Summer Market Shares On Sale Now!

Photo: Claire Burnett

Native Hill's Summer CSAs are now on sale! Our unique Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) experience matches the busy, active lifestyles of the Northern Colorado community. As with traditional CSA models, our “market” CSA model pre-sells “shares” in exchange for 24 weeks of bountiful produce throughout the late spring, summer, and early fall. What makes Native Hill's Summer Market CSA different is that rather than receiving a weekly share of produce for a set number of weeks, you will have a produce account at Native Hill Farm which you can use at our weekly markets (Wednesday and Saturday) and daily farm stand. In addition, as a Native Hill CSA member you receive 10% off our market prices.

We hope you will renew your membership or join for the first time!

Native Hill is hiring!

We are hiring for the 2016 season!  

Full-Time Field Crew Members

Qualifications 
Ideal candidates have a strong drive to be part of a close-knit team that brings healthy, fresh, non-certified organic vegetables to the Fort Collins community. A strong work ethic, ability to execute tasks efficiency and effectively, ability to think critically under pressure, ability to work in all weather conditions, and good physical fitness are imperative. The best farm crew members are self-starters that see themselves as an integral part of the success of the farm. They enjoy working in a fast paced atmosphere and are rewarded by a hard days work in the outdoors. They also drink strong coffee.

Experience in the following areas will be gained:

• Field work: harvesting, transplanting, weeding, pruning, trellising, thinning, managing irrigation systems, pest control, and other tasks
• Pack-out operations: washing and sorting harvested crops, quality control, and packing/storage requirements of all crops
• Greenhouse operations: seeding, potting-up, irrigation, pest control, fertility, as well as other tasks
• Marketing and Sales operations: working with the CSA, Farmers market, and wholesale accounts
• Season extension: Planting plans, structure management.

Preference will be given to those with production experience. 
Full time positions typically work 6am to 5pm mon-fri, with some flexibility for Wednesday or Saturday market shifts.  

Compensation
Farm hands receive a monthly stipend which varies depending on experience. There is potential for on farm housing depending on needs.

If interested, please send a current resume along with a completed farm application to info@nativehillfarm.com.

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Part-Time Market Manager

Qualifications
The ideal candidate has a passion for vegetables, enjoys working with people, has an eye for display and is detail oriented. Must be in good physical condition and available Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings.
Part time market manager typically works 5:30am-2pm Saturdays, 2-8pm Wednesdays with additional  farm stand hours being flexible during the week. 

Compensation is hourly with opportunity to earn more based on sales performance. 

If interested, please send a current resume along with a completed farm application to info@nativehillfarm.com.

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Other benefits incurred by choosing to intern at Native Hill include our location to Fort Collins and to mountain activities. We boast a fabulous culture of bikes and beer and for good reason. The farm is located just one mile from the nearest bike path and from there it is only a 10-15 minute ride into Old Town. Fort Collins is the self-proclaimed microbrewery capital of the U.S.  If you can’t find a preferred locally brewed beverage here, you probably don’t like beer. The farm is located 15 minutes from the mouth of the Poudre River canyon, which has world class boating, excellent hiking trails, and great sport and trad climbing.  It is also within a 10 minute drive to both State, County, and City parks that offer great bouldering, mountain biking, hiking and trail running. Just make sure you bring your sunscreen and your wide-brimmed hat as we have over 300 days of sunshine here!

Join a land co-op this holiday season!

Own a piece of this land - Poudre Valley Community Farms - a land cooperative.

Hello Folks,
I hope you are all enjoying the mild winter week! Great things are happening with our Land Cooperative project and we wanted to invite anyone who is thinking about joining the Co-Op or making a tax deductible donation to the Co-Op through the Rocky Mountain Farmer's Union to do so before the end of the 2015 fiscal year!  We are currently over 60% of the way to our goal and we are hoping to have the funds in the bank to purchase the land in the first quarter of 2016.  

