Sprouts, strawberries, and skis

Over the past few months, we’ve been having a lot of talks here in the office about one conundrum of living here in the high country--we’re absolutely in love with our mountain environment, but we crave that most simple and ever-elusive delicacy: the fresh, homegrown vegetable.

Local food is a hot topic in many areas of the country, including here in Summit County. And while we may have rich opportunities for hunting and fishing, our fruit and veggie options fall somewhere between “extremely limited” and “non-existent.”

On our office Dream List, we have several dreams that involve growing, eating, and learning about local food options. One of my recurring daydreams involves a community built, state-of-the-art greenhouse, with its very own Community Supported Agriculture group, where families and friends can share a plot and eat carrots together in the middle of winter.

Maybe it’s just my food-addled brain, but since we started talking about it here at the Conservation Center, I seem to find local foodies everywhere I turn. I never realized how many people imagine fresh broccoli while they’re skiing, or see Buffalo Mountain as a gigantic fresh strawberry as they head to the summit. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but we really do love nature in all its forms here in Summit County, and food is a pretty integral missing piece.

It was great to see the article about Silvana’s Community Gardens last week in the Summit Daily News. Apparently, other people have daydreams too! Conveniently enough, we’ve also just set up our summer workshop schedule and we decided this year to focus on local food, including workshops on home brewing, canning and preserving, and local farms and markets.

Are you interested in learning more about growing veggies here in the mountains? Do you wonder how much impact your diet has on the planet? Would it bring a smile to your face to have our wonderful restaurants here in Summit serve food grown in our own backyard? If you answered yes to any of these, we’re looking for you to be a part of the brand new local food group of the High Country Conservation Center.

This group will provide space for people to contribute thoughts, ideas, and expertise about high country growing, as well as look into possible options for local food production in the future (greenhouse, anyone?) If you’re interested, send thoughts, comments, or ideas to: food@highcountryconservation.org, or call the office at 668-5703. We look forward to hearing from you!