Tuesday, June 30, 2015

4th Of July Coming Up Quickly

If it's the last day of June already, we're not far from a long weekend full of grilling. For some new ideas, here are a few guides to help you out: Fourth of July Feasts from Epicurious, Stars and Stripes and Fried Chicken from Bon Appetit, Fourth of July from Food & Wine magazine, and Summer Grilling Guide from Saveur.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Swordfish Heads Up

For fans of really fine swordfish, a heads up that Whole Foods' current sale at $16.99 a pound ($5 off their usual price) runs only through tomorrow. I certainly have indulged in my share of nice fresh swordfish recently.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Water And Farms Film Tomorrow

With the extreme drought in California, this is something we all should be thinking about. Here's what the Boulder Farmers' Market says about a film that will be screened tomorrow at the Boulder Public Library:

Monday, June 296:00 - 8:00 pm
Film Screening: The Fight for Water: a Farmer Worker Struggle, Boulder Public Library's Canyon Theater
When an environmental ruling shut the water pumps to a region of the California Central Valley, a community of valley farmers and their farm workers stage a march across the California Central Valley in order to fight for their water.  This will be followed by a larger discussion on water scarcity, rights, use and policies. Entrance free. Please RSVP on Eventbrite. This series, a partnership between BCFM, CSU Extension, and FAIR, aims to dive deeper into the everyday life of Boulder County farmers and uncover the beauty and challenges of the craft. Understanding these realities of our food help us know how we can take an active role in decisions impacting our food systems. Events will include monthly panels, film screenings and farm tours that shed light on the most pressing matters of agriculture. Don't forget to sign up for Boulder County Ag Tours, held monthly throughout the summer, to the set the scene for these discussions and screenings.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Natural Grocers Adds Instacart Delivery

Natural Grocers (aka Vitamin Cottage) earlier this week added the option of ordering your groceries to be delivered via Instacart, something also available from Whole Foods. Here's a part of their announcement:

Natural Grocers in Partnership With Instacart to Offer Grocery Delivery
Delivery in Boulder begins today, Tuesday, June 23
BOULDER – June 23, 2015  Instacart (www.instacart.com), the fast-growing grocery delivery service whose Personal Shoppers hand pick and deliver items from trusted local stores, has partnered with Natural Grocers to provide grocery delivery services to customers in Boulder in as little as one hour. Delivery to Boulder area residents and businesses begins today, Tuesday, June 23.

Natural Grocers will be the sixth Boulder-area grocery store offering delivery service through Instacart. 


Customers can choose from the full selection of Natural Grocers’ local, natural and organic products on the Instacart marketplace. In addition to offering only USDA Certified Organic fresh produce and natural and organic grocery items, customers can find a large selection of body care products and dietary supplements.

“We’re excited to offer Instacart delivery to our customers in Boulder because it is a perfect reflection of the health-conscious consumers we have in Colorado,” said Kemper Isely, co-president of Natural Grocers. “Our partnership with Instacart comes with the added convenience of same-day delivery to a home or office – which is especially valuable to our customers who are busy and don’t have time to make it into our store.”

Customers can place orders online or through Instacart’s iOS and Android apps. Instacart Personal Shoppers receive orders on their smartphone, handpick the items at Natural Grocers and then make the delivery.

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

What a gorgeous Boulder morning for today's Farmers' Market. Here's what the Market says you can expect to find (not listed below, but I have fava beans from Thursday's CSA pickup that are going on the grill tonight, grilling seemingly being the latest thing to do with them):

In Season This Week 

cherries, strawberries, sugar snap peas, kale, summer squash, carrots, beets, green garlic, turnips, Swiss chard, garlic scapes, arugula, spring onions, mizuna, spinach, lettuce, bok choy, spicy greens, greenhouse tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers, cilantro, thyme, fennel, chives, and mint. Fresh cut flowers include lilies, sweet peas, and Canterbury bells. All season long, you will find honey, bread, baked goods, eggs, beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, locally-made cheeses, preserves, and mushrooms. 

