In one word, yes. It is incredibly worth it to visit the local farmers market in Boulder. I have made it a personal goal of mine to experience the Boulder Farmers Market on 13th street. As a college freshman, I’m about three weeks into my first semester and am finding that Boulder is the perfect place to build community and participate in local activities.
The Boulder Farmers Market has more than “100 local farmers, ranchers, food producers, and artisans” to select your goods from. There are items from freshly-pressed apple cider and cocktail bitters to locally farm-grown produce like fresh carrots and plums. This major event consists of live music, a balloon animal station, outdoor seating at the local restaurants, and it occurs right outside of the Boulder Teahouse!
my top 3 favorite vendors
- Tacos Del Norte – A Food Review – https://www.tacosdelnortetruck.com/
I couldn’t go to the farmer’s market without getting a little lunch, and I’ve always been a sucker for Mexican food. I know I’m supposed to be responsible regarding my spending habits, but I just couldn’t resist one of the advertised fresh burritos. I got a chicken fajita burrito, which entailed perfectly-seasoned shredded chicken, finely-chopped fajita veggies, diced onions, the ideal amount of cilantro, creamy refried beans, perfectly-melty cheese, fluffy rice, and it all was wrapped in a fresh and warm flour tortilla. I almost burnt my mouth because I was so excited to try it, but it was so worth it. It was heaven on Earth.
The tortilla was perfectly chewy and it didn’t tear even once. Pockets of melty, gooey cheese held the veggies inside. The chicken and the beans worked so well together; it was a textural and flavorful delight. One of the owners, Rolando Marroquin, was taking the orders at the register and he was incredible. It was obvious that he cared about and loved what he did. This year marks Rolando & Belén Díez’s 10th year of Tacos Del Norte: a culmination of years spent transforming a vision into a reality. The business mainly operates through a food truck that caters events like weddings, graduation parties, sorority parties, corporate picnics and retirement parties. Personally, I’m heavily considering having a taco truck at my future wedding and Tacos Del Norte made their way to the top of my list. Their main goal is to provide a memorable culinary experience for guests. Whenever you get the chance, you HAVE to try something off of the menu. I guarantee it is going to be phenomenal.
2. Campfire Bakery – Spark & Honey Granola – https://www.thecampfirebakery.com/#new-page-1-section
I go through some serious food fixations, but I’ve never been so deep into a food fixation like I am with yogurt bowls right now. My favorite part of the yogurt bowl is quite honestly the mounds of granola I can pile on top. It’s not really a yogurt bowl at that point – more of a granola bowl with a hint of yogurt and fruit. With Spark & Honey Granola, that’s what it’s meant to be. What’s really special about Spark & Honey Granola is that it’s short-baked. Short-baked granola is baked for about half of the usual time (30-45 minutes). Baking it in half of that time allows for more hydrated and flavorful granola. The founder of Spark & Honey, Lisa Steinkamp, tries to locally source almost every ingredient because she believes that you can’t make great food without great ingredients. I think that is incredibly important to remember, especially whenever you decide to support local businesses.
The pitch behind their product is that the granola is made of wholesome, fresh, and clean ingredients that still taste amazing. At the farmer’s market, Spark & Honey had samples of their four different flavors: The Original (Cranberry Coconut Almond), Wild Blueberry Vanilla, Blueberry Lemon Zest and Cinnamon Raisin Flax (No Nuts). I tested “The Original” and it was perfectly pitched and executed. The granola was toasty, crunchy, sweet, nutty, and slightly salty (but in a really good way). I didn’t get the chance to grab a bag of their granola this time, but it is on the top of my list for when I visit again.
3. Best One Yet – The Best of Vegan Ice Cream – https://www.bestoneyetvegan.com/about
Boulder is the home to many people who subscribe to the healthy, holistic, granola lifestyle. Knowing that, Best One Yet perfected the recipe to locally sourced, flavorful, and artisanal vegan ice cream. Being able to perfect vegan ice cream is almost an impossible task, but the founder, Helen, was up for the challenge. She began her business in 2017 on a red scooter with a freezer attached to the side. Since then, she’s obtained an official Best One Yet truck to drive her and her husband around from events like Boulder’s Farmers Market to Vegan Night events on Thursdays. But Best One Yet doesn’t just cater to vegans – she caters to all ice cream lovers (so myself included). Recently, because of the chill in the air, she has been transitioning into some new fall seasonal flavors like Raspberry Crisp, Plum Oat Crisp and Orange & Cream. I taste-tested the Plum Oat Crisp flavor on a whim and I would never ever be able to tell it wasn’t regular dairy ice cream. Being able to create either a gluten-free or vegan treat is sometimes an impossible task, especially when you are working to make it exactly like the real thing without the substitutes. But, if you asked me to be able to articulate which ice cream was vegan between Best One Yet and Bluebell, I couldn’t tell you. The Best One Yet is ahead of their time thanks to Helen’s impeccable vegan ice cream. Mark my words, it’s going to be huge.
Each of these businesses made it a goal to support other local businesses. Tacos Del Norte, Spark & Honey and the Best One Yet collectively wanted to locally-source most (if not all) their products. I’m from Fort Collins, and while the farmers markets there are incredible, they aren’t the same as the one I experienced here. So, when you ask me if visiting the Boulder Farmers Market is worth it, I absolutely say it is.