More than three thousand people attended a winter farmers’ market in Old Town Fort Collins on December 12th.  Over half the vendors were selling veggies and other local food products.  I think that’s remarkable and a great sign of the demand for local foods.  I finally saw it for myself this past weekend.  The Fort Collins Winter Farmers’ Market, at the Opera Galleria, is sponsored by Be Local Northern Colorado.

There were two notable veggie vendors in attendance.  Veggie vendor #1 was Cresset Farm.  I liked their challenge to name that vegetable.  I’m much better at this than I used to be.

Black radishes, surrounded by red and green cabbage (I can’t get away from cabbage!!)

The biggest red beet I have ever seen.  Impressive.

Carrots and Rutabagas.

This one stumped me.

They told me the name, but I couldn’t remember it when I got home.  Thankfully, just googling “pointy cabbage” was all I needed to do.  It’s called Sptizkohl (which mean pointy cabbage in German).  Supposedly, this is the best type of cabbage for sauerkraut, and also great for stuffed cabbage due to the shape and size of the leaves.  Thanks to all of you who gave me suggestions for how to cook cabbage!!!!  Your recipes, and this really cool looking pointy cabbage,  finally gave me the courage to take a cabbage home.  I’ll let you know how it goes…

There are a few of a “certain vegetable” nestled around the Spitzkohl that will be the subject of this weeks veggie story.  Can you guess what it is?

Spoons, a local soup and salad restaurant, makes soup from a market veggie vendor each week.  This week, it was veggies from Cresset Farm, and “Root Cellar Soup” with carrots, onions, celery, rutabaga, potatoes, and chives.  Proceeds go to the Larimer County Food Bank.  Read about Stone Soup.

Check back next week for pictures from veggie vendor #2: Grant Family Farms.

Have a great week!

Want more veggies?  Check out last week’s veggie story:  Considering Cabbage. New veggie stories every Thursday.

Did you see last week’s market photos?  Click here for Monday Dose of Market: Spicing it Up! New photos every Monday.

New to The Weekly Veggie? Read how it all began with My Childhood Vegetable Nemesis.