Bounty | Food and Farm Guide | 2021 | Harvest

Harvest Season 2021

LOCAL FOOD AND FARM GUIDE

squash The versatile page 4

Help eliminate

food waste page 2

INSIDE:

YOUR GUIDE TO FARM STANDS AND FARMERS MARKETS HARVEST 2021

|1

Help eliminate food waste Compost, don’t overbuy, eat what you prepare

ARTEMIS BACCARI

F

ood waste, what is food waste? It is the over consumption of uneaten food. Food waste is a global issue affecting not only the environment but also our animals. Food that is not eaten is sent to a landfill. When food piles up it emits greenhouse gasses that are very potent and harm our air. These pollutants make up 8 percent of all greenhouse gasses, and in fact if food waste were a country, it would rank third under the United States and China for global emissions every year. Animals are affected because they are attracted to and eat the poisonous food, which is dangerous for them. Birds will often choke, and other animals will get sick from the mingling of rotten food and plastics. Food waste occurs when people buy or make a large amount of food that goes uneaten and is then thrown away, but there is still hope, and you can help!

WHAT YOU CAN DO

There are many ways that you can help eliminate food waste. They are simple and only take a small amount of time and energy.

2|

HARVEST 2021

First, you can compost. Composting takes the food that would have been thrown away and repurposes it into soil and energy for growing plants.

Don’t overbuy food. Buy only what you need and will eat.

Eat all the food you prepare. Don’t throw out those leftovers! Take them for lunch or reheat them another night.

MARKET SALVAGES FOOD

Another way to help is to shop at Vindeket Market which is located at 1317 Webster Avenue in Fort Collins.

Vindeket is an organization that takes food from grocery stores that would have been thrown out and gives it back to the community. Shoppers can take as much as they would like. It has fresh produce, dairy, breads and other baked goods; it even has a vegan section.

They don’t ask for you to pay, but they appreciate donations. One other cool fact is that Vindeket is composed only of volunteers, and they would love for you to join them. Check out their website at www.vindeketfoods.org.

One thing Vindeket market knows is that expiration dates are fake. Most expirations dates are set by companies and are not even close to the truth.

The dates are often set early so that people will purchase food more often.

This increases a company’s profits, but it also increases food waste.

So another easy way to help is to determine if food is good on your own.

I am a sixth grader and in fifth grade we did a project where we picked a world issue, informed our class, and took action. I choose food waste. When I was researching, I was very surprised and thought that people should be informed of this issue that is affecting many animals, people and the environment. I decided to volunteer at Vindket and write in this magazine so people could help and be aware. Once people are aware they start to wonder about the ways they can help, and then they take action. Thank you for reading this and becoming informed. I hope that you choose to take action.

HARVEST 2021

|3

LISA BOESEN

THE VERSATILE SQUASH

Make delicious soups, salads, main dishes and pies

A

hh. The crispness of the air.

The aspens are golden, and the ash trees are green, red, orange, and yellow—all at the same time. It’s fall here in northern Colorado and all we need is a pumpkin to round out the feeling of autumn and start dreaming of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

But wait. There are so many more options than the traditional carving pumpkin at our disposal. Yes, there is the beautiful pie pumpkin, a.k.a. cucurbita moschata or cucurbita maxima. But pause at any farmer’s market in Larimer, Weld, or Boulder County, and you might get home with a magnificent Cinderella pumpkin, four acorn squash, two butternuts, and a gorgeous delicata squash. So, which are edible and how do you process?

First, squash has a quite fascinating history. A wild vine in Central America, the Norte Chico people began to cultivate it for food, baskets, and utensils. Central American people

4|

HARVEST 2021

wiped out a great majority of their large animal sources which carried the seeds in the wild so cultivating crops became important. The squash family is part of the Central American Three Sisters of farming—squash, beans, and corn. The corn provided support for the beans, while the squash kept the weeds down and kept the water from evaporating.

Interestingly, these three vegetables are also the basis for Southern succotash.

Second, there are two groups of squash.

Summer squash includes zucchini, yellow and pattypan among a few others. The skin is thinner, and they are generally available in the hotter, summer months.

Winter squash varieties have tougher skins, although the newer varieties, such as the delicata and sweet dumpling varieties, have thinner skins which can be eaten when cooked. In addition, all are edible but smaller winter squashes tend to be sweeter than the larger, Cinderella-style pumpkins. A pumpkin is also a type of squash in the Cucurbitaceae family and

preparation is essentially the same, albeit a larger produce item.

