Making the shift to farm fresh goods
Article and photos by Amanda Merriman
Castle Pines resident Liz Malody (pictured above) would like to change the way you bring food to your plate. Malody is a customer of the High Plains Food Cooperative (HPFC) and volunteers once a month to distribute orders from her home to other customers in the area.
Malody is passionate about healthy food. She stated, “I strongly believe in feeding my family real, whole, nutrient dense, unadulterated foods; where animals and birds are fed their natural diets (and the use of hormones and antibiotics are minimal, if at all) and the produce is organic.” Malody learned about the HPFC when she attended the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair in Denver in 2013. CSA connects consumers with farmers, establishing a market for small local farmers and providing direct access to the wholesome high quality food customers crave. This connection can benefit the surrounding economy, while reducing the public’s carbon footprint and the added bonus of living healthier. Every CSA works differently, and Malody was drawn to HPFC because of the huge variety of products available. As she stated, “I can order whatever I want each month, as opposed to having someone choose for me.” 
The High Plains Food Cooperative is an environmentally friendly way to
get quality produce while supporting farmers in the surrounding area.
Here, a customer is picking up her produce order at Liz Malody’s home in
Castle Pines.
The HPFC is made up of farmers from the Front Range and High Plains areas that must meet certain standards in order to attain membership. On the HPFC website (highplainsfood.org) there are bios of participating growers/producers that include farming philosophies and methods, as well as products available. Customers interested in joining the co-op register online and pay a $40 annual fee for membership. There is a 10 percent delivery and administration fee applied to each order. Malody notes that prices for the goods are very reasonable especially when consumers take into consideration the high quality and wholesomeness of the product they are bringing into their home. Members can order online once a month throughout the year during a 10 to14 day window. In the summer/growing season, members can order twice monthly.
For more information on membership in the co-op, visit highplainsfood.org. To contact Liz Malody directly, emaill lmalody@gmail.com or call 720-515-4549.
