Writing and gardening -- two peas in a pod

One of my former state government colleagues advised me about retirement. He retired years before I did and was confronted with many volunteer offers. His wife, in a stroke of genius, advised him to take out his appointment calendar and write "No" on each page. She wanted him free to travel and spend time together.

I was tickled to see this same person on the list of volunteers for the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. It's a long list -- 88 in all, according to volunteer coordinator Amy Gorbey.  She's the energetic person who keeps tabs on us all. I had taken the couples' advice and held off volunteering for my first two years. For the most part, anyway. I did some volunteering for the Democrats leading up to the 2016 election. We all know how that turned out. I was asked to become part of several boards but declined. I wanted time to write and I that's what I got.

Over time, I feel a need to reconnect with humans. I figured I could have my morning writing time, in solitude, and then spend afternoons greeting visitors and otherwise helping out at the new Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and its new Grand Conservatory.

Thus far at the CBG, I've picked up sticks on the grounds, detritus from spring wind and snow storms. I snacked with some of my fellow volunteers. On Saturday, I staffed the front desk. I greeted many people, most from Cheyenne but others from Colorado and elsewhere. Most walked through the conservatory in less than a half hour and exited. Some lingered. One couple brought in their lunch and ate on the second floor that overlooks the many growing things on the main floor. One young woman carried a book as she disappeared into the gardens. One gentleman had a phone photo of a plant on the third floor and asked me what it was. I sent him and his question over to the horticulturalist. One attendee who exited a baby shower with an armful of gifts, said she was from Torrington and loved the CBG, wished her town has something similar. Not likely, considering the work that went into planning the conservatory and getting the voters to approve a sixth penny amendment to fund it. Cheyenne is the only city of its size to have such an amenity. Some might call it a lifestyle enhancement, as it gets bragged about by the Visit Cheyenne and C of C folks. Voters have approved initiatives for the CBG, a new airport facility, the public library. But they keep rejecting a recreation center. There are as many reasons for these issues as there are voters. Maybe I will explore them in a future column.

The CBG has been treasured by residents since it began its life 40 years ago as a simple greenhouse on U.S. Hwy. 30. Almost every growing thing you see in the city was planted by someone. The only naturally occurring plants belonged to the short-grass prairie. Native Americans and settlers found trees along waterways. In fact, you could I.D. a water source when parched travelers sighted trees off on the horizon. Snow-capped mountains lured people to the West but it was snow melt that brought prosperity. How it was harnessed is one of the West's great stories. Sad ones, too.

I like growing things. Not enough to be a farmer but enough to be a fair-weather gardener. That activity has something in common with writing. You prepare the soil, plant seeds, fertilize and water, and eventually harvest. If you don't like each of these steps, then why bother? I can buy tomatoes at the grocery store and farmer's markets. I can check out books at the library and even buy a few at my local neighborhood bookstore. Why grow my own?

I like the act of writing. It's fun, it's frustrating. After I spent a lifetime writing millions of words, i have finally arrived at a time when I'm pretty good at it. This is the harsh truth of any creative endeavor. There is no quick way to become good at something. This is a definite drawback when it comes to selecting college majors and making a living. But if it gives you meaning, you can't avoid the inevitable. Horticulture majors have a leg up on English majors, unless those well-read folks decide to parlay their knowledge of Emily Dickinson and magical realism into a law school admission.

You can grow a book. You can grow a garden. They both take time and attention, both in short supply in 2018.

Get more info on the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens at https://www.botanic.org/. Tips on writing? So many resources. The act of writing is a prerequisite for the other stuff.

Farmer's markets are for fresh produce -- and for dithering

The drive from Palisade, Colorado, to the Cheyenne Farmer's Market is eight hours.

I'm glad that Red Fox Run Orchards made the trip for the first time. Juicy peaches. Tree-ripened. The vendor tells me that most growers pick their peaches green because it's easier. He lets them ripen on the tree so they taste better. My daughter Annie and I ask for a sample. He plucks two peaches out of a "Palisades Peaches" box. He rinses them off and hands them over with a couple paper towels. "You'll need these -- they're juicy." I look at the whole peach. Most vendors cut off a slice and hand it over. Not this guy. I bite. Juice dribbles down my chin. The paper towel comes in handy.

I buy a large bag. "Keep them in a refrigerator for a week -- they'll keep fresh," says the vendor. I always thought that putting peaches in the fridge was a no-no. But it makes sense if they're already ripe.

I thank him. Grab my peaches and my "This Side of Paradise" canvas bag Annie and I walk on to the next table. At the farmer's market, I gather produce and stories. Food has stories, as do I. I don't take it as far as the characters on "Portlandia," who want to know the name and background of the free range chicken they're about the eat. But I ask every vendor where they're from, as it usually carries a story. The young man selling roasted chilis is from Wellington and drives up to Cheyenne every weekday to wire new houses as an electrician. He's roasting and selling chilis on weekends. Building Cheyenne during the week. He rattled off the names of housing developments going up around the county. One on Four Mile Road. A big apartment complex on Fox Farm Road. He's working at The Pointe just north of us, wiring two to three houses a week.

