The City of Wheat Ridge manages several natural areas and right-of-ways. The upkeep of these areas can be difficult to manage and they are especially prone to invasive weeds and vegetation. Enter the goats of 5 Fridges Farm. The goats eat everything, especially the invasive species, and replace the need for gas-powered mowers. The Open Space Section has partnered with 5 Fridges Farm on this program for several years.

The goats were highlighted in the April - June 2017 News and Views newsletter and Wheat Ridge Top of the Hour - "Goats" - July 2017.

Clear Fork Cider is a Wheat Ridge cidery and we make crisp, truly dry ciders in limited batches focused on unique apples from small orchards. We believe in cider, community and connection. We’re pushing the boundaries of how to craft interesting, delicious, and exceptional cider. We start with little-known heirloom apples and add only our expertise and curiosity. We’re all about unleashing pure flavor with fermentation artistry and magic. Our cider ferments fully, and we (almost*) never add any sugar or sweetener back to our cider. Our clean, crisp taste proves that when we say “dry” on our label, we really mean it. Every cider we make has been aged for at least 5 to 8 months to naturally balance the acidity, tannins, and aromatics. Great flavor comes with time, and patience makes great cider. We partner with local farmers and orchardists, real-deal small farmers, in Colorado and beyond. In each of our bottles, you’ll find cider that tells the story of their orchard and the year's harvest. We're grateful to partner with Farmer Amanda and Five Fridges Farm where we've so far planted more than 50 rare heirloom trees which will one day have a cider and a story of their own. We look forward to sharing it with you soon! *Check out our Dolgo Sour which is the exception that proves the rule. The crabapples in it are sooooo sour that it would be undrinkable without that extra sugar.

The farm a has wonderful partnership with Colorado+ Brew Pub in Wheat Ridge. Spent grain from the brew process is donated to feed animals rather than going into the waste stream. Each week the farm picks up about 200 pounds of wet grain. The goats and chickens love it. You'll also find eggs and vegetables from the Farm on the menu. Please support businesses such as CO Plus that make the effort to purchase local produce and allow farmers access to food waste that can go to feed animals.

5 Fridges Farm is working closely with Colorado Open Lands. Together we promote information about conserved lands by holding special events at the Farm. For more information on privately conserved land, please see the Colorado Open Lands website.

Video Links

2017 The Value of Open Lands 2015 COL achieves great land protection results through partnerships and leadership 2015 Colorado Open lands Protects the Treasure

This local cooking show is hosted by Dr. Claudia Folska. While Dr. Folska may be blind, she is less in the dark about where her food comes from than most of the rest of us are. Her Cooking in the Dark show airs on PBS, and in the spring of 2018 you will find an episode filmed at 5 Fridges Farm! In this episode, Dr. Folska and Amanda gather ingredients from the Farm to make deep fried, goat cheese stuffed, squash blossoms. To level the playing field, Amanda is blindfolded.

Farmer Amanda also teaches in the department of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Colorado Denver. Through her department she has created a certificate program in sustainable urban agriculture and several of those classes use the Farm as a field study location. This partnership allows students of the urban based university to come out 6 miles from the campus in downtown Denver to appreciate and study urban food systems in an urban agricultural setting. Email Amanda if you would like more information on the sustainable urban agriculture program at CU or other have other questions about her teaching at CU.

I Teach Online: Amanda Weaver