{"id":2457503,"date":"2020-04-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=324697"},"modified":"2020-04-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T06:00:00","slug":"earth-day-at-50-sees-surging-interest-in-growing-food-in-roaring-fork-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/earth-day-at-50-sees-surging-interest-in-growing-food-in-roaring-fork-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"Earth Day at 50 sees surging interest in growing food in Roaring Fork Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.4144486692015\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-324697-431\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Wild Mountain Seeds farmers Casey Piscura holds a palm full of dry beans at the farm in Carbondale on Thursday, April 9, 2020. Piscura and the others at Wild Mountain Seeds collect, seed save, and breed for the varieties of beans that they want. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"1.4575471698113\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13.603773584906\">\n<p><strong>Wild Mountain Seeds farmers Casey Piscura holds a palm full of dry beans at the farm in Carbondale on Thursday, April 9, 2020. Piscura and the others at Wild Mountain Seeds collect, seed save, and breed for the varieties of beans that they want. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/earth-day-at-50-sees-surging-interest-in-growing-food-in-roaring-fork-valley\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1024x683.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1024x683.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Wild Mountain Seeds farmers Casey Piscura holds a palm full of dry beans at the farm in Carbondale on Thursday, April 9, 2020. Piscura and the others at Wild Mountain Seeds collect, seed save, and breed for the varieties of beans that they want. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Wild Mountain Seeds farmers Casey Piscura works in the greenhouse in Carbondale on Thursday, April 9, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.475\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9.5\">\n<p><strong>Wild Mountain Seeds farmers Casey Piscura works in the greenhouse in Carbondale on Thursday, April 9, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/earth-day-at-50-sees-surging-interest-in-growing-food-in-roaring-fork-valley\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1-1024x682.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/earthdayseeds-atd-042220-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Wild Mountain Seeds farmers Casey Piscura works in the greenhouse in Carbondale on Thursday, April 9, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/earth-day-at-50-sees-surging-interest-in-growing-food-in-roaring-fork-valley\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/earth-day-at-50-sees-surging-interest-in-growing-food-in-roaring-fork-valley\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to prep the ground to grow your own food?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A farm in the Crystal Valley 6 miles south of Carbondale and its nonprofit sister are experiencing growing interest this spring in the number of people acquiring seeds and seedlings of plants adapted to handle the area\u2019s high elevation climate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a surge in seed purchases. That\u2019s a trend across the industry,\u201d Wild Mountain Seeds co-owner Casey Piscura said recently.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Farmers who have heard about the company\u2019s adapted seeds and plants as well as a lot of new gardeners are placing orders to prepare for growing season. A larger number of people are concerned with getting their food from a known and reliable source during the pandemic, so they want to grow their own, Piscura said. His small staff is scrambling to fulfill seed orders at the same time they are tending to transplants and getting ready to plant their 3 acres of leased land at Sunfire Ranch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s a good problem to have,\u201d Piscura said of the crunch. \u201cWe are a small farm trying to do it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Piscura said the farm is especially known for its heirloom tomatoes, bred to thrive in the Roaring Fork basin\u2019s short growing season and cold soil temperatures. It can take years of breeding different plants to perfect them for the area, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On the Wild Mountain Seeds website (www.wildmountainseeds.com), there is an intriguing gallery of photos for the new varieties of produce for 2020. Seeds are available for the Sunfired Flare tomatoes, for example. The red juicy tomatoes have darker stripes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cDark anthocyanin splashes laid over brick and maroon striped fruit,\u201d the description says. \u201cThe plants grow great in cold soil temps and fruit late (into) the season. A great variety to draw attention to your farmers\u2019 market stand!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Another entry boasts of the amazing flavor of the \u201cOh My Hybrid Swarm\u201d black tomato.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe have been hard at work over the last six years to breed a black tomato that\u2019s production rivals that of any tomato we grow,\u201d the description reads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s not all about the tomatoes. The seeds for sale include dry beans, sweet peppers, onions, carrots, sweet peas and many more \u2014 all bred for growing in this neck of the woods.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For farmers and gardeners who don\u2019t want to start from scratch, Piscura and partner Kirsten Keenan are transplanting hundreds of seedlings into bigger pots to prepare them for plant sales. The first sale will be at Mana Foods at 1310 Highway 133 in Carbondale on May 3. A second will be at the Landmark Caf\u00e9 at 689 Main St. in Carbondale on May 9. The hours for both sales will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Social distancing will be required and shoppers should bring their own tray or box for transport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Piscura and Keenan also have created a nonprofit branch called Seed Peace to distribute seeds, feed the hungry and connect people to the land. Seed Peace will distribute 500 packets of five varieties of seeds for free this spring. Each packet will have carrots, lentils, kale, chard and squash. They will be distributed at plant sales and to people receiving groceries at food banks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The pre-pandemic vision was getting people interested in how food was grown, bringing them to the farm and potentially participating in the food production, Piscura said. The realities of the pandemic might place that concept on hold because of social-distancing requirements, but the vision remains alive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Another plan for Seed Peace is an adopt-a-row of carrots program. Donors can provide the funds to plant a row of carrots. The bounty goes to food banks with some retained for seed stock.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">People who have suddenly found time on their hands because of stay at home recommendations would be well advised to take advantage of the hard work Wild Mountain Seeds has put into establishing their seeds and plants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen they get a plant from us,\u201d Piscura said, \u201cthey\u2019re getting the best of the best of the best for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/earth-day-at-50-sees-surging-interest-in-growing-food-in-roaring-fork-valley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wild Mountain Seeds farmers Casey Piscura holds a palm full of dry beans at the farm in Carbondale on Thursday, April 9, 2020. Piscura and the others at Wild Mountain Seeds collect, seed save, and breed for the varieties of beans that they want. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo Wild Mountain [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2457503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 01:26:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}