Groundwork Blog

Dear friends, After serving as Groundwork’s executive director since 2018, I’m stepping out of that role in order to create space in my life for other pursuits. I am looking forward to having time for some small sabbaticals, retreats at Buddhist monasteries, and time to devote to writing, media production, curriculum design, and weaving. You’ll continue to see my name on Groundwork’s emails—I’m moving into a part-time role with Groundwork as Communications & Publications Manager. Seeing Groundwork through the first seven years of growth and experimentation has been a dream […]

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Forrest Gillies and Keshet Miller are Groundwork’s new Co-Executive Directors.  A note from Keshet: Hello Groundwork community! I am so excited to be returning to Groundwork and stepping into the new Co-Executive Director role. Back in 2021, amidst a global pandemic, I took a leap of faith and moved to Paonia to help start the Food Systems Fellowship program. The Groundwork team learned so much that first year, and it is incredible to see the growth and change that this organization has undergone in just a […]

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To go with the seed story about Green Luobo Radish this month, we wanted to share this recipe for Kkakdugi, a Korean cubed radish kimchi. This recipe is modified from Korean food educator Mangchii, and most of the credit goes to her. Ingredients 4 pounds Green Luobo or other daikon radish 2 Tbsp kosher salt (iodized salt can slow fermentation) 2 Tbsp sugar ¼ cup fish sauce (substitute soy sauce for a vegetarian version) ⅔ cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) 4 green onions, chopped […]

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In uncertain times, people turn to gardening. This year, we see similar trends as during the pandemic: boreal springtime coincides with major uncertainties in the world, and seed sales are skyrocketing. As gardeners and soon-to-be-gardeners welcome the spring, we often dream of the future harvest in terms of food. Long-term resilience, local food systems, and connection with place is about more than harvesting just vegetables and fruits. During the garden planning, we also need to consider and plan for seed saving as a key practice. Rowen White, is […]

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The Groundwork farm just planted our first biennial seed crops into the fields, including Green Luobo radish and Colorado Sweet #6 storage onion. Biennial crops are seed crops that require two years to complete their life cycle. This is compared to annuals that reproduce in one year and perennials that live and reproduce for many years. The first year of growth is mainly vegetative (leaves, roots and stems) while the second year of growth is mainly reproductive (flowers and seeds). Biennials require a process called vernalization, which […]

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Ally Pecego (she/her) grew up in Long Beach, CA, one of the most polluted cities in the United States, a byproduct of our fossil fuel-reliant society. Concerned about humans’ impacts on the world, she earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Legal Studies at UC Santa Cruz among the redwoods and sandy Pacific beaches. Determined to engage in transformational climate action, she became a California Climate Action Corps Fellow where she led a food recovery program in Watsonville, CA, collecting businesses’ excess food and donating […]

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Robin (he/they) loves three things most in this world. Play, delicious healthy food, and chicken cuddles. It’s no surprise that Robin’s parents, Pete and Kristin, taught him that play and connection are the most important things in this world. Robin grew up in the Patapsco river valley of central Maryland where his favorite games were “where does this trail go?”, “how much cuddling can one human do?” and “when is dinner?” Play has always been a throughline in Robin’s life, but of course he had […]

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Fern Sarquiz grew up in Montpelier, Vermont on the unceded land and ancestral territory of Abenaki. She grew up amongst the maples, pines and birch trees. Fern Holds a B.A from Prescott College in Social Justice and Adventure Education. Her studies and mentors helped guide her towards understanding the complex political, ecological and social landscapes of life through a lens of interconnectedness. The work Fern is engaged in is critical, it involves carefully questioning and detangling the long projects of Colonialism and Capitalism. She believes […]

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Sophie is so excited to be at Groundwork for another season! As a Food Systems Fellow throughout the 2024 season, Sophie fell in love with the work, the land, and the community of Paonia. The seven month fellowship had been her first time farming in one place from the first buds of spring to the first frost of winter. Having the space to observe, wonder, and learn in rhythm with the seasons was a profound experience that made her feel deeply rooted in herself and […]

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I want to write a few words about mental health in local food systems. Casey’s suicide has been overwhelming, partially because of the loss of such a visionary person and partially because in our agricultural community, there are most certainly people who have walked close to that edge and felt alone and unsupported during at their lowest moments. Small-scale organic farmers are being squeezed—crushed rather—between the economic pressures of a hyper-industrialized food system and the risky challenges of growing food for uncertain local markets in […]

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