Spring and Summer Arguably a Cook’s Favorite Season, Thanks to the
Farmers
Ask any chef or food lover and almost all of them will tell
you spring into summer is an exciting time of the year to cook. Fall
and winter are great seasons with hard squashes, hearty leafy greens and root
vegetables accompanying braised meats and thick stews. But as the days get longer and those
beautiful days start popping up I can only think of the great things to come
whether it be
We get especially excited at the restaurant in talking to
our local farmers about what will be available in the upcoming season. Karen McManus of Wolf Moon Farms will be
supplying many local restaurants organically grown produce from May all the way
through November. This follows a trend
of “farm to chef” where the grower and chef create a relationship, plan
together what will be planted and then the chef implements on the menu. This year Karen will plant Jerusalem
Artichokes (sunchokes) for the first time at the request of a few local
chefs. A sunchoke is not an artichoke at
all but a tuber with a nutty artichoke-like flavor, looks like a ginger root
and can be cooked like a potato. McManus
added, “We will also add rhubarb, raspberries, artichokes and concord grapes in
our first time crops. Last year the
salad greens and potatoes were the best sellers at farmer’s markets and in
restaurants.” The running “joke” at the
restaurant has to do with the salad greens.
Organically grown vegetables are not sprayed with pesticides, so there
is a chance of a natural little critter in these items. Karen washes all her greens before
delivering. We wash it again and sort by
hand. Even with all this care it is
sometimes impossible to see a small bug.
A guest had one in the salad and sent it back for a new one. I went to the table, they were not upset and
I asked “Was the bug still alive?” They said yes. I replied, “Well, you know you’re eating
really fresh produce!” They laughed and
agreed they’d rather have that in their salad than lettuces exposed to harsh
chemicals from unknown sources in Southern California or
The chefs at the restaurant are already dreaming up new dishes and talking about how to use the new ingredients as the produce forecast sheet comes out. “It’s a nice change with the spring and summer dishes. We’ll spend hours preparing a winter dish like braised beef short ribs and replace it with a dish like a quick pan roasted fish with simply steamed, delicate spring vegetables and a light vinaigrette”, says sous chef Ryan Robertson. New chef Corey Rupert has one summer dish ready to go, “we’ll take Karen’s heirloom peppers, roast them, then stuff a Northern Colorado Poultry chicken breast with those peppers, aged jack cheese and arugula, serve it with roasted corn, tomatoes and a sauce of okra and ham”.
It is very important to support these local farmers by visiting the spring and summer farmers markets, patronizing restaurants that support them and even considering a CSA from a farm. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) offers a share of the crops for a fee. Individuals can choose from options by size of family being fed and length of season. If shopping in local supermarkets, look for the Colorado Proud logo to ensure support of your state’s agriculture. To learn more about these organizations visit the following links.
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