Friday, June 26, 2015

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

For today through Sunday, our Boulder Whole Foods stores will offer us a trio of special sales. I've yet to try this particular crostada, but if the one they make with blackberries and blueberries is any indication, it will be terrific. Here's what they say:

Jun 26-28th
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

GT'S KOMBUCHA

2 FOR $4
Jun 26-28th
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

ALL PROTEIN POWDER

25% OFF
$2.00
OFF
Jun 26-28th
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

RASPBERRY PEACH CROSTADA

$6.99 EA

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Four-Day Sale At Alfalfa's

Just saw some nice four-day specials from Alfalfa's on Facebook, lasting from today through Sunday. $14.99 a pound is an excellent price specifically for Copper River salmon, and BOGO on their pizzas is great. Since they don't specify, I'd think this is at both stores. Here's what they say:

4-DAY SALE! Thursday - Sunday
SAVE $10/lb on COPPER RIVER Sockeye Salmon @ $14.99/lb
BOGO hot fresh PIZZA
Palisade Cherries ONLY $4.99/lb
ORGANIC strawberries $2.99/lb ...
Eat well and save! ‪#‎communitymarket‬ ‪#‎trulylocal‬

See More

Alfalfa's Birthday Party Saturday

The Alfalfa's in Louisville will be throwing a birthday party this Saturday, the 27th, from 3 to 6 pm. They promise "tons of free samples, music, free face paint, free massage, $5 burgers."

New Sale At Sprouts

Since I didn't have time to get to it yesterday, here's a quick rundown on the new sale at our Boulder Sprouts stores that runs through July 1st. I'm particularly liking fresh wild Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets for $9.99 a pound (they're $8.99 with card at Safeway if you happen to be going in that direction). Previously frozen Alaskan cod is $7.99 a pound, value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts are $1.88 a pound, three types of chicken sausage are $3.99 a pound, and fresh ground chicken or ground pork are both $2.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, red Delicious apples are just 48 cents a pound, red or green grapes are $2.50 a pound, and various sizes of strawberries, blueberries or blackberries are all $2.98 a container (one pound for those strawberries). Elsewhere in the store, Green Mountain Creamery yogurts are $1 each (my new faves at 110 calories each), Blue Diamond Nut Thins are at a stock up price at $2 a box, some Annie's Naturals dressings are $2 a bottle, and 11 ounce bags (that should be pretty big) of Late July organic tortilla chips are $2.50 each. There's also a 72 hour sale for Friday through Sunday that includes big 16/20 count raw ez peel shrimp for $6.99 a pound, conventional pineapples 88 cents each, and 24-packs of Arrowhead water for $2.99.

Whole Foods Overcharging?

There has been a flurry of news reports in the last few hours about a report evidently indicating Whole Foods is overcharging on the weight of prepackaged items, which the company is vigorously denying. Just Google it, or read coverage from the New York Times here (NYC was the epicenter of the study) or from NPR here.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (Sort Of)

We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores, while the current ones continue at Whole Foods through June 30th, and at Vitamin Cottage through July 11th. Apologies that today is just too busy for me to get to the Sprouts sale, but you can view the flyer by using the "find my flyer" feature at the Sprouts website. I covered the Whole Foods sale here, and Vitamin Cottage here. Hope to be back to it shortly. And don't forget Bike to Work day today!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Farmers' Market Kale Festival

Okay, so it's the subject of an increasing number of jokes nationally, but I think Boulderites still rightly love their kale. So the Kale Festival tomorrow night at the downtown Boulder Farmers' Market should be just the thing to enjoy. Here's what the Market says:

Wednesday, June 244pm - 8pm
Kale Festival at the Boulder Farmers Market, 13th St. between Canyon & Arapahoe
Join us at the Boulder Farmers Market to celebrate one of our very favorite greens! Join in the festivities: taste ten varieties of kale, visit Kale University, learn how to prepare different types of kale with Escoffier Culinary School, build a Kale MadLib, try different kale dishes for dinner, dance to live music, and enjoy craft beer pairings from a local brewery. We will have several free kid's activities, so bring the whole family! Bonus points if you ride your bike over from work in honor of Bike to Work Day. 

