Farm Living

       We have visited and worked various farms this block to better appreciate the relationship between farmers and culinarians.  Some farms were eye opening and educational while others provided a good excuse to be away from the kitchen.
     Our first farm was Waste Farmers of Arvada.  We were introduced to permaculture and Community Supported Agriculture or CSA's.  I think CSA's are an excellent program for the community to source their produce.  For a set fee per farm, you can get seasonal, local and sustainable produce as long as the farm is productive.  This could be most of the year!
     Another farm that stood out to me was Carrie's Clucks in Windsor, CO.  All of the chickens and turkeys are Heritage birds meaning they are not bred for certain characteristics such as large or "L.A." breasts and they can breed on their own.  Every bird is named.  There is a set of turkeys named Jake and Joey who reminded me of a couple of brothers that I ski with each year.  We tasted the most flavorful and cohesive eggs from that farm.  Did you know if you are allergic to chicken eggs, you can eat duck eggs?  
     I was anxious to visit Black Cat Farm since I am a big fan of the Black Cat Restaurant which gets almost all of their produce from this farm.  This is a four season farm, so we assisted in prepping for the winter by draining irrigation and placing double row cover over the winter crops.  As a reward, we harvested gargantuan chioggia and golden beets which we used for our culmination dinner and cardoon (Jerusalem artichoke) which resemble celery.
    On our last farm day, we visited a goat farm, also in Boulder county.  Morning Flower Dairy is actually off of the main thoroughfare of Broadway, next to a recreation center.  I would never have guessed that such a haven existed in the middle of such hustle and bustle.  I got to walk/trot a pair of Cashmere twins who were super cute and cuddly.  There were floppy eared Nubians and high milk producing La Machas as well as a couple of Llamas.  Half of us helped move a stack of hay and the lucky rest of us got to shovel goat poop.  
     I definitely have a deeper appreciation for farmers, the land, our food, and the animals after having visited all of these farms.  A city slicker, I never would have found these farms on my own initiative.  There is a certain peace and tranquility in doing honest, hard, manual labor surrounded by nature.