Crooked Carrots

by Brandon Mathis

HOW TWO DURANGO WOMEN

ARE TAKING LEFTOVER PRODUCE TO NEW HEIGHTS AND MAKING IT TASTE DELICIOUS.

What if there were a way to use all the leftover produce that farmers have every harvest? The heads of broccoli that are just too big, the yellow onions that are just too small, the magnificent carrots that are, well, just plain crooked? How about taking them all and making amazing gourmet food that’s ideal for travel and adventure? Oh yeah, and doing it as eco-friendly as possible.

Meet Jane and Lou Barden, the clever minds behind Farm to Summit. They work with farmers in and around Durango to source fresh produce, creating healthy, dehydrated meals that are

Courtesy of Farm to Summit

perfect for backpacking, camping, or just a day in the woods. And the recipes they create are unlike any other backpacking meal you’ve ever had. Think of it as fine dining ‒ just add water.

“We’re foodies,” said Jane. “We have a charcuterie at 14,000 feet.”

PLANTING SEEDS

Jane grew up on her family’s 150-acre vegetable farm in Michigan, and both Jane and Lou used it as a springboard for learning about agricultural systems. The idea of creating a business around their own recipes, supported by local agriculture, began to bloom.

It was Jane who grew roots in Durango, while attending Fort Lewis College and playing soccer. Taking work in fine dining and spending time snowboarding the Rockies, it was in Boulder, Colorado, that she met Lou, who was earning her master’s at the University of Colorado.

Traveling, and spending time on the farm in Michigan, they would dream about owning their own farm ‒ something, anything, in Durango.

Jane and Lou put their heads togeth-

GOOD FOOD, COLLECTED

The Bardens approached Rachel Landis, director of the Good Food Collective in Durango, a social-enrichment organization that focuses on food to strengthen Colorado communities and facilitate healthy living.

The support was there, as was access to a commercial dehydrator, sealing the deal and providing the Bardens a boost to dehydrate as much produce as possible, package the food, and focus on sales.

“It’s exciting to see Jane and Lou take this to the next level and provide a value-added product that’s high quality and shows what the Southwest is capable of,” Landis said.

FARMERS FIRST

On a sunny September morning in the Animas River Valley north of Durango, Max Fields of Fields to Plate Produce (serendipitously named after him and his partner, James Plate) was cutting off colossal heads of broccoli, one after another, for the Bardens. Too big for most buyers, cutting off the larger head gives way for two smaller heads to grow.

“I think people are very responsive to the way these women are approaching their business model, Fields said. “It seems like farmers first.”

Today, Farm to Summit is loaded with local produce: the tomatoes in the Green Chile Mac & Cheese, the spinach in the Thai Red Curry, the potatoes in the White Bean Potato Stew. There’s an aura of Durango in every bite. Even when it’s not local it’s still organic, including the organic coffee in the Double Shot Latte with maple syrup. Delisioso! ROOTS

From the beginning, just over a year ago, Farm to Summit has stayed true to its mission: local produce, supporting a seconds market, and ecologically sound practice down to the omnidegradable packaging that’s both biodegradable and recyclable.

“Even our labels are compostable,” Lou said.

In addition to sustainable standards, Farm to Summit gives 2 percent of every purchase to food-insecurity programs, passing the bounty forward.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Durango was the right move. While Farm to Summit is enjoying a warm reception, to the Bardens it’s just the beginning. Plans for a larger network of farmers, more dehydrating capabilities, and job creation in the Durango community are all in progress.

“It’s the perfect place to do this,” said Lou. “There are a surprising number of small farms in the area ‒ and a huge number of folks who want to put good food in their bodies when they’re outside.”

Jane believes it’s the network of people that makes Durango remarkably special: the farmers, the families, and the people who make southwest Colorado home.

“Durango is community,” she said.

So the next time you see that cute little cucumber or funny-looking pumpkin, think about Farm to Summit. Local food that almost wasn’t made…but was. Now it’s ripe for adventure.