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.

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