Well, this has been one beautiful spring, but boy is she bringing some risks... This past March was the third hottest on record in Colorado and one of the driest of all time to boot. We’re headed into the summer with real concern about drought, with our snowpack currently lower than 50% its usual level. 

Perhaps no one in Colorado feels the risks of hot spring weather quite as much as our fruit growers. Generally our fruit trees blossom in the late spring as warming temperatures trigger trees to put out flowers that are highly susceptible to frosts and freezes on cold nights. Warm spells in the spring can throw off a trees internal timing, and cause blossoms to appear early, when the risk of frost at night is still serious. With this hot March, fruit trees were blossoming three to four weeks early on Colorado’s Western Slope - that leaves a lot of time for dangerous cold nights. 

Earlier this month, I headed out to Paonia to visit with the Kropp brothers to check out the beautiful fruit tree blossoms in the North Fork Valley. As we walked around their orchards, Kris explained that so far this year, they had been lucky. Despite a few potentially devastatingly cold evenings, their trees had miraculously come out with the vast majority of blossoms intact. We strolled through orchard after orchard packed with spectacularly blooming fruit trees. 

And even better was the confirmation that 2012's fruit crop is on pace for a great year. As I confirmed again with Kevin this afternoon, the Kropps are looking at full, abundant crops of cherries, peaches, nectarines, pears, plums and apples.

Of course we aren't out of the woods yet... most growers in Paonia and Hotchkiss count late-May as the safety zone for fruit, and frosts have been recorded as late as June 2. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed that weathers stay warm overnight. With a bit more luck we could be looking at a great fruit year... but who knows yet. There’s lots of danger out there yet for those wily little peaches. 

Walking through fields of peach blossomsNectarine Blossoms up closeChecking peach blossoms for frost damage after a cold night

Participating in a CSA is one of the best ways to support your local farming community. It allows the farms to have the upfront capital they need to fix equipment, buy seeds, hire employees and prepare the soil for this year’s harvest season. As a CSA member, you get to enjoy the best Colorado produce available, every week for the whole harvest season. You’ll be able to cook with seasonal ingredients from the summer through the fall. Finally, we love CSAs that offer events or educational opportunities that bring their CSA members together and help them understand more about the farms. A great CSA is  more than just a great source of local food - it’s a tangible way to become an active contributor to your local food community. We are huge fans of the CSA concept - our team splits a large share every year, and a few of us sign up for shares on our own as well. 

Much like our partner Farmers, we are "planting the seeds" to make this year's harvest season a successful one! As part of our efforts to connect you with the farms that we work with, what better way then to share which farms are taking CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) sign ups right now and where to find them.

Check 'em out!:

Ela Family Farms

Ela Family Farms is located on the Western Slope, but their fruit share CSA offers a great selection of seasonal fruits and is available (for purchase and CSA pick ups) at some of our favorite farmer’s markets across the Front Range. Ela also offers their shares as add-ons to many local veggie shares.

Fossil Creek Farms

Fossil Creek Farms is a small organic farm in Fort Collins with an excellent variety of produce. They offer 4 CSA sizes as well as a working share option. Here is a link to their FAQs to help answer questions you may have: http://www.fossilcreekfarmsllc.com/?page_id=13

Grant Family Farms 

Grant Family Farms offers Colorado’s largest CSA with pickups all across the Front Range. They offer traditional produce CSAs with the option to include local meats, dairy and other local products each week. With year round service and lots of selection, this is a great option for a more customizable CSA. 

Isabelle Farm

Isabelle Farm grows excellent organic produce on Isabelle Road by Lafayette. Their CSA offers a great balance of produce with plenty of delicious tomatoes, peppers and melons in addition to the usual selection of tasty greens and root veggies. CSA pickups are at their farm and at the Boulder Farmers Market!

Bonavida Growers

Bonavida growers, founded in 2009, is one of Boulder’s newest farmers. Tim Quinn founded Bonavida as a fully CSA focused farm. He grows excellent heirloom varieties of all kinds of delicious produce. See more information here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BonaVida-growers/186441561390620

Ollin Farms

Ollin Farms is a very small grower based right near downtown Longmont. They grow an excellent selection of traditional and heirloom variety vegetables. If you sign up for pickup on their farm, you can usually pick up some of their farm fresh eggs, lamb, or homemade tamales as well. 

Oxford Gardens

Oxford Gardens will give any farm in the state a run for their money for the best organic greens and root vegetables in the state. Expect hearty servings of greens, carrots, parsnips, turnips and all kinds of beautiful veggies grown with lots of love and care. Pick ups are at the Wednesday Boulder Farmers Market. 