The family-run Canning Crows from Cheyenne does what you'd expect from the name. Well, their goods are in jars but when people talk about preserving harvests they usually says they are "canning" cukes and tomatoes. Not "jarring," which is what it really is. It is jarring to me when they say canning. I buy a jar of Soldier Jam. "You can tell we're a military family," says the vendor with a smile. She points to a loaf of bread. "Survival Bread," she says. "My son was deployed." She tells me that a quarter of every sale of Soldier Jam goes to send jam to GIs overseas. "Or they can come by and pick it up here," she adds. I buy a jar of Soldier Jam and a loaf of Survival Bread. I also buy a big jar of dill pickles because I am a pickle fanatic. Dill pickle brine has loads of salt so after my heart attack, I cut back. Does pickling demand salt? A question for the Internet. I look forward to my lunch of bread and jam and pickles.

My dithering drives Annie crazy. She's 22 and prone to action. I tell her that farmer's markets are for lingering and conversation and learning about foods. The vendors have at least some interest in their products, or they wouldn't be here. They also are making a living. I can tell when my dithering makes them impatient. So I pay and move on. The coffee lady from Fort Collins sells me some nitro dark roast for my iced coffee. The last time I had nitro it was Odell's Cutthroat Porter from behind the bar at Peppermill's. The porter had a nice head on it. The coffee did not, which kind of surprised me. But it was tasty with some Half & Half and sugar.

We end of morning by buying some Colorado corn, although it seems early for corn. We get some local salsa and then head home to snack.

My future as a Wyoming dandelion wrangler

The last Saturday in April. Windows thrown open. Breeze riffling curtains.

I hear a lawnmower.

This is transition season between the sounds of snowblowers and those of lawnmowers. There's no clear-cut demarcation line in Wyoming. On April 17, the snowblowers were out, shooting a foot of heavy wet snow into The Big Sky. On April 25, it's lawnmower time, at least for one neighbor. I took a gander at my backyard and it could use a trim. It's unruly. Nice crop of dandelions add a yellow splash to the yard. The common dandelion, taraxacum officinale. As is true with most owners of lawns, I shout out, "Death to all dandelions."

Foolish homo sapiens. Dandelions preceded us and will no doubt outlive us. While clever humans have one way to propagate, dandelions have many. On the About Home web site, writer David Beaulieu opens his article on "how to control dandelions" with this caveat:

What makes dandelion removal from lawns so difficult? Well, dandelions enjoy the best of both worlds. Above-ground, their seeds ride the wind currents, poised to drop into the slightest opening in your lawn to propagate the species. Meanwhile, below-ground, they strike down a taproot up to 10 inches long. Pulling the taproot as a means of removal is problematic. Thick but brittle, the taproot easily fractures -- and any fraction of the taproot that remains in the ground will regenerate.

Before you get out the weed killer, you might want to contemplate some of the culinary and medicinal benefits of dandelions. From Wikipedia:

Dandelions are harvested from the wild or grown on a small scale as a leaf vegetable. The leaves (called dandelion greens) can be eaten cooked or raw. They are probably closest in character to mustard greens. Usually the young leaves and unopened buds are eaten raw in salads, while older leaves are cooked. The leaves are high in vitamin A, vitamin C and iron, carrying more iron and calcium than spinach. 

Dandelion flowers can be used to make dandelion wine, for which there are many recipes. Most of these are more accurately described as "dandelion-flavored wine," as some other sort of fermented juice or extract serves as the main ingredient. It has also been used in a saison ale called Pissenlit (the French word for dandelion, literally meaning "wet the bed") made by Brasserie Fantôme in Belgium. Dandelion and burdock is a soft drink that has long been popular in the United Kingdom. 

In Poland, dandelion flowers are used to make a honey substitute syrup with added lemon (so-called May-honey). This "honey" is believed to have a medicinal value, in particular against liver problems. Ground roasted dandelion root can be used as a non-caffeinated coffee substitute. 

Historically, dandelion was prized for a variety of medicinal properties, and it contains a wide number of pharmacologically active compounds. Dandelion is used as a herbal remedy in Europe, North America and China. "Empiric traditional application in humans of dandelion, in particular to treat digestive disorders, is supported by pharmacological investigations. It has been used in herbal medicine to treat infections, bile and liver problems, and as a diuretic. Dandelion root is a registered drug in Canada, sold principally as a diuretic. Dandelion is used in herbal medicine as a mild laxative, for increasing appetite, and for improving digestion. 

The milky latex has been used as a mosquito repellent and as a folk remedy to treat warts. A recent experiment shows that đandelion leaf extract can reduce the spread of tumor cells. Although these researches are still on beginning stages, but many scientists believe that it can be used as an effective treatment in many types of cancer. With very low or even no toxicity at all, taraxacum can be used as a drink like tea on a daily basis. 

Contrast this with the many uses of the ornamental lawn. This is my own list, compiled with the assistance of a growler of home-brewed Pissenlit:

1. Pretty to look at it.
2. Playing field for softball, croquet, volleyball, etc.
3. Good place to lie down on a summer day and stare up at the clouds.
4. Cool grass feels good between the toes.
5. Bathroom for dog.

