News
2026 CSA Season is Here
Our CSA workw with many local farms to supply our members with a range of diverse produce from different biomes and microclimates…
A.I.R.E. Taos featured in Green Fire Times
We are grateful to be featured in the January , February 2026 edition of the Green Fire Times.
New Refrigerated Truck to Expand Regional Food Aggregation by 50%
A.I.R.E. has acquired a 16-foot refrigerated truck through a grant from Rio Grande Colonias, with an ambitious goal: expand regional food aggregation by 50%, connecting producers across Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado to markets, schools, and families.
New Greenhouse at Taos Middle School – Building Food Sovereignty One Student at a Time
Thanks to generous private donations that filled a gap left by the reduction of the NM Food Security Grant, A.I.R.E. has installed a new hoop house greenhouse at Taos Middle School. This greenhouse is more than infrastructure—it’s an investment in food sovereignty for the next generation.
Farm Store Opens at Amigos Locale – Your Connection to Regional Food Security
We’re excited to announce the opening of our Farm Store at Amigos Locale, bringing fresh,
locally-sourced organic produce directly from Northern New Mexico farms and ranches to our
community. This new store is part of a larger vision: building a robust regional food security system
that connects producers and consumers across Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado.
Thanks to you We are Growing
For over 10 years, AIRE has connected Taos students with local food in the garden, classroom, cafeteria and community while supporting our farmers and ranchers, cultivating a sustainable economy, and restoring our land. We are delighted to share some of our accomplishments ~ Producing Free USDA School Meals at Amigos Locale, resulting in 800 local, organic meals daily, and 160,000 meals annually. Planting seeds for the future, 5 school Gardens, 6 Greenhouses, planting 17,000 seeds, teaching 3,800 students in garden classes for 30 weeks of garden education, in 5 schools. Offering Internships at Amigos Locale, engaging youth weekly in farm-to-table culinary arts and business training, and Agriculture farm & ranch internships. We Thank you for supporting our Taos community! When you contribute to AIRE, you are investing in the continued inspiration and support of local kids, local farms and local food, for generations to come.
Free Summer Meals
This summer the district went forward with a “Plan B” by bringing on Micah Roseberry, the owner of Farmhouse Cafe and operator of Amigos Locale, to help serve farm-to-table meals to students participating in summer programs.
A.I.R.E. hosts the Culinary Arts Education Program
The Vista Grande High School interns come to Amigos Locale Commissary kitchen weekly to focus building culinary skills and cooking local, organic, native food for their lunch program and beyond.
Amigos Locale Launch!
Amigos Locale was officially ‘christened’ on November 14, 2023 with an evening of culinary delights, sharing information about this A.I.R.E. program, and expressions of gratitude to the partners, donors and volunteers who made it all possible.
Taos Community Farms CSA Wraps Up 4th Year
The Taos Community Farms CSA, a project of AIRE, is wrapping up our successful fourth year! This year, over the course of 16 weeks, we helped farmers sell 66,240 pounds of local produce to the community! Founded in 2020, Taos Community Farms CSA is committed to getting local food to local people. By sourcing food from local farms in Taos and Rio Arriba counties, we support farming as a livelihood, traditional trade, and a key step towards regional food sovereignty. In making locally grown produce more readily available to Taos consumers, we support our community’s health and stake in the food we eat every day, as well as the quality of our soils, waters, and regional economies. The CSA is part of the EBT and Double Up Food Bucks programs, further expanding the accessibility of the program. In 2023, Taos Community Farms CSA partnered with seven farms in northern New Mexico: Freshies of New Mexico in Velarde, Umami Gardens in Abiquiu, Cerro Vista Farm in Cerro, Growing Opportunities in Alcalde, Las Aguas Farm in Talpa, Rio Lucero Farm in El Prado, and New Buffalo Farm in Arroyo Hondo. The CSA also sourced snap peas from the Taos High School greenhouse and apricots and sungold cherry tomatoes, apples and plums from friends of AIRE. The farms we partner with are committed to growing organic produce using sustainable, regenerative, and biodynamic practices. Our partner farms grow fresh produce without chemical herbicides or pesticides, and often use regenerative farming practices like no-till. Our farmers appreciate having an additional, direct venue to sell their produce close to home. Taos Community Farms CSA also offered local grass-fed and finished beef from sixth generation Taos Valley ranchers. For more information on beef options, click here. We are proud to share that we reached over 100 Taos community members this season. Communications for the 2024 CSA will come through our website and email lists – be sure to subscribe on our website to receive updates once we start registering in the spring! Thank you to all those who supported local farms through the Taos Community Farms CSA – your decision ripples across our community and our land and down through the next generation.
