We’re lucky here in Boulder County to be blessed with amazing food all year round.  Better still, we’re lucky to have some of the best Farmer’s Markets I’ve experienced in my life.  Something about walking down the street, smelling vendors serving hot food, seeing all the gorgeous produce and getting to talk to farmers, vintners, cheesemakers and chefs gets me excited.

The Boulder County Farmer’s Markets run for almost half a year, from early April to the last weekend in November, making for an excellent opportunity to see the full range of seasonal produce.  Many of the vendors, from Oxford Gardens and Red Wagon Farm, can be found in most of the best restaurants in town, from Spruce to the Kitchen.  Others, like Black Cat Farm, have their own restaurants for true farm-to-table authenticity at The Black Cat and Bramble & Hare.

The Boulder market, located between Canyon and Arapahoe near Broadway, is by far the largest.  Several dozen vendors gather Wednesday and Saturday to celebrate food and the strong community.  The best Saturday markets coincide with the City of Boulder’s festivals as well, so keep your eyes on the calendar for music, carnivals for the kids and more.  Longmont now has two markets, one at the Boulder County Fairgrounds on Saturday mornings and another that just opened this past year, at 5th and Main on Wednesday evenings.

Though most vendors are up with modern times, using smartphones and tablets to process credit card transactions, it’s best to have cash on hand.  I usually try to limit myself to only spending cash on what I could conceivably use that week, else I’d probably try to buy the whole surplus.  I doubt my wife would be pleased with that.  Plus, I’d have to convert my toddler’s room into dry storage.

This evening, my wife, child and I will be attending the downtown Longmont Market, which has the shortest season, ending on the 24th.  I’m looking forward to these last few weeks, enjoying the community and making new friends.  Plus I’ll have a week’s worth of excellent produce to satisfy the localvore in me, from variety mushrooms to the illustrious peach.

Matt Maenpaa