Monday, June 22, 2015

Quest For Perfect Pepper Grinder Continues

Sorry to continue my grouse about the difficulty of finding the perfect pepper mill for kitchen use, but here goes. As previously related, I did have the perfect one, able to grind anything from very fine to a good coarse crack, even though it was a little acrylic thing given to me in a wedding shower and looked to be as inexpensive as they come. After years of fine service, that wonder finally cracked its own self, and my quest began. Peugeot has a reputation for being the finest, and they've long been on my dining table, but I hadn't employed them in the kitchen, where my use is more demanding. I even checked at the hallowed E.Dehillerin, Julia Child's cooking store of choice, while in Paris, where I was told I should only use Peugeot. But trying it out in the kitchen, I found I just couldn't get the range of grinds I was looking for.

Since my original perfect mill appeared to be quite cheap, I tried going less expensive than Peugeot, experimenting with the acrylic from Cole & Mason (for use by the cooktop, I think acrylic is a much better choice than wood). The Cole & Mason in fact proved excellent for a medium to coarse grind, giving me everything I usually was looking for in the kitchen (plus fine grind from the Peugeot on the table). But alas, the Cole & Mason irreparably broke after only a few months use. Thinking it possibly a fluke and having been so pleased with its performance, I bought another one, but am sad to report that yet again, that broke in just a few months.

In a trip to Peppercorn, I found that for my uses I was again looking primarily at Peugeot and Cole & Mason. Since Peugeot now offers an acrylic version, better suited to sitting by the olive oil splashing from my stove, I bought that one with fingers crossed. And the preliminary results are indeed promising. That mill is giving me a much better grinding range than the older wood Peugeots on the dining table. Maybe I've found the perfect pepper mill for kitchen use yet again!

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Farm Bus Tour

Happy Father's Day plus summer solstice all in one! Looking ahead, if you're really into it (as I am after visiting Red Wagon Organic Farm last month), Boulder County Parks and Rec will be offering a bus tour of local farms for just $5 this coming Tuesday evening, the 23rd, details at the Parks and Rec site.

Saturday, June 20, 2015

The Kitchen Teaches Seasonal Cooking

Beloved restaurant The Kitchen will be at the downtown Boulder Farmers' Market this morning to demo seasonal cooking, from 10 to 11 am. The Farmers' Market is certainly ramping up what was already pretty darned good. Here's what they say:

Boulder Farmers Market Partners with The Kitchen to Teach Seasonal Cooking 

Come down to the Boulder Farmers Market next weekend for its first seasonal cooking demonstration on Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., in partnership with The Kitchen family of restaurants. The partnership aims to showcase the high quality local foods available at the market, educate customers about how to prepare in-season produce, showcase chefs who are utilizing local food, and provide a fun and entertaining program at the Farmers Market.

Hugo Matheson, chef and co-founder of The Kitchen, says, "Partnering with the Boulder County Farmers Markets chef demo program is a great opportunity for us to connect not just with local farmers, but also with local chefs. The culinary community is such a vibrant and important piece of Boulder, and we're excited the market has created this platform for chefs to demonstrate how cooking with local and seasonal ingredients are easy to use and delicious."

The cooking demos will run weekly from June 20 through Sept. 3, and will feature chefs from The Kitchen as well as other local restaurants and culinary schools. The Kitchen's executive chef, Kyle Mendenhall, will kick off the program next weekend. We're excited to celebrate seasonal eating with you!

Friday, June 19, 2015

Red Wagon's Offerings This Week

Here's what my valiant Red Wagon Organic Farm is offering in the CSA this week, always a good indicator of what you'll find at tomorrow's Boulder Farmers' Market. "Grilling fava beans" sound intriguing. From Red Wagon:

We’re missing the sun a little, oh well.  It’s week 5, and this week we hope to bring you:IMG_0202
Regular Share
-Garlic Scapes
-Hakurei Turnips
-Baby Walla Walla Onions
-Choice: Lettuce OR Braising Mix OR Arugula
-Choice: Kale OR Collards
-Choice: Mixed Herb Bunch OR Mint OR Cilantro
Large Share Additions
-Grilling Fava Beans
-Strawberries

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

For tomorrow through Sunday, our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a sextet of special sales. The fresh salmon steaks look great at $8.99 a pound, and I wonder what the heck a Tomahawk steak is. Here's what they say:



Jun 19-21st
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

TOMAHAWK STEAKS

$16.99/LB
$3.00
OFF
Jun 19-21st
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