The most dangerous trait of dandelions may be the fights they cause with neighbors. If I decide to do nothing about my crop of taraxacum officinale, you may view this as a threat to your bluegrass lawn. You would be correct, of course, and you might ask your neighbor: "What are you doing with a bluegrass lawn in the middle of the high desert of Wyoming?"

But you, of course, also have one of these lawns. I've been tempted to kill off my lawn since I inherited it when I bought my house in 2005. But if you kill off a lawn, what do you replace it with? Xeriscaping? Rock gardens? Pavement? Weeds? Vast vegetable gardens? Overflow parking lot for Cheyenne Frontier Days?

Current trends favor veggie or rock gardens over lawns. Entire urban neighborhoods from Boston to L.A. have been converted to tomatoes and cucumbers. In Denver, where I once protected my garden from invading slugs with a minefield of Miller Lite, front yards have been given over to berry thickets and twisted clumps of zucchini plants. My old Platt Park neighbors have opened farm-to-table stands on their front porches. Chickens lay eggs in the garage and Bessie the cow yields gallons of raw milk which is shipped to Wyoming along with fresh buds of Boulder's Best. All that's needed is a couple dozen cookies. Homemade, of course.

Dandelion cookies anyone?

Thoughts on gardening in the hail zone

I wrote this on Wednesday morning but didn't get around to posting until today:

Watch a hail barrage shred months of work. It’s merely an inkling of what a farmer must feel. Farmer stands at the edge of his/her field and surveys rows of plants decimated by last night’s hailstorm. That means loss of a livelihood. For me, it’s a major disappointment but I won’t starve. 

One of my friends said, “Forget gardening. This is the third year in a row this has happened.”

I escaped last year’s storms and had a bumper crop of tomatoes. Two years ago, I was too depressed to garden. Three years ago, back-to-back July hailstorms got my garden and roof and car. 

Sucks.

I have other friends who garden in small greenhouses and high tunnels and cold frames. Mini-greenhouses are all the rage for street cafes and backyards. Some limit their gardening to containers and move them into shelter as needed. I do that, too. I moved my containers under shelter on the back porch but the storm came in from the south and attacked my plants. They have protection when a storm comes from the west or north. Not so with those from the east or south. This one came from Colorado. Thanks, Greenies. 

Farmers’ markets are starting up around the region. Wonder how those family farmers made out? 

Little Ag vs. Big Ag -- which one grows the most food?

From Wyoming Public Media:

In collaboration with the University of Wyoming, a local food advocacy group conducted a study to find out just how many vegetables a backyard garden in Wyoming can produce.  The project is called Team G.R.O.W., or Gardening Research of Wyoming.

Gayle Woodsum is the founder of Feeding Laramie Valley, the group sponsoring the research. She says the idea behind the study was simple. “So these were gardeners who said, yeah, we’d like to know, really, how much are we producing.  And what value does that have in terms of numbers.  But what they did is they weighed every pea, every bean, every leaf of lettuce that came out of that garden for the entire season.”

The 22 gardeners in the study raised 4,500 pounds of vegetables on a little over a quarter of land.  Woodsum says the results show the harvest was as good as those reported by large-scale factory farms.  The study was funded by a $5-million USDA grant.

Woodsum hopes the results will help the group with future efforts to show policy makers why community garden projects should be supported and encouraged the same way large-scale farms are.

BTW, I think that third paragraph was supposed to read "a quarter acre of land." A "quarter of land" doesn't make sense.

How much square footage is a quarter acre of land? 10,890. Divide that by 4,500 and you get 2.42 pounds of food per square foot. I guess that's possible. I've been able to grow a couple pounds worth of tomatoes from one plant. Then there's zucchini. Your average gardener (and I'm pretty average) can grow about 5,000 pounds of zucchini on one plant, give or take.

I guess the big question is this: How much funding in the recently passed Farm Bill goes to big ag and how much goes to gardeners?

Anyone?

Living foods do not bite back

The Cheyenne Tuesday Farmers Market has a nifty web site that gives details about the farmers, handmade food purveyors and artisans that sell their wares at the Sears parking lot off of Dell Range.

It seems fitting that local food and art are being sold in the shadow of the mall, home to enough Made in China stuff to stock every garage in Cheyenne. I don't have a garage, so someone will have to take my share.

At the Saturday market at Depot Plaza, I've been buying some of Yoga Oasis's delicious cashew cheese pate and healthy flatbreads made from "sprouted nuts, seeds and grains," some with fruit and veggies. Yoga practitioner, artist and chef Debbie Matthew is the proprietor and sometimes is accompanied to the market by her son, who also makes a mean banana bread. I haven't purchased any of her art, nor do I plan to travel to Laramie for yoga classes, but I am eating her homemade "living foods." Too early to tell if they're good for me, but they do not bite back like some other things I've eaten.

Since my heart attack in January, I've been searching out foods that won't contribute to another one. I eat heartily on vegetables from my garden and the farmers' market. I'd eat my lawn if I thought it had any nutritional value. I've cut way back on the salt and the red meat. I eat fewer snacks. My ice cream cravings have been tempered by the memory of constantly beeping hospital room monitors. Too bad -- I love ice cream.

