The Farmer's Market

For two weeks running, I went to the Woodland Park Farmer's market. When I return there will be about 2 weeks left in their summer schedule.

This second time did not allow me to buy much, a couple of ears of corn and some of the fabulous tomatoes since I was leaving on Sunday right after. But I did take pictures and I did enjoy the conversations that I had with the various farmers and the burrito man.

The week before I had eaten a burrito by another vendor. It was fantastic, with her homemade salsa. To be fair....and I like to be fair....it was clearly incumbent on me to eat a burrito by the other vendor. I took his picture as he was making my burrito, a veggie one rather than the steak version. It was just too early in the morning for me to digest steak. He asked if I wanted it smothered and indicated the deep pot beside him. I peeked in and asked what that greenish gray concoction was. He called it his green chili gravy and lightly I scoffed, saying, " green chilies to a woman from Texas? You got to be kidding" His response was that the recipe came from his best buddy who lived in..........wait for it, Hallie....yes! El Paso!

So, when next I return, I shall try a burrito smothered in " green chili gravy" the recipe from El Paso. My stomach is rumbling as I even think about it. I would love to be sitting at the picnic table in the cool, dry air, chowing down on that burrito as we speak.

When I sat down to eat, there was a guy named Jerry there...eating, by the way, the smothered burrito which he said was delicious but with bite! Gee, it better have bite, eh? Anyway, he was interesting. Recently returned from 25 or so years in the Middle East with the US Diplomatic Corp, he was looking forward to retiring in his childhood home, Woodland Park. He told me something really interesting. Apparently Teller County, Colorado and Park County , Colorado have the greatest longevity rates of any county in the entire United States. How about that? I wonder if my time there will extend my life and in a good way. I hope so.

Besides having fun talking to the farmers...that really cool looking older man in the cowboy hat had picked out a canteloupe for me the previous week that was the size of a bowling ball and was the sweetest, most succulent canteloupe I had ever ever every eaten. But I digress, I also took pictures of the market as you can see. Now I was told by the burrito man that this is not just your regular farmer's market but the 19th Best Market in the country as rated by some organization that goes around to every farmer;s market that is advertised. The criteria is mostly focused on the food offered....is it really fresh and from local farms, is it really good...but also the craft fairs and the weather and other criteria. The ranking amazed me, not because its not an awesome market but I always thought of places like the northern east coast as having the best and here we were right up there in the top twenty. Go Woodland Park!!

I can't wait to get back....why doesn't summer up there last forever?