Farmers Market Adventure

Tom Wigginton • May 7, 2013

From the Food Corner of Rooted In Nutrition: Illustrated by Christine

I had the perfect day yesterday. After nearly 10 hours of apparently needed blissful sleep I woke to a sunny Saturday morning. Upon stretching and rubbing my eyes of sleep I turned to find my fun-loving and energetic boxer Moxie, with the look of “please mom, take me outside” so it was quickly decided that a brisk walk was on the agenda. With the sun shining on my winter white face and the breeze bringing a little cherry color to my nose I decided it was time to meet my friend for a challenging morning of yoga. I now felt strong, lean and centered, I was ready to pop over to one of my most favorite places in Denver, the farmers market. As you all know I love my farmers market. I love the community, the gathering of like-minded people, the smells of coffee brewing, fresh-baked bread, food trucks and the local flower shops. I step in, take a deep breath and let it all sink in. With tea in my hand and a friend at my side I venture in to the many booths of fresh, local and beautiful food. Here are some of the fabulous things I found at this first market of the year. I encourage you to enjoy all the wonderful things your local farmers market can offer. I hope you enjoy and learn a little something about our local food culture.

Cottonwood Creek Farms offers a one of a kind food experience. Picture this; green pastures, filled with white and brown birds, pecking, clucking and playing in the field. Full of life, living a content and peaceful existence. As they sit in their egg mobile, upon mounds of fresh hay, these lovely birds lay the most exquisite eggs you will ever eat. The color, the texture, the flavor are unparalleled. If you are a baker you must, absolutely must try a fresh from the farm pasture raised egg from Cottonwood Creek Farms.

Not to speak lightly of the meat, I think it goes without saying pasture raised meat far surpasses that of conventional meat. And I think there is something to be said for an animal that is left to be raised in a happy, healthy environment. I was told “the pork is the best”. I intend to find out.

Circle Fresh Farms
Over the years I have come to learn that getting “certified organic” is a very pricey endeavor. Circle Fresh Farms like many of the farmers here at the market, offer organically grown foods that are not “certified organic”. It makes no difference to me if they are certified as long as they offer fresh, local and clean food, grown with a conscience. These pictures do not do justice to the vibrant color of the lettuce, both purple and green with a light texture and mild flavor. Once I grew my own heirloom tomato plant I can confidently say there is no other kind of tomato. As you can see the colors are outstanding! The flavors are superb! They are rich, sweet and delicate. A must have to any salad or sauce.

Eat where U live. Love that. Heirloom Gardens is a beautiful company offering starters plants that are both organic and sustainable. I was informed that these are “hearty” plants, already introduced into our winter spring weather so they are not scared of the cold mornings and soil. They offer advice and guidance on which plants work best for the patio garden, limited space garden and those with the luxury of having lots of space.

H2Organics is the place where I got my basil, tomato and peppers plants for my very first garden last year. My tomato plants were, well, ginormous! They produced some of the most rich, delicate, sweet and flavorful tomatoes I have ever had. Moxie, my boxer would often join me on my brief walk to my community garden plot and upon arrival she would sniff out the tomato plants and eat tomatoes straight from the vine. Since animals have a greater sense of intuition than most humans, I find that this solidifies my tomato snobbery. I will only grow organic heirloom tomatoes from here on out.

Teton Waters Ranch is a pretty cool ranch located in Idaho. They took land that was once used for industrial growing of food and turned it into a beautiful and vibrant pasture of native grasses. These cows look happy to me. With clover, alfalfa and wild grasses to chew on, a majestic mountain view and lots of other cow friends to be happy with, I think these cows are some of the most content out there. I purchased a couple of steaks and as soon as the weather cooperates I will throw them on the grill and let you know the amazingness they are guaranteed to offer.

I encourage you to find a farmers market near you. Colorado Fresh Markets ,Colorado Farmers Market Association , and Colorado Farmers Markets are a great place to start looking. I strive to buy all of my food and meat from the farmers market throughout the summer months, follow this crop calendar to see when foods are grown and will be at their peak freshness. It will not only taste better and look better, but you are also supporting our local economy and bringing life to the Colorado farmers community.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

You might also enjoy these posts . . .