I am trying to be good. I spend countless hours clogging up the grocery store food aisles while I try to grok the sodium and saturated fat contents on food labels. I am beginning to understand that the grocery store may not be the best place to find edibles. Eighty percent of the store's foodstuffs are bad for you.

It's clear that I can only buy some foods from farmers markets. The season is short in the Rockies and budgets are lean.

If you haven't already, go to the market today from 3-6:30 p.m.

Last Winter Farmers' Market of the season set for Saturday

The Cheyenne Winter Farmers’ Market is held inside the sunny and cozy lobby of the Historic Train Depot Museum in downtown Cheyenne. It features farm and hand-crafted products from Wyoming and the local region. The last one of the season is this Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Acoustic Celtic and folk music will be provided by Dave Kramer and Steve Scott. 

What's on tap for Saturday?

• Gourmet local mushrooms
• Farm-fresh eggs, goat and sheep cheese
• Locally roasted fair-trade coffee and herbal teas
• Fresh breads and home-baked treats
• Fresh, local salsa
• Locally made chocolates and candies
• Grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison, free-range chickens, pork, goat's meat
• Locally produced jams, honey, and Amish-style peanut butter
• Take-home BBQ, bratwurst, cabbage burgers, chowders and bisque, smoked wild-caught salmon
• Soup mixes, rubs, and dip mixes
• Natural, locally-produced body care products
• Hand-crafted jewelry, cutting boards, cards, and other hand-made crafts

I've bought a little bit of everything at the market. Last time I went heavy on the pasta from Fort Collins. This time, it's hard to say. I'm so ready for fresh fruits and veggies, but we're still a few months away from that. I grow some of my own but not nearly enough.                  

For more information about the market, please contact Kim Porter, kim.porter@wyo.gov, or Cindy Ridenour, cindyr@meadowmaidfoods.com.     

Second-to-last Cheyenne Winter Farmers Market set for this Saturday

There are only two more Winter Farmers Markets "inside the sunny and cozy lobby of the Historic Train Depot Museum in downtown Cheyenne," which is how the monthly press release puts it. During Cheyenne winters, I am always pleased to shop in a sunny and cozy place. Even when it's not officially winter any more, as it is now, I prefer sunny and cozy to cloudy and blustery.

The next market will be held this Saturday, April 6, May 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Here are some of this Saturday's offerings:

• Gourmet local mushrooms
• Fresh yogurt
• Farm-fresh eggs, goat and sheep cheese
• Gourmet pastas, flavored oils and vinegars
• Locally roasted fair-trade coffee and herbal teas
• Fresh breads and home-baked treats
• Locally made chocolates and candies
• Grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison, free-range chickens, pork, goat's meat
• Locally produced jams, honey, and Amish-style peanut butter
• Take-home BBQ, bratwurst, cabbage burgers, chowders and bisque, smoked wild-caught salmon
• Soup mixes, rubs, and dip mixes
• Natural, locally-produced body care products
• Hand-crafted jewelry, cutting boards, cards, and other hand-made crafts

Some of this stuff I can no longer eat, due to a heart condition. The chocolate-covered bacon is out, as is the BBQ and the handmade tamales. Mushrooms are in, as are all of the grass-fed meats and craft pastas and vinegars. And I can buy arts and crafts until the grass-fed cows come home.

Acoustic Celtic and folk music to shop by will be performed by Dave Kramer and Steve Scott.      

For more information about the market, please contact Kim Porter, kim.porter@wyo.gov, or Cindy Ridenour, cindyr@meadowmaidfoods.com.   

P.S.: Can't wait until summer!

Groundhog may make appearance at Cheyenne Winter Farmers Market

The Cheyenne Winter Farmers Market is located inside the historic train depot the first Saturday of each month from November through April starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. Next winter farmers market is Saturday, Feb. 2 -- Groundhog Day.

All vendors sell items that are produced in Wyoming or northern Colorado, but within a 150 miles of Cheyenne. All items are produced by the vendors behind the tables, NO FOOD BROKERS OR FOOD RESELLERS are allowed.

Get more info here.

If this is December in Wyoming, it must be time for Kickstarter gardening projects

I grew a few herbs last summer. Rosemary, basil, oregano. They grew in a pot next to my gas grill, handy for throwing into marinade or tossing on the fire for some extra flavor. Most summers, I have tomatoes and squash and zucchini and broccoli and pole beans and Chinese pea pods and spinach and a variety of lettuces. My garden (and my roof and my car) got slammed by hail twice during the wet summer of 2011. Golf ball size. I was out there trying to shelter my plants, getting pounded by ice balls the entire time. Good thing I was wearing my lucky Broncos caps or my noggin would have been perforated.

So I went on a gardening hiatus during the summer of 2012. I plan to be back in the fray come spring of 2013. We high altitude gardeners are gluttons for punishment.

