FEATURE

AS WE HEAD INTO TOWN after a walk in the Cache la Poudre Canyon, my wife, Kristin spots a small sign nailed to a post that says “Eggs.”

“We need eggs,” she says.

I turn around and pull into the farm. In a shed sits a cooler full of egg cartons and a can to put money in. Today I select the duck eggs, next time I’m going to try the turkey eggs.

“You won’t find that at the grocery store,” I say as we continue home.

We had pulled into Native Hill’s farm stand earlier and loaded up on fresh kale, red leaf romaine, some garlic scapes (hadn’t ever seen those before) and a couple of cucumbers.

It’s always a treat to see what fresh, healthful produce is available when you visit a farm stand or a farmers market. Plus, you have an opportunity to talk directly to the folks who are planting, growing and harvesting your food.

Small businesses have been hit hard by Covid-19 and associated restrictions, especially small farmers and ranchers who not only sell directly to consumers but also supply struggling restaurants in the area. At the same time, the greater food supply chain has been disrupted and shoppers are looking beyond their habitual sources for sustenance.

Now is a particularly good time to stretch a little and discover the great resources we have right here in our northern Colorado backyard when it comes to tasty local produce and meat.

CHANGING TIMES “We felt like the world turned upside down overnight but we are thankful that we just happened to build a new farm stand onsite and that people are really coming out to get great food and support a local farm business,” says Nic Koontz, owner of Native Hill Farm along with his wife Katie Slota, about the COVID-19 challenges. “We, as a team, love feeding our community good food and cultivating a community around that good food, along with connection to place.”

Connection to place might mean appreciating and supporting our community, the environment, really everything that makes this home to each and everyone of us.

SHORT SUPPLY CHAIN “Food grown close to home has many benefits over food trucked or flown in from far away. Local food is super

fresh, offers a huge variety, is the highest quality, and has taste that is unparalleled,” says Katie Slota on the Native Hill website.

Aaron Rice, owner of Jodar farms could not agree more.

“One of the biggest reasons to buy local is that it shortens the supply chain,” Rice says. “And you can’t beat the opportunity to speak to the people who are actually raising the animals.”

Jodar Farms specializes in pastureraised pork and poultry, along with egg sales. At the farm, visitors can learn about the quality lifestyle of the animals raised on the farm and beyond.

“It’s super important to us to have an animal slaughtered humanely and with compassion,” Aaron says, “and it makes a heck of a difference in the quality of the meat if they’re not all stressed out.”

More and more people are paying attention to where their food comes from and how it is raised and processed.

ALL SEASON OFFERINGS Many local producers offer their goods throughout the year with products changing with the seasons. Check out websites to see what they offer. And if you’re quick, you might just get your name in for a Thanksgiving turkey at Jodar Farms.

Gailmarie Kimmel, founder of Be Local Northern Colorado and co-founder of Winter Farmers Market sums it all up like this: “It’s a great time to be supporting our local farmers. They are always essential workers but perhaps we are recognizing that fact in these challenging times. Not only do they provide super-fresh and delicious options directly to us, but also purchasing from them keeps more of our dollars in our local economy, supporting our neighbors and supporting our land and water. Buying local food is a triple win, meeting all three prongs of real sustainability: people, planet and economy. What’s not to love about that?”

Shop local… virtually

Support local artisans, farmers and small businesses

Are you looking for fresh farm-to-table food, locally produced health products, handmade gifts and art from area artists? Shop away on the NOCO Virtual Farmers Market website. With a few clicks you can order a variety of goods that will be delivered to your doorstep.

In March, with COVID-19 closures looming, Alexa Vasquez launched a Facebook group to help hers and other small businesses survive and serve the local community. It took off and now features a slick website with 67 local vendors and counting.

“Our customers tell us they are grateful and happy for what we are doing and they want to continue to support and shop local,” Vasquez says. “We love our work, take it seriously and are proud to be the first Virtual Farmers Market to appear in Colorado.”

As the seasons change, so will the products, produce and services they offer.