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Dear Friend,
The weather for Saturday is scheduled to be sunny. There are lots of fresh greens and most of the farmers will be there with an incredible array of fresh food. It is the last market of the season, sad but true. Until we find a place to have the Farmers' Market indoors we just can't ask our farmers and customers to come out in the cold. The Farmers' Market is an agreement between the public and the producer to meet in a public space at an agreed upon time. Thank you for keeping your end of the bargain. Both the farmers and our loyal customers have asked for us to extend the season of our markets, the Boulder County Farmers' Markets are working hard on finding ways to do just that. See you at the market.
Mark Menagh
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The Restaurant Fresh Connection List
There are many restaurants that purchase directly from the farmers' that table at our Farmers' Markets. There a few restaurants that really stand out as they show up on the lists from many farmers. You would have seen the most often listed by farmers featured at the market or on this newsletter this year but now is the time to give all the restaurants equal credit. It takes extra effort to purchase directly from the farmers. Most restaurants get their food delivered by specialty food suppliers. The restaurants in the Restaurant Fresh Connection have decided for many reasons to purchase directly from the farmers for the freshest possible food to serve their customers. They also mention all the other great reasons, local, agricultural support, knowing the source, but they know their customers appreciate the best food and they continue to develop the special relationship necessary to bring the freshest local food to their customers. In order to be on this list the farmers had to nominate the restaurant in writing. There are restaurants that have insisted that their suppliers provide local sourced food and we would like to thank them also, but they didn't make it on this list.
Let's hear a big round of applause for these restaurants!
240 Union |
Alba Ristorante |
AOC Wine Bar |
Boulder Café |
Boulder Cork |
Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse |
Brasserie Ten Ten |
Brix Bistro |
Brown Palace |
Burnt Toast |
Chautauqua Dining Hall |
Colorado Cupboard |
Colterra |
Devils Food |
Dish Gourmet |
Dixon's |
Duo |
Earth & Ocean |
Epicurious |
Euro |
Flagstaff House Restaurant |
Frasca Food and Wine |
Fresh Tart |
Gateway Cafe in Lyons |
Greenbriar |
Hanson's |
Jax Fish - Denver and Boulder |
Jill's Restaurant |
Johns restaurant |
L'Atelier |
Laudisio Ristorante Italiano |
Leaf |
Lodge Catering |
Luca de Italia |
Lucile's |
Luc's Pizza |
Magnolia Steak and Seafood |
Mateo Restaurant Provencal |
Mizuna |
Organic Orbit, |
Painted Bench |
Pastures of Plenty |
Pearl Street Grill, Natural Burgers |
Piatti's |
Potager |
Potager |
Protos |
Q's |
Racine's |
Radda |
Red Lion |
Restaurant Kody |
Rioja |
Serioz |
Seven Eurobar |
Somethin' Else |
Sunflower |
Sushi Tora |
Tahona |
Tante Louise |
The Kitchen |
The Med |
The Omni Interlocken Resort |
The Sink |
The West End Tavern, Boulder, CO |
Tortugas |
Tratoria on Pearl |
Treppeda's |
Zamparellis' |
Z-Cuisine |
Zolo Grill |
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Longmont Farmers' Market Staff
Left to right - Mark Menagh, Cindy Torres and Nate Hutchinson.
We are proud of the growth at the Longmont Farmers' Market this year! We almost doubled in sales from last year, attracted new farmers, many musicians started really having fun at our market and the non-profits that tabled in Longmont reporting reaching a whole new 'demographic'.
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Boulder Farmers' Market Staff
Left to right - Kevin Kohler, Nickolas Sardarriga, Sarah Violet, Karen Diamond, Mark Menagh and Katie Bauer. Not pictured Sue Parsons.
We would like to thank all our customers, farmers, food vendors, non-profits and volunteers for a spectacular year! Our Boulder Wednesday market grew 45% this year and Saturday 20%!
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And in the News:
Organic produce 'better for you'
They found levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50% and 80% higher than normal milk. Organic wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 20% and 40% more nutrients.
Fake foods, drinks on the increase, says OECD
The amount of fake foods, drinks and agricultural products being traded worldwide is on the increase according to a new report on counterfeiting released today by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Respondents fingered China as a main source of manufacturing, distribution and sale of counterfeited food and drink products.
