The amount of food that the tribe could secure for the people is astounding! REDCO’s food sovereignty alone has already reached it’s goal of 3500 pounds of food grown in a one acre garden. We haven’t harvested the squash or corn yet, plus we planted cool season crops like kale and radishes.
We are about half way through our annual farmers market, hopefully we can get through October with no problems. Many locals have taken advantage of the opportunity to come and sell their own produce or homemade goods. Some people have come and sold jellies and jams. We have a couple of families who come out with baked goods, either pies breads or cookies. It has been successful so far, not only for us but for families who have participated in it weekly. We do it to make fresh produce more affordable for families. Some have come out and bought up our tomatoes so they can go home and make salsa, pasta sauces, and soups. That was a huge goal for me, to be there for families who want to do it themselves while being able to save some cash.
Another great outcome is that we will be able to expand to another location, so we will be able to reach out to more families in Rosebud. Last week we held the first ebt/snap farmers market. We reached our goal of ten ebt swipes. We had families who were happy that they could spend more on fresh produce because of how affordable we had the food priced at. Autumn has me in a mix of emotions, I have been having a wonderful time helping out at the farmers market and working in a beautiful community. I am very appreciative of REDCO and the opportunity that they have given me, and to my community.