But there is hope for us. I came across the web sites of two new gardening projects located at opposite corners of Wyoming. Coincidentally (or inevitably) they both have active Kickstarter projects. The first touts the "Spring System" by Laramie's Bright Agrotech. It's a self-contained growing tower that addresses the need for portable gardening systems. This aids the growth rate of plants. It also allows you to fetch your veggies in out of ice storms with relative ease. Here's a description:

We designed a special production system based on our patented vertical towers that allows us to grow more produce using less space, and then transport the unharvested towers to market.  It allows us to sell "You-Pick" vegetables at the supermarket, letting the customers pick exactly how much they want.

Whenever we would talk about growing towers of greens or herbs or flowers, or when folks saw our towers at the supermarket, people would always ask when we would make a model for home use. This got us thinking:  What if we could take live towers directly to people’s homes - kind of like a "You-Pick" Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in your own kitchen? Or what if people could just grow their own produce, easier, and with less space than a garden?  What if people could do both?  The more I thought about it, the more I knew this product would help enable the kind of future I want to live in.  So, we decided to make a kit that allows folks to grow their own vegetables, or participate in live tower CSAs.

To start, we found some brilliant engineers, stayed up late, and designed a reservoir that would let us do all of the above, and most importantly, makes it simple and easy for people to do vertical farming in their own home, or on their patio, or wherever there’s room. 

Sounds good to me. To contribute, go here. It's a $20,000 project; Bright Agrotech is about 25 percent along the way. Why not kick in a few bucks. 

The second project comes to us from Jackson. The ski town has a parking garage that nobody parks in. Wyomingites would rather park in the street or on someone's front lawn. Its south side is just sitting around doing nothing, just gathering the warming rays on the sun of the mountain sun. 

Here's where Vertical Harvest comes in. The idea is to build a three-story greenhouse on the garage's south side. The greenhouse would grow veggies year-round, nurturing the caldera's many vegans and those of us who like to have some greens with our bloody meat. Tending the gardens would be special needs teens and adults. Organizers have held fund-raisers and have already got some money in the bank. Here's a bit more about the project:

Vertical Harvest will be the first of its kind: A three story vertical farm built on an infill piece of land that will grow fresh, local produce in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, extending its four month growing season to all year round. What makes this project truly unique is that we will develop an innovative hydroponic growing system that can be used in vertical greenhouses of all configurations. This innovative mechanism will maximize efficiency by dramatically increasing the amount of produce that can be grown in the greenhouse and will also use less energy to grow produce. In addition, this growing carousel is also specifically designed to provide a safe and meaningful work environment for adults with developmental disabilities, the employee base of Vertical Harvest. With this technology, Vertical Harvest will wrap agricultural, architectural and social innovation into one project that will be a critical milestone in urban agriculture. Go to www.verticalharvest.org

VH's Kickstarter goal is $30,000. The organizers just started today. Contribute here. Pledge $50 and get a "swanky Vertical Harvest T-shirt."

We have some creative people in this state. What's your big idea to help us all eat locally year-round?

Get your "slow food" on at Tuesday Farmers Market

Cindy Ridenour, president of the Tuesday Farmers Market board of directors, says that the market will bring in two "slow food" chefs during the summer to teach buyers about using fresh ingredients. Said Ridenour in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle: "These chefs will be showing how to get back to cooking with real natural foods that you can get at our market rather than reaching for the Cheez Whiz or Bisquick." So stroll onto the Depot Plaza in downtown Cheyenne to find fresh local foods and fine handmade crafts. Products featured this Tuesday, June 12, 3-6:30 p.m.:

• Locally-raised fresh vegetables
• Colorado Western Slope cherries
• Locally raised mushrooms
• Grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison, pork, poultry, goat's meat
• Farm fresh eggs
• Bratwurst, chowders, bisque, smoked wild-caught salmon, tamales
• Dine on the plaza or take-home BBQ
• Locally produced honey, jams and jellies, hot sauce
• Gourmet pastas, flavored oils and vinegars
• Fresh breads and baked goods
• Natural, locally-produced body care products
• Hand-crafted glass gifts, wood working, alpaca fiber crafts, photo cards and other crafts

Live Music by Franklin Taggart

Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market moved up to March 31

Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market this Saturday, March 31, 10 am-2 pm, Inside the Historic Train Depot Museum, 121 W. 15th Street. The normally scheduled market would be April 7 but has been switched due to Easter weekend.

Cheyenne Winter Farmers’ Market is held inside the sunny and cozy lobby of the Historic Cheyenne Depot Museum in downtown Cheyenne, featuring farm and hand-crafted products from Wyoming and the local region.

 At the Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market this Saturday, March 31:

·         Farm-fresh eggs and cheese

·         Grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison, pork, goat's meat, smoked wild-caught salmon

·         Gourmet local mushrooms

·         Local honey

·         Gourmet pastas, flavored oils and vinegars

·         Fresh breads, home-baked treats, chocolates and candies

·         Locally produced jams and Amish-style peanut butter

·         Sugar-free jams and gluten-free baked goods

·         Locally roasted fair-trade coffee

·         Take-home BBQ, bratwurst, chowders and bisque

·         Natural, locally-produced body care products

·         Hand-crafted jewelry, sewing crafts, photo cards, and other hand-made crafts

·         Sip coffee, tea, cider, and hot chocolate while you shop!

