Last year was hard for Ela Family Farms in Hotchkiss after a frost took out many of its fruit buds in the spring. And it looks like 2021 could be even more difficult because of another storm that came through in October 2020 and killed about 15 percent of the fruit trees. We will know more when things leaf out or don t leaf out, says Steve Ela, a fourth-generation farmer and owner of the orchard. So far, 15 percent of our acreage appears to be dead, and there are some that are injured. We ll see how it goes.
The loss of trees has already proven extensive enough that Ela decided to suspend the farm s 2021 CSA program, which in normal years sells apples, pears, peaches, cherries and other fruit directly to subscribers. The truth, he says, is that with around 5,000 trees gone, he doesn t know if he will have enough fruit to fulfill the pre-orders a CSA demands, and it seemed better for the farm, his family and the customers to suspend it until he knows the extent of the tree dama
You Can Judge the Inventing Room’s National Pie Day Contest
Reserve your ticket to taste and judge pies made by local baking pros at the virtual event, hosted by the sweets shop and pie expert John Lehndorff.Allyson Reedy •
January 15, 2021
Not to be confused with National Pi Day on March 14, National
Pie Day arrives on January 23. To honor the day that exalts all things crust, crumb, and filling, the Inventing Room and
John Lehndorff former
Rocky Mountain News dining critic and the state’s foremost pie expert are hosting a virtual pie contest where you can eat, judge, and learn all about pie from the comfort of your own dining room table or couch. (National Pie day knows no judgement.)