The 500-plus folks who voted in the June participatory voting process sponsored by Healthy Archuleta chose “Grow More Local Produce” as the preferred option from a field of five intended to guide the non-profit’s future efforts.
One might wonder why so many folks think this is a good idea. Let’s consider just a few good reasons why local produce would win the contest:
It tastes better. Over time, the sugar in vegetables turns to starches, plant cells shrink and the lettuce/tomato/beet/etc. loses its vitality and flavor… and ‘time’ is exactly what it takes to get that lettuce/tomato/beet from Denver/California/Mexico/Chile to your table.
It’s more nutritious. Once harvested vegetables quickly lose nutrients. This is proven science! So the quicker to the table the better.
It promotes energy conservation. Food travels largely by truck or airplane on average 1500 miles to your plate. Consider the energy saving if instead the harvest comes from your backyard or the local farmers market.
It supports local farmers. Farmers are an endangered species. Fewer than one million actually claim farming as their livelihood, probably not surprising since, on average farmers get less than 10 cents of every retail food dollar. Eliminating all the middle men means the farmers will receive a living income and be able to continue farming.
It’s more reliable. The pandemic has taught us a lesson about the unreliability of long supply chains and there is no reason to believe this experience will be out last.
We could go on, but won’t for now. Convinced of the wisdom of consuming local produce, we now wonder: how do we produce more?
Several organizations in our community are working to increase local production. Our CSU Extension office provides information and classes that will answer any question involving growing, especially recommended is the Master Gardener Class as a way to motivate and instill confidence. Someone is always available either at the office at the fairground or online at https://archuleta.extension.colostate.edu/
Healthy Archuleta has a Backyard Growers Program (BYC) intent on identifying and engaging VYGs in an effort to Plant More Now and either donate or sell the excess at the Farmers Market or learn how to preserve food through a CSU class. Together with PLPOA, Healthy Archuleta has been instrumental in the creation and development of the Vista Lake Community Garden that will provide produce for the community and for food pantries. Interested in knowing more about the programs? Contact fsfearchuleta@gmail.com
The Pagosa Farmers Market is part of this community wide effort to increase local production of food by providing a venue where local food can be offered directly to the consumer with benefit to producer, consumer and community. Happily, we opened and continue with our pre-pandemic full complement of growers and producers and our Small Growers Coop is ideally suited to the BYG who has excess produce but not enough to support a separate tent. The Market is open Saturdays from 9am – 1pm at the east end of town and support for the market comes from the Town of Pagosa Springs.
This year, the Market is pleased to welcome new farmers to the area, Chris Frederics, who came to the area in search of suitable agricultural land to support his family and his own avid interest in regenerative agriculture and is now working with Roger Candelaria on land homesteaded by Roger’s family in 1906 in a unique arrangement that shares knowledge and access to resources between generations as an important way to increase production of local foods.
The rain and warm temperatures mean that the supply and variety of vegetables offered at the Market will be increasing, and we can be especially happy about vine ripened tomatoes — until now only offered by the Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership but soon to be joined by our other tomato growers, Kendal and Debbie McAlister. Our tomato producers will soon be online at pagosafarmersmarket.net to allow customers to buy online and pick up at the Saturday Market thus insuring that they will have tomatoes. Other producers will offer wonderful sourdough breads, wheat-free and simply indulgent pastries, jams, toffees, local honey, farm fresh eggs and a selection of naturally raised and USA inspected beef cuts.
Special notice to SNAP recipients – the Market continues to accept SNAP cards and to distribute Double Up Bucks worth $20 with the first $20 SNAP purchase… both of which make shopping at the Pagosa Farmers Market a wise choice economically as well as nutritionally.
Another supplier of fresh produce, the Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership now sells produce and plans from the Education Dome on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays from 10am – 12 noon with the hope that this dome will return soon to its mission of teaching children how to grow. The other two domes raise and distribute either the community, or soon to local restaurants. Contact ggp@pagosagreen.org.
Clearly the activity level is high and the possibilities for engagement varied. Each one of these organizations can use help. Our recommendation – Get involved! Learn and Grow and contribute to community resilience.
Contact: pagosafarmersmarket@gmail.com; ggp@pagosagreen.org; fsfearchuleta@gmail.com
Rose Chavez is Executive Director for Archuleta Seniors, Inc. and Public Health Consultant at Archuleta Food System/Food Equity Coalition.