Time To Say Goodbye

At least for now, probably for good. When I started this blog in 2009, I never expected I'd still be writing it now. 3500 posts later, here I still am. I'm a bit of an info-junkie, loving to find good info and share it with others, but looking for new content for just about every day is starting to feel a bit like a prison. Plus, the methods for finding that content have changed remarkably in these past six years, and not necessarily for the better from the perspective of writing this blog. Initially, stores faithfully kept calendars of events on their websites where I could quickly look for ideas. Whole Foods hasn't maintained its local web calendars for at least two or three years, migrating instead to media like Facebook, where I have to chase them down. And now there's another shift, with the stores putting specials out on their own apps, yet another place to chase. So what was at first fun is now becoming somewhat tiresome, and I do think I deserve a break from this.

To those wonderful people who have been following these writings, thank you with all my heart. (And a very special thank you to you, Ms. A.!) Maybe I just need a rest, then the info-junkie will take back over and get me going again. But for now, I'm really looking forward to spending less time with my fingers on a keyboard.

P.S. Don't forget all the free breakfast stations on Bike to Work Day coming up quickly this Wednesday, the 22nd. Haven't had a chance to do a post on that, but I can already see my fingers might itch to get back into writing after a rest.

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

A rather toasty day today, so probably best to get to the Boulder Farmers' Market before the temperature gets too high. And what reasons to do so on this last weekend officially falling in spring before the solstice - sugar snap peas and garlic scapes have arrived! With a short season for both, carpe diem. Here's what the Market says you can expect to find today:

Fresh at the Market this Week:  garlic scapes, peonies, snap peas, collards, turnips, cherries, spicy greens, radishes, rhubarb, strawberries, spinach, mint, arugula, kale, Swiss chard, green garlic, lettuce, bok choy, micro-greens, edible flowers & hanging baskets

Weekend Plus Copper River

Once again, it looks like our local Whole Foods stores aren't planning any particular sales for the weekend, at least that they've posted yet (although their weeklong steak sale is enough to lure anyone in anyway, see Wednesay's post for that). As for the current state of fresh Copper River salmon fillets, yesterday at the Sprouts on Arapahoe I saw them for $15.99 a pound. At Whole Foods yesterday, they'd dropped a whopping $1 to $28.99 a pound, although they were indeed beautiful, basically ready for their photo shoot. And as mentioned Wednesday, King Soopers is advertising them this week for $14.99 a pound, club price.

This Week's Red Wagon CSA

Always exciting to see what new produce emerges as the spring, now nearly summer, season progresses. Snap peas and garlic scapes this week from my Red Wagon Organic Farm CSA! Always a good indicator too for what you'll see at the Boulder Farmers' Market. Here's what Red Wagon says about this week's CSA (and what is a Salanova? - Red Wagon is educational too):

CSA week 4, here is what we hope to bring you:

Regular Share
-Hakurei Turnips
-Garlic Scapes
-Spring Onions
-Sugar Snap Peas
-CHOICE: Lettuce OR Spinach
-CHOICE: Kale OR Collards OR Chard

Large Share Additions
-Extra Sugar Snap Peas
-Salanova Head Lettuce
-CHOICE: Mint OR Dill OR Cilantro

Bike Ride, Farm Tour and Lunch

An event is coming up on June 26th featuring two of my favorite, and easily confused, entities, Cured, the fabulous local downtown shop of fine cheeses, wine and other delicacies, and Cure, the organic farm at 75th and Valmont. It's pretty pricey but takes up most of the day. Here are the details from Cured:

Pro Peloton + Cured Ride, Farm Tour and Lunch Ride: Saturday June 26^th9am-3pm: Join Pro Peloton’s owner, cyclocross ninja and all around bicycle guru Brandon Dwight and Cured’s ex-Tour de France cyclist turned cheese and wine consumption expert Will Frischkorn for a supported 2.5 hour ride in the foothills of Boulder.  After your ride, enjoy a guided rose tasting, farm tour and catered picnic at Boulder’s Cure Organic Farm.  We will meet at the NEW Pro-Peloton (2516 Broadway) for a 9 am departure and will plan on being back in town at around 3:00. Cost is $148 per person and space is limited to 20 participants. You can purchase tickets on the website by clicking HERE!! 

