On a sun-drenched autumn morning warming into an Indian summer day, Val Edwards, owner of Raven Ridge Farm, pulled back the plastic enclosing a hoop house and took a mighty sniff.

"This is one of my favorite parts of the day, opening the greenhouse," Edwards said as she inhaled the spicy sweet aroma of jalapenos and Anaheim peppers growing into deep reds and greens on the vine.

With the help of interns and volunteers, Edwards tends to a prolific two-acre community-supported-agriculture farm near Kalispell.

Sixty families stop by the organic farm every Tuesday and Thursday from early May to mid-October to pick up their shares of produce.

On Raven Ridge, Edwards and her helpers grow more than 30 crops, including brightly colored rainbow chard, basil (its earthy scent carries across the farm), several varieties of tomato growing fat in the "tomato jungle" greenhouse, strawberries, melons, potatoes, parsley dotted by an occasional maroon amaranth plant, and juicy multicolored bell peppers.

The distribution shed stands like a squat woolly beast on one side of the field with onions and garlic hanging from the rafters.

"They look like floating squid or little rastas," Edwards said decidedly.

Hailing originally from Ohio, Edwards moved to Missoula in 1996 and studied sustainable agriculture at the University of Montana while volunteering at a number of farms and community-supported agriculture operations.

"I've been involved for the last 12 years in and out of landscaping and farming," Edwards said. "I was going to join the Peace Corps, but people in Montana have a lot to offer."

About three years ago Edwards purchased Raven Ridge, but she is a tenant farmer and does not own the land. The landowners are moving out of the area and want to sell the acreage.

This puts Edwards in a difficult situation.

She doesn't want to continue as a tenant farmer, especially leasing the land from someone she doesn't know. And she's got dreams about educating the community about food preservation, gardening and sustainable agriculture.

"I want to stay in the community and keep [the farm] an area for learning. I'm really interested in pursuing farming education. It's really good for kids getting a connection with their food," Edwards said, who wants her two sons to grow up enjoying the opportunities the farm offers. "I can't just walk into a bank and get a loan. I'd walk in and they'd laugh at me."

Thus the first annual Raven Ridge harvest.

The interns and volunteers have organized a two-day event where they hope to raise $10,000 for a down payment on the land.

"We want to rally the people of the Flathead Valley to keep this local gem going and preserve a beautiful area two miles from downtown," said Erin Burke-Webster, volunteer event coordinator.

"If the land is purchased, Val can focus on improving and expanding her operation, help conserve habitat, mentor more aspiring farmers like herself about organic farming, and serve as an inspiring model to everyone that good things can happen to good people if you try hard enough."

On Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Raven Ridge will host farm tours and garden demonstrations, while serving soup. There also will be live music.

On Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. at Red's Wines and Blues, the farm will host a silent art auction, hold a raffle and provide live music, food and drinks.

"It just seems so right," intern Tazia Ramon said of community-supported agriculture. "There's this grass-roots uprising; lots of people are on board around town."

Edwards said she feels the valley could support more community-supported agriculture, which she feels gets people back in touch with the land, fosters relationships between growers and consumers and keeps money in the local economy.

"It requires people committing to their community, to their farmer, to their region, to the food here," she said. "This is everyone's farm. It's a way to preserve open space."

Raven Ridge Farm is located at 415 Anderson Lane east of Kalispell.

Reporter K.J. Hascall may be reached at 758-4439 or by e-mail at kjhascall@dailyinterlake.com