 Remaining markets this season: May 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.            

For more information, please contact Kim Porter, kim.porter@wyo.gov, or Cindy Ridenour, cindyr@meadowmaidfoods.com.

Winter Farmers' Market Feb. 4 at the Depot in downtown Cheyenne

Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market

Inside the Cheyenne Downtown Depot

Saturday, Feb. 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Winter Farmers’ Market offers products grown, raised or crafted within 150 miles of Cheyenne. It will provide an opportunity to purchase locally grown all-​​natural beef, lamb, turkey, bison, farm fresh eggs, honey, along with locally crafted artisan breads, jams, jellies, tamales, empanadas, tortillas, soup and chili, jewelry, natural skin care, baskets and much more.

Come and stay for lunch. I do.

For more information, call 307-649-2430.

Tropical heat wave strikes Cheyenne

I got tomatoes out the ying-yang and it's only January 28!

I exaggerate. But not by much. Cheyenne is now officially in a warmer zone in the USDA's "Plant Hardiness Zone Map." Our high-and-dry-and-cold climate once was in zone 4, which could be described this way: "Don't put your mater plants in the ground until after Memorial Day. And be prepared for frost the day after Memorial Day. And raging hailstorms the day after the day after Memorial Day."

Now we're in zone 5. Planting before Memorial Day is now permitted, even encouraged. Not so fast, says Shane Smith at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. This is from the CBG web site: 

Cheyenne used to be solidly in zone 4 is now one full zone warmer, zone 5. “Because this map is mostly based upon temperature, it doesn’t account for Cheyenne’s extreme winds and lack of winter snow cover. Therefore, I would caution people to not jump blindly into growing zone 5 plants and instead look at what is proven to do well here,” said Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Director Shane Smith. Cheyenne gardeners should instead stick to following the colder, zone 4 designation especially when selecting trees and shrubs, stated Smith.

I trust Shane's judgement. High Plains gardeners have to be cautious. However, as global warming continues -- and if I live long enough -- outdoor tomatoes in January may be possible.

Local food, arts, crafts and music featured at Winter Farmers' Market Jan. 7

What: Cheyenne Winter Farmers’ Market 

Where: Inside the Cheyenne Downtown Depot

When: Saturday, Jan. 7, 10 a.m.–2 p.m

Details: The Winter Farmers’ Market offers products grown, raised or crafted within 150 miles of Cheyenne. It will provide an opportunity to purchase locally grown all-​​natural beef, lamb, turkey, bison, farm fresh eggs, honey, along with locally crafted artisan breads, jams, jellies, tamales, empanadas, tortillas, soup and chili, jewelry, natural skin care, handmade baskets and much more. Come and stay for lunch, for more information call 307.649.2430.


I read somewhere that the market will feature live music. This is usually the case, but I couldn't find the performers names listed anywhere. Shouldn't musicians get the same kind of billing as farm fresh eggs and tamales?

My laptop was not purchased from a local artisan -- but my coffee cup and cereal bowl were

Hummingbirdminds couldn't agree more with this graphic. Will I buy every Christmas gift from a local artist, writer, crafter or designer? No, as it's not possible to buy an iPad from my neighbor (even though he's very creative). However, the world is a more local place if I buy some of my gifts in Cheyenne. I did that last year at the Cheyenne Winter Market at Depot Plaza. Will do more of that this year. This graphic comes from the Colorado Creative Industries Facebook page. 

Brother Duane said "eat a peach for peace," so I did

Eat a peach, ya'll

Eat a peach for peace.

That's what Duane Allman did. In an interview shortly before his death by motorcycle in October 1971, Duane was asked in an interview what he was doing for the revolution. Replied Duane:

"There ain't no revolution, it's evolution, but every time I'm in Georgia I eat a peach for peace."

Eat a peach. Let the juice run down your chin.

That's what I did this morning. It was a Colorado peach from Palisade, where they grow ones almost as good as the Georgia variety. Peach State. Peachtree Street, where Margaret Mitchell stepped off a curb and was killed by a car.

When I eat a peach I think of the Allman Brothers namesake album, the last one recorded with the full original band makeup, before Duane and Barry Oakley discovered the joys of driving motorcycles in Macon, Georgia.

Eat a peach for peace.

I did a little farmers' market shopping, as I said in my previous post. The Depot Plaza was crowded with vendors and shoppers. Miller Farms out of Platteville had some good deals. I was intrigued by Miller Farms flyers announcing its fall harvest festival. From Labor Day weekend through mid-November, Miller Farms opens the gates for "harvest-your-own" days. In October, the farm has pumpkin harvesting and a haunted adventure, including a corn maze. Interesting how Front Range farms, at least those that have survived the housing development boom of the past 30 years, have gone in big for the local foods movement. Miller Farms has a big Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. It's not officially a state historic site but it does advertise that it's been around since 1949 and is "a true Colorado treasure."

In September, I am going down to Miller Farms to pick my own.