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores. Here's what's looking good to me now.

Sprouts will do another 72 hour sale this Friday through Sunday, but the only items particularly appealing to me are previously frozen 16/20 count farmed shrimp for $6.99 a pound, quinoa (white or tri-color) $1.99 a pound, and raw almonds $3.99 a pound. I don't eat conventional strawberries, but those will be just 98 cents for a one pound package.

In Sprouts' regular sale starting today through June 22, I'm liking bone-in New York steaks at $6.99 a pound (everybody's advertising things for the grill for Father's Day), their own stuffed chicken breasts $2.99 a pound (boneless skinless ones also that price), whole or split fresh chickens $1.69 a pound, stew beef okay at $4.99 a pound, and boneless pork loin chops or St. Louis spare ribs $3.99 a pound. And if you don't want to break out the grill for dad, they have fully cooked full 22 ounce racks of baby back ribs for $11.99 each. In fish, previously frozen five ounce lobster tails are $5.99 each for a surf  'n turf on the grill for dad, and previously frozen wild jumbo sea scallops are $10.99 a pound, but I'd avoid the halibut or farmed salmon sold in portions if you do the math to make it per pound. They aren't advertising Copper River salmon, but I saw it at $15.99 a pound a few days ago, would hope it might be the same or lower. King Soopers is advertising Copper River for $14.99 a pound with card, while Safeway only says it is "available."

In organic produce at Sprouts, mini sweet peppers are $1.98 a pint, and they are great on the grill, while the rest is fruit: yellow peaches $1.98 a pound, red or green seedless grapes $1.98 a pound, and various sized strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries all $2.98 a container. Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking bulk coffee at $6.99 a pound (actually loving that one, and it includes organic), and the rest of the sale primarily emphasizes Sprouts' own brand in every department.

I know Whole Foods simply must have a new sale starting today, but as of this fairly early morning writing, the Pearl Street website is still listing the sales that ended yesterday. I'll check again on that later today, when new stuff surely will be up.

Update - so Whole Foods did finally update its sales post sometime this morning. For the sale running through June 21st, the stunner is their exceedingly fine boneless beef ribeye steaks for just $10.99 a pound, $9 off. If you are looking for brined meats for the grill, bone-in split chicken breasts are $3.99 a pound, and classic brined pork chops are $5.99 a pound. Organic strawberries are $2.99 for a one pound package, basically matching Sprouts. Also looking good are Cilegine mozzarella at $2.99 for eight ounces (caprese time!), Farmers Market potato salad in prepared foods at $6.99 a pound as an easy cheat for that bbq menu, and with all that time possibly outside this weekend (although it's going to be HOT!), some four ounce Alba Botanica sunscreens are $7.99 each. And maybe with that heat you'll want some Talenti gelato or sorbetto at $3.50 each.

Dine Out For Wildlife

Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, that wonderful organization that cares for injured or orphaned wildlife, will receive support from another Dine Out for Wildlife on June 21st. Here are the details from Greenwood:

DINE OUT FOR WILDLIFE 

TUESDAY, JUNE 21

Join us at the Boulder location of Potbelly's Sandwich Shop from 5-8 pm Tuesday, June 21. 25% of the proceeds go to Greenwood. Every toasty warm sandwich on the menu is made to order, and they have great salads too! 

Corn Running Late This Year?

I encountered one of the Munson family yesterday and couldn't resist asking how the corn was coming along this year. She replied that with such a cold spring, it looks like it's going to be a little late this year. If I remember correctly, she said last year the Munson farm stand opened on July 20th. Patience, waiting for fabulous local corn.

Lucky's One-Day Supplement Sale

In all this sadness, it seems positively silly to be writing this, but this Wednesday the 15th, all supplements will be 30% off at the Lucky's Markets in both Boulder and Longmont.

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

It's a beautiful morning to enjoy today's Boulder Farmers' Market, before temps reach the 90s this afternoon. Here's the lovely spring produce (fruit!) the Market says you can expect to find:

Fresh at the Market this Week: 
turnips, cherries, spicy greens, radishes, rhubarb, strawberries, spinach, mint, arugula, kale, Swiss chard, green garlic, lettuce, bok choy, micro-greens, peonies & hanging baskets. coming soon: snap peas