"Unto Us a Calf is Born"...

By: Amy of Cottonwood Creek Dairy

On a chilly night of Dec. 18th, the newest member of our herd was born. Buenie,
as we've named her, is a Jersey heifer and will grow up to join our herd as a
milk cow. Buenie's mom, Annabelle, joined us from a farm in New Mexico and Buenie is her first calf. Because the night was so cold and Buenie was slow to get moving, she spent her first night by the heater in David's kitchen. Her belly is now full of warm, nutritious colostrum and we are helping her learn how to get her legs under her. Soon Buenie will be joining the other little ones outside and our cow share members will be enjoying the bounty of Annabelle's milk.

Bucking The Trend

By David Lynch

As a recent resident farmer to the central Colorado mountain community, it has become painfully clear the challenges of preserving the region’s agricultural resources for local food production. How quickly have valuable agricultural lands given way to sprawling development and high-end resorts. Sadly, as one travels the scenic I-70 corridor, it becomes clear that the rural character of yesteryear has virtually disappeared; from Vail to Gypsum is not an active farm operation to be found. Oh yes, ranching remains a tradition in these high mountain valleys, but the possibility of local food production is no longer an option. The development of river and creek bottom areas for luxury homes has removed the very soils that might have served these communities as a local food source. Likewise, the conversion of the age old water rights for municipal use, once attached to these farms, has further minimized the agricultural opportunities.

The Upper Arkansas Valley is one such region that potentially faces the same fate. Second homes dot the landscape. Resale values of ranch and farm lands are soaring; clearly such property is unaffordable for agricultural enterprise. Even now, poorly planned development projects threaten to gobble up what few productive soils that remain.

So what of food security? Not only does it suggest access to food, but also food quality. For this the health conscious consumer seeks fresh, organic and locally grown food products. To somehow imagine that the industrial food system will forever serve our needs is to believe a petroleum-based agriculture will always remain abundant. Our greatest chance to ensure food security is to take stalk of our opportunity to foster a local food system. This requires having local farmers, growing local food for the local community.

How do we buck the trend toward commercialization of local agricultural resources? It’s a community wide responsibility! The future cannot be relegated to the landowner, nor can land use be given to the hand of the developer. Comprehensive land planning must include a public vision for local food production just as it must for recreational and open space values. Policy must be put in place that guarantees inclusive zoning; when land is set aside for development, it should protect a portion of land for food production. Tax incentives are necessary to encourage landowners and developers alike to preserve the agricultural heritage of a given property. Additionally, we must seek the means to make land tenure affordable; passing the stewardship of farm land to next generation farmers must preserve the equity of the existing farmer while retaining the affordability of land for the purposes of local food production.

There are a growing number of examples where collaborative efforts have successfully preserved CSA (community supported agriculture) projects. The Rodale Institute posts an encouraging story of one such effort. Read about it here.

This is an endeavor to be taken up by all: by landowners and farmers, by land planners and public officials, by land trusts and conservation groups, by lawmakers and politicians, by churches and schools and public institutions that have access to local lands. A sustainable future is in our hands.

A first ever national conference to focus on land access, tenure and stewardship will be held in our own backyard, June 10-11, Denver, Colorado. Visit the announcement at: www.farmlasts.org/conference.

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Posted by: Allison A.

This lasagna recipe was inspired by a recent visit to Colorado Grown where Amy of Cottonwood Creek Dairy fame was selling freshly made ricotta cheese. The recipe has a surprising number of locally produced ingredients as well as a very elegant taste.

Fresh pasta:

2 cups whole wheat flour – Mountain Mama, San Luis Valley
2 eggs - Weathervane Farm

Measure and pour flour onto a clean work surface and create a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and beat them lightly with a fork. Using your finger, stir the egg and gradually incorporate all of the flour into the mixture. The dough should be smooth and not too stiff. Have a spray bottle filled with water on hand if you need to add more moisture to the dough. Knead for about 10 minutes or until elastic. Wrap the dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Roll out ½ of dough on a lightly floured surface. Rotating the dough ¼ turn as you work, continue until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Once you get to this point, you will need to stretch the dough to your desired thickness. (See Joy of Cooking for a nice explanation of this process.) Cut the pasta into 4” wide lasagna strips and allow to dry for an hour before cooking.

For the sauce:

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil
½ onion, diced – Colorado Grown
3 cloves garlic, minced – Colorado Grown
1 lb. Italian sausage – Colorado Grown
handful of sliced mushrooms
1 qt. jar homemade marinara sauce

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onion. Cook until browned, remove from skillet and set aside. Remove sausage from their casings and place in hot skillet. Add mushrooms. After the sausage is cooked, add the onion and marinara sauce. Heat throughout.

For the cheese:

1 lb. ricotta – Cottonwood Creek Dairy
2 eggs, slightly beaten – Weathervane Farm
2 cups chopped spinach – Erin’s Greenhouse
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste, leaving the mozzarella separate. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400˚.
Cook pasta in salted water until it is slightly underdone. Drain. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Layer the bottom with lasagna, half of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the sausage mixture, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat. Top with remaining lasagna, sausage mixture, and mozzarella.

Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread Made From Scratch

Posted by: Allison A.

This pumpkin loaf recipe uses less than half the normally called for sweetener in other loaves, but remains quite sweet to the taste. Thus, it will be a great snack bread to have around for all of your Thanksgiving house guests. The ingredients have already been adjusted the for baking at 8000ft.