I wonder if people can shop at farmers' markets and avoid grocery stories. Some of us are having a tough time making ends meet. Grocery prices have climbed with transportation costs. Unemployment is low in Wyoming, but it's not exactly a hot market for those looking for work. Hiring is hot in the energy industry, especially in the Niobrara oil shale country of northern Colorado and southeast Wyoming. The service industry is always hiring, although jobs are barely minimum wage. The job market for professionals is static, although that's better than "awful."

I spent $30.70 at today's market and probably got enough food for the weekend. Here's what I bought:

Goat chops from Wag's Livestock in Laramie, $9.70
New potatoes from Destine Hoover's Laramie County farm, $3
15 ears of corn from LaSalle, Colo., $5
Container of Palisade peaches from Dick's Place, Cheyenne, $10
Slice of strawberry/rhubarb coffee cake from Robin's Treats, Laramie, $3

I probably should have bought steaks from Wag's but Jim Waggoner talked me into goat. I told him I'd never tried it and he replied that this was enough of a good reason to buy some. I had to agree. Jim and Sue spend their Friday afternoons and evenings at the Laramie market and then drive over the pass to Cheyenne for Saturday.

At the farmers' market work, I would have had to spend at least $100 to get through the week. Even then, I'd have to go to Albertson's for milk and other food items. I still think it's great that Community Action of Laramie County now takes credit, debit and EPT cards. And this is only second weekend for the Saturday market.

But, as the Miller Farms flyer said, "eat nutritiously, buy locally and be healthy."

Eat a peach for taste. Eat a peach for "local." Eat a peach for health.

Eat a peach for peace.

Summer Saturday notes on gardening and farmers' markets

I woke up today thinking about the Saturday farmers' market. Was I imagining this, or could I smell Hatch peppers roasting? Probably just my imagination. It may be too early in the season for those fine crops from New Mexico.

Corn is what I'm really interested in. Some corn vendors will be up from Colorado. I will be looking for other things too. Peaches from Utah and Colorado. Too far away to be considered local (grown within 150 miles) but juicy and delicious, far superior to the shipped-green varieties at the grocery story. Since my tomatoes may never come in due to hail and Cheyenne's short growing season -- I may have to buy some. I have plenty of herbs, sheltered as they are under my porch roof. But I may need to find some other ingredients for marinade for the grass-fed beef I'll also be buying.

One bit of news for shoppers at Cheyenne's Saturday market -- credit, debit and EBT cards now are accepted. Community Action of Laramie County, which runs the market, applied for and received a $1,500 grant for the service from the Wyoming Business Council. According to a story in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, the grant will pay for the cards' fees.

The Cheyenne farmers' market and the People's Farmers Market in Jackson Hole are the only two in the state taking the cards. The Cheyenne market is the only one in the state to use a grant for the service, says the WBC's Kim Porter.

Looks to me like a great public-private partnership. Taxpayer funds helping people to eat better. People in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program run by DFS can use their EBT cards to buy fruits and vegetables to supplement grocery story purchases. This part of the program may take awhile to catch on. SNAP clients may think (and rightly so) that farmers' market goods are more expensive than those at Albertson's and Safeway. It may take a new forays to the market to find the bargains. When I'm down there today, I'm going to check out the prices and see how far $50 could go. I'll take notes.

But that's only part of what a farmers' market brings to a community. Local vendors have a place to sell their wares and find new customers. Shoppers get the opportunity to find good food and even get a few tips on cooking and grilling. It enlivens downtown on sleepy Saturday mornings. Some people hang around to eat lunch at the brewpub or the Albany. The local galleries will be open. And the staffers at Ernie November know their music CDs.

In other food news -- the South Cheyenne Farmers' Market opens this weekend from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Outlaw Saloon's parking lot on South Greeley Highway. This one is free to vendors, for now, at least. It will be open through mid-October.

And don't forget the Tuesday market at the Depot Plaza. I was there this past week and the fresh food offerings were a bit sparse. Let's hope things pick up as the harvests come in. I did buy some nice cherries, though, which I shared with my work colleagues.

Speaking of colleagues... We were in Lander this week for the Wyoming Arts Council's quarterly board meeting. On Thursday evening, we ate at Cowfish. This is a Lander destination, located strategically as you enter town after those long drives from Muddy Gap or Farson. Often the first stop is the brewpub next door, but once you're eating, it's usually a fine experience. Cowfish has its own garden. The veggie d'jour was zucchini, cooked nice and crisp with herbs. The zuke is kind of a workingman's veggie -- easy to grow, easy to cook, easy to overcook. Cowfish chops theirs into thumb-size chunks (no thumbs in mine, thankfully) and probably steams them briefly. They were as good as the trout, as refreshing as the Hefe and the Rye brews from the bar.

On my way out of town the next day, I visited the Cowfish garden. Surprised there wasn't a menacing cowfish sculpture in the middle to ward off crows and other pesky critters. The restaurant's logo is the skull of a cow with the tail of a fish. There's a big metal one hanging in the front of the place and I have one on a T-shirt. I get lots of comments about the shirt and often people just see it and nod wisely, as if they remember their most recent Cowfish meal. The restaurant's garden takes up a city lot. Looks as if the Cowfishers have harvested most of the early stuff with bushy zucchini plants erupting at the far end and rows of onions in the foreground. Be well, mighty zukes. Live long and prosper. I don't need to say the "prosper" part, as they mighty zucchini is prolific.

