SIBLING RIVALRY

Boulder County’s roomiest, most family-friendly farmers market is actually in Longmont

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

Standing at his booth handing out tasty samples, a vendor at the Longmont Farmers Market leans forward and confides conspiratorially:

“Actually, Longmont is a better market experience than Boulder,” he says. “Here, everything’s easier for the vendors and the shoppers. There’s much more room, so you can breathe. People seem a little nicer.”

The farmer didn’t want to be identified because he also happily sells at the Boulder Farmers Market. Perhaps he was also ambivalent about the “secret” being discovered.

Despite being only 15 minutes or so from Boulder, the long-running Longmont Farmers Market is an afterthought for most local shoppers. Ask folks and they assume since both markets are operated by the same organization, Longmont is just the Boulder market’s less-hip sibling.

“Longmont is very different from Boulder,” says Ann Mattson, manager of the Longmont Farmers Market. “This is a classic community market where people bring families, kids, friends and visiting relatives. A lot of them spend a few hours here and have a picnic.”

Early on a recent Saturday in Longmont, bread and pastry lovers lined up at Styria Bakery, XLVII’s Bakery, Hinman Pie and Izzio Artisan Bakery.

These baked goodies were made to pair with local cheeses from Moon Hill Dairy (which makes a fine camembert), new-kid-at-the-market Westcliffe Cheese Co. (goat chevre and feta, hot cheese curds), Five Freedoms Dairy and, occasionally, Colorado Farmhouse Cheese.

“Longmont serves a different population. This [location] is more accessible for seniors and those with disabilities,” Mattson says. On any given Saturday, about 75 vendors are selling everything from wool and mushrooms to tempeh, corn chips and granola. Many of the stands are unique to the Longmont event, including a rotation of guest vendors.

As in Boulder, the Longmont market is a local grower-focused enterprise. Hence, you won’t find any pineapples here.

The site at the Boulder County Fairgrounds was built to host the Longmont Farmers Market. Two shopping walkways intersect at a main crossroads that features shade, seating, live music and, naturally, hula hooping near the food court.

The spacious layout means that this market never seems claustrophobic, even when abuzz with families.

“The advantage here is you really get to talk to the farmers about what they grow and how to serve it,” Mattson says. “The growers come for the community as much as the shoppers.”

Arriving at the Longmont Farmers Market early on a sunny Saturday morning, it’s obvious this is a separate reality. First, a huge parking lot right next to the vendors is a big convenience factor for the vast majority of locals who shop using their cars. (Yes, the location is friendly to bikers, pedestrians and mass transit, too.)

The expanding grower roster includes familiar names like Off Beet, Aspen Moon, Black Cat and Miller farms as well as Longmontonly sellers like Honeyacre’s greenhouse, and Kelly Jean’s Microgreens.

One familiar face in Longmont is Karim Amirfathi, owner of Altan Alma Farm who formerly operated Cafe Rumi on North Broadway in Boulder. His original farm in Louisville was burned in the Marshall Fire, but he now grows at a rented field. He offers an unusual array of therapeutic herb plants and products, including Szechuan button, a sense-dazzling edible flower. He also grows ashwagandha and gotu kola plants. An expert arborist, Amirfathi sells ready-to-plant trees he grafted.

Longmont also showcases a lot of locally raised eggs and meats from Rough & Ready Farm, Platteville’s Blue Sky Farm and Boulder Better Wagyu, which sells fat-marbled ribeye steaks. Discover the joy of artisan beef jerky sticks at Boulder Beef. The vendor lineup changes through the season as the state’s fruit crop comes in and the biggies — corn, tomatoes and melons — are ripe in the hot summer fields. One wing of the Longmont Farmers Market is a full food court with unique offerings from Baba & Pops Pierogi, Rev’s Ribs, La Esmeralda, Momo House and more. Adult beverages are available nearby from Longmont’s St. Vrain Cidery and Abbott & Wallace Distilling.

Is the Longmont Market better than its Boulder sister? Call it a case of farmers market sibling rivalry but it really depends on how you like your local farm-focused shopping experience: urban or slightly more rural.

“The first time that people from Boulder shop at this market they always say: ‘I didn’t know this was here. This is different!’” Mattson says.

TASTE OF THE WEEK:

OMG BREAKFAST WRAPS

One compelling reason to visit the Longmont Farmers Market is the opportunity to sample the spectacular fare at Rising Tiger, chef Devin Keopraphay’s AsianAmerican catering booth. It’s hard not to gush about his scallion pancake breakfast wraps. He fills savory rice flour crepes with eggs, meat or smoked tofu and cheese with a smear of chili-garlic crisp. The booth also dishes a rare sweet treat: warm, fish-shaped taiyaki rice waffles stuffed with creamy custard filling. It’s perfect paired with a cup from Longmont-roasted Fair Isle Coffee.