In the drinks sector AIM reported that during 2004 the industry's global anti-counterfeiting actions resulted in the seizure of about one million fake items, and the closure of 148 illegal manufacturing sites.
Reported here (link)
What's Really in Your Food?
Food labels were designed to earn our trust. Since 1990, the Food and Drug Administration has required manufacturers to list the ingredients of their products, and more recently, "Nutrition Facts" boxes appear on everything from cereal to chewing gum.
But as more Americans attempt to make healthy choices about what they put in their bodies, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to discern how our food was grown, processed and treated-thanks to our collective support of a food industry that wields its heft and political clout to create labeling laws that make a mockery of disclosure.
Raw almonds aren't anymore:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently required that all almonds produced in the United States be pasteurized, including nuts labeled "raw." The rule went into effect Sept. 1, despite protests from health-conscious consumers who prefer unprocessed nuts and small-scale growers who can't afford the equipment, which costs between $500,000 and $2.5 million.
To comply with the regulation, almond producers can either steam the nuts or fumigate them with propylene oxide (PPO), the almond board's preferred process. PPO is recognized as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It is banned in the European Union, Canada, Mexico-and much of the rest of the world.
More consumers read product labels, says report
Increasingly complicated product labels do not seem to have scared consumers off, according to a new report that revels that more Americans are likely to read food and beverage product labels today than they were a year ago.
Five major areas of influence that drive people to read labels.
Firstly, consumers are showing a growing interest in the way products are sourced and produced. They check labels to find out about the origination and quality of ingredients, as well as signals of ethical production.
Shoppers are also often looking for or trying to avoid certain ingredients, which could be linked to personal nutritional needs or perceptions of the positive or negative effects of certain ingredients.
Others check labels because of food safety concerns, or a desire for fresh products.
In addition, food preferences related to health conditions or religious and dietary restrictions are making shoppers turn to labels for information.
Finally, media reports have an influence on consumers, with reports on nutrition research or imported and tainted food scare reports making people more likely to read product labels.
There is a lot of winter squash at the market you can read about all the varietys here (link)
Winter squash come in many sizes and shapes, but all have hard outer rinds that surround sweet, often orange flesh. Winter squash arrive late in the growing season and they have a long shelf life, so they've long been a staple in winter and spring, when other vegetables are harder to come by. Unlike summer squash, winter squash must be cooked. They're usually baked or steamed, and then sometimes puréed. Select squash that are heavy for their size.
Tourist Attaction
Among the fall corn mazes, farmers' markets and winery and brewery visits, 13.2 million tourists experiencing Colorado's agricultural offerings pumped an estimated $2.2 billion in total economic activity into the state in 2006, according to Colorado State University research.
Barbara Kinsolver
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
I haven't read Barbara's book yet, I'm waiting to really savor it this winter. I've enjoyed her previous books and this book written about what we care so much about sounds like one I am really going to savor.
and
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 Letter from the Board of Directors President.
Sheila Payne
I write this letter to the Friends of the Market, I'm looking out the window. So far this morning we've had rain, snow pellets, snow flakes, thunder and high winds. I was out early because I had locked my cat in the cold frame overnight, oops. He was traumatized. Shortly after the cat's release, the heavy conglomeration caused a partial collapse of my cold frame. Oh my, now I am traumatized! I'm taking this Sunday to have brunch and go to a musical in Denver with friends. I had thought the cold weather would allow me to enjoy the time off without fretting about what I wasn't getting done in the garden. Now...well, I'll be thinking about what parts to get at the hardware store on the way home.
Many days I bring recipes to the market from Local Flavors, Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers' Markets by Deborah Madison. Following are thoughts I'm stealing from the epilogue of this wonderful cookbook as it reflects what I would like to convey, but now don't have time to create on my own as I will be unexpectedly repairing the cold frame.
Yesterday was a beautiful fall day at the market in Boulder...blue sky, warm yellow sun, and orange and brown leaves falling and skittering about with the breezes. In Longmont, the same blue sky and warm sun were found, but the wind was presenting challenges! Some of the farmers' stands were still overflowing with abundance, while some, like me, were winding down and the pickin's were fewer, but nonetheless...locally and lovingly grown.
