It's that time of year! Come visit us at the Larimer County Farmer's Market every Saturday in Old Town.

Hi Folks,

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend and that your "summers" are all off to a great start. It certainly has been feeling a lot of like summer with these warm temperatures. We are trying not to make predictions about actual summer based on the early hot days, but one can't help but wonder what July is going to look like when we are having temps in the 90s in May! This week finds your farmers again trying to dodge sever storms...or perhaps we are just hoping the storms will dodge us. We are also trying to play catch up from the wrath of last week's heavy rains. Lots of weeding, mowing, field prep, and transplanting to be done.

Green is still the dominant color this week as we wait for roots and fruits. Hearty greens pack a super vitamin punch when added to morning smoothies. This can be done rather quickly as there is little cooking involved, just throw them in your blender with some fruit and yogurt and you have spring in a jar. Raw kale or chard salads are another way to keep those vitamins in tact. Chiffonading the chard and then add a honey lemon dressing will help to soften then leaves. Scrunch the whole mess up with your fingers and let is sit for 30 min. Top it off with some dried cranberries, feta, and almonds and you will be a happy camper.

Chick peas always in season at our place and I love to have them for a protein powered lunch. Heidi from 101 cook books has a great recipe for turmeric soaked chick peas with arugula and garlic tahini sauce. Click here to check it out. Speaking of arugula, we have been battling a large population of those pesky flea beetles this year and they love those spicy greens. Please excuse a few holes in the greens as we do our best to protect the fragile leaves from their wrath.

Hakurei turnips will be at the stand this week. Also known as salad turnips, they little guys pack a sweet and creamy punch when eaten raw. You can also eat them cooked. They are heavenly done on the stove top with a honey mustard glaze, but they can be tossed into noodle bowls or curries as well. I have a feeling they would pickle great too, but I haven't tried that yet.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the market soon!

Katie

Farmer's Journal