of being a steward to the property, appealing to the owners desire for preservation. It worked. And that is what he set out to do. Taking years to mow and clear and uncover it’s potential.

In 2008 when the housing market crashed, and the luxury of landscape design wained, Luke make good on his dream to grow his own food and started the gardens. In 2010 Luke launched his first CSA membership. He had 40 members. The next year he grew to 90 members. Last year he took the year off to evaluate, build needed infrastructure and let the ground rest. This year he is back, and has plans for expansion. The vision for the future is providing his members with full diet options. This year he has partnered with Loco Foods to provide grocery shares on a weekly basis as add on’s for the shareholders. Each Thursday, pick up day on the farm, there will be 10 $50 grocery shares available on a first come basis. Items include coffee, baked goods from Fiddlehead bakery, eggs, cheese, snacks and more.

Luke Hall (right) and his brother

One of his neighbors/members came by for a visit during our chat. When asked about his experience he stated “Shire is a peaceful place in the neighborhood. It’s a great place to come and just be.” The gardens are visible from the Spring Creek Trail and the subdivision to the East. The property is long and one of the large garden beds and a greenhouse are leased to the Growing Project, a local non-profit food provider. Surrounded by trees and water, Luke says “It’s good to be close to nature. This place gets it’s hooks in you. It’s a magical place.” He also explains that having your food source nearby, within walking or biking distance, was once the norm. He believes to be sustainable and healthy, we are to return to normal. “It will take a generation to get us back to normal.” Where your food is close, real and high quality. He has plant starts from his greenhouse for those interested and is willing to teach folks to grow their own. His hopes for the future are incorporating value-added products and education to the mix.

I asked if living in town, did he experience a lot of restrictions. Covenants or HOA’s or the city limits on agriculture. Luke said it wasn’t too bad. The main thing to deal with are neighbor issues and keeping up with such a large property. It takes communication and patience to merge a 4 acre market garden into a subdivision/apartment community, that may not understand bee hives and compost piles next door. Or tractors and equipment running 8 hours a day prepping beds. The 6″ inch weed/lawn rule, no branch piles, 6 chickens, etc. also offer limitations, but it is all manageable. The one thing folks might not expect is the permit needed for this type of operation. $100. Which may seem small, but to a farm trying to find solid ground under it’s feet, every $100 counts. Luke’s immediate goal is self-sufficiency, in the form of not having to work two jobs. He continues to work in landscape design to supplement the garden income. A common goal among new farmers.

Shire provides market shares to it’s members. So far they have 20-25 members for the season and are aiming for 40+. The uniqueness of what Luke offers is choice. Folks get a designated pound allotment each week and choose what they want. Whether it be all tomatoes for canning season, or a large variety. He has planted fruit trees to one day relieve the need to purchase fruit from the Western Slope for his members. He grows herbs and tries to grow a little of everything.I must say, I fell a little bit in love with the Shire. It is a magical place that not only supports your health but gives a refuge in town, and a community to support you beyond the table. Luke is most often on the farm. If you’re curious, stop by for a visit. Tell him Erica sent you!

Prepping the fields

Pacino