Tragically, the day before Thanksgiving, the Shipman family’s home on the Dooley Creek Farm in the Crystal Valley burned to the ground.
Mollie Shipman knew the home her whole life. Her grandparents came over from Leadville, bought the property in 1949 and lived in the same house. The home was… read more →
For 112 years, through two pandemics, ‘Bonedalers have harkened the fall with a celebration of spuds. At the time of the very first Potato Day, 1910, Eugene Grubb had just published his book, “The Potato” and Irish immigrant Thomas McClure’s red variety, unique to this valley, was gaining national prestige.… read more →
Do you ever think life is like a treasure hunt? Kind of like a cosmic bingo game and as we gain experiences, the squares on our board fill up until we yell, “Bingo!” For instance, in my life, I have sung karaoke a handful of times — not well mind… read more →
Once upon a time, a young woman typed the last of data into a computer at a desk in a cubicle back East. The saltwater coursing within her ached to lap at shores of earth, to kiss the trees and touch the sky.
She encountered masters on her new… read more →
Capturing the hearts of families around the Roaring Fork Valley, Daisy, the Yorkshire pig of Happy Day Ranch (HDR) in Emma, passed away on May 2 surrounded by the farmers who loved her. She was eight years old and weighed 500-600 pounds.
Alizabeth Koster, Daisy’s owner, said that Daisy “put… read more →
Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) has recently published a 10-year strategic plan which lays out the organization’s ambitious goal of conserving 40,000-50,000 acres in the next 10 years.
AVLT was the first land trust in Colorado and, in its 55 years, has helped conserve 69 square miles of land from… read more →
Defining “permaculture” in his own words, Kudakwashe Manyanga said, “In my country, we have what we call ‘farming God’s way.’”
On Basalt Mountain, at 7,200 feet, that “way” fills the very air. Red rock cliffs and clear blue skies dazzle the senses. Translucent, new-green leaves unfurl along slender chokecherry stems.… read more →
The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) continues to monitor the expanding reach of the detrimental Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza. For domestic flocks, the disease carries a 90-100% mortality rate. Thus far, cases have been confirmed in Pitkin, Montrose and La Plata counties.
The disease comes… read more →
News of Sustainable Settings selling its property came as a shock to many. The announcement’s proximity to April 1 had some wondering if it was a joke. After nearly two decades of building soil south of Carbondale, the biodynamic ranch has become a defining characteristic of the region. Soon, however,… read more →
Grunting, I doubled into the fence stretcher, pulling barb wire taut again. Mouth full of galvanized staples, I spit one out, both hands occupied. Didn’t know how others did it, so I did it my way and may have looked foolish. Working alone for days on end, I could care… read more →
