The Middle Aged Spread & Red Willow Center - Taos, NM
pop. 5,971
Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. With over 1,000 years of residence, it is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the U.S.
3/30/20
An interview with Resa Sawyer, Herbalist & Farmer at The Middle Aged Spread and Tiana Suazo, Executive Director at Red Willow Center
"The Middle Aged Spread makes goat milk and honey soaps, herbal salves, shampoo bars and lotion bars at our farm in Taos Pueblo, New Mexico. We use ingredients from our very own goats, bees, and gardens; we avoid environmentally destructive ingredients like palm oil and plastics, and are always striving toward more energy efficiency on the farm. Having just begun the farm here, there's lots to do, but all lights are converted to LED, the water heater is now on-demand instead of the previous wasteful tank heater, we’ve added a composting toilet, and solar panels are awaiting placement after some roof repairs get finished. A refurbished wood cookstove is being set up to decrease propane use."
-Resa Sawyer, The Middle Aged Spread
“Red Willow Center is a 3.3 acre farm and educational site on the Pueblo of Taos. We empower indigenous youth through cultural stewardship, regenerative agricultural practices, and biomimetic building principles. The farm’s three greenhouses, cold frames, and season extenders also allow for year-round production of more market garden production: leafy greens, cold crop, tomatoes, and so on. We are proud to be one of the imperative agricultural producers of traditional varietals (Taos Blue Corn, Red Bean, Hubbard Squash, and others). Our farmers market provides tribal families with nutrient-dense food and local, traditional produce. Youth at the Center work with staff to build social and economic skills, as we aim to provide the Taos community with food, workshops, and a space to be with the Earth and practice traditional agriculture. We have also provided produce to homeless shelters, food pantries, COVID-19 Food Relief programs, and purchased from local agricultural producers to be a mediator of breaks in the food shed.”
-Tiana Suazo, Red Willow Center
