First up this week, I want to introduce you to the “Sale Barn.” I know you might be asking yourself if I have fallen off the tractor 1 too many times, but there is a point to this I promise. We have been bringing you so many new items and there are times when these new items don’t get onto the radars of our members.
I get it. People are creatures of habit. Change is not something that most of us gravitate to easily. So scouring the web site to see all the new flavors and smells does not come naturally. So that is why I am going to incentivize you financially. So our “Sale Barn” has been added to the web site for you to peruse. No we will not have animals or tractors for sale in our barn. But you will see some hot items for the week that we will change weekly.
For this week, we have added fresh eggs because chickens start to lay eggs like crazy as the weather gets better. Some delicious Breakfast Sausage, because what goes better with eggs than pork. We have added some very yummy new sirloin steaks to the line up. And finally Mahi Mahi. I seared the filets for 4 minutes per side this week and I swear that the fish was as good (actually better) than any fish I have had in a restaurant. Try some fish tacos next week. We have pineapple and mango to make it a hit.
A reminder about the Annual Plant Sale, April 30th, 9-Noon at our Warehouse 3435 Stanford Dr NE. It is going to be a happening place. Fresh plants, hip people, and lots of educational things being thrown around for you to chew on or spit out. We have condensed the time frame and increased the fun factor. There will be stuff to keep the kiddos smiling too while you focus on your garden plans.
Lastly for this week, I would like to share a text that I got from Paul at Excelsior Orchards in Paonia, CO. “Fruit crop looking good so far. This includes sweet cherries and apricots.” Reading that almost brought tears to my eyes like I was watching The Notebook for the first time.
You see we have a special arrangement with Paul that we do not have with anyone else. 3 years ago we asked Paul to have his entire harvest from his 85 acre orchard. He grows it, we will find a happy home for it. The contract was sealed by a handshake leaning against the hood of a pick-up. The way most farm deals are signed.
Since then we (you) have been the fortunate recipients of his apples, pears, cherries, nectarines, peaches, apricots, and plums. But this fruit is special. Why you may ask?
There are certain areas of the country where fruit trees just belong. The soil with the water, with the cold winter nights, with the long summer days, with the minerals of the mountain slopes all just come together perfectly. This happens in areas of California’s wine country and you end up with a special bottle of juice. This is how I feel about the western slopes of Colorado’s fruit. Something magical happens in this mountainous region of Colorado that you just don’t see anywhere else.
You know me, I defend New Mexico to the end. But, the fruit that we will be bringing down from Excelsior is better than any piece of fruit that has ever been grown in NM. It is not our growers fault, we just do not have the geography.
The good news for you, is that you will not have to drive 6 hours to some small roadside stand along a deserted road to find this fruit, you’ll just have to put boxers on and open the front door. Paul calls me every week to let me know what he is bring down for you that weekend. We plug those items into the Harvest Boxes and then how you eat his fruit is up to you. Pies, tarts, or right from your hand.
So it was with much happiness to read that the winter has treated Paul and Excelsior well. We usually start to see the fruits of his labor in early June and if everything goes well, we have at least one item from Excelsior in every box until Thanksgiving. Fingers crossed for an abundant year!
Farmer Monte