Yesterday was the opening day of a farmer’s market season for Grampa’s Gourmet, and it was also our first day at the Cherry Creek farmer’s market in Denver. And couldn’t have been a more beautiful day to start the summer!

We met lots of new people, sold lots of honey and ate delicious food (courtesy of The Denver Biscuit Co. and Oh Joy Ice Scream trucks).

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth!

Grampa's Gourmet Honey booth and sign

Grampa's Gourmet Honey Jars at Cherry Creek Farmer's Market in Denver

The Denver Biscuit Co. truck made for some delicious vegetarian biscuit and shiitake mushroom gravy lunch.

Lunch time at Cherry Creek Farmer's Market in Denver

Hazel Dell Mushrooms guy was our neighbor.

Seedlings

Oh Joy Ice Cream Truck.

Cherry Creek Farmer's Market in Denver

Grant and Jessica in front of Grampa's Honey booth in 2010.

This year Grampa’s Gourmet is come back to downtown Denver to participating in Colorado Fresh Markets farmer’s markets at Cherry Creek and City Park Esplanade:

CHERRY CREEK FRESH MARKET
Saturdays, May 7 – Oct 29, 8 am – 1 pm
1st Ave. & University Blvd.
(Map)

CITY PARK ESPLANADE FRESH MARKET
Sundays, May 16 – Oct 31, 9 am – 1 pm,
E. Colfax Ave. & Columbine St.
(Map)

Come by and visit us at the booth!

One of the most common conversations we have with people who visit us at the farmer’s market is about the fact that not all honey is the same. It’s remarkable how many times after having tasted our honeys I hear the phrase: ”I didn’t know there were so many different kinds of honey!”

We feel that honey is often misunderstood and underestimated as an artisan ingredient in food.

In fact, there are more than 300 unique types of honey available in the United States (more than any other country in the world!), each originating from different floral source. And that number doesn’t include honeys that have a blend of floral sources, but have a distinct flavor profile based on the location of the hive (ex: downtown Denver).

To explain the variations of honey flavors I like to make the analogy to wine.

For wines, it’s all about the grapes. And the grapes used to make wine could take on different characteristics depending upon the French concept called gout de terroir, or “taste of place”. Terroir is what dictates the taste of the wine – and it depends on the geographic location, soil, the weather (was is a drought year?) – all of which gives each wine its unique, individual, complicated profile and personality.

The same is true for honey. A honey’s flavor profile will vary not only from year to year but also from hive to hive. The exact same field of flowers, if produced by two different hives that stand right next to each other, can bear honey that is completely different in color, flavor, texture, and aroma.

As long the beekeeper doesn’t mix all of the honeys together (and then heat/filter/process them), and instead uses traditional methods emphasizing quality and character (instead of quantity and homogeneity) – the complex regional variations come through in taste!

All Grampa’s Gourmet honeys have distinct “terroir”. It’s the flavors of the San Luis Valley in a jar. This region is an amazing place to practice traditional migratory beekeeping to produce varietal honeys because we have access to vast fields of very distinct floral sources to place our hives around.

"Our Taste of Place" San Luis Valley (picture via Gareth Llewellin, 2010)

As some of you know, we participated in this year’s Local Foods Festival in Denver last weekend – and we had a blast! Met lots of new interesting people, made new friends and sold some honey. Thanks again to the Denver Botanic Gardens, Junior League of Denver and Chipotle for putting on the event.

Scott Dressel-Martin, the official photographer of Denver Botanic Gardens took lots of pictures and sent us over a couple of great ones:

Grant and Jessica in front of Grampa's Honey booth at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. Local Food Festival 2010.

Grampa's Gourmet honey jars against the sky at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. Local Food Festival 2010

We’ll definitely be back next year!

I thought I’d share some pictures from the farmer’s market:

Our simple honey sign and prices

Grant (that's me!) and Jess with the honey.

This year Grampa’s Gourmet will be making it’s Denver debut by participating in Colorado Fresh Markets farmer’s market at City Park Esplanade (which is next to East High School and across the street from the Tattered Cover Bookstore).

CITY PARK ESPLANADE FRESH MARKET
Sundays, May 16 – Oct 31, 9 am – 1 pm,
E. Colfax Ave. & Columbine St.
(Map)

Come by and visit us at the booth!