Growing for 37 Seasons in Northern Colorado

2012 Dates: Saturdays, May 19 to October 27

Time: 8 a.m. to noon

Location: 200 W. Oak Street, Old Town Fort Collins

More info: http://www.larimercountyfarmersmarket.org/

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Survey Says!...Dot Survey Results

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Dot Survey questions at the Farmers' Market on September 18. We had nearly 500 respondents for each question. Here are the results:


Q: How muc have you, or will you, spend at this Market today?
<$5: 37 votes (7.5%)
$6-$10: 64 votes (13.0%)
$11-$20: 163 votes (33.1%)
$21-$50: 183 (37.2%)
>$50: 45 votes (9.1%)

Total votes cast: 492


Q: Do you buy produce in bulk from this Market to can or preserve at home?
Yes: 201 votes (41.5%)
No: 283 votes (58.5%)

Total votes cast: 484


Q: How far do you travel to shop at this Market?
<1 mile: 120 votes (24.6%)
1-5 miles: 242 votes (49.7%)
6-10 miles: 69 votes (14.2%)
>10 miles: 56 votes (11.5%)

Total votes cast: 487

Q: Do you think this Market should include more ready-to-eat foods, like breakfast or lunch sandwiches?
Yes: 262 votes (54.2%)
No: 118 votes (24.4%)
No opinion: 104 votes (21.5%)

Total votes cast: 484

Note: The question regarding the group that manages the market was thrown out. We should have had a category for "I don't know," as we found many people weren't sure, but placed their dot on the answer that the majority voted for, which skewed the results. It is, in fact, the Larimer County Master Gardeners that operate the market. They are a superb group of volunteers!

We will use this survey information for future marketing, market operations and also to improve customer satisfaction. Thank you for participating!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Summer Squash Enchiladas

Recipe from: Linda Wilson, Master Gardener

Still looking for ways to use up all that summer squash? Try these tasty enchiladas! This recipe is from The Joy of Gardening Cookbook.

Summer Squash Enchiladas
4 T. butter
4 T. all-purpose flour
2 tsp chili powder
2 c. milk
2 c. grated cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
salt and pepper
6 c. diced summer squash
2 T. vegetable oil
1.5 c. diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tsp. minced fresh hot peppers, or to taste
16 tortillas
3 c. diced tomatoes

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour and chili powder to make a thick paste. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring well after each addition to prevent lumps. Add the cheese and heat gently until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Steam the squash until just tender, about 5 minutes.

In a saute pan, heat the oil and saute the onion, garlic and hot peppers until limp, about 3-5 minutes. Add the squash and 2/3 of the sauce. Toss to coat.

Great a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Spoon some filling onto each tortilla and roll like a crepe. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Spoon the extra sauce on top and sprinkle with the tomatoes. Bake the enchiladas for 30 minutes or until hot. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Vendor Profile: C&R Farms

By: Allison Level, Master Gardener volunteer

When you stop by the C&R Farms booth at the Saturday farmers' market, have you ever wondered what C& R stands for? Maybe it is for---Colorado and Really-good? The fruit from C&R Farms IS from Colorado and it IS really good, but Clare and Rob Talbot, hence C&R, own the 125 acre farm on Orchards Mesa in Palisade, CO. They, along with their son and daughter, are second generation farmers and they provide excellent produce for farmers' markets, fundraisers and grocery stores along the Front Range. Barbie Lytle has worked for C&R Farms for many, many years and she has been at the Larimer County Farmers' Market for about 24 years. When asked what her favorite fruit is, Lytle said, “It is a toss-up between peaches and bing cherries.”

C&R Farms is one of the farms that grow a variety of fruit including: cherries, apricots, nectarines, plums, pears, peaches, and apples. The variety of fruit and the strong customer base is what has has kept this vendor coming to the market for so many years. Lytle says, “The market is a lot of fun, you meet lots of nice people and you watch the kids grow up over the years.” So if you are in the mood for some fresh Western slope fruit, you don’t have to go far. Stop by the C&R Farms booth and enjoy! (Oh, remember to BYON—bring your own napkin, if you don’t want the juice to run down your arm when you take a bite of something juicy!)
*Photo courtesy of worldcommunitycookbook.org

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Vendor Profile: Bonsai by Bender

By: Allison Level, Master Gardener

Richard Bender, owner of Bonsai by Bender, has been in the plant business his entire life. He grew up in Missouri, and in the summers he and his brother had a tomato plant business. Early on he learned that growing 500 tomato plants took hard work and tenacity. Over the years he has worked in various parts of the green industry including managing four different greenhouse operations.

Bender got interested in bonsai while attending college at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Like CSU, Mizzou is a land-grant university with a strong horticulture program. He studied with Dr. Leon Snyder and his interest in bonsai has continued throughout his life. On Saturday mornings in the summer he is at the Larimer County Farmers' Market but this is the only market he attends. When asked what he likes about the market, he said “I like the environment”. He is a published author and his book, Herbal Bonsai, available for sale and signed by the author, while you wait. Copies of Herbal Bonsai are in the Poudre River Public Library and the CSU Library.

Most of his bonsai business is wholesale and he is on the road most of the fall and spring. He sells far and wide in many states from Oregon to Ohio and all points in-between. His customers include many of the premier gardens in the West and Midwest including the Missouri Botanical Garden, in St. Louis.

Bonsai trees and plants can look intimidating (they did to this blogger) but Bender says that the key to successful Bonsai for most people is to start with a plant that can be grown inside. The bonsai juniper plants that are widely sold aren’t easy to grow successfully indoors, so that can leave people with a bad bonsai experience. Instead of junipers, he focuses on herbal, tropical, and dwarf tropical shrubs. Most recently he is working more with edible tropical plants and trees. He says, "If you grow the right variety of bonsai tree, you can have your bonsai and eat it, too."

Next time you are at the farmers' market, don’t just think bread and vegetables, think bonsai, then stop by and meet Richard Bender. You just may realize that bonsai doesn’t have to be intimidating and it is worth it to try gardening in a new direction. (Blogger’s note, a dwarf schefflera was purchased and it is living quite nicely in my office.)