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Tasha Slotinck organizes the produce cooler at Clark Fork Organics in Missoula, Montana.

On the edge of a field on the outskirts of town, a small roadside farm stand does a brisk business. Display coolers keep herbs, greens and other sensitive veggies properly chilled, as tomatoes, potatoes, onions and other room temperature produce sit there looking pretty in crates. The policies and electronic payment information are posted on the wall above a table laden with homemade soap and bags of Lemon Balm Cookies.

Tasha Slotinck, 20, stands in the parking lot holding an armful of just-harvested rainbow chard, waiting for a quiet moment to replenish the veggie cooler. She’d returned home from college when the pandemic hit, and is now studying remotely and helping to run the family stand as a side gig. When it’s busy, she makes frequent trips to the field to keep the shelves stocked.

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