Fresh!

Fresh local eggs in various
colors and sizes.

One of the nicest things about living in Colorado is the easy access to fresh and organic produce, meat and eggs.  Farms and ranches surround us.

I pass sheep, horses, cows, pigs and llamas in my travels almost every time I venture out.  Just the other day I had to stop my car because a turkey was crossing the road!

There is a permanent farm stand just down the street from us, and other make-shift stands pop up all the time when local farmers have extra fruit and vegetables on their hands.

Farm shares and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) abound here.  A CSA is where you can purchase a share of a farm's production which you receive on a weekly or monthly schedule.  Farmers get funds upfront to cover the cost of seeds, fertilizer, and labor, and investors receive fresh, farm-raised products, as they become available.  It's a terrific deal!

Colorful peppers

My sister loves being a member of her CSA.  She takes it as a personal challenge to come up with new and exciting recipes to utilize the often bumper-crop of produce she receives.  She never knows what will be included in her share, so it is always an adventure in the kitchen.  Deliciously salty kale chips, savory radish pancakes, and mouth-watering eggplant parmigiana are just a few specialties to come out of her kitchen.  I can attest that an invitation to dinner at Ana's house, sampling her latest culinary masterpieces, is always a sensational feast!

CSAs are also available for shares of farm-raised fresh meat, and in addition, the local hunters also sell their excess meat each season, as well.

Many people raise chickens or have cows, so fresh eggs and raw milk and locally produced cheeses, are all around us.  My niece has a coworker who supplies her with farm-fresh eggs whenever she needs them.  We even have a local dairy that still delivers fresh milk and all manner of dairy products (their eggnog is fantastic) right to your doorstep first thing in the morning, if you prefer.  Yes, the iconic milkman still exists!

In addition, we have farmers' markets twice a week while the weather stays temperate, and there are "pick your own" farms to hunt for tasty treasures.

Honey glistening on a cake

A number of people in my neighborhood are beekeepers with thriving hive yards who sell their harvested honey.  They're doing their part to keep the bee population strong and flourishing.

Locally-produced honey is said to help people with allergies build allergens against the local flora that may be keeping them sneezing, so it is a good idea to always buy local honey and use some daily.  I once had a coworker who would gift me squeeze bottles of his honey.  No doubt about it ... Colorado is a nice place to live!

But no matter where you are, you can always access locally-grown fresh farm produce, if you want.  Most cities have seasonal farmers' markets as well, or urban farms, and a drive out to the country is usually an easy enough outing to arrange for a weekend.

Colorful beets!

In Miami, we had a number of farms and ranches close by, as well.  There were strawberry "you pick 'em" fields, and many people (us included) had mangos, papayas, bananas, avocados, and all kinds of produce growing in their own backyards! 

It's nice to live in place where fresh produce abounds.  Our Colorado peaches and sweet Olathe corn are hard to beat!  We have fresh, locally-grown food all around us, all available in season ... and eating with the seasons is the most healthful way to live.

This spring, I'm looking forward to all the planting going on, the fresh foods and produce that are already available, and more to come in the months ahead of us!  Happy spring!