Munson still had succulent sweet corn. Ironically, the flood waters actually encouraged the corn stalks, which have deep roots and love water. They can stand a light frost, too, but when temperatures fall below around 29 degrees, as they're predicted to do tomorrow night, the corn gives up. I imagine the folks at Munson will pick on Friday and still have corn for sale this Saturday. After that, it's anyone's guess.
Aspen Moon is the first farm I can remember bringing raspberries to market in any quantity, because these fruits are fiddly to pick and hard to transport without their turning into jam; there were still boxes and boxes of them Wednesday. Saturday will probably be the last day for raspberries, too.
And for so many other things. Right now, stands are overflowing with tomatoes, summer squash and zucchini, green beans, peppers, watermelons and eggplants of many colors. (If you haven't tasted Toohey and Sons's Violette Di Firenze -- a huge, delicately lilac-colored eggplant from Italy, with creamy flesh and not a trace of bitterness, look for it Saturday. If it's there, it'll probably be the last of the season.) So you want to stock up for canning, freezing, drying and just plain gorging before all the soft and perishable produce is gone.And keep stocking up to get through the winter over the next few weeks. There are seven more Saturday markets in Boulder and five in Longmont; farmers will be bringing bring cabbage, potatoes, onions, carrots and winter squashes tastier than anything you can find at the supermarket. It's a virtuous circle: You do yourself a favor when you buy and you also help our farmers. And local agriculture, as most of us know, helps everyone who wants a clean, healthful, safe, reliable and delicious food supply. So -- as George W. Bush so memorably advised us after 9/11 -- get out there and shop.
And if you'd like to help by doing more than shopping, check out Local Food Shift Group, which is partnering with the Community Foundation and the Boulder County Farmer's Markets to help farmers.
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