Farmers Markets may be one of the quickest, easiest and fun ways to experience a neighborhood or town’s foodiness, culture and priorities.  For instance in Seattle the number of coffee vendors far exceeded any other town’s market we had visited and that was a delightful intro to Seattle’s coffee fetish.  In Nashville we found exquisite food with an odd twist on BBQ and South of the Border that we did not find elsewhere.   

In almost every city we stayed in we made it a point to visit their farmers markets.  Some were so good we went back over and over.  Denver was definitely one of those. 

It was our good fortune that Mary’s good friend Suzanne lives in Denver.  She invited us to join her and her friends at the City Park Farmers Market on our very first weekend.  What a treat! 

The vendors are spread out on both sides of a long rectangular park, while food trucks are parked along the semi-circular drive at the top end of the park.  In the grass, tables chairs and a music tent offered a place to chat, eat, meet and greet friends and neighbors.  The food was uniquely yummy, the farmer’s stands were diverse and interesting, the artists and crafters were offering a variety of good and foods that were fascinatingly different from the markets in other cities.   For instance only in Denver did we find Ghee, Colorado Sake, Botanical based cocktail bitters, Atost Aperitivos (somewhere between a wine and a liqueur) and a miso-based chili base, just to name a few.   

We bought soap, face and body creams, at least 3 jars of cooking sauces, jellies (so delicious), coffee, as well as a nice array of fresh produce and some food from the food trucks to go home.  It was a blast!  Thank you Suzanne for introducing us early in our stay!

During our month long stay in Denver, we visited two other markets. One was small and kind of quiet - (well it was over 100 degrees so everyone was staying inside).  The other was in the back of Union Station.  It had more cooked food vendors than farmers or food vendors.  It was small but fun.  We fell in love with City Park though and went back over and over.  

If you are in Denver between March and October we highly recommend you visit.  https://www.cityparkfarmersmarket.com/saturdaymarket