healthy living
Embrace your inner localvore
Options to help you eat more locally produced food in the winter L e a Hans o n
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he word Localvore is an emerging term that describes the conviction that food grown closer to where you live is not only more nutritious and better tasting, but also less burdensome to the environment than mass-produced food shipped from distant agricultural complexes. While there are clear wins to this practice, there are also losses. One of the most apparent cons to localvorism is choosing to forego some of your favorite foods due to the region in which you live as well as buying within the current season. Practicing localvorism in the warmer months isn’t difficult when one factors in all of the options for farm shares, but in the winter months, the practice can feel much more daunting. Luckily, there are many options in northern Colorado that make localvorism a little easier. Winter Farmers’ Markets • Be Local Winter Farmers’ Market www.belocalnc.org/wintermarkets/
Opera Galleria, Old Town Fort Collins January 11, 18, & 25; February 8, 15 & 22; March 8 & 22; April 5 Winter vegetables and artisan foods including late-season produce. This market features a large number of local growers including Native Hill Farm, Branch Out Cider, Jodar Farms, Donoma Farms, Westbridge Farms, and more. Grocers • Beaver’s Market beaversmarket.com/aboutu/season.php
1100 W. Mountain Ave., Fort Collins Beaver’s buys produce from local growers throughout the year and highlights in-season fruits and vegetables in their store and online along with tasty recipes. Food co-ops • High Plains Food Cooperative
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www.highplainsfood.org
Any person can register as a consumer and have weekly access to local foods and products produced with sustainable practices that demonstrate good stewardship of the environment. Once a member, you can pick up your weekly orders at a local distribution center. The HPFC offers a wide range of products including meat, vegetables, eggs, and more. • Fort Collins Food Co-Operative www.ftcfoodcoop.com/
250 E. Mountain Ave., Fort Collins The Co-op has full grocery, dairy, frozen food, meats, health and beauty, household items, produce and deli departments. All items are handpicked to be the best selection of local, organic and quality products. Throughout the store there is a system of symbols and colors on each label to identify dietary qualities and production methods; a blue label identifies locally grown food. Northern Colorado Distribution Centers: • Laura & Rick Reeser
424 7th Street, Greeley, CO, 80631
• Cozy Cow Dairy,
28607 Weld County Road 17, Windsor, 80550
Direct Purchase Options • Amy & Ellen’s Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Beef www.barncatservices.com/beef/
Reserve a whole, half, or quarter beef raised and butchered just west of Fort Collins. • Craig Angus Ranch www.craigangusranch.com/
Orders can be put in all year and take 60-90 days for delivery. • The Farm at Sunrise Ranch sunriseranch.org/grassfed-beef/
Beef processed a this small, familyowned is available in variety packs as well as per-cut.
• Heart J Beef at the Sylvan Dale Ranch www.heartjbeef.com/
A tradition at Sylvan Dale for more than fifty years, this natural, free-range, grass-fed beef can be ordered by phone or email. • Long Shadow Farm www.longshadowfarm.com/
Chickens, ducks, and turkeys are all free-range and lambs are grass-fed and live with their mothers. All animals are raised free of hormones and antibiotics. • The Old Fence Farm theoldfencefarm.com/
Local source for organic, grass-fed lambs born and humanely raised on the same chemical-free farm for its entire life. • Quatrix http://quatrix.us/
Also offering aquaponically grown vegetables all year round, Quatrix raises tilapia, which are raised, processed, and retailed/wholesaled through various local grocers. • Sun Prairie Natural Beef http://sunprairiebeef.com/
100-percent Grass Fed Beef serving the Front Range and beyond. Pick-up locations exist in Longmont, Loveland, and Fort Collins. • Morning Fresh Dairy www.morningfreshdairy.com/
Offers all-natural milk from locally raised beef with no artificial hormones, pesticides, preservatives, or rGBH. • Windsor Dairy, www.windsordairy.com
Also offering cheese, beef, and pork, the Windsor Dairy is the only licensed, Grade A and organic dairy in Colorado committed to producing raw milk from 100-percent grass-fed beef. • MouCo Cheese Company www.mouco.com/
Opened in 2000, this artisan cheesery produces award-winning sift-ripened cheeses including Camembert, ColoRouge, and Truffelo.