LOCAL HEROES
SQUASH BLOSSOM LOCAL FOOD INNOVATOR: FOOD JUSTICE
AN INTERVIEW WITH NINA LADEGAARD, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR Photos by Stephanie Cameron
Nina Ladegaard.
Squash Blossom works with dozens of small-scale family farms throughout New Mexico, distributing their fresh produce to restaurants in Santa Fe and directly to consumers. Signature retailed Blossom Bags contain the best of what’s in season year-round, and are available via home delivery or pickup at numerous workplaces, schools, and local businesses in and around Santa Fe. Blossom Bag subscriptions and wholesale sales to chefs are done on their website, which showcases their 100 percent local offerings. A social enterprise, Squash Blossom’s mission is to provide a dependable income 18
edible New Mexico | LATE SUMMER 2022
stream for local farmers, bring healthier food to our community, and strengthen their local economy. How have your experiences as a farmer in New Mexico shaped your work as a food distributor? I started Squash Blossom as a bridge between farmers and chefs. There had to be a better way than selling restaurants “seconds” after a farmers market. Facilitating bulk sales and deliveries from our impeccable local farms to Santa Fe’s stellar restaurants wasn’t being done. Chefs appreciated the streamlined ordering, bookkeeping, wholesale prices,