Volunteers from Nusenda Credit Union Joined AIRE at the Taos High School Orchard and Garden
On Monday, October 9th, staff members from the Albuquerque and Taos branches of Nusenda Credit Union joined high school agriculture students and AIRE staff at the Taos High School garden for their annual Community Day. The five students helped lead the volunteers through various tasks around the garden.
Winter Market Every Wednesday
Our Outdoor Farm Store is open through the Winter. Location :: FarmHouse Café – on the South Patio Time :: Every Wednesday from 1 – 4 pm Holiday Market – We will be open on Wednesday 12/23/20 as well. Local products include: Gluten-free Biscochitos Chioggia, Golden & Detroit-Red Beets Wildflower Squash High Desert Honey from Taos – New Product Celebration Acorn Squash from Wildflower Farm Bison from Cerro San Cristobal Ranch Kabocha Winter Squash from Wildflower Farm Carrots from Zitro Farm Apples from Trujillo Orchards Butternut Squash from El Bosque Farm Desiree Potatoes from Tesuque Pueblo Carrots from Zitro Farm Celery, Cauliflower, Kale from Veritable Vegetable Co-op Grapefruit, Tangerines from Veritable Vegetable Co-op Yukon Gold Potatoes from White Mountain Farm Onions from Cerro Vista Farm Assorted Beans, Grains and Flours Farm Eggs Goat Cheese White Cheddar from Tuccumcari Mountain Cheese Salad Mix from FarmHouse Garden Geronimo’s Tortillas and Baked Goods Cards and gift items from local makers We look forward to seeing you & appreciate your support!
We received and InstaGrant from the LOR Foundation
We just received a $1,000 #Instagrant from the @LORfoundation so we can help ensure a #CompleteCount by, asking our 155 CSA members to encourage 5 people they think may not have filled out the census to do so. sending printed reminders to 10 families in the Tiwa Babies program who are receiving Farm to Family Food Boxes from us. sending printed reminders to 10 families at the Taos Pueblo who will receive our Farm to Family Food Boxes. sending an email to all the families at Taos International School, encouraging them to fill out the census and have a chance to win a Farm to Family box of local, organic, farm fresh food worth $75. Help Taoseños for the next 10 years! For each person in your household, you’ll bring an estimated $5,000 per year to Taos County by filling out the census. Filling out the census in Taos County is one of the most important things we can do to secure federal funding for our community. Taos County census participation is at a dangerously low level, and we risk losing MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in federal funding for Taos County. You’ll again be supporting your local food shed by doing this. Deadline to get your family and friends counted is Monday, October 5th. #2020Census #BeCounted#AIRE#LORFoundation#FarmToFamilyFoodBoxes#YouCount#WeCount#FarmersCount#RanchersCount#FoodMatters
Taos Community Farms CSA Fall Procurement
We have been harvesting and receiving a variety of different fall vegetables for our shares. Last week we received the first purple potatoes of the season from Jubilee Farms and this week’s share will include a German Butterball potato variety, a yellow heirloom potato that is great for roasting, and known for it’s buttery flavor. Cylindra beets, a locally grown super food, is another heirloom variety with a perfect shape for slicing and has tender sweet greens. You’ll also be receiving leeks from Morning Star Farm which will pair well with a roasted vegetable dish or a harvest season potato leek soup. This week we will still be enjoying some tasty heirloom tomatoes from Freshie’s of New Mexico along with first cut salad mix from Morning Star and Farmhouse. The garden standard kale and chard from Copper Pot Farm, Morning Star Farm, and Farmhouse Garden, will round out the greens department along with local garlic and onions that are great for roasting. Carrots will come from Morning Star Farm and from the Vista Grande High School Farm project at the Rio Fernando Farm. We have a new farmer of Aloha Acres Farm, from Ojo Caliente, that is bringing fresh mizuna, and greens and is excited to grow for us next year. We are expecting a number of varieties of winter squash coming in from Wild Flower Farm in Chimayo. As the season turns you will find more root vegetables in your share perfect for tossing with olive oil and roasting with herbs for a perfect local harvest feast.
Pick Apples With US
AIRE just sealed the deal with Los Luceros Historical Site, in Alcalde, to pick apples this Fall from their 1000 tree orchard. We will be going down each Friday at 9am and coming back at 3pm and will provide lunch. The apples will go into our Farm to Family Boxes each week, Shared Table, school lunches and to other projects we are involved in. If you’re interested in helping us harvest apples, please let us know by emailing growingcommunitynow@gmail.com.