The Cardio Habit - Making It Stick

By Tom Wigginton • June 5, 2025

How to create a cardio habit and turn it into a cardio lifestyle. We’ve talked about why cardio matters . You’ve got a handle on tr aining zones . And you’ve seen how we program your cardio training to maximize efficiency and results. But knowledge alone doesn’t build consistency. Cardio becomes the life-changing ingredient in your life when it becomes routine. So let’s talk about how to get started and how to make it stick —even if you don’t love it, even if your schedule is full, even if you’ve tried and failed before. This article is written mostly for the dabblers . The key is to get started, keep moving, and eventually create a new identity for yourself as someone who finds joy in their daily cardio habit. And to be clear, this isn’t about becoming a pro athlete. It’s about living longer, living better, protecting your independence as you age, and showing up for the future you want.

Cardio for Life: From Daily Dabblers to Podium Seekers

By Tom Wigginton • May 30, 2025

How to build a cardio plan that matches your goals—whether you're in it to win it or just want to feel 10 years younger. Nobody wants to rust out too early and yet, not everybody wants to race either. Most people fall somewhere in between. Maybe you’re not chasing a podium, but you are chasing longevity and quality of life. Or, maybe you’re not training for a triathlon, but you do like to enjoy a long hike without needing three days to recover. Or maybe you are chasing podiums, glory, and fame! In any case, that's great! In part 1 of this series, we talked about Why Cardio Matters . In part 2, we talked about gauging your effort levels by Decoding Your Training Zones . If you haven’t read those, you will find them helpful. Whether your goal is vitality , confidence , or competition , there’s a cardio plan that fits. The trick is structuring it smartly based on what your body needs and your life allows.

Decoding Training Zones: What They Are and Why They Matter

By Tom Wigginton • May 23, 2025

How you can train smarter to live longer, live better, and stay active and independent — maybe into your 90s or 100s. In our previous article, Why Cardio Matters , we talked about the benefits of doing cardio (like living longer) and introduced you to a few terms that might have been new: Zone 2, VO₂ Max, and lactate clearance. We also offered a general recommendation for how much cardio to do weekly. This article takes the next step: breaking down how the intensity you work at affects the benefits you get from each training session. The science of exercising is rich, complex, exciting, and overwhelming. Besides the fact that it is indeed complicated, it’s made worse by having acronyms for everything, buzzy catchphrases, and intimidating fitness personalities. This is where I’m going to try to make this easier to understand, convey why you should care, and encourage you to add cardio to your daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal lifestyles.

Why Cardio Matters: Fitness, Longevity, and What Most People Miss

By Tom Wigginton • May 16, 2025

“Doing cardio.” What even does that mean? For some people, it’s hopping on the rower, bike, ski erg, treadmill, or elliptical and checking the box for however long Tom said to do it, then sneaking out before anyone asks questions. Others train for sanity. It helps manage stress, clear the mind, and release a flood of feel-good chemistry. Also in this category are people who actually just love to run, bike, swim, or play sportsball purely for the fun. And then there are those training for performance—to win races, set PRs, and push personal limits. All of this is cardio. And yet, when you zoom out and look at the data, it becomes clear that cardiovascular fitness does something that has a very measurable outcome: it extends your lifespan . And while we’ve all heard that cardio is good for your heart, most people don’t realize just how deep that benefit runs. And as in the case of so many other aspects of life, the broader public often benefits from the insights that trickle down from elite performance research. So whether you're reluctantly doing cardio or chasing a vibe, you’re tapping into the same physiological systems that turn podium-seekers into podium winners.

How to Select the Right Weight for Each Lift

By Tom Wigginton • May 9, 2025

Question: “How do I select a weight for an exercise, and when should I go up?” We get this question literally several times every single day. And the answer isn't just “go heavier.” The answer is: it depends. Heavier is better—when heavier is appropriate. Sometimes you should go lighter and move faster. Sometimes you should go longer with the same weight. Sometimes you shouldn’t lift at all. Smart weight selection is about clarity, context, and responsiveness. Here’s how we think through it: 1. Is the Movement High-Quality? Before anything else, we ask: Are you doing the movement well? This is Phase 3 work— movement mastery . If you’re still learning the pattern, ironing out inefficiencies, or rebuilding capacity post-injury, weight selection should support technical precision. That means: Moving in clean lines Feeling the right muscles Owning each rep from start to finish

Strength Training and Prostate Cancer: What the Research Says — and How to Get Started

By Tom Wigginton • May 9, 2025

A prostate cancer diagnosis can feel like a loss of control. Treatments like hormone therapy or radiation are often necessary and effective, but they can come with side effects that chip away at quality of life — fatigue, muscle loss, weight gain, anxiety, and more. But there’s a growing body of research that points to something powerful you can control: your strength. Strength Training as a Therapeutic Tool Over the past decade, studies have consistently shown that regular, structured exercise — particularly strength training — can improve outcomes for men with prostate cancer. Here’s what the science tells us: