Fort Collins Downtown Farmer's Market

I love farmer's markets. In NYC, one of my standard amusements during the workweek was to stroll the Union Square Greenmarket at lunchtime, checking out what produce was in season and occasionally picking up flowers, local honey, cheddar-scallion scones, or a pack of cider donuts. I never could keep the plants I brought back to my office alive, but just seeing all the cheery leaves and flowers in their pots was enough to make me want to try again, every time.

So one Saturday, I woke up early to bike over to the Downtown Farmer's Market in Fort Collins, hoping to catch a little of that fresh produce magic.

The market is small, but no less satisfying. I walked around for a while and was delighted to come across the Pope Farms stand, where different varieties of fresh peppers were being roasted on the spot.

Though I had no idea what to do with them, I couldn't resist buying a half-bag of roasted Poblano peppers. I figured $2.50 was a small enough price for an experiment. Anyone have suggestions for what I can make?

I also bought some "imperfect" Honeycrisp apples from Ela Family Farms, a variety that JL had raved about last year on FoodMayhem. They tend to be more expensive, but I weighed my medium-sized bag at home later and was satisfied that for five bucks I had gotten about four pounds. They really are terrific apples—crisp, a little tart, with beautiful pale flesh and slightly mottled red skin.

An hour or two later, I walked away from the market with roasted Poblanos, a bag of apples, a bundle of Tuscan/lacinato kale, a bundle of regular kale, and three large beets with the greens attached.

It was kind of an interesting ride home.