Foothills Farmers Market

Last week felt a lot like spring in Colorado—first with the unseasonably warm temperatures, and then with the big, wet snow. But thanks to that dang groundhog, we still have a few more weeks of winter before we can pack away the snow gear. Until then, get a taste of summer at an indoor farmer’s market. The Saturday markets take place every other week at the downtown Opera Galleria. On alternating Sundays, the Foothills Mall hosts a market at the former bookstore just inside the main north entrance.

This market is smaller (though maybe part of it was due to Superbowl Sunday) but not lacking in delicious finds. For example:

At Ten Bears Winery, I sampled a Nutty Laporte dessert wine that made me want to put on fuzzy socks and curl up in a comfortable chair. Ten Bears is located in LaPorte, which makes it the northernmost Front Range winery. Their grapes come from the western slope, but soon they will be using some of their own, as well. (Grapevines are kind of like kids—you can try to hurry them along, but it doesn’t really do any good.) The website has information about retail sales, wine tastings, and custom labels.

Loco Bueno green chile is made with turkey breast for a lean protein boost. It’s all natural, gluten free, and comes in three heat levels. I like things spicy, so I tried the hottest one, which has a good kick but not enough to kill the flavor. Check the website for retail sales and delivery info. And if you don’t know that loco bueno means crazy good, you better write your high school Spanish teacher a note of apology.

Mountain’s Edge Coffee roasts UTZ Certified Arabica beans to perfection in Berthoud. They offer blends, single source, and decaf. For all the information I don’t have room to list here, including this truffle recipe I’m going to make for Valentine’s Day, visit their website.

Last but not least, I was pleased to find fresh greens even with six inches of snow on the ground outside. The products from Wise Acres Greenhouse (another great name) include single greens and herbs, spring meadow mixes with edible flowers, and unique Japanese greens. The spring meadow mix made a beautiful salad, with the added benefit of seeing the looks on my sons’ faces when I ate the nasturtium on top. And the spinach-like Tatsoi was delicious in a white bean soup.

For better or worse, football’s over now, so there’s no excuse not to get to the Sunday market and make your own discoveries.