FRESH SALMON STEAKS

$8.99/LB
$1.00
OFF
Jun 19-21st
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

WHOLE FOODS MARKET POTATO SALAD 2LB VALUE PACK

$8.99 EA
$1.50
OFF
Jun 19-21st
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

EUROCLASSICS BRIOCHE HAMBURGER BUNS 6 PK

$3.99 EA
$4.00
OFF
Jun 19-21st
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

UNIEKAAS PARRANO

$12.99/LB
Jun 19-21st
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

FEELGOODZ FLIP FLOPS

40% OFF

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

For tomorrow only, the 19th, Whole Trade jubilee bouquets will be BOGO, saving you $10. Celebrate the return of sun (and heat!) with some flowers.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores, while the current one continues at Vitamin Cottage through July 11th (look a ways below for that post). Here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through June 24th, it's salmon-lovers' season, with fresh wild Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets just $9.99 a pound (although if you specifically want Copper River, look to the post just below about Safeway's price). Baby back pork ribs are $2.99 a pound, boneless ribeyes are $10.99 a pound (think grilling for Father's Day for both of those), whole or split chickens are $1.69 a pound, chicken brats (pork also) are $3.99 a pound, ground chicken breast is $3.99 a pound, Rosie organic whole chickens are $2.99 a pound, huge 13/15 count raw ez peel shrimp are $9.99 a pound, and stuffed clams, scallops or crabs are all $1.50 each (previously frozen for the shrimp and stuffed shellfish).

In organic produce at Sprouts, containers of strawberries, blueberries or raspberries are all $2.88 each (one pound for the strawberries, six ounces for the others), grape tomatoes are $1.98 a pint, green curly kale is just 98 cents a bunch, and red, green or black grapes are $2.98 a pound. Elsewhere in the store, the big emphasis is on Sprouts' own brand, with specials in dairy, frozen, grocery, vitamins and body care, everywhere. Also, the ad I received (hope it's the same with the ones in the store) has a coupon on the front for $5 off a $30 purchase through the 24th.

At Whole Foods through June 30th, I'm liking their poblano pepper jack salmon burgers $3.99 each, absolutely loving fresh swordfish steaks $16.99 a pound (I see lots of swordfish in my immediate future), and boneless pork country style ribs (shoulder steaks also) are $3.99 a pound. Belgioioso burrata and burrata ovoline are $4.99 each, although the size isn't specified in the ad, and some Alba Botanica sunscreens are $3 off at $7.99 each. Not much else is calling directly to me, but all I really need is that swordfish.

Fresh Wild Salmon Price Wars

This is the season for salmon lovers. Safeway today is continuing to advertise fresh Copper River for $9.99 a pound (with card). Sprouts, which had Copper River for $12.99 a pound through today, is now switching to unspecified wild Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets for $9.99 a pound through next Wednesday. (That's the usual progression, Copper River first, then on to others.) Last time I checked, which was only a couple of days ago, Copper was still $24.99 a pound at Whole Foods.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Father's Day Sunday

Father's Day is coming up this Sunday, plus the summer solstice too. Father's Day isn't really a big culinary holiday, unless you're trying to take over the grill for him. (Maybe buy him a new grill.) If so, here's a reminder of some grilling guides I've previously posted.

Monday, June 15, 2015

National Lobster Day Today

Oh how I missed planning for this one. Today is National Lobster Day. No specials that I see in the sales at the moment, but I think I'll make up for missing it by eating some later this week.

Bike To Work Day Coming Up

Time to start making your plan with Bike to Work Day coming up on Wednesday the 24th, a little more than a week away. The free breakfast stations still seem to be the big draw, but other options are creeping in for the ride home, too. You can search all the options for the whole metro area at the Bike to Work site, and go to their home page if you'd like to register as well.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Good beautiful Boulder morning with the sun shining brightly! Enjoy the spring produce and thank a farmer for slogging through the mud, or even planting at all, by supporting them at the Boulder Farmers' Market today. Here's what you can expect to find, and I love the appearance of those curly garlic scapes, got some in my CSA this week, plus they are awesomely delicious. From the Market:


In Season This Week 

plant starts, peonies, cherries, kale, green garlic, radishes, strawberries, turnips, Swiss chard, garlic scapes, arugula, spring onions, mizuna, spinach, lettuce, green shallots, bok choy, spicy greens, greenhouse tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers, cilantro, thyme, fennel, chives, and mint. All season long, you will find honey, bread, baked goods, eggs, beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, locally-made cheeses, preserves, and mushrooms. 

