Guidestone Volunteer Opportunities!

Guidestone is growing as our mission and work continue to create more opportunities in the Upper Arkansas River Valley. With several projects underway, we are now looking for volunteers to help us achieve our vision of local agricultural growth.

We see volunteers becoming the heart of our work and will only grow stronger through the time and efforts provided by them. If you want to become part of the Guidestone volunteer team, now is the time to let us know. We have many volunteer opportunities that range from blog and recipe writing, to fundraising, farm cleanup and beyond.

Current volunteer opportunities:

Blogger
Help us write blogs about the local food movement, agriculture in the Arkansas River Valley and recipes that showcase local foods.

Adult Education Class Coordinator
Guidestone hopes to expand its educational offerings to adults. Help us coordinate such classes as “Food Preservation”, “High Altitude Gardening” and “Composting 101”. Suggestions for additional classes are always welcome!

Guidestone Fundraiser
Become a part of Guidstone’s first fundraiser of the year. Help is needed prior to and during the event.
Date: April 11, 2010
Location: Boathouse Cantina, Salida, CO

Spring Meadows Cleanup
Don your work gloves and overalls! This event is a great opportunity to get to know the Guidestone Board and Staff and the farmers of Weathervane Farm, Cottonwood Creek Dairy, and Colorado Grown. Help us to prepare the farm for the upcoming Farmhands educational programs and the growing season ahead. Participate in the maintenance of this beautiful land and creek setting here in the Upper Arkansas River Valley.
Date: To be determined

Farmhands
Do you love to work with kids and animals and dig your hands in the soil? Guidestone’s Farmhands education program will be in need of volunteer assistants this coming season. Please let us know if you are interested and stay tuned for more information.

If you would like to volunteer with Guidestone, please contact Lindsay at laj324[at]yahoo[dot]com or Katie at katie[at]southmainco[dot]com.

Quinoa and Sausage Stuffed Squash

This dish has quickly become a household wintertime favorite. The original recipe that this one is based on comes from the Joy of Cooking although it has evolved quite a bit since then. The nice thing about this recipe is that it is easy to get creative and come up with your own combinations of flavors. Have fun and enjoy!

Squash – 3 acorn or 1 butternut
2 T olive oil or butter
1 cup quinoa – grown in the San Luis Valley by White Mountain Farms
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 lb ground sausage – Use any type you like. Visit Colorado Grown for delicious choices
1 cup chopped kale – I saved some in my freezer from last summer’s veggie share through Weathervane Farm
½ cup Parmesan cheese plus extra for topping, grated
Seasonings and salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350

Halve and seed squash. Place a steaming basket in a pot with water (be sure to not allow the water level to be higher than the level of the bottom of the basket). Bring the water to a boil and add the squash halves. Cover and steam until soft, usually 10 to 15 minutes.

Rinse 1 cup quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and drain. In a medium sized pot heat oil or butter and add chopped onions and garlic. Cook until golden. Add quinoa, toasting for about 3 minutes. Add broth and other seasonings (I used coriander and turmeric… just get creative). Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 12 – 15 minutes until the liquid is gone.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet cook sausage. Add chopped kale, stirring until wilted. Turn off heat.

Combine quinoa mixture with sausage mixture and parmesan cheese. Make any final seasoning adjustments. Spoon into squash halves and place in baking dish. Top with remaining grated Parmesan. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

David Lynch Interviewed on KCFR "Colorado Matters"

Guidestone's David Lynch recently sat down with Ryan Warner of Denver radio station KCFR's Colorado Matters for an interview about the Chaffee County Land Link Initiative. The discussion highlights the concepts and motives behind this new program and also details some of its first participants. To check out the interview click on the following link, then scroll down the page to Wednesday, January 27 and click on the title, "Cultivating New Farmers & Ranchers":

Colorado Matters: Cultivating New Farmers & Ranchers