CURING AND STORAGE

Winter squash store well, particularly here in Colorado. Feel free to cure it first. Curing winter squash requires about 10 to 14 days of simply letting the squash sit in a warm place with good air circulation and not letting the squash get wet. I’m pretty sure squash at the winter farmers’ market is cured—but always ask.

Curing winter squash—Set it on an elevated rack or mesh frame (a cake cooling rack would work) and let the air circulate.

Storing winter squash—Store at 50 degrees to 55 degrees F with a relative humidity of 50 to 70 percent.

Higher humidity can result in rot. Store cured squash on a shelf or rack, not on the floor. Keep the skins of cured squash dry to prevent the growth of fungi and bacteria.

COOKING AND PREPPING HARD-SKINNED SQUASH (MOSTLY PUMPKINS)

Pressure cooking—If your pressure cooker or Instant Pot is large enough, you can pressure cook a three-pound pie pumpkin whole. Yes, whole. My suggestion is to read and follow the instructions for your specific device but, in general: Place the pumpkin in a steamer basket in the electric pressure cooker (such as an Instant Pot) adding enough water to come to the bottom edge of the basket.

Pressure cook on high for about 15 minutes. Your pumpkin flesh will be a little wetter as it is a steam cooking process so be aware of that in your dish.

Peel, puree your pumpkin flesh, and freeze in portions in the freezer.

If your puree is too wet, heat the puree over the stovetop on medium low heat to cook off some of the moisture.

Cool and package to freeze.

Note: You can also pressure cook the cut and seeded sections of the pumpkin but

reduce pressure cooking time to 5 minutes.

Roasting—Cutting a hardskinned squash or pumpkin may be challenging. You need a very sharp knife, a cutting board, leverage, and instructions. In general: If your pumpkin is not completely flat on the bottom, slice enough off the bottom to create a flat base to work with.

Place the pumpkin on its flat bottom. Starting along the side of the stem (not on the stem), cut down through the pumpkin flesh to the bottom of the pumpkin.

Repeat the process on the remaining three sides. (Tip: this is also how to cut a bell pepper!)

Remove the seeds. You may either roast the pieces as is, or remove the flesh from the skin, cube, season, and then roast. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees 15-30 minutes (depending on the size of the pieces) until the pumpkin is easily pierced with a fork.

Smoking—This has to be one of the best ways to prepare part of your pumpkin and squash stash. Follow the cutting instructions above. Place on prepared smoker pans and smoke at 225 degrees until you can easily pierce the flesh with a paring knife or fork.

Cool. Skin. Puree. Package.

THIN-SKINNED SQUASH

Most thin-skinned squash are smaller, and thus, much easier to handle. A good sharp chef knife and a smaller knife to remove the seeds is recommended. Since the squash are smaller, cuter, colorful, and more decorative looking, they open up different possibilities for roasting or stuffing.

After cutting in half, scoop the seeds out and stuff with a stuffing or sprinkle on oil and spices.Bake at 350 degrees or roast at 400 degrees until fork tender.

Alternatively, cut the smaller squash in half, and depending on the shape, cut in rings, half-moons, or whatever shape the squash seems to give you.

RECIPE IDEAS

Although traditionally we think of pumpkins and winter squash for a side dish or a pie for the iconic Thanksgiving

meal, winter squashes cross all cuisine lines. Roasting is the beloved way to prepare a root or vine vegetable. Yet, there are so many other magical ways to use the prepared flesh.

First, think soup, salad, main dish, or dessert. Then, in addition to roasting, think steam, bake, smoke, mash, blend/ puree, stuff, grill, fry, or my favorite, marry with another vegetable. Beyond the basic roasted cubes and squash casserole, winter squashes can be used to fill Italian ravioli, Indian dosas, and French crepes, elevate mashed potatoes, enhance soups, fry as a fritter, blend in a salad, and yes, act as moisture in a cake.

A puree of cannellini or garbanzo beans and pumpkin or butternut squash with a dash of Berbere spice mix offers the diner an opportunity to receive more protein and fiber. Not a spicy fan? A touch of thyme or marjoram will work just as well.

Enjoy these wonderful harvest veggies of the fall. You won’t be disappointed.

