Growing season is short in the shadow of the Flat Tops and Mount Zirkel wilderness areas, but here in the Yampa Valley we’re all doing our best to devour what comes from as close to home as possible. This blog is for people who live, love and eat in approximately a 180-mile radius of Steamboat Springs – a lush paradise in Northwest Colorado where winters are long but snowmelt can nurture wondrous things.
My name is Jennie Lay and I’m a freelance writer and editor. My independent reporting has covered energy, the environment, land conservation, sustainable living and eating, wildlife, art, culture, recreation and far-flung travel adventures. My work has appeared in High Country News, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Scuba Diving, Yoga Journal, Forest, 5280 and many other publications. I’m also a contributing editor of Steamboat Magazine and editor of the official Steamboat Springs Visitors’ Guide.
Here lie my tidbits of news, photos, recipes and ideas about Yampa Valley stuff that doesn’t make it into print’s ever-shrinking space limitations. This is a place for stories about the Yampa Valley’s vibrant community of locavores, gourmands, sustainable ranchers and farmers, backyard gardeners, raw foodists, foragers, and entrepreneurs who are making a go of local products in my back yard.
When I’m traveling, you’ll probably get glimpses of someone else’s local goodies too, especially if they’ve got ideas I’d like to see repeated at home.
So, consider this a love letter to local food and the folks who promote sustainable living around Steamboat Springs. It’s a labor of love – Yampa Valley love.
And if you want to read my published work or learn more about me, visit my web site: www.jennielay.com
