Market Meals is a collaboration between Boulder Reporting Lab and the Boulder County Farmers Markets, featuring weekly seasonal recipes built around ingredients from local growers, ranchers and food producers. Find it in Nibbles every Tuesday and on Boulder Reporting Lab. Sign up to get Nibbles in your inbox.
We’re in Week 18 of our Market Meals recipe series at Boulder Reporting Lab. Each week’s recipe includes a list of the produce items farmers will be bringing to Boulder and Longmont. Now, as we reach the heat of summer, that “What’s Fresh” list could simply read: “Everything.”
Boulder County farms are nearing the peak abundance of the 2026 growing season. You can find heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, peaches, melons and chilies, along with every culinary herb in the fields. Now is a good time to start preserving, freezing and canning some of the harvest for fall and winter meals.
Early in the season, we shared recipes featuring unique ingredients like hakurei turnips and sorrel. This week, we turn to a common crowd-pleaser: broccoli. Often served steamed, sauteed or roasted, broccoli is also delicious raw and retains its satisfying crunch. Enjoy this slaw as a side at your summer barbecue or on top of a sandwich.
Boulder County Broccoli Slaw
- 2 heads broccoli
- 2 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
- 4 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 1 cup parsley leaves
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- About 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
- ½ cup dried sweetened cranberries (optional)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Prepare the broccoli by separating the stalks and crowns and cutting the crowns into half-inch pieces. Peel the stalks and slice the tender cores into matchsticks. Mix the prepared broccoli with the cabbage, green onions, carrots and parsley in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, maple syrup, mustard and garlic. Stir into the broccoli mixture until fully coated. Stir in the salt, then taste and adjust as needed. Top with toasted walnuts and cranberries.
What’s fresh this week? Farmers are bringing sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, summer squash, melons, peaches, carrots, radishes, sugar snap peas, fennel, broccoli, fresh bouquets and more to the Boulder and Longmont farmers markets this week.
Visiting the Markets
- 13th Street between Arapahoe Ave. and Canyon Blvd.
- 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays, April 4-Nov. 21; 3:30-7:30 p.m., Wednesdays, May 6-Oct. 7
- More information
- Boulder County Fairgrounds
- 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, April 4-Nov. 21
- More information
Have a tip or suggestion? Send your comments, questions and ideas to nibbles@boulderreportinglab.org.
