Sopris Sun THE
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 33 • SEPTEMBER 24, 2009
Ingredients for optimism Can Roaring Fork residents produce all of their own food? It’s a dream, but it may not be a fantasy. By Trina Ortega
Rose Le Van and Kami Miranda handle a daikon radish at Sustainable Settings, one of the promising spreads in the valley. Photo by Jane Bachrach
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arbondale’s 100th Potato Day conjured up images of days long gone — a time with fewer people and wide open spaces; a time when living off the land was the norm. Even as little as 50 years ago, no one doubted our ability to feed ourselves through local farming. Now, however, some say that — given the population growth and available land and natural resources — we cannot sustain ourselves in the Roaring Fork Valley. Iaf more and more residents make the effort to eat locally and jump on the “locavore” wagon, would we have enough food? Ask the “new age” farmers, gardeners and ranchers, and they’ll say there’s hope if individuals choose locally raised grass-fed beef, start garden programs in schools and neighborhoods, and purchase food at local farmer’s markets. “I think the fact that in WWII Victory Gardens people grew 40 percent of the produce for this nation’s consumption gives us an idea of just how sustainable home and community gardens can make a
town,” said Illène Pevec, a community gar- tral Rocky Mountain Permaculture Instiden advocate whose work includes helping tute and Fat City Farms, on Sept. 14, she schools acround the globe establish garden joined 52 students in planting a keyhole garden. programs. The RFHS program, an agriculture class Pevec says Carbondale’s high altitude at Yampa Mountain does require a means of extending “We have to invest now in High and the wellknown, longtime the growing season, the re-creation of a local program at Colbut this can be accomplished with food system and building a orado Rocky Mountain School are hoop houses, greenplace that we really want to “huge steps toward houses, and other means. live in. We’re on campaign having young people begin to be able to “We need to give up the idea of sod every day here. It’s critical for think with conlawns that soak up our survival that we rebuild sciousness about the food they eat and water and very often pesticides,” she agriculture. If we want long- knowing where it added. “We need to term livability in this valley, comes from,” Pevec said. give that earth to we need greenhouses.” The students are growing food for just some of the Carour families.” Brook Le Van bondale residents Pevec rejoiced when Roaring Fork High School launched who are harkening back to the town’s agria garden program and sustainable agricul- cultural roots. A group of citizens is asking ture class this fall. With help from the Cen- the town trustees for space at the Carbon-
dale Nature Park (Delaney open space) to establish a community gardening; small property owners are providing space for neighbors to garden; and town committees are constantly barraged with input stating we need more garden space. Additionally, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and farmer’s markets are thriving, and the Carbondale Food Co-operative is considering expanding into a neighboring retail space. And local beef producers, who take the extra time to raise grass-fed cattle for consumption, say demand is increasing. Felix and Sarah Tornare own 87 acres on Missouri Heights, where they raise between 80 and 90 head of cattle. Felix describes their venture into raising beef as a “spoof” — they needed cows to train their cutting horses.They figured,“why not feed the cows and keep them?” Tornare is from Switzerland and he immigrated to the U.S. 27 years ago to help his brother open a bakery in Aspen. He continues to run the widely popular Louis SUSTAINABLE FOOD page 7