San Geronimo Feast Day
We hope you are enjoying these glorious fall days. Wednesday, September 30, 2020 is the San Geronimo Feast Day and we wish our friends at the Taos Pueblo a beautiful celebration. Throughout the years our generous neighbors have invited us to sit at their tables and feast on the season’s harvest along with fresh baked bread and the best red chile ever! Geronimo, our CSA market baker helped us assemble farm food boxes that included roasted blue corn atole, horno bread, fresh vegetables, apples, heirloom tomatoes, and a red chile ristra and distributed them to Taos Pueblo families and elders. He spoke about the special day and reminded us that even as we may be disappointed to not be able to share the feast and festivities as a community, that this was the first time since the Spanish arrived that the feast day will be celebrated by only the Taos Pueblo tribe. Please take time to prepare and share a harvest meal and appreciate the abundance of our land and water.
Beef & Lamb Has Arrived
We are excited to have distributed two rounds of bulk beef and lamb over the last two weeks. Five ranchers have benefited from the direct sales and are excited about building this relationship with our local market. Nineteen families are enjoying the quality of grass fed and grass finished beef and a full freezer heading into the winter.We have more sides of beef available now and are looking for additional processing slots for more lamb. Please reach out if you’d like to share a side. This was an effort by one of AIRE’s projects, Rios del Norte Farmer & Rancher Co-op. We expect to offer family packs of beef in the near future for those of you who want a smaller amount. Pictured above from left to right, a sheep rancher from New Buffalo, a beef customer, Jae Sanders – Coordinator of the direct meat sales project, and Robert Martinez – Coordinator of the Rios del Norte Ranch Coop and our primary rancher, along with two more customers. Pictured below – Beef customers splitting up a side of beef among themselves in the TCEDC parking lot. The lamb was tender and delicious. We loved it and are ready to split some beef!!! ~ K.L. I am over the moon that Micah and Jay at the Farmhouse Cafe have made it possible to buy beef directly from our local ranchers. I was able to meet the rancher I bought the beef from, Robert Martinez. I was very impressed with his integrity and interest in how we like the beef. I am delighted to be able to support Micah’s efforts to make products available from so many different local farmers and ranchers through the Farmhouse Cafe, CSA program, school lunch program, and now allowing Taos County locals like myself to participate in buying food directly from them. Her team’s commitment to increasing food security in the valley is a project very close to my heart. All I can really say is thank you so much for all the hard work! Keep it up! ~ A.S.
Farm to Family Box Distribution – End of June
The LOR Foundation was instrumental in helping us get out Farm to Family Boxes to families served by the Las Cumbres Girl’s Project at Enos Garcia Community School. Boxes include local, grass-fed and finished beef, fresh, house-made bread, potatoes, tomatoes, blue corn meal, whole wheat flour, apples, onions, watermelon, carrots, lettuce, granola, rolled oats, cheese and local eggs. Thank you to our farmers and our community who have donated to AIRE and supports our CSA! All of your support goes deep into our community. 🍎🥔🍞🍅🥚🧀🥩🥕🥒 The dad of the foster kids, in the picture above, said this was awesome and much appreciated! The kids all seem to be excited about the donations as well!
Summer CSA Distribution Began
Today is the first day of our Summer Farm Share distribution from Taos Community Farms CSA! We are currently sourcing from Morning Star Farm, Zitro Farm, Ojo Farm, Agricultura Network, Growing Opportunities, FarmHouse Garden, Freshies, Trujillo Orchard and Copper Pot Farm. This is why we call it Taos Community Farms! Gaea comes down from Questa each Wednesday to offer the use of the Questa Farmer’s Market EBT setup. This way we are able to accept SNAP payments and offer NM Double Up Food Bucks to, not just our members, but anyone who wants to come shop with us. We offer locally made goat cheese, grass-fed and finished beef, local bison, fresh baked bread and pastries, NM eggs, greenhouse grown tomatoes, and an array of beans, grains and flours, plus more!
Farm to Family Food Distribution
Another weekly delivery of Three Sisters Garden Kits and Food-filled Bags were assembled and delivered today to families from the Las Cumbres Girls Project at Enos Garcia Community School. Big thanks to the FarmHouse Café staff, Taos Community Farms farmer – Maura, Andy and Sienna of Las Cumbres, and of course, our grantors, LOR Foundation, Zone Collaborative Grant (Thornburg, McCune, and Santa Fe Community Foundation), New Mexico Foundation, and the All Together New Mexico Fund.