Hoop House offers Community Supported Agriculture program for second year in a row
As Coloradans navigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts, local food source providers are kicking into high gear for the upcoming harvest.
The Hoop House in Eagle, which is located just east of City Market, is offering subscriptions to its community supported agriculture program. This marks the second consecutive year the Hoop House has organized the program.
Special to the Daily
The philosophy behind the CSA seems more relevant now than ever.
“The mutual respect between CSA members and farmers is special,” said Sandy Story, sustainable agriculture manager for The Farm at Knapp Ranch. “Members are funding farmers, and farmers are planting and tending crops for months before members see them in their shares. Each share represents the work and attention to detail of The Hoop House employees to seed, transplant, weed, grow and harvest the prepaid shares.”
The retail nursery Hoop House and the CSA program is a function of The Farm at Knapp Ranch.
Support Local Journalism
Depending on the monthly harvest, the weekly crate includes hearty and colorful vegetables such as lettuce, bok choy, microgreens and tomatoes. The produce is 75% organic and no pesticides or herbicides are used. The Hoop House also provides fruit from sister farms in Palisade, herbs, live plants and honey.
The Farm, located in the greater upper West Lake Creek valley, is committed to sustainable organic farming practices at 9,000 feet in elevation. All agricultural activities are monitored and adjusted on a regular basis to accommodate existing water resources, soil composition, microclimate impacts and the unknown effects of a changing climate.
The farm is packed with a variety of leafy greens, vegetables, flowers and herbs in protected raised beds and gardens. Hoop houses produce nutritiously dense and flavorful microgreens year-round. Knapp has partnered with restaurants and chefs in the Vail Valley to provide fresh, local, gourmet-quality ingredients, while also continuing a long tradition of growing at high altitude.
Story hopes to expand the plentiful bounty into the broader community.
This year, share weeks for the CSA program may begin June 24 or July 1. There are two share costs available: $234 for six weeks, and $420 for 12 weeks. There will be weekly pickup locations in Eagle and Edwards. To sign up, contact Story at sandy@knappranch.com. The Hoop House is currently open Wednesdays-Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