For those of you who are new to the game, here is the basis of the project:
1. The Community Purchases threatened farmland via Poudre Valley Community Farms, a Land Cooperative. 
2. The land cooperative provides a long term lease to a local farmer (like Native Hill)
3. Native Hill transitions the farmland to organic farmland and provides annual dividends to cooperative members based on purchases of farm products. (think REI)

For more info, check out www.Farmland.Coop or come visit us at our office hours at the Down Town Artery.  We will be there from 1-4pm Friday Dec 11th and Friday Dec 18th.  Can't make it?  Shoot me an email and we can find another time to talk!

If you are already schooled on the project, its time to buy land!  You can do so by becoming a member of the cooperative or making a tax deductible donation to the project.  There are options for payment plans as well and you can choose this option on your application.

3 easy steps to become a member:
1. Fill out an "application"  (this helps us direct you to the correct type of membership paperwork) at http://poudrevalleycommunityfarms.com/join/
2. Fill out the membership agreement that will be emailed to you after your application has been processed
3. Send membership payment to the PO Box listed on the invoice

If you are more interested in doing a one time donation to the project through the RMFU,  you can do so here: http://poudrevalleycommunityfarms.com/donor/

Thank you for considering PVCF and Native Hill in your end of year giving!  Happy Holidays and we will keep you all posted as we move forward on this historic project!

Warmly,
Katie
 

Feeling the Seasonal Release!

Have you hugged a farmer today?

Hello Friends!
    We are finally getting down to the last of the field projects this week and our crew is ready to break for Thanksgiving.  It has been a very busy season and they have worked hard, so if you see them around town, feel free to take a minute to give them a pat on the back for all their hard work this year.  None of this food would have been possible without them!  

Pumpkin pie anyone?!

     Greens are abundant this week!  With the abnormally warm fall, things have grown much faster than they normally do in the winter.  This week your box features some things for the upcoming holiday as well as some things to nourish you while you prepare for the feast.  Parsnips mash well with potatoes.  Leeks make an incredible savory bread pudding with some local mushrooms and Gruyere.  For the traditional, we have have pumpkins for pie...but of course you can deviate into a torte or soup for the big shin-dig.  Other fun things to think about this week are baby bok choy for a miso soup or some steamed broccoli raab as a for a thick cut pork chop.  I for one will use the last of field radicchio for a comforting fall risotto.  

     Finally, just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you folks.  Thanksgiving is such a great time for a farmer as the harvest is in, the root cellars are full, and one can finally feel the seasonal release (both physically and mentally) of a job well done.  This year we will be giving thanks for many things, but at the top of the list are our CSA families that continue to champion our food and the many of you who have taken your support to the next level and joined the Land Cooperative.  We are re-energized and touched that you value agriculture and access to clean, local food in your community and we are looking forward to finishing up the membership drive strong.  Community owned farmland, what a thought!

Next Winter Market: Saturday, November 21, from 9am-1pm, at the Opera Galleria in Old Town Fort Collins

Looking forward to seeing you folks real soon!
Katie

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This Week's Harvest:

Kale
Arugula
Indigo Radicchio
Broccoli Raab
Baby Bok Choy
Leeks
Onions
Garlic
Parsnips
Carrots
Pie Pumpkins
Potatoes
 

Fort Collins Winter Market Starts November 14

Join us at the Fort Collins Winter Market, starting on November 14, 2015, to purchase Native Hill veggies along with a wide-range of other locally-made food and handmade goods. 

WINTER FARMERS MARKET

OPERA GALLERIA - 123 N. College Ave.
NOVEMBER 2015 - APRIL 2016

9:00am - 1:00pm

November 14, 21 and 28
December 12, 19 and 26
January 2, 16 and 30
February 13 and 27
March 12 and 26
April 9 and 23

For more info please visit http://www.nocofoodcluster.com/fort-collins-winter-farmers-market/