Will the last two markets be balmy, indian summer days or cold, blustery, snowy? As always in Colorado, the first few market days and the last few can be anything weatherwise. Whatever the weather, it will be a time to acknowledge winter is here. Customers and farmers will be saying their good byes for the season. Yesterday I had a couple early good-byes and many queries as to whether or not I would be back and when does the market end. (November 3rd in Boulder, October 27th in Longmont). While my son and I are tired of having every Friday and Saturday for the last eight months devoted to the market, it is a bittersweet respite. I'll miss the regular customers, my neighbors at the market and my Saturday cup of Jamaica Joe. I'll miss being a small part of such a vibrant community of people that appreciate local, seasonal, sustainable food. I'll miss the local producers of plants, food products, and crafts. I'll miss dumplings, burgers, scones, tamales, and all those other good breakfast and lunch vendors that I spend too much of my hard earned money on.
The market will return and so will Jess and I. Good ole' standbys, zucchini and red tomatoes, will be back. However, many of us will be looking through the seed catalogs for new varieties or old heirlooms to try (that's one of the things I love about the market -- all the variety of stuff -- keep an eye out and try something new next year!). Some new farmers and producers will be arriving (didn't we have a good crop of newbies this year, by the way?), some new children of farmers will make an appearance (hopefully the board will get a peek sooner -- hint, hint, Anne). Some farmers will take a sabbatical, some will hand over more and more to the children, or maybe one or two will retire or move on to other endeavors.
The seasons change, the produce changes, the people change, but it is all still part of life's cycles that those of us who grow, shop, work or play or otherwise spend our days in the sun, wind, rain and snow are more, than many others, tuned in to. The seasons, the weather, the people will come and go, but a constant is how sweet that first bite of a home grown peach, tomato or corn will be and how warming and comforting the slurp of a fall vegetable soup are now in this first swirl of snow.
The market's executive director, Mark, has been using this newsletter to keep you informed about the many emerging efforts in our community and the world around food, sustainability, environmentally friendly practices, and, on the flip side, the impacts growth, development, and climate change are having on your local farmers and producers. The good and the bad so to speak. Has this peaked your interest to get more involved with the market? Elsewhere in this newsletter is a call for board members. If you have interest, skills or experience that could help us out, please consider it. Need a bigger challenge in your life? Some markets (Santa Fe Farmers' Market, Urban Harvest in Houston Texas, Dane County friends of the market - Wisconson) have sister organizations that qualify as federally tax exempt non-profits that help out their markets and communities with fund raising, grants, and other activities. Let's talk if you think you would like to investigate this further.
Thanks to the market staff for a great job this year and thanks to you, our loyal market friends. Maybe I'll see you on the slopes or around town before next April. A special thanks to my son Jesse, who took over much more of the farming than anticipated this year as I was challenged with two knee surgeries -- maybe I shouldn't be on the slopes after all.
Sheila
President, Boulder County Farmers' Markets Board of Directors
Far Out Gardens, Co-owner with Jesse
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BCFM Board of Directors 2007
It takes an incredible amount of volunteer time to run Boulder County Farmers' Markets. There are a group of people who put in a lot of effort and I would like to recognize them. The BCFM Board of Directors:
Sheila Payne- President - Far Out Gardens
John Ellis - Vice President - Farmers Johns
Wyatt Barnes - Secretary - Red Wagon Organic Farm
Jeni Nagle - Treasurer - Ela Family Farms
Shanan Olson - Abbodanza Organic Seeds & Produce
Ann P. Cure - Cure Organic Farm
Jim Schott - Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy
Hugo Matheson - The Kitchen
Adrian B. Card - CSU Extension Services
John Long- Long Family Farms
Heather Burtness - Purple Hippo Botanicals
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Boulder County Fairgrounds
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Boulder Farmers' Market
Last market is November 3rd
Longmont Farmers' Market
has finished for the season
Special Winter Market
December 8th in Longmont
Members Meeting January 5th
Space Meeting February 2nd
It will be a sunny Saturday for our last market of the season come out and enjoy Central Park, fresh food and smiles from your local farmers!
Saturday in Boulder 8-2
Mark Menagh
Executive Director
Boulder County Farmers' Markets
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