From Pumpkin to Puree:

You’ll need 1 pie pumpkin (ideally left over from the Pumpkin Patch Festival or there may still be some available at Colorado Grown:) This will likely create enough puree to make two or three loaves or pies. Gut and peel the pumpkin. Cut into large chunks. Steam for 10 to 15 minutes, use a fork to test for softness. Place in a bowl and smash with a potato masher. Finally, place in a blender and puree until smooth.

Pumpkin Bread

1 ¼ cups whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
2 eggs – Weathervane Farm
¼ cup turbinado
¼ cup agave or honey
¼ organic canola oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt – Cottonwood Creek Dairy
1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350˚. Lightly grease a loaf pan.

Combine all dry ingredients except the turbinado in a medium bowl and whisk together. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, turbinado, agave, canola oil, yogurt, and pumpkin puree. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Guidestone Announces Public Meetings Set For Early 2009

Posted by: Allison A.

November 17, 2008 - Guidestone, a non-profit organization that supports local agricultural resource preservation, the local food economy, and farm based education in the Upper Arkansas River Valley is planning two public meetings set for early next year, one in Salida and one in Buena Vista. Recent events in Buena Vista have caused a significant outpouring of support from all reaches of the community, for which we are very grateful. These upcoming meetings are intended to help inform the public as to how they can continue to support the efforts of Guidestone in the valley.

Part of Guidestone’s work is to support local farming businesses by linking land and water resources with qualified farmers. Guidestone’s foundational project is the collection of farms currently located at the Cottonwood Meadows property in Buena Vista. Due to the recent failure of the vote to annex the Meadows property into the Town of Buena Vista, the future of that location as a Guidestone project is now in question. At this point, it is likely that the farm businesses will remain on the property for the next growing season and will continue providing locally grown agricultural products to valley residents for that time.

Despite the failed vote, the farming businesses currently on the Meadows property, Weathervane Farm, Cottonwood Creek Dairy and Colorado Grown, remain dedicated to finding a permanent home in the Upper Arkansas River Valley and Guidestone remains dedicated to these farmers in finding that home. While not eliminating the possibility of a long-term arrangement on the Meadows property, Guidestone is now pursuing properties throughout the valley both as a potential relocation for these businesses and for other farming businesses.

Guidestone and the Farmers recognize and appreciate the tremendous support of local citizens. We look forward to continuing to involve the community in building and sustaining a vibrant local food economy.

For additional information, please visit www.guidestonecolorado.org.

Michael Pollan Ted Talk: The Omnivore's Next Dilemma

Posted By: Allison A.

Protecting Our Soil From Development

Posted by: Allison A.

To me there is not much mystery as to why communities were often established near sources of water and fertile soils. For early settlers it was only logical to place a stake in the ground in a location where a life of hard work could be slightly eased by the relative convenience of locally available resources for growing food. I often think about this when I spend time in the park in Buena Vista and consider the role that Cottonwood Creek and the Arkansas River played in the life blood of our forefathers.

Unfortunately, a culture spoiled by cheap oil and grocery stores that feed us produce from the far reaches of the earth have detached us from first hand knowledge and appreciation for the resources required to fuel our bodies on a daily basis. Thus, those same resources which were so highly valued by pioneers from the past are today most often valued for their development potential in the world of real estate. Communities all across the west, including our own, are under tremendous development pressure due to impending population growth. And, so long as that development continues to be unguided, it is likely that the trend of converting rich agricultural soils into backyards and driveways will only continue to consume this irreplaceable resource.

I find it interesting and informative to learn from what other communities in the west are doing to overcome these same challenges that we face here in the Upper Arkansas River Valley. Here is a recent post on New West that we can certainly relate to. From Rooted In The Soil:

"Several factors make farm and ranchlands the most sought-after for these new developments. For starters, agricultural land is flat and well-drained, and hence is cheaper and easier to build upon.... Complex social and economic factors are at play too. Right now, agricultural lands are usually more affordable to developers than to farmers and ranchers. With development pressures pushing up land prices, new or expanding agriculturalists find it hard, if not impossible, to buy land and pay for it through agriculture, especially when economic returns are low."

The article offers several solutions as to how a community can work together more to encourage and incentivize development on less fertile lands while at the same time working to revitalize a local farming culture. Strategies listed are: mitigation ordinances, TRDs (transfer of development rights), a linking service to match land owners with producers, and incubator farms. Two of those strategies are akin to the work that Guidestone is doing here in our valley.

The author, Neva Hassanein, closes by stating:

"We cannot predict the future -- but we do know that people will have to eat and that food will be grown on soil. Our options are to protect our fertile soils here and now -- with all of us, not just farmers, supporting the process..."

Important food for thought, indeed.

Farmhands' Pumpkin Patch Festival a Success!

Posted by: Allison A.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support our Farmhands education program by joining us at the Pumpkin Patch Festival. See you again next year!

Cottonwood Creek Dairy Featured In Gourmet Magazine

Gourmet Magazine recently featured an article entitled, The ABCs of the New CSAs. The author, Peter Andrey Smith, writes:

With a faltering economy, some say local foods are an investment opportunity with a tangible return—a share in both the risks and the bounty of farming, fishing, or running a restaurant.

Guidestone founder, David Lynch, was quoted in the article in reference to his cow-share program through Cottonwood Creek Dairy .

Check out the article here.