You’ve spent a night on the ranch with us and experienced just how delicious eating local can be. Now the question is, how do you find those local ingredients to supply your everyday life?
Local food can be tricky to find in Colorado Springs, but worry not, the A Grazing Life “local food” guide is here to help. Armed with this guide you’ll be well on your way to supplying your life with fresh, nutritious and tasty local ingredients. So the question is, where to start?
During the growing season in Colorado(generally June - October) you can find local food at a number of farmers markets in town. This is a great place to start if you are new to eating locally and want to dip your toe into the pond of seasonal eating. Unfortunately, there are many farmer’s markets in town where the folks selling you produce didn’t actually grown it themselves. So, don’t trust the signs in the booths, but instead ask the vendors where and how they grew the crops and animals products they sell. If eating organically is important to you, make sure you ask what sort of pest control measures they use. However, don’t be frightened off by an answer like, “we are non-certified organic.” Getting an organic certification can be very expensive, so many smaller farmers instead elect to ditch the certification while keeping all the practices that go along with it. The best way to know what is going on with your food is getting to know your farmer, not relying on certifications - so ask them questions and get ready to learn a little about farming.
Our favorite markets in town are run by the Colorado Farm and Art Market. They have two locations in town each week during the growing season, downtown at the Pioneer’s Museum on Wednesdays and up north at the Margarita at Pine Creek on Saturdays. The organizers of this market visit each farmer to insure that they did produce the products they sell. Still be sure to ask questions about growing practices if that is something you are concerned about, but you can rest assured that all the produce and meat at this market are grown in Colorado by the folks chatting with you at the booth. Learn more at www.farmandartmarket.com
If you’ve seen the market scene and want to dive a little deeper into that seasonal eating pool, think about signing up for a CSA with a local farm. Offering a Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) share is a way for producers to get upfront financial support from their communities at the beginning of the growing season when costs are highest in exchange for a share of the harvest each week during the growing season. Community members pay upfront at the beginning of the season and are treated to what the season brings. Buying a CSA is the ultimate experience of eating locally, similar to getting a chef’s menu at a restaurant in that each week the farmer puts together an assortment of produce based on what is in season on the farm. CSA shares also often come with many opportunities to visit the farm and get to know the farmer who grew your food. There are currently a few farms offering CSA shares for Colorado Springs. The three single farm CSAs available in town are from New Roots Farm, Austin Family Farm and Ahavah Farm. Learn more about their offerings and practices on their websites, www.newrootsfarmllc.com, http://austinfamilyfarm.csasignup.com/ and www.ahavahfarm.com. There is also an option to buy a CSA from the local farmer’s coop, Arkansas Valley Organic Growers(AVOG), that combines produce from many different farms into one share each week. This provides more variety with offerings like quinoa from the San Luis Valley and peaches from the Western Slope. Learn more about AVOG’s CSA on their website at www.arkvalleygrowers.com
If a full blown CSA isn’t quite what you are up to, but want a more diverse set of options than what you might find at the farmers market, check out Hunt or Gather buying club. By buying through Hunt of Gather, you will have access to three of the farmer’s cooperatives in the state, as well as from other local goods producers. During the growing season, you’ll receive a list of products available from growers from all over the state on a bimonthly basis. Pickup is in downtown Colorado Springs. Check out their Facebook page for more information https://www.facebook.com/HuntOrGather/.
Finally, when you are shopping for food at the grocery store, look out for signs showing the product is grown by a Colorado farmer - the Colorado Proud sticker. Grocery stores like Mountain Mamma, Natural Grocers and Whole Foods seem to be the best at carrying local food in Colorado Springs.
If purchasing and eating more local food is your goal, then the best thing you can do is ask questions of the food you are buying/eating, never assume that something labeled farm fresh or from a “farmer’s market” it is actually grown locally and search out our local farmers and purchase directly from them. By cutting out the middleman (whether that’s the grocery store or farmer’s market fees), you ensure that all of your money goes back to them which only adds more resilience to our local food system. Check out our list of local farmers to purchase directly from your farmers!