Friday, June 12, 2015

This Week's CSA Pickup

Here's what my absolutely amazing Red Wagon Organic Farm managed to pull through for this week's CSA pickup, despite the horrible challenges facing local farmers this spring. Doing their open house for the CSA through the mud a few weeks ago, plus a blog post they recently did, are vivid reminders of how hard these folks work in so many ways to bring us the fabulous food we might tend to take for granted at the Boulder Farmers' Market. Guys and gals, every one of you is great!!!!


This week we hope to bring you the following:

Regular Share
-Pea Shoots
-Hakurei Turnips
-Choice: Garlic Scapes OR Onions
-Choice: Lettuce OR Braising Mix
-Choice: Kale OR Bok Choi OR Mustard Greens
-Choice: Mixed Herb Bunch OR Mint OR Garlic Chives OR Cilantro OR Lovage

Large Share Additions
-Garlic Scapes AND Onions
-Extra Choice: Lettuce OR Braising Mix
-Extra Choice: Kale OR Bok Choi OR Mustard Greens


Thursday, June 11, 2015

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

For tomorrow through Sunday, our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo of special sales, and I can testify that air-chilled organic chicken is worth seeking out. Here's what they say:

Jun 12-14th
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

BELGIOIOSO'S FRESH MARINATED MOZZARELLA (8OZ VARIETIES)

2 FOR $8
$1.60
OFF
Jun 12-14th
:: THREE DAY SALE ::

AIR CHILLED ORGANIC WHOLE CHICKEN BY PINE MANOR

$2.29/LB

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Cherry Sale At Whole Foods

Tis the time for spring fruit. For a full two weeks, today through June 23rd, Whole Foods will have cherries on sale, $4.98 a pound for organic, $3.98 for conventionals.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

I feel I need go no farther than the post just below about fresh Copper River salmon for $9.99 a pound. However, we have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores (including their own pretty darned good Copper River sale), while the current one continues at Whole Foods through June 16th (look way down for that one), and at Vitamin Cottage through July 11th (look a couple of posts below for that). Here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through June 17th, fresh Copper River sockeye salmon fillets are great at $12.99 a pound, but even better at Safeway's $9.99.  Boneless skinless chicken breasts (thighs also) are $1.99 a pound, their very good stuffed chicken breasts are $2.99 a pound, center cut pork loin chops are also $2.99 a pound, and fresh ground chicken is yet again $2.99 a pound. All fresh chicken sausage (pork also) is $3.99 a pound, and previously frozen Alaskan cod fillets or 21/25 count raw ez peel shrimp are both $7.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, on the vine cluster tomatoes are fantastic at 98 cents a pound, red, green or black grapes are $2.98 a pound, and strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries are all $2.98 for their respective containers (one pound for the strawberries). Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking all Amy's products at 30% off, Kettle chips 99 cents a five ounce bag, Chobani Greek yogurts 99 cents each, Muir Glen organic tomatoes $1.25 for the 15-ish ounce size, Maranatha creamy peanut butter $4.99 a one pound jar, and some Ezekiel 4:9 breads $3.99 a loaf.

Copper River $9.99 At Safeway

I rarely shop at Safeway, but when they do this sort of lure in, I'll go. Safeway is advertising fresh Copper River sockeye salmon fillets for just $9.99 a pound this week, through Tuesday the 16th, with club card. It's $19.99 a pound last I saw at Alfalfa's, and last I checked on Monday, $24.99 a pound at Whole Foods, just reduced from $29.99.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

