Boulder Colorado is well known for its healthy and athletic residents. Perhaps residents are so healthy because of the abundance of paved bike paths and hiking trails. Maybe. But if you believe ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ you’re in luck in Boulder with such easy access to fresh, organic and even local produce.

These are our favorite places to find fresh fruits and vegetables around Boulder.

The Boulder Farmers Market

A spring and summer staple is the Boulder Farmers’ Market. It is open on Saturdays from 8am-2pm from April through November. The Farmers’ Market draws families on foot, bike and public transportation, to the heart of Boulder, next to Central Park in downtown Boulder. Here you will find thousands of people filling their bags with fresh, local produce. For families that make their way through their groceries all too quickly, or those who are busy on Saturday, the Farmers’ Market is also open on Wednesdays from 4pm-8pm. Plan your grocery list by visiting the ‘Crop List’ on their website, BoulderFarmers.org. There’s everything from arugula to rhubarb.

Boulder Family Farms

Located in East Boulder, Boulder Family Farms is another favorite location to get locally-grown, organic produce. It is a self-serve farm stand that reminds you and your kids where food comes from… a farm, not the grocery store. Take the family when you pick up your produce to see the The stand is open 24/7 and plans are to keep the stand open year round. Food comes from neighbors who grow organically as well as several larger farms in Boulder county.

Community Gardening

Besides shopping for great local produce, many Boulderites prefer growing their own. Residents without yards or gardens can still garden, thanks to many community gardens in Boulder. Each plot has a unique choice of organic and synthetic chemical-free plants chosen by the tenant of that plot. Growing Gardens, an organization that manages 9 community gardens in Boulder, also has programs to teach children and teenagers about gardening through summer camps and part time job opportunities.

Healthy food is just one component of living a healthy lifestyle. As Boulder resident and REALTOR, Angela Moss wrote in an article titled CU Unearths Benefits to Community Gardens, “University of Colorado researchers published that community gardens have a positive influence on both the individual gardener and the neighborhood. The study finds that gardeners are more likely to ‘eat more vegetables, exercise more, weigh less and feel healthier than nongardeners—and even home gardeners—in the Denver-metro area.’” Ask any Boulder resident and they will probably agree!