First impressions one week in (garden, yard, good)

[boston2denver]

Originally Posted by OneMoreMove

I lived in Cambridge for 2 years while my wife was doing her doctorate there. Boston is OK, and there are good things about it. But, I'll take Denver any day.

People just seem happier here, they smile more, laugh more, and are more relaxed. That is important to me. Boston is a bit like NY in that it's a hard place to live and that's reflected in the mood of the city.

I'm sorry you didn't have a good two years in the Cambridge/Boston area. It happens. Like your wife, many of the people are there for school, then they are out, so perhaps they are not concerned with friendly. I don't know. I did both my bachelors and masters in Boston but thinking back I only made a handful of friends at school. Most of them were from the different neighborhoods where I lived.

There is alot to smile about in Denver. People are going to get tired of me saying this but this weather is to die for.

[Katarina Witt]

As always, I love these "see ourselves as others see us" threads.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by boston2denver

Altitude: When we arrived I did most of the unloading of the truck. I became tired faster than normal. Didn't think anything of it. But yeah it's affected me, but I do not have difficulty breathing. ... breathing is not a problem. I'll keep you posted on adjusting. ...

Actually, that's why there are so many brewpubs here, ya see, that way it woiks is all dem little bubbles HELP carry that there oxygen to yer muscles. Yeah, that's the ticket. Beer bubbles.

[OneMoreMove]

Originally Posted by boston2denver

I'm sorry you didn't have a good two years in the Cambridge/Boston area. It happens. Like your wife, many of the people are there for school, then they are out, so perhaps they are not concerned with friendly. I don't know. I did both my bachelors and masters in Boston but thinking back I only made a handful of friends at school. Most of them were from the different neighborhoods where I lived.

There is alot to smile about in Denver. People are going to get tired of me saying this but this weather is to die for.

Denver weather is MUCH better than Boston weather for me. Los Angeles weather is MUCH better than Denver weather. And the weather in Thailand is better than all of those.

Weather is a tricky thing - it's both relative and personal taste. If you like hot and dry in the summer, and cold and dry in the winter with low humidity and lots of sun, you'll like Denver.

[LisaBoulder]

Originally Posted by boston2denver

Of course I miss Boston but I'm here now and I'm the kind of person that likes to embrace whatever a city and surrounding areas have to offer.

I think that you have the best attitude about relocation. I bet that you'll be happy no matter where you live - even if the place doesn't turn out to be your favorite. I moved here when I was 22 to go to grad school, ended up getting a job here and spent the first 3 years whining about how it wasn't like New York. Well, that was 22 years ago and I did wise up; adopt your philosophy and happily stay in CO. I truly believe that every place has something positive to offer. You just have to allow yourself to see it.

[boston2denver]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

Bos2Denver: Are your breathing or nostrils adjusting to the altitude, or is that overblown? Is the intensity of the sun too intense?

bostonguy1960, I forgot to mention the reason I was eating more often when I first got here is because I felt nauseas anytime I exerted any kind of energy. Even something as simple as driving to a couple of stores to pick up some things. Strange, but true. And I don't think the sun is too intense at all, but that's just me.

[mooreds]

Here's another Colorado CSA list (full disclosure, that I maintain): View 68 Colorado CSAs

As far as fresh local produce, I find that you can get it from about April to Dec. I start out in the farmer's markets, then I go to a CSA, then I get a fall CSA. As someone said above, other than that, it's frozen food from your garden.

[livecontent]

I do appreciate giving us your impressions. I grew up in New York and I understand what you are talking about the produce that is available in Colorado vs. the East Coast. If you are looking for produce stands in front of grower's field, then you will find that it mostly in areas, north of Denver--in Adams County, Weld County and Larimer County. Those counties are where the large vegetable and truck farms are located because the soil is more fertile. The South Platte runs north into the Denver Basin, as Denver sits in a bowl and goes out of the area, toward the northeast. That water resource and the runoff has impacted the soil over eons. Arapahoe County and more so Douglas County lack that nourishment of the soil--so most vegetables farms where not located in that area.

The Immigrants that grew fresh fruits and vegetables on the farms were the Italians, the Japanese and some Hispanics. They settled north and northeast of the city. The Italians had many farms just north of the city, going up Broadway and around Welby. The Japanese developed farms near Brighton and there is still a large presence of that good ethnic group in the area.

So, to find vegetable stands--the first thing is to get off the highway. Go, north from Denver on 287--north from Broomfield and you will run across produce stands. In addition, go toward Brighton and again stay off the highway and take Brighton Blvd. and you will see produce stands.