New Sale At Vitamin Cottage

There's a new sale at Vitamin Cottage, lasting all the way through July 11th, and I persisted in circling the parking lot until I was able to get a space to pick up the flyer. It's not the lowest price ever, but good to know that organic on the vine tomatoes will be consistently available for $2.29 a pound for the next month, and organic red or black plums are $1.99 a pound. Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free sandwich breads are $4.79 instead of $5.99, my favorite Kerrygold Irish butter is $2.99 for an eight ounce bar and their cheese blocks or slices are $3.99 (those Irish make the best dairy products), addictive Lundberg rice chips are $2.29 a six ounce bag and the new line of Late July Clasico tortilla chips is $2.19 for a 5.5 ounce bag. Annie's Naturals organic salad dressings are $2.99 an eight ounce bottle, a price often seen for the natural ones but super for the organics, Spectrum Naturals organic extra virgin olive oil is $10.49 instead of $15.15 for about 25 ounces, Simply Organic grilling seasonings are $1 off at $2.99 a bottle (tis the season), and some drinks are looking good, with Sweet Leaf organic bottled iced teas at 89 cents for 16 ounces, and six-packs of San Pellegrino sparkling juice sodas great at $3.50 each instead of $5.89, although I'll just stick with my usual unsweetened iced tea made at home.

Grange Event In Hygiene

It's so cool that these granges still exist, therefore maybe a good reason to support them. The Altona Grange in Hygiene, which I must admit I haven't yet visited, is holding a fundraiser this Saturday, the 13th, with lots of stuff that should appeal to families, foodies, and history buffs alike. Here are the details provided by the Boulder Farmers' Market:

Saturday, June 13th10:00am - sunset
3rd Annual Home on the Grange Fundraising Event, at the Altona Grange, Hygiene
Join the 117 year-old Altona Grange for this family friendly event with live music, food vendors, a Historical Reenactment from the Buffalo Soldiers, petting zoos, and so much more!  All are welcome to participate.  A silent auction and cakewalk will be held throughout the day. Altona Grange #127 was established in 1891 and is one of 57 active granges in Colorado and one of three in Boulder County. The 117 year old building is still in use amongst the community for events from weddings to town hall meetings.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Clintons And Bono Lunch In Denver Today

Guess I should get into the "big city" near us more often. Bill and Chelsea Clinton and Bono had lunch at Humboldt today, as reported by Eater.

Weekend Grilling Alert

If you like to do some grilling/bbq outside at the end of the week, here's a heads up that this coming weekend is looking abysmal for that, at least from today's perspective. Storms starting to develop Wednesday, then progressing seriously through Sunday. Enjoy today's beautiful forecast to get your grilling in!

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Seeds Library Cafe In Festival

The Cafe in Boulder Public Library, run by the Boulder Farmers' Market will be part of a fun-sounding festival at the library from 1 to 4 pm today, so if you head to the Market before it closes at 2, you can then wander over to the library for more fun. Here's what the Market says:

 Saturday, June 6: 1:00 - 4:00pm
 
Boulder Public Library Summer Festival
 
Join Seeds Library Cafe the library for an afternoon of hands-on activities designed to be nature-inspired, educational, and fun for all ages! Magic show with Erica Sodos, music with Amelie Trio, DJ Drake, and Jeff & Paige. Drum workshops, stilt walking lessons, STEAM activities, Nature Play, photo booth, bubbles, ice-cream and much more with Coder Dojo, CU Science Discovery, CU Museum of Natural History and BMoCA. Most of the events will be outside on the library lawn. Seeds will be popping locally grown popcorn from Aspen Moon Farm for the event. 

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Enjoy what looks to be a beautiful morning and thank a farmer for slogging through this spring by visiting the Boulder Farmers' Market today, 8 to 2 downtown, a little shorter for the one out in Longmont. Here's what the Market says to expect (strawberries, cherries and peonies!):

In Season This Week 

plant starts, green garlic, radishes, asparagus, turnips, kale, rainbow chard, arugula, spring onions, mizuna, spinach, lettuce, green shallots, bok choi, spicy greens, pea shoots, greenhouse tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers, cilantro, thyme, fennel, chives, and mint. All season long, you will find honey, bread, baked goods, eggs, beef, lamb, goat, pork, chicken, locally-made cheeses, preserves, and mushrooms. 