HARVEST 2021

|5

2021 NoCo Farmers Markets Berthoud Local Farmers Market Fickel Park in downtown Berthoud Saturdays, 9am–noon, June 19–Sept. 25 http://berthoudlocal.org

Erie Farmers Market Briggs Street between Wells and Moffatt, Erie Thursdays, 5–8pm, May 13–Sept. 9 www.realfarmersmarketco.com Estes Valley Farmers Market Visitor Center, 500 Big Thompson Ave., EP Thursdays, 8am–1pm, June–Sept. www.facebook.com/EstesValleyFarmersMarket Farmers Market at Fairgrounds Park 700 S. Railroad Ave., Loveland Sundays, 9am–1pm, June 6–Sept. 22 www.cityofloveland.org/farmersmarket

Fort Collins Farmers Market 1001 E. Harmony Rd. in front of Ace Hardware (rain or shine) Sundays, 10am–2pm, May 2–Nov. 13 Wednesdays, 10am–2pm, June 16–Sept. www.fortcollinsfarmersmarket.org Fort Collins Farmers Market on Drake 802 W. Drake Rd., FC (weather permitting) Saturdays, 9am–1pm, June 19–Sept. www.fortcollinsfarmersmarket.org/drake Greeley Summer Farmers Market Union Pacific Depot, 902 7th Ave., GR Saturdays, 8am–Noon, Mid-May–Oct. www.greeleygov.com/fm Larimer County Farmers Market 200 S. Oak St., Fort Collins Saturdays, 9am–1pm, May 22–Oct. 30 www.larimercountyfarmersmarket.org

FARM STANDS Anders Farm 8443 US Hwy. 8, Fort Lupton www.facebook.com/RAndersFarm Bartels Farm 3424 E. Douglas Rd., Fort Collins www.thebartelsfarm.com www.facebook.com/The-BartelsPumpkin-Patch-137755902661

Green Dog Farm Off CR54G next to Overland Foods, Laporte www.greendogfarmcsa.com Happy Heart Farm 2820 W. Elizabeth St., Fort Collins www.happyheartfarmcsa.com Hazel Dell Mushrooms 3925 E. CR 32 (Carpenter Rd.) Fort Collins www.hazeldellmushrooms.com

Garden Sweet 719 W. Willox Ln., Fort Collins www.gardensweet.com

Heritage Lavender 4809 Foothills Dr., Berthoud www.heritagelavender.com

HARVEST 2021

Timnath Sunday Market 4138 Main St., Timnath Second Sundays, 9am–1pm, May–Oct www.coloradofeedandgrain.com/ sundaymarket Virtual Farmers Market Order online Sundays, 8am–Wednesdays, 6pm Delivery Saturdays Noon–4pm or Pick up Saturdays Noon–2pm www.nocovirtualfarmersmarket.com Windsor Farmers Market Boardwalk Park, 110 5th St., Windsor Saturdays, 9am–1pm, June 12–Sept. 11 www.windsorgov.com/FarmersMarket

Something about being on a farm just feels good. The pace feels relaxed and your interactions, maybe, more genuine. So swing by a farm stand soon and pick up some deliciousness while you’re at it.

Desiderata Ranch 4617 CR 2, Berthoud http://desiderataranch.org

6|

Loveland West Farmers Market at Jax 2665 W Eisenhower Blvd, Loveland Tuesdays, 9am–1pm, May 4–Oct.26 www.facebook.com/Loveland-West-FarmersMarket-at-Jax-183999268919957

Hoffman Farms, LLC 3545 W. 0 St., Greeley www.hoffmanproduce.com

On the Vine at Richmond Farms 3611 Richmond Dr., Fort Collins www.onthevineatrichmondfarms.com

Jodar Farms/Fort Collins Vine Farm Order online/pick up Fort Collins or Wellington www.jodarfarms.com

Papa Joe’s Honey 4855 W. Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland www.facebook.com/ PapaJoesLocalHoney

Long Shadow Farm Order online/pick up Berthoud www.longshadowfarm.com

Sunny Daze 901 S. CR 5, Fort Collins www.sunnydazegardens.com

Ollin Farms Order online/pickup: 8627 N. 95th St., Longmont www.ollinfarms.com

Tigges Farm 12404 CR 64½, Greeley www.tiggesfarm.com

HARVEST 2021

|7