At the Market: Colorado melons — smooth texture, accessible delicacy - Boulder Daily Camera

Boulder County Farmers Markets

Sweet, juicy, fragrant — and utterly accessible, Colorado melons are a summer blessing to everyone who happens upon them.

While a real treat and considered a delicacy, Colorado melons are not hard to find, nor are they expensive. As a producer-only market, we are delighted to offer melons in both curbside boxes and at our markets for shoppers looking for a sweet and flavorful fix. Delicious on their own; wrapped in cured ham; tossed in a fruit salad — Colorado melons never fail to delight.

Fewer than half of the farmers markets in the country require that their vendors are from a defined geographic area, according to the National Farmers Market Managers report.

That’s why you can perhaps happen upon a farmers market in the Centennial State and see … giant tables stacked with oranges, pineapples and bananas. Maple syrup from a large producer in Indiana. We pride ourselves on being local, selling Colorado-grown produce and crafted food — from pies to pierogies — from local producers. The upside is the produce is fresh as can be, and travels very little, which is better for the environment.

If you don’t care about those things (and we hope you do!) let’s face it: Colorado cantaloupes are tastier than all other cantaloupes. We love to eat them plain with a spoon, or topped with cottage cheese. Great in green smoothies. Sliced into chunks and wrapped in prosciutto, they make a perfectly sweet-and-salty elegant appetizer or tapas that takes just minutes to prepare.

This week, we were delighted to offer Charentais melons, which are famous in southern France. A master gardener from France grows them here in Colorado at Rancho Durazno, a farm that fruit fans in Colorado flock to at our farmers markets for their high-quality produce.

The taste is a lot like a cantaloupe, with a different color and aroma. Here, our staff has created a recipe where Charentais or cantaloupe can be used interchangeably. (Or honestly, just eat them with a spoon. They are that good.) The salad creates a contrast between salty and sweet, and the texture contrasts are a pleasure. Skip the cheese for a vegan side dish.

We have curbside ordering all year-round, and this week’s orders for Longmont and Denver include melons and frozen, ready-to-bake peach pies. Sign up an account and we’ll send you updates on Sunday morning for Boulder and Lafayette pickups. The windows for curbside are at 1 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday for Boulder and Lafayette and at noon Tuesday-Thursday for Denver and Longmont.

The Boulder pickup can be your weekday getaway with friends, because you can order your food in advance and attend the beer garden on Wednesday evening. Listen to the live music, have a beer with friends, meet the farmers and leave with your curbside order.

Melon and Cucumber Salad

• 1 Charentais or cantaloupe, halved and deseeded
• 1 large cucumber, halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons crumbly goat cheese (optional)
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped mint leaves

Directions:

• Using a melon baller or a measuring spoon, cut the flesh out of the melon. Add them to a large bowl.
• Deseed the cucumber if the seeds are too large. Cut the cucumber into thin half-moons and add to the melons.
• Combine the olive oil, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl and whisk.
• Add the vinaigrette to the fruit and toss to combine. Top with the crumbled cheese and mint leaves.
• If you make this recipe show us your photos! We’re on Instagram at @BCFM.

At the market this week

Beer garden on Wednesday nights starting at 4 p.m. in Boulder. Tons of greens and surprising fruit. We have ready-to-bake frozen peach pies. Browse the markets and enjoy the weather, the live music and camaraderie. Choose your journey: Check out our curbside offerings and stop by the markets. Fresh flowers and plants. Squash, cucumbers and carrots. Everything is local: cheeses and mushrooms in several varieties. Pupusas, pierogies in several flavors, farm-fresh eggs, tamales, pasta, spinach, potatoes, kombucha, green onions, local honey, granola, vegan ice cream and several varieties of meats including ribs. Tomatoes, daikon and tender greens. In person-markets are open in Longmont, Boulder and Denver every Saturday. No reservations required. Shop online and learn more at bcfm.org.

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At the Market: Colorado melons — smooth texture, accessible delicacy - Boulder Daily Camera
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