{ new to the market this week: cherries, strawberries and peonies }


Friday, June 5, 2015

Taste Of Louisville Tomorrow

Whew, hope everybody survived last night's crazy weather. My basil pots are sheltering under an overhang long term at this point. In any case, rain or shine (hopefully not hail), the Taste of Louisville will be rocking historic Main Street from 9 am to 4 pm tomorrow, the 6th. They promise "tasty treats, local merchants, crafts, live music & beer, kids entertainment," plus the Louisville Farmer's Market and also a Taste Race at 8 am. I haven't managed to get there for years, but with Louisville's deep Italian roots (something rather rare around here), they at least used to offer some real Italian classics like sausage and pepper grinders. For further details, visit the Louisville Chamber.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Weekend Sales At Whole Foods

Whole Foods is noting a duo of special sales for tomorrow through Sunday. Dr. Bronner's bar soap will be $3 each, and there's a Hemp History Week sale, where it says to see store for details.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Fish News From Alfalfa's

Alfalfa's new sale flyer through June 16th has wild caught swordfish for a very good $15.99 a pound. I just called their fish department, and it is fresh from the Pacific, fished by a domestic company. Also, yesterday they posted this news on Facebook regarding Copper River salmon:

Starting tomorrow, we have Copper River Wild Caught Sockeye Salmon on sale for the amazing price of $19.99/lb! This is an incredible deal. You'll want to pick up this delicious fish before it all swims away... Wednesday – Sunday while supplied last.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores, while the current on continues at Whole Foods through June 16th. There also should be something new happening at Vitamin Cottage that I need to check out, but here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through June 10th, I'm disappointed they don't have an advertised price for fresh wild salmon, so that means you just find what you find in store. (I even checked the ads for King Soopers and Safeway, where I almost never go, and nada for fresh wild.) In any case, this week Sprouts has chicken breast tenders (pork tenderloin also) at $2.99 a pound, whole or split chickens $1.69 a pound (fully cut up a little higher), Rosie organic chicken grill packs $3.49 a pound, boneless New York steaks $9.99 a pound, and there's a Buffalo Stampede with all varieties on sale. Previously frozen mahi mahi fillets, which I suppose would be okay in a fish taco, are $4.99 a pound, and 31/40 count raw shrimp are $8.99 a pound, while 26/30 cooked shrimp are $10.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, yellow peaches or nectarines are $1.98 a pound, table carrots are $2.98 for a five pound bag, Gala or Fuji apples are both $1.50 a pound, and red or green seedless grapes are $2.50 a pound. Elsewhere in the store, I'm really liking their bulk coffee at $6.99 a pound. There's a Sip into Summer sale where a bunch of drinks are half price (I'm noting some nice choices like Izze in the picture), some Tillamook yogurts are 69 cents each, some Voskos Greek yogurts are 99 cents each, some Near East rice or couscous packages are $1.50 each (they make some very nice pilafs), and you can find Seventh Generation hand or dish soaps for $2.50 each.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods

For today only, the 3rd, cucumber avocado rolls will be half off at $2.99 each at our local Whole Foods stores.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Fresh Wild Salmon Update

A reminder that Sprouts has fresh wild Copper River sockeye salmon advertised at $17.99 a pound through Wednesday. However, when I went to get some last Thursday (this was at the Longmont store, don't know if was same in Boulder), they had not received their shipment, so were selling fresh wild king salmon fillets for that same price. Fresh wild king for $17.99 a pound!

Whole Foods has dropped its price on both Copper River and king from $29.99 to $24.99 a pound, but rather chaotically. When I was at the Pearl Street store late yesterday afternoon, both were marked $24.99 in the fish case, but the packaged king behind the dude in TastyTown, where he was sampling it, was all marked $29.99 a pound, with a big sign above it saying same. I pointed out the discrepancy and found it hilarious that for the remainder of my shopping time, kept hearing him announcing over the PA that "king salmon is now $24.99 a pound, $5 less than when you walked in the store!"

Monday, June 1, 2015

Taking The Nettle Challenge

So  my Red Wagon Organic Farm CSA has thrown down the gauntlet right from the get-go, challenging me to try cooking with nettles. (Sure I had the option to take other herbs instead, but why go with the ordinary when you can get nettles?) It looks like tonight will be an experiment with a pizza topped with Taleggio, fontina, pancetta, and of course, nettles. They evidently can't be touched directly when raw, so gloves or tongs are required to blanch them, at which point the "stinging" aspect of them disappears. This will be fun, cooking with a foodstuff that wants badly to hurt me.