Local food can be tricky to find in Colorado Springs, but worry not, the A Grazing Life “local food” guide is here to help. Armed with this guide you’ll be well on your way to supplying your life with fresh, nutritious and tasty local ingredients. So the question is, where to start?
During the growing season in Colorado(generally June - October) you can find local food at a number of farmers markets in town. This is a great place to start if you are new to eating locally and want to dip your toe into the pond of seasonal eating. Unfortunately, there are many farmer’s markets in town where the folks selling you produce didn’t actually grown it themselves. So, don’t trust the signs in the booths, but instead ask the vendors where and how they grew the crops and animals products they sell. If eating organically is important to you, make sure you ask what sort of pest control measures they use. However, don’t be frightened off by an answer like, “we are non-certified organic.” Getting an organic certification can be very expensive, so many smaller farmers instead elect to ditch the certification while keeping all the practices that go along with it. The best way to know what is going on with your food is getting to know your farmer, not relying on certifications - so ask them questions and get ready to learn a little about farming.
Our favorite markets in town are run by the Colorado Farm and Art Market. They have two locations in town each week during the growing season, downtown at the Pioneer’s Museum on Wednesdays and up north at the Margarita at Pine Creek on Saturdays. The organizers of this market visit each farmer to insure that they did produce the products they sell. Still be sure to ask questions about growing practices if that is something you are concerned about, but you can rest assured that all the produce and meat at this market are grown in Colorado by the folks chatting with you at the booth. Learn more at www.farmandartmarket.com
If you’ve seen the market scene and want to dive a little deeper into that seasonal eating pool, think about signing up for a CSA with a local farm. Offering a Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) share is a way for producers to get upfront financial support from their communities at the beginning of the growing season when costs are highest in exchange for a share of the harvest each week during the growing season. Community members pay upfront at the beginning of the season and are treated to what the season brings. Buying a CSA is the ultimate experience of eating locally, similar to getting a chef’s menu at a restaurant in that each week the farmer puts together an assortment of produce based on what is in season on the farm. CSA shares also often come with many opportunities to visit the farm and get to know the farmer who grew your food. There are currently a few farms offering CSA shares for Colorado Springs. The three single farm CSAs available in town are from New Roots Farm, Austin Family Farm and Ahavah Farm. Learn more about their offerings and practices on their websites, www.newrootsfarmllc.com, http://austinfamilyfarm.csasignup.com/ and www.ahavahfarm.com. There is also an option to buy a CSA from the local farmer’s coop, Arkansas Valley Organic Growers(AVOG), that combines produce from many different farms into one share each week. This provides more variety with offerings like quinoa from the San Luis Valley and peaches from the Western Slope. Learn more about AVOG’s CSA on their website at www.arkvalleygrowers.com
If a full blown CSA isn’t quite what you are up to, but want a more diverse set of options than what you might find at the farmers market, check out Hunt or Gather buying club. By buying through Hunt of Gather, you will have access to three of the farmer’s cooperatives in the state, as well as from other local goods producers. During the growing season, you’ll receive a list of products available from growers from all over the state on a bimonthly basis. Pickup is in downtown Colorado Springs. Check out their Facebook page for more information https://www.facebook.com/HuntOrGather/.
Finally, when you are shopping for food at the grocery store, look out for signs showing the product is grown by a Colorado farmer - the Colorado Proud sticker. Grocery stores like Mountain Mamma, Natural Grocers and Whole Foods seem to be the best at carrying local food in Colorado Springs.
If purchasing and eating more local food is your goal, then the best thing you can do is ask questions of the food you are buying/eating, never assume that something labeled farm fresh or from a “farmer’s market” it is actually grown locally and search out our local farmers and purchase directly from them. By cutting out the middleman (whether that’s the grocery store or farmer’s market fees), you ensure that all of your money goes back to them which only adds more resilience to our local food system. Check out our list of local farmers to purchase directly from your farmers!
