In January 2018, ten people were gathered around a conference table at the Homestead. We had come together to talk about envisioning a sustainable and resilient community, and the most prescient issue was food security. How can we increase access to fresh produce at 9,000 feet above sea level with a 4 or 5 month growing season? How can we create incentives for local farmers to grow more, and to stick to organic and sustainable agricultural practices?

Our answer was to create a co-operative produce program, dedicated to bringing FRESH, ORGANIC produce to our community twice a month.

Well, at that meeting, ten people put $30 on the table and said “YES!” to produce. We agreed the produce would be exclusively organic, and that any remaining produce would be donated to the local food bank. With $300 in hand, we had the buying power to purchase organic produce by the case, and in February of 2018, we had our first pick up.

I’ll never forget people’s faces when they walked into that same conference room last February: jaws dropped to the floor, and our friends and neighbors could not contain beaming smiles. One woman immediately got on the phone and called ten more of her friends to tell them about all the beautiful produce!

And that, folks, is how good things get started. 

While we’ve grown a lot in the last 12 months, mind you it’s been mostly by word of mouth. The Holistic Homestead is still a grassroots health and wellness movement, and while we’ve put our hearts and souls into this program for the past year, we’re not quite breaking even. $30/month pays for your produce, and the gas and advertising we put out to keep getting the word out, and bring in more interest.

Here’s three ways to help us continue to bring fresh, organic produce to Gilpin County:

• Make a tax-deductible donation today! Follow this link…
• Join the Homestead as a member, volunteer, or board member. E-mail arwen@theholistichomestead.org
• Sell your homemade, hand-made goodness at our twice-monthly markets. Vendor booths are $30/day. ($25/day for members & sponsors) E-mail arwen@theholistichomestead.org for more info.