CNN comes to Ute City - CSA School

Reporters from CNN came out Thursday morning to do a story on organic farming and eating locally to coincide with the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. A small feature will also be done on the CSA school and the young people role in the future of organic farming. The piece will air Friday June 13th and should repeat all weekend as part of the festival coverage.

Normal CSA school activities resumed after the departure of the reporters. Several new beds were planted and others weeded. Plans have been made to begin offering shares in as little as one week. A limited amount of shares will be offered this year to give the students time to organize and divide the work accordingly. 

Ken and Gail Kuhns of Peach Valley CSA arrived in the afternoon to tour the farm and consult with the students and Jennifer Craig about a strategy for the fledgeling CSA. The future looks very promising for the new CSA and the students are excited to work and build a strong community based farm. To view the full photo set click here.

Interns Kelly, Danny and Brian with guidance from Jerome, installed a solar panel array and pump system to pump spring water into the large cistern at CRMPI. A small hole was discovered in the hose connecting the pump which caused the pump to work slowly. The hole was patched and the pump is now working at full capacity. To view more photos of the installation process click here.

Peach Valley CSA Day 3

Despite the cold and rainy weather, the class assisted Ken Kuhns in moving several brush piles from one of the fruit orchards he tends. The class toured the orchard and learned to identify the different varieties of fruit trees and the warning signs for disease.  Ken then instructed the class on proper pruning technique and the appropriate time to prune. After lunch, Ken showed the class the strawberry harvest and how to pick and transplant strawberry plant runners for the next season. For the complete photo set, please click here.

Materials for New Greenhouse Finally On-Site

Jerome and several interns moved the steel trusses and beams donated by Planted Earth from Carbondale up to CRMPI. The polycarbonate purchased from Polygal for the new greenhouse named "Phoenix" has been moved up as well. Jerome and Michael Thompson modified a 21' boat trailer to accommodate the 22' polycarbonate panels and steel structure. Maneuvering the trailer upon which these materials were precariously piled up the hairpin, rutted, and pot-hole pocked road was a tricky affair, and one we are glad to be through with. We shall soon begin pouring footers and the foundation, and then we can commence with construction. Thanks to everyone involved in this labor intensive process for your hard work.

Visitors from Prescott College

Twelve students and an instructor from Prescott College arrived at CRMPI on Monday to help maintain the garden and move stones to make way for construction of the new greenhouse. Jerome gave the students a tour of the forest garden and explained the permaculture techniques used in each guild. The student then broke up into teams to mulch, transplant and move stones. The students worked hard and learned simultaneously, after which they lunched on red quinoa, mixed greens from the garden and curried tofu. Thank you to all who attended and worked so hard.

To view the full photo story click here.