Farmers Market: What's Ripe This Week

BOULDER, CO - This is the week for comfort food, and Mother Nature has delivered just in time! All of the ingredients you might need to make a favorite vegetable soup recipe are in season together - you might even get a chance to score some of the last tomatoes from a pre-snow harvest. Storage vegetables like potatoes, onions, and squash are ready, so this is your chance to start hoarding for a long winter. Talk to your favorite farmer about what varieties will stay fresh the longest, and how best to store them.

What's in: This might be the first week for sweet Fuji apples - they require a frost in order to set their sugars properly. Every week now, there will be more varieties of winter squash. Try something unique, like a hubbard or a buttercup, while stocking up on your favorites, like butternut. Celery, Carrots, and Potatoes are available in many unique and delicious varieties, so do your shopping now for a cold weekend to come.

Don't miss out: Do you have a favorite summer crop? Perhaps squash, tomatoes, or cucumbers? Get all you can carry at market this week. Many farmers will have done a final summer crop harvest ahead of this week's first frost of the season, so this Saturday will be your last chance get 'em.

How to Make it: Roasted Potatoes. These are neither McDonalds Fries, nor your basic baked and loaded russet. Many local vendors will sell smaller potatoes in a variety of flavors and colors: purple, red, and yellow. These local spuds are tender, sweet, full of flavor, and ready to change your opinion of this amazing vegetable. They are also incredibly easy to prepare.

Buy a variety of potatoes and cut them into bite sized pieces. Toss with a generous pour of olive oil, and grind salt and pepper on top. If you have favorite herbs, like rosemary or oregano, you can play with those as well. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the edges are crispy and golden brown. Serve hot.

When and Where:
Saturday - Boulder, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 13th St. between Arapahoe Ave. and Canyon Blvd
Denver, Union Station, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1701 Wynkoop St.
Longmont, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 9595 Nelson Rd.

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Photo credit: Mara Abbott/Patch