Nearly 80 degrees two days ago. Last night? Sixteen. That’s a super-hard frost. No tip-toeing into it this year!
Fields that 48 hours ago supported tomatoes, eggplant and peppers so warm that the fruits radiated heat, now hold acres of blackened leaves and mushy fruit.
Sad? Not so much. We spend much of the fall harvesting and preserving vegetables for Colorado’s long winter and spring. We sauce them, sun-dry them, ferment them and park them in our root cellar, among other gambits.
True year-round farm-to-table in Colorado means intense preparation! We are good to go.
In addition to the fruited vegetables, we went nutso this week harvesting basil and flowers. You will find mountains of basil at the Market on Saturday.
And as Eric said today, “I think we are just five short of a bazillion flowers.” All of them have been formed into bouquets, and will be for sale at the Market. It’s the last gasp for outdoor-grown Boulder County flowers. We think it’s a perfect weekend to brighten the house with bouquets.
Meanwhile, the pigs are about to enter what could be their happiest time of the year. During the summer they spend a lot of time in fields eating bolted greens and herbs, weeds, grass, food scraps from the restaurants, and vegetables like fava beans and peas that were past their prime.
But after the frost, they feast on tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, eggplant and much more. Now is cornucopia time for our pigs. The season of gorging lasts into December, as we move them from field to vegetable-dense field.
Fresh fruited vegetables won’t make appearances at the Farmers’ Market for much longer. But we knew the frost was coming, and spent a lot of time preparing for the Markets. Savor this year’s bounty of fruited vegetables for as long as you can!
Plenty of other vegetables, though, disregard the frost.
Our Farmers’ Market booth will be heavy with plant life until the end of the Market season, around Thanksgiving.
And the restaurants are taking full advantage of such intense harvesting.
Enjoy the weekend, with its sun and temperatures in the 60s!
Holiday Parties at Black Cat Bistro
Snow fell this week, but Jingle Bells remains on the horizon. Months away.
Ditto for the parade of holiday parties.
Planning for festivities, however, has started. Our dining rooms already are getting booked for holiday parties.
We would love to serve you during the season, and help make your party special and memorable.
To book our dining rooms for parties, please contact Black Cat general manager Maygen Brown: [email protected]. Or call Black Cat Bistro for both Black Cat and Bramble & Hare bookings, 303-444-5500.
Traditional Thanksgiving Feast at Black Cat Bistro and Bramble & Hare
We treasure our annual Thanksgiving tradition at Black Cat Bistro, and are eager to share this magical event with our Boulder community.
Please join us for a traditional Thanksgiving feast. We offer a three-course meal, with choices of appetizers, entrees and desserts. In addition, we serve all of the classic side dishes.
This is Thanksgiving like you have never experienced. A true farm-to-table celebration of community, with most of the food coming from our nearly 500-acre farm. And all of it prepared and served by committed culinary and dining professionals.
When: Thursday, November 28th.
Times: Seatings at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m.
Cost: $78 per person
Location: Black Cat Bistro and Bramble & Hare dining rooms are combined for this festive tradition.
Reservations: Book through OpenTable (links at the bottom of this newsletter), or call Black Cat Bistro, 303-444-5500 or Bramble & Hare, 303-444-9110.
Join us and the Flatirons Food Film Festival for the screening of The Biggest Little Farm, including a post-film discussion with Eric and Jill on Sunday, Oct. 13th at 4pm. Then dine with us at a 7 p.m. for a four-course dinner at Bramble & Hare, where Eric and Jill will talk about the meal and farm between courses.
Flatirons Food Film Festival + Eric & Jill Speaking Event
Like Molly and John Chester of The Biggest Little Farm, Eric and Jill were new to agriculture when they started their organic farm. Both couples overcame obstacles in creative ways, and increasingly integrated raising animals with growing produce as the benefits of regenerative farming became apparent. The film will screen at Muenzinger Auditorium on the CU-Boulder campus. For more information and tickets: http://www.flatironsfoodfilmfest.org/festival-program
The Flatirons Food Film Festival takes place on October 10-13 in Boulder. Enjoy four days of films, food and wine tasting events with acclaimed local and national chefs and Master Sommeliers. Attend lectures, art exhibitions, activities about bees, a Mexican feast, an African romantic comedy, and more.
One can’t-miss event: an after-party at Bramble & Hare honoring culinary legend Diana Kennedy. Come lift a glass to Diana Kennedy’s extensive research into Mexican regional cuisines and the nine cookbooks that she wrote about it. Click the link for more details and tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/diana-kennedy-tribute-after-party-tickets-70429886687
At the Market
Veggies
Hakuri turnips · Sweet potatoes · Yellow onions · Arugula · Mizuna · Chinese collard greens · Squash: Delicatta, Hokkaido, Spaghetti, Acorn, Butternut · Pickling cucumbers · Peppers · Tomatoes · Purple potatoes · Golden potatoes · Beets · Sweet basil · Parsnips · Red kale · Mixed salad greens · Radish greens · Osaka purple · Tatsoi · Spicy mustard greens · Celery · Carrots
Grains
Sonoran White wheat flour · Khorasan wheat flour · Swiss rye wheat flour
Black Cat Heritage-Breed Pork & Lamb Raised on Organic Pastures
All cuts of lamb · All cuts of pork · Pork skin · Pork jowls
Accessories
Sheepskins
