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Farm Fresh: Eating Locally Brings Us Back To Our Roots, Sustains Tradition
by Ben Gerig
Miller Family Farms sits quietly on 180 acres along Hwy. 66, just 15 miles northeast of Denver. With sweeping views of the snow-covered front range across its fallow fields, the farm hearkens back to a gentler time, when small-scale operations like this dotted the Colorado landscape. Owner and operator Joe Miller remembers when there were 50 or so farms along this stretch of plains near Platteville, where now fewer than a half dozen remain.
Where have all of the family farms gone, and why are their values essential to carry on? How does eating locally-produced food benefit us economically, environmentally, and physically? Why are small farms, urban gardens, and farmers’ markets vital to Denver communities? In search of these questions, I set off for Miller Farms, Wilkerson’s Produce Co. and Denver Urban Gardens – to re-trace where food actually comes from, and perhaps garner a better understanding of its indispensable niche in our lives.
Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, writes, “Eating puts us in touch with all that we share with the other animals, and all that sets us apart. It defines us. To eat with a fuller consciousness of all that is at stake might sound like a burden, but in practice few things in life can afford quite as much satisfaction.”
As Denver residents, we have a multitude of opportunities to influence how our food is produced and to determine what role we would like to play in being responsible stewards of our own bodies, as well as the natural systems of which we are a part. The viability of the family farm might feel precarious, but we may glean lessons from the wisdom of local agriculture – lessons vital to keep alive.
“The real magic for me is that I get to be around my kids, working alongside them,” Joe Miller says of his family farm. Miller Farms has existed since 1949 and now produces over 28 different kinds of vegetables and herbs.
The farm participates in a CSA program – Community Supported Agricul-ture – in which Denver residents may buy $600 shares, good for the entire growing season. Shareholders are entitled to come to the farm to pick up seasonal produce once a week or to collect it at any of the many farmers’ market locations that the Millers frequent in the Denver area.
Additionally, families may attend Miller’s annual Fall Festival, where they can venture into the fields via hay-wagon, pick their own bounty, and experience the many joys of a working family farm.
Another local asset is family-owned Wilkerson’s Produce Co. Curtis Wilkerson and his mother, Mickie, have been providing fresh fruits and vegetables to Denver neighborhoods for over 40 years. Their shop, just south of Overland Park Golf Course on the west side of Santa Fe’s barrier fence (at 1995 S. Santa Fe Dr.), is open seven days a week during the growing season. Both members of the family are passionate about supplying over 200 Colorado farms with a direct link to the city.
“When it comes cut straight from the farm, and it’s (in the market) that same day, there’s a lot of difference in the taste and the quality. It doesn’t have to be packed; it doesn’t have to be shipped,” points out Curtis. “The beauty is, you know which farm it’s come from, and you know who’s handling the products.”
There is a serene nostalgic sense that crops up when visiting Wilkerson’s quaint store. It brought back memories of my formative Indiana years, walking to the corner market with my grandmother to sip fresh apple cider and sample local cheeses. I had forgotten the timeless appeal of a place where you can greet people by their first names and get the best, most nutritious produce, all at the same time.
Maintaining their simple, people-oriented approach is what the Wilkersons strive to live out. “Why not promote small Colorado family farms? Promote the tradition, so they don’t disappear. The only way to keep them alive is to continue buying (from them),” says Curtis.
Denver Urban Gardens offers an additional option to embrace the advantages of locally produced food. With over 70 community gardens spread throughout the city, DUG caters to anyone interested in sustainable gardening practices.
“Community gardens offer the opportunity to get your hands in the soil, connect with neighbors, and develop a sense of community,” Rosedale Garden leader Dave Conant says. “Anytime you can grow something locally and eat it locally, it can be so much more nutritious. For some people, the garden is really a refuge, a spiritual place to find peace and quiet.” DUG’s Rosedale Garden, located west of Harvard Gulch Park near E. Iliff Ave. and S. Logan St., currently has available plots.
For many urban dwellers, finding peace and quiet in the city can be a challenge. However, DUG-sponsored DeLaney Community Farm in Aurora offers a rural sanctuary within the city limits. “Our goal is to provide fresh, local, organic produce to people of all socio-economic levels. We’re really trying to make a connection between (people’s) food, and the land,” says Farm Manager Heather DeLong.
Purchasing a CSA membership at DeLaney affords individuals a weekly fresh-picked assortment of produce in exchange for several volunteer hours per month. A number of educational workshops are held over the 18-week season including: compost building, food preservation, and tips on growing organic. There are several share programs to choose from, to fit the needs of varying size families, and individuals.
Both DeLaney Farm and DUG support city-wide organizations with the abundance they produce. Project Angel Heart (meals for the terminally ill), Colorado’s AIDS project, and WIC (Women, Infants, & Children) are among them. “Last year, we donated about 2000 pounds (to Project Angel Heart) over the course of the summer,” Conant pointed out.
Getting involved in eating local is as simple as visiting a neighborhood farmers’ market, stopping by Wilkerson’s to taste an unforgettable peach, or attending a DUG class on organic sustainability. The beauty of Denver is that we still have a choice – to rediscover the simple joys of local farms and gardens and to benefit from their community-building values.
Author Pollan concludes, “For we would no longer need any reminding that however we choose to feed ourselves, we eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we’re eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world.” With the ethical rootedness of local
food producers, we are fortunate to have primary access to that “grace.”
(Editor’s note: For details about Community Supported Agriculture, see www.localharvest.org. To reach Wilkerson’s Produce Co., take the Jewell Ave. exit west from southbound Santa Fe Dr., then first left turn at S. Elati St., or call 303-744-8419 for directions. For information about Denver Urban Gardens, contact Heather DeLong at 303-292-9900, or visit www.DUG.org.) |
