Denver Farmer’s Market Season

Farmers Market Season Is Here! Finally!

It has been a long wait for the Denver farmers market season to start up again. And I gotta say winter was a lot longer without my favorite farmers to visit every week. It is my second year of turning these little farmers market visits into a lifestyle. I can not live without my fresh produce every week. You truly don’t understand how good food can be until you step outside of your comfort zone and start trying new vegetables that the farmers are growing at the farmers market.

Shop at The Farmers Market and Help Build A Stronger Community

I have loved being able to help strengthen my community by putting more of my dollars into farmers that I believe in. And less into conventional farming that has been getting scarier every day. Having access to such great farmers markets is really a miracle and I hope to one day turn these organic local farmers into bigger businesses that eventually crush conventional, money hungry farmers.

Don’t Deny The Facts

We can all make this necessary change once we educate ourselves about the corrupt food system and how we are being poisoned in so many ways. Our culture tends to deny these truths even though the truth tries to catch our attention every day. I think it may have been easier for me to see how bad our food is since I have worked at a conventional grocery store. I have been able to see the different eating habits that my community is taking on. Most people hardly even touch vegetables. And I have learned so much about food by just observing, asking questions, and seeking the answers. Anyway I got on a tagent that I could go on for days about so lets get back.

My Favorite Farmers at the South Pearl Farmers Market

For two growing seasons, I have been a weekly regular at my favorite stands. I will be sharing my all time favorite farmers and what I typically buy from them on this post. The market has grown a lot this year, with more stands and more people who are trying this way of life. I’m excited that this local community is becoming stronger and more willing to open themselves up to plant-based living. As I continue going to my favorite market on South Pearl St. and other farmers markets in Denver, I will update my favorite farmers list so you know what to check out for yourself.

Rocky Mountain Fresh

Rocky Mountain Fresh is a hydroponic farm that always has the best stuff. Typically they are my first stop. I load up on and tomatoes and cucumbers during every visit. And when harvest season hits they are booming with all kinds of other things like peppers, strawberries, eggplants, and more. My first visit I made this year I managed to pick up a couple of pepper plants from them for my own garden. Occasionally I have bought their salad greens when they have it too and it is always fresh. I hope to try their homemade tomato sauce this year and start canning my own tomatoes so I can have their beautiful tomatoes for winter. Nothing beats their cucumbers though. I don’t know how they do it but I have never met a fresher cucumber in my life, they are pure gold.

The Lakewood Growers Collective

The Lakewood Growers Collective, a lady owned farm that is one that hasn’t been on my radar until this year. I’m not even sure if they were at the South Pearl farmers market last year but I gotta say I love what they are bringing to the table and I think they will be another favorite spot this year. They have had some amazing floral bouquets with unique flowers and beautiful greens. And their stuff always looks like they picked it that day. So I am excited to see what they bring the rest of the year.

Mile High Fungi

The Mile High Fungi group was a stand I did not know how to approach last year. I just did not have any idea how to use these gorgeous and exotic mushrooms. But after our first visit, we were hooked. The owners are very informative and had great information about the mushrooms with some fun ideas on how to cook them. The first week we tried the shitake mushrooms, which were the best mushrooms of my life, we made ramen with them. Then we went back the next week and bought the lion’s mane mushrooms ( the crazy looking white ones.) And we made mock catfish po-boy sandwiches. Boy those were so delicious and I felt an insane amount of energy after eating them. They are a certain kind of magic mushrooms, with crazy health benefits. The next week we tried the chestnut mushroom in pasta with some homemade carrot-top pesto.

I have been so intrigued by these magical mushrooms that I found a book at the library to help educate myself on the benefits of these mushrooms, if you want to check it out it is called Healing Mushrooms. I also am very intrigued to start learning how to forage for wild mushrooms in the mountains, hopefully, this year. But overall this has been a very inspiring discovery that I am so glad I had the courage to try.

Bjorn’s Honey

Make sure you stop by Bjorn’s honey. Nobody makes better honey in the state. The guy that started it is from Sweden and uses Scandinavian traditions that seriously sets his honey apart from the rest. We love the raw traditional honey year round and use it in our coffee and for recipes that call for a natural sweetener. We recently added it to kale and shitake mushroom stir fry with a little sriracha. My god, it was fire. I also swear by the propolis honey during allergy season. I get a few sneezes here and there but that honey significantly helps calm all other irritations during the spring and summer.

City Gal Farms and Brown Dog Farms

Another favorite stop is City Gal Farms. They have the most beautiful flower bouquets and you can build your own flower bouquet for a more affordable option. I always stop by for the free sniffs but often get convinced that I need to buy flowers to brighten up my week. And I can’t forget about Brown Dog Farms. They have the best variety of greens at the farmers market and we love stopping for the salad mix, butter chard, arugula, and whatever else they have in season.

If you are in the Denver area I hope you stop by the Pearl St Farmers Market this Sunday or any other farmers market in your area. Here is a link to all of the markets in the Denver area. But make sure you give all your favorite markets some love this year and help support local growers and organic growers to help build a stronger and safer community.

The Myth About Buying Organic

It is so important to do your best to say no to pesticides and processed foods. I know we may think that buying organic is more expensive, but if we start choosing more wisely it really adds up to no more than going out to eat or buying meat. I am a vegetarian that hardly eats out and just shops locally at the farmers market, and at the grocery stores with bulk foods and buy organic produce that is on sale at the grocery store and it is no more expensive than what everyone else is buying. Trust me I work at a grocery store and see what every household spends their money on. It is getting more important for us to shop smarter every day.

Protect the Earth with Your Eating Choices

The environment is counting on us to reduce our waste and we also have to think about reducing harmful chemicals and gases that are being released in the air by conventional farming. Please start doing your research. We need to do make these lifestyle changes as fast as possible.