Hadassa Berger believes in the power of good food. She also believes in the power of buying and selling locally.

“Supporting our local economy and local people has always been important to us. This includes local agricultural and food producers,” Berger says.

So, when Berger, her husband Kyle and their four children — all Grand Junction natives— bought a new home and discovered Rooted Gypsy Farm for sale next door, they snatched it up.

In addition to growing leafy greens and vegetables in a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse, the Bergers have continued the farm’s other business, a cooperative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box delivery program.

Weekly boxes combine the bounty of local farms, orchards, ranches and dairies and are delivered to subscribers’ homes, along with farm-to-table recipes created by John St. Peter, a local chef and instructor at Western Colorado Community College.

When COVID-19 hit, Berger’s CSA model expanded even further, incorporating locally produced add-ons, such as herbs and spices, breads, coffee beans and more to subscribers and non- subscribers alike through a weekly order checklist.

“People have to stay at home, but they still need good, healthy, local food. Local businesses need business,” she explains. “We support social distancing in our community by delivering food, without a fee, to anyone who needs it.”

WHAT IS COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE?

Farming is the ultimate home-based business and a risky one, too, dependent upon the vagaries of weather and buffeted by market demand.

And while some of us grow backyard tomatoes and other fresh food as a hobby, much of what we eat comes from outside our local area, transported across continents and shipped over oceans.

That’s where Community Supported Agriculture comes in, facilitating a connection between consumers wanting local, fresh food and farmers seeking working capital to kick-start their annual operations.

While the history of CSAs in the U.S. is a bit murky — with some pioneering farms pointing to Japan for inspiration and others looking to Europe — CSAs have been active in the U.S. since the mid-1980s.

In a traditional CSA, consumers pay farmers upfront for a portion of the crop to be delivered as it ripens. Think of it as purchasing a share in the farm.

The other model, that of a cooperative CSA or box program, offers a curated array of local

food to consumers who subscribe on a weekly or biweekly basis. Many of these programs operate year-round, not just during growing season.

And while the phrase farm-to-table often describes utilizing local food in restaurants and schools, CSAs offer the ultimate in farm-to-table ease for those cooking and dining at home.

ONE FARM, LOTS OF PRODUCE

Kate Sopko and Morgan Di Santo run a traditional CSA called Long Table Farm near Durango.

Currently beginning their third season, the self-described “co-owners, partners and best friends,” relocated to southwestern Colorado after graduating from Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley.

“Neither of us grew up knowing how to farm,” shares Sopko, noting that she is from Brooklyn and Morgan is from California.

Upon arrival in Durango, Sopko and Di Santo joined a small business incubator program for farmers in the nearby community of Hesperus. They did this for two years and now lease an acre south of Durango in the Florida (Flor-EE-da) River Valley.

When asked what they grow, Sopko laughingly responds, “What don’t we grow?” explaining that the farm produces everything from cold-season crops like head lettuce, bok choy and carrots to hot season favorites like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and even flowers for arranged bouquets.

Currently, Long Table Farm has 40 prepaid members awaiting their first vegetable boxes of the season.

And while the benefit to the farm’s investors will be months of locally-grown fresh produce, the payoff to Sopko and Di Santo has been in the community their little farm creates.

“We’ve made some of our best friends in Durango through our CSA members,” shares Sopko. “It’s wonderful how we all connect.”

Originally published in the Summer 2020 issue of SPOKE+BLOSSOM.

CSA In Western Colorado: Supporting Farm-To-Table In Your Home