Enjoy a salad at an Aspen restaurant that sources produce, flowers, poultry, dairy, or meat locally, and there’s a good chance that most of it was grown or raised by a female farmer.

Harper Kaufman of Two Roots Farm in Basalt might have grown the carrots and the radishes; the microgreens may have sprouted in Silt, cared for by Kaylin Harju of Mesa Microgreens; Sara Tymczyszyn and her all-female farmhands could have harvested the beets and leeks at Highwater Farm in Silt; and the edible flowers might have bloomed at Juniper Flowers in Basalt, under the care of Marieta Bialek and Abby Zlotnick. 

Alyssa Barsanti’s Marigold Livestock Co in Basalt might have pasture-raised your chicken, which could be tossed in a creamy herb dressing with basil sourced from Terrie Swerdlove at Silt’s Abundant TerrAced Earth farm and buttermilk from the raw dairy barn at Carbondale’s Sustainable Settings, co-founded by Rose LeVan. And the poached egg atop it all may have come from a heritage breed of laying hen raised at Basalt’s Rock Bottom Ranch, managed by Mariah Foley.

“There is a very strong female farming presence in the valley,” says Kaufman, who employs five to seven female farmers at Two Roots, which is expanding to more than five acres near the Emma Schoolhouse. “I look around and I’m surrounded by hard-working, enthusiastic ladies who have found their way into farming. I see a large increase in females applying and wanting to work in farming—there’s exciting momentum and it feels like a supportive community.”

Kaufman serves as treasurer of Roaring Fork Farmers & Ranches. Its president is female, as is one of its co-vice presidents. 

“For a gender historically pushed more into the role of farmer’s wife or homemaker, it’s exciting to see women excel as farm owners, leading farm crews and in more leadership roles in agriculture,” says Kaufman. “It shows women are just as capable and that it’s a viable career path.”

Harju, who worked in landscape gardening in Minnesota before moving to Silt, grows her microgreens (which are sold in places like Clark’s Market and served at restaurants such as Catch Steak Aspen and Pine Creek Cookhouse) in a 625-foot grow room in a converted garage while raising four young children. Born-and-raised local Marieta Bialek moved back to the valley in 2020, after managing organic and biodynamic farms in Boulder, Longmont, and Hotchkiss, where she also started her own flower business. With Zlotnick and Kaufman, she recently started Juniper Flowers, specializing in cut flowers and floral design, growing up to 70 varieties on one-third of an acre leased at Two Roots Farm. 

“It’s amazing to build so many skills that traditionally mostly men would hold,” says Bialek. “We love hands-on work and getting dirty and being connected with the earth—having the support of other women and a farming community is huge.”

Tymczyszyn, who moved to the area after apprenticing on a farm in Massachusetts, worked with Kaufman and managed the Carbondale Farmer’s Market while she learned about farming in the area and got Highwater Farm off the ground. In addition to its organically grown veggies, the nonprofit is known for Youth Crew Workers, an eight-week summertime youth development program, where local teens learn how to help work the farm, earn a stipend, and cook with the produce they grow.
 
“Women are quick to form connections and build positive relationships,” says Tymczyszyn. “We are always talking through the challenges of farming. Understanding the complexities of irrigation infrastructure is a challenge for everyone. So is the wind. In Silt, 40 mph winds are common. Occasionally, we get 65 mph gusts. We have to make sure every temporary structure is oriented so that the wind hits it at an angle and that it’s loaded with sandbags.”

When it comes to the challenge of climate change, there’s some good news, according to “Women, Land and Legacy,” a recent report from Iowa State and the US Department of Agriculture. The increasing number of females in farming has potentially industry-altering implications for practices in response to climate change, and even for addressing lingering mental health challenges of the pandemic. It notes that female farmers possess a “clear and strong consciousness about land/health issues” and that women working and preserving land provides “physical and mental health and healing benefits.”

That’s certainly evident here. The aforementioned female farmers all practice regenerative agriculture to grow diversified vegetables and crops. In addition to being a working ranch, LeVan’s Sustainable Settings is a nonprofit (motto: “harvesting nature’s intelligence”) that provides soil regenerative research data to scientists at the USDA. Maintaining healthy pastureland goes beyond producing grass-fed cattle at Barsanti’s Marigold Livestock.

“My passion for raising livestock though is more than just raising good, nutrient-dense meat,” she says. “I care about the land that my animals steward. I care about living wages for the people growing and raising food, and I care about local businesses.”

At Two Roots, Kaufman echoes the sentiment: “The reason we come to farming is to take care of the land—to nourish our bodies and our neighbors and our community.”  

FARM STORES

Where (and when) to buy fresh produce, eggs, and meat from local and regional growers all summer long.

The Aspen Saturday Market has been a tradition for locals and visitors since 1998. From 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday (June 10–Oct 7), find Colorado-grown fruits and vegetables, bread, meats, jams, artisan products, and the summer’s best people and dog watching. aspenchamber.org
 
Every Sunday from Father’s Day through the end of September, the Basalt Sunday Market showcases fresh produce and food-centric small businesses (kids, don’t miss the mangoes on a stick!) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Midland Spur Road, downtown near Lions Park. basaltsundaymarket.com
 
Local farmers, producers, and artisans gather at the Carbondale Farmers’ Market at Fourth  St and Main St in downtown Carbondale every Wednesday (June 7–Sept 27), 10 a.m.–3 p.m. carbondalefarmersmarket.com
 
Two Roots Farm sells vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat, flowers, honey, and more from its farmstand near the Emma Schoolhouse at 100 Sopris Creek Rd in Basalt. Find them there every Friday from June through October, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. (If you’re not an early bird, you can place an order online and pick up at your convenience.) tworootsfarm.com