The original old produce market in Denver was the Denargo Market, off Denargo Street. It is north of the 22nd Street Viaduct, along the Platte. That is where the produce warehouses of large distributors were located. Small produce distributors would come into the area and get their product for their respective region and farmers would come into the city to sell.

When, I first came to Denver, now almost 32 years ago, I worked as a food broker representative and would call on this market in the early morning to catch the distributors from out of town. The mist would be dispersing from the Platte and I was miserable at 4 am. I would go to the Two Mule Inn to get coffee and breakfast but I had to be careful about my New Yawk accent as there were many tough truckers.

I am fortunate that I live near Lowell north of Denver. There are some small farms located there, south of Westminster and have a good variety. In addition, there were markets along West 44th going into Golden. Arvada and Wheat Ridge at one time had many vegetable farms because of the predominance of Italian Immigrants and the water resource was available from Clear Creek and Ralston Creek. Arvada was once known as the celery capital and it produce a good soil blanched celery. I have not seen it in years but there are still some farms in those areas.

I also live near Westminster and driving to old part of the town from the South, you can still see many vestiges of orchards that were part of the earlier settlement of the town. Again, this is a result of the suitability of the soil.

I know Douglas County and the areas of the south are seen as the "wealthy" area and grows "McManshions" but not vegetables. It was more an area for cattle grazing. It does not have the agricultural tradition of the the "poorer" areas to the north. So, for a drive in the country, I will take the north areas as a better experience. Many people do not see the real values of the area, again, because they will not get off the highways. I lived in Niwot when I first move here and I would go down the road to the dairy and get milk with the cream on the top and go east to the Large Japanese Market, off 287.

Another important point about buying produce at the retail market. I absolutely do not buy at Whole Foods--too expensive. I like Sunflower Market but it also has some overpriced products. The best value for produce is to go where the poor people shop and the ethnic group today that is important in produce growing, distributing and marketing in the Southwest--the Hispanic community. So, find yourself a good Hispanic Market. I like Liborio Market and Azteca. These are small chains. They have the contacts to bring in good inexpensive produce from the Southwest, California, Mexico, Central and South America. You will also find a good assortment of apples, berries etc. from the Northwest. In addition, look at the many Asian, Laotian and Vietnamese Market which have a good reasonable selection of product. The prices at these markets are reasonable as they are not serving an elite market--they are serving a cost conscious consumer. Unfortunately these markets are not predominate in the Southern Suburbs--too bad. You will have to drive north, which some people will not do--that is their problem and loss.

Livecontent

[HighlandsGal]

Okay, these aren't produce places, but just wanted to show there are a lot of local speciality places if you know where to look. These are some in the area where I live (NW Denver):

Seafood Landing
3457 W 32nd Ave
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 571-1995

** good place for seafood, the guy will special order anything you please. Can be pricey, but that is what you get for quality stuff **

Carbone's Italian Sausage Market & Deli
1221 W 38th Ave
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 455-2893

dubbeldutch (Carries some Dutch and Indonesian Groceries)
Parisi | Pizzeria | Deli | Trattoria | Dine In & Take Out | 4401 Tennyson St Denver CO 80212 | 303-561-0234 (Carries some Italian meats, pasta, antipasto, plus casual restaurant and take out)

[formercalifornian]

Since you've only been here a week, this obviously won't provide an immediate solution, but start planning for a garden next spring. Even a small garden can provide a beautiful selection of produce, especially if you concentrate on heirloom varieties that thrive in the high and dry Denver climate. There's no need to learn how to can. There are lots of on-line resources for preparing produce for the freezer, and the results are great. Right now, my tiny raised beds are bursting with herbs, tomatoes, beans, lettuce, radishes, peppers, and broccoli.

As far as farmer's markets, I've been pleased with Miller Farms, and they can be found at over forty Denver-area markets.

I've never been unhappy with the quality of produce available at Whole Foods, but I'm not always happy about the prices. Remember that our climate makes some foods hit-or-miss. Try to focus on produce that Colorado does very well (western slope peaches come to mind), and use them to their greatest advantage. Look around right now for apples. Our neighborhood is absolutely loaded with them! One or more of your neighbors is sure to be overwhelmed and happy to share their bounty. In spring, ask around for rhubarb. My patch would easily provide enough stalks for a mountain of cobblers, and we couldn't possibly eat it all.

BTW, if you've wondered about those blue and white boxes on some of your neighbors' porches, they're coolers for Royal Crest Dairy, which makes home deliveries. Their milk is absolutely delicious!