We are often asked "where does all of the food go once you harvest it?" And, frankly, we love that question! That question gives us an opportunity to share about some of our awesome community partners who similarly strive for a more food just Denver.
While the food we harvest goes to many places throughout the city a notable constant has been the Huerta Urbana Farmers Market. This pay-what-you-can farmers market is dedicated to increasing food access within the Globeville Elyria-Swansea (GES) neighborhoods.
Huerta Urbana is hosted in the Focus Points Family Resource Center parking lot, most Fridays, from June through the end of October. SustainEd Farms loves the pay-what-you-can model as it makes healthy local produce accessible to our GES neighbors, without the added barriers of transportation, and unaffordable prices which are two common barriers.
As stated on their website "there are a few ways to pay for goods at the market" but the most common form of payment is through Huerta Bucks which affords customers $20 to shop the farmer's market. These bucks are often sponsored through grant funding or local healthcare providers such as Kaiser Permanente.
If you were to stop by Huerta last year, you would have been greeted by Nick or Monse's happy faces. These two are always ready to offer their favorite way to prepare or eat a veggie which comes in handy when people see things they aren't used to preparing. The following is a sweet story they shared with me as we reflected upon the 2024 season.
"A regular shopper, to our stand, at Huerta Urbana had come by to spend some community bucks. He was looking for a way to spend his remaining dollar so Nick and I (Monse) encouraged him to try some lemon cucumbers. With gentle encouragement from us and a bit of hesitation he said, 'doesn't hurt to try.' The next week he came back and asked if we had more because he enjoyed them so much!"
It's often easy to stick to the things we know or think look more appealing - but like our Huerta regular trying something new can lead you to a discovering a new favorite! There are a multitude of positives to contributing and working within the food system and one of the benefits is being exposed to food and being able to share in curiosity and excitement with others.