On a final note, my garden is still struggling post-multiple hailstorms. I am going to get some tomatoes -- already harvested a few with many more on the vine but time drawing short. Lots of snow peas and beans. Summer squash waiting for tonight's barbecue. Not much, but O.K. considering our summer weather. I keep telling the tomatoes -- one more month, one more month. Not sure if they're listening.

Garden hit by hail? Mine was. Get your fresh produce at the WY Fresh Market

Wyoming Fresh Market is open from 3-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Historic Depot Plaza in Cheyenne.

Here are some highlights:

• Farm-Fresh Local Produce, Meats, and Eggs
• Colorado Tree Fruits
• Gourmet Pastas from Denver
• Fresh, Local Baked Goods, Honey, and Jams
• Tortillas, Chips, and Salsas
• Live Plants, Bedding, Perennials, House Plants
• Hand-crafted, Natural Body Care Products
• Local Artisans and Crafts
• Children's Activities and Musicians to be scheduled
• Dinner on the Plaza - BBQ and more
• Info at http://www.wyomingfarmersmarkets.org/ or call Verena Booth at 307-637-8048.

Tea Party Slim in "Urban vs. Rural Smackdown"

I was digging in my garden when Tea Party Slim walked in the backyard gate. “What you doin’,” he asked?

As I leaned on the shovel handle, I felt a twinge in my back. It was the first warm day of spring. “Digging,” I said.

Slim sat down in the porch shade. He sipped Diet Coke from a can. “Want to borrow my rototiller? Makes the job so much easier.”

I surveyed the mounds of turned earth. It was black and filled with decomposing leaves. I saw earthworms wriggling, an indication of rich soil. This is my third year of gardening in Cheyenne – this time around, anyway. 

“I like digging.” I pushed the shovel into the dirt.

Slim sipped his Diet Coke. “You Liberals think that growing-your-own is something you invented.”

Slim was testing me again. “Why do you say that?”

“You didn’t invent gardening. You didn’t invent farmer’s markets. My relatives in rural Wyoming were growing and canning tomatoes and cucumbers long before you were born. Victory gardens – you ever heard of those?”

I contemplated banging Slim on the head with the shovel. But it wouldn’t even put a dent in that thick noggin of his. “My relatives were farmers, too,” I said. “My Grandpa Shay grew up in Iowa and was growing the juiciest tomatoes this side of Iowa City into his nineties. All in his backyard garden in Loveland.”

“Were your parents farmers? Mine were – and went broke in the process.”

“Sorry to hear that,” I said – and meant it. “I know that farming isn’t easy. And no, my father was an accountant and my mother was a nurse.”

“It’s a hard life,” Slim said. “Seems to me that you Liberal gardeners and locavores and vegans are trivializing the lives of rural Americans. City slickers vs. simple country folk.”

This gave me pause. Gardening is in. Farmers’ markets are big. Even some grocery stores stock local and organic produce and grass-fed beef from Wyoming. A half-dozen farms within 100 miles provide community-supported agriculture deliveries to Cheyenne. “People are making a living from farming,” I said. “Not in a big way. Small farms. That’s good, isn’t it?”

Slim chugged the rest of his Diet Coke and tossed the can in the trash. Oops,” said, looking at me. “You probably want to recycle that, right?”

“I will recycle that can, yes. Something wrong with recycling?”

“Does recycling and green energy provide jobs? You Liberals want to shut down all the coal mining and power-generating jobs in Wyoming. Are you going to replace them with legions of people sorting cans and bottles and newspapers? I don’t think so.”

"More than a million U.S. jobs are in recycling," I said. "Recycling reduces greenhouse emissions by 30 percent, the same as taking 25 million cars off the road." 

"And the Greenies shall inherit the earth." 

“Look, Slim, I’m just trying to grow a few tomatoes in my backyard. I have no plans for world domination.”

“Maybe you don’t, but some of your fellow travelers do.”

“They are welcome to it. I’ll be busy gardening for the next three or four months.”

Slim was quiet for awhile.  A gentle breeze carried with it the rich scents of spring. “I can go get that rototiller for you.”

I surveyed the yardage I still had to dig up. I could feel a spasm starting in my lower back. O.K.,” I said. "Bring it on over.”

Slim stood. “Modern technology is good for you,” he said with a smile.

“Things like solar panels and wind generators? Electric cars? Energy-saving light bulbs?”

“Coal-fired power plants? Internal combustion engines? Incandescent light bulbs?”

We stared at each other for what seemed like seconds.

Slim finally headed for the gate. “You’re gonna love this baby. 305cc engine, electric starter, four forward and two reverse gears, 16-inch ag tires….”

“As long as it tills the soil and saves my back,” I said.

“I’ll throw it in my Hummer and be right back,” he said as exited the gate.

Slim lives two doors down. He can push the tiller from his house to mine faster that he can drive it. But what the hell – one small step at a time.