Red Wagon Organic Farm

Red Wagon Organic Farm grows over 100 varieties of vegetables and herbs. Throughout the season you will get up to 25 varieties of produce each week! Their goal is to find a balance between diversity and familiar foods that make people happy. They have 4 pick-up locations in Boulder, Boulder County and Lafayette.

So go ahead, and sign up  for your CSA with a local farm, you won't regret it.

http://icookyoueatco.blogspot.com/2011/10/mm-local-recipes.html

Full Circle Organic Farms is one of our most valued and important farming partners. Earlier this summer, we had an opportunity to hear from Farm Manager Karen McManus about why working with MM Local helps Full Circle get even more delicious local, organic produce into the stomachs of our Front Range Community!

 Kevin and Kris - better know as "the Kropp Brothers" - are dedicated organic growers who cultivate peaches, apples and pears and other tree fruit in the beautiful orchards of the Gunnison's North Fork around Paonia, Hotchkiss and Cederedge. The Kropps are truly dedicated sustainable farmers and view the protection of sustainable natural resources as a constant inspiration for their work. Family farming - and a commitment to its survival for future generations - is a way of life for Kris and Kevin. Organic farming, for them, meant having an orchard where their kids could play and eat fruit off the ground without worrying about toxic chemicals or fertilizers. Aside from their incredible energy, joy, and kindness Kris and Kevin bring a passion for local food and agriculture that gets us almost as fired up as tasting their orchard-fresh peaches, apples and pears.

We couldn't be more excited to start canning and preserving First Fruits' Pears on Thursday. Thank you Kevin and Kris for the delicious peaches and pears this season!

Here's the photo tour of a Western Slope peach visit: enjoy!

Mt. Sopris on Sunday morning, heading down to McClure PassPast the AspensMoses - MM Local's Chosen truck - sittin pretty on top of McClure Pass... Down to the North Fork Valley to First Fruits!

Arriving at the historic First Fruits Barn right outside of downtown Paonia
All the way to our peaches at First Fruits!MM Local's pears: ripening up in the old barn till they are ready to can. Pears usually spend about 3 weeks off the tree ripening before they are ready to rollAnd even more pears waiting on trees all the way out of townAnd off to Palisade and the Front Range - with Paonia's beautiful mountain backdrop behind us.

Here's what we're looking forward to:

• Eating pie
• The Top Hogs trick pig act
• Judging the pickle competition!
• Cheese: in general
• The Pancake Grill

4 Servings  Ingredients:  

2 fresh cucumbers (seeded and chopped, not peeled)  

1 jar MM Local Tomatoes or Juice  2 fresh red bell peppers (optional)  

1 tablespoon MM Mild Peppers or MM Hot Peppers  

1 tablespoon juice of one lime  1 garlic scapes (use 4 garlic scapes or 2 garlic cloves depending on what's in season)  

1 glove garlic  

1 jar MM Tomato Juice  

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon MM Local Hot or Mild Pepper brine

fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Here's How:

-chop veggies in blender with garlic

-put in large bowland add juice and oil and vinegar

-chill for at least 3 hours

Serve with a yummy bread, I like Udi's German Seeded Rye!

With that in mind, we have been hearing from our Harvest Share members and team members about all kinds of unique ways to reuse MM Local jars. Here's a list of a few...

Storing rice, grains, beans, fresh herbs etc.

Pretty simple this one. Clean, dry, reuse as shown below:

Casual drinking glasses

We've heard this one from lots of folks. But people love drinking out of mason jars. A number of wedding planners have actually sought us out to get jars for just this purpose!

Dressings, Sauces, Etc.

MM Local High Desert Pepper jars are the perfect size for mixing up a quick, fresh salad dressing. Or make a fresh tomato sauce with herbs and spices to your liking and store in your MM Local tomato jar to use another day.

Refrigerator Pickles (including pickled Hard-Boiled Eggs or pickled Cucs and Zucchini)

You can use jars - and the brine from our chiles or beets - to make quick refrigerator pickles. Add whatever you'd like to pickle and store in the fridge for a couple days. Then they are ready to eat. Try pickled hard boiled eggs (an upper-midwest favorite), pickled cukes or pickled squash or zucchini if your garden starts growing faster than your appetite!

Porch Lights, Towel Racks and Light Fixtures

This one might take the cake for creativity. We noticed these on a neighbor's house in the Highland last weekend and were impressed with their crafty design. For more great ideas and tips, check out more jar-home-furnishings here