Summary of Selected Features
Full articles at this link 2010_09Sep.pdf
Susan Gamble Shares Recipes for Farmers Market Produce
By Susan Gamble
Before last weekend, I had no idea what to do with a squash blossom, but they were so pretty, I couldn’t resist buying them. A golden cauliflower also caught my eye. Cauliflower isn’t usually considered a seductive vegetable, but this one was orange, as if it had bred with a cheddar cheese. I found these treasures at the Stapleton Farmers market on Sunday. I also bought organic peaches and heirloom tomatoes from Ela Family Farms, and akane apples from Peter Forté Farms. The nice people from Leffler Family Farms had picked their corn the night before to have it fresh at the market that morning, so I couldn’t resist getting a dozen ears. I also picked up some “on the vine” tomatoes, the usual stars of late summer Colorado produce.
Coming home I stood in the kitchen and looked at the cauliflower, apples, peaches, tomatoes, corn and squash blossoms. The beauty of truly fresh fruits and vegetables is that you don’t really have to cook them. They already taste good. So, I ate a peach and started chopping the cauliflower into florets. I took an apple and a peach and made a little fruit salsa to put over the cauliflower, making a bright and flavorful side dish.
The squash blossoms still needed conquering. First, I ate one. I would compare it to eating a delicate lettuce leaf. You could just toss it into a salad for a bit of color. I sautéed the next blossom in butter with salt and pepper. Mmmm, it’s hard to go wrong with butter. You could use this as a side with burgers or other grilled meat. Finally, I mixed ricotta cheese with a cup of mixed herbs from the garden, stuffed it into the squash blossoms, and twisted the petals together at the top. I dredged the stuffed blossoms in flour and pan-fried them in oil. I served the stuffed and fried blossoms covered in tomato sauce as a vegetarian main dish, with corn on the cob and roasted cauliflower with fruit salsa as sides. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with sliced peaches.
For Susan’s three recipes (Tomato sauce, Roasted Cauliflower and Fruit Salsa), download the pdf of the September issue.
When a Two-Tailed Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Came Knocking
by Marko and John Babiak
Last spring Marko and I started to draft a list of prospective wildlife candidates that we could write about in the months ahead. I recall setting some expectations with Marko and telling him that capturing a resting butterfly with his macro lens would be no easy goal. Spring and summer were speeding by. No butterfly encounter. Then, almost fortuitously, it did, and in the most delightful way.
It started with a ring of our doorbell. Two little heads were peering through our door window pane—it was our dear next door neighbors, Junior Rangers Nicholas and Eva. While on a stroll, a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly landed on Nicholas’s bright yellow shirt. Could this magnanimous creature stay put while Marko dashed for his camera? Would it remain tame long enough for us to gingerly walk it over to Avery and Mason’s blooming bush? We admired the tiger’s breath-taking beauty as it patiently sat in what appeared to be a deliberate picture-perfect pose for my wildlife photographer. As I looked at the mesmerized kids I thought, nature is gifting us a one-of-a-kind moment, in the first person and free of any charge. I felt very privileged.
The lifespan of the butterfly is about 14 days. Their action plan is straightforward. Seek out water and nectar rich plants like Purple Coneflowers, Phlox, Bee Balm and Lilacs to feed on, court and reproduce. Swallowtail butterflies do not migrate like the Monarchs. Most of Colorado comfortably supports two, possibly three generations of Swallowtails per year. Eggs that are laid late in the summer season will progress to the next stage, however if stressed by cold weather, the metamorphosis process pauses wherever, and enters into a state of suspended development until the environment is conducive for the cycle to continue. That wait could be as long to the following spring.
Happy Days Are Here Again—Fonzie Plans a Visit to Stapleton
The Stapleton Master Community Association is acting as executive producer to bring the Happy Days production to the Theatre on the Green. Charles Packard of the Fox Theatre, Aurora, is producing the musical with local professional talent.
The musical will be held at 6pm on Saturday, September 18 and September 25. It will also run at 4pm on Sunday, September 19 and September 26.
“This is a regional premiere,” Packard said. “It has not been produced anywhere in this market. Everyone remembers the series, but this has a new take on those characters.”
The music is ’50s rock ’n’ roll—doo-wop. “I was looking at musical revue-type shows when I stumbled on Happy Days. For the Fox to get to know everybody at Stapleton is a great opportunity,” he said. “We want to be Stapleton’s community theatre and this is our first opportunity to make that introduction.”
Meet Stapleton 3's New Principal, Chuck Raisch
In June, ground was broken at East 35th Avenue and Syracuse Street on a new Stapleton school that is expected to open for the fall session in 2011. However, the school’s new principal, Chuck Raisch, already is on the job with six classes in session at Westerly Creek Elementary School.
Raisch brings with him a strong background in education and considerable experience working in multiple settings and curriculum. “I have been part of a school that more than doubled in size,” he said. “I know the Denver system. I know the curriculum very well. I’ve worked with a lot of groups in consensus building. It’s all necessary when you’re trying to start a school from the ground up.” Bringing a new school into a community offers both opportunities and challenges, Raisch said. “We’re building an airplane while it’s in the air,” Raisch explained. “I think the opportunity for the community is to provide the guidance and the vision of how they want this school to respond to the needs of the greater Stapleton area.”
Stapleton 3’s new principal, Chuck Raisch, is eager to talk with parents about the new school, answer questions and discuss what the Stapleton community wants to happen. He can be reached at Westerly Creek Elementary School, 303.322.5877, or email him at Charles.Raisch@dpsk12.org.
A Place Where Babies Go Green
When Alyson Warren’s daughter, Eva, came into the world about 18 months ago, the idea of a “green” shop for infants was born, too. Warren, a former teacher, did research, took business courses and worked with the Small Business Administration to get her business, called Naturally Loved, set up right. The boutique is located at 7349 E. 29th Ave. It contains items for anyone bordering on or in the midst of parenthood.
“All our clothes are 100 percent natural organic cotton. The toys are eco-friendly. There is a lot of wood.. Our main goal is to stick to locally made products. We want to make the carbon footprint as small as possible. We have shoes, clothes, carriers for babies, furniture pieces, antique pieces—and my own paintings. My paintings are whimsical and kid-friendly. There are a lot of animals and shapes that are super visually stimulating.” Warren also can be commissioned to do murals in homes. “In the fall, we will offer classes on how to live green,” she added. “I want Naturally Loved to be a mothering hub. Mothers can come in and socialize. Being able to talk to other mothers is huge.”
Naturally Loved will offer art classes for children, crafts classes for moms and organic baby food coops in which each mother will make assigned vegetable or fruit dishes so that everyone will have a smorgasbord for their babies. For information, go to www.naturallylovedbaby.com, email Alyson Warren at naturallylovedbaby@gmail.com or call 303.955.6207.
