Desperately Seeking Organic Food in Castle Rock

My husband and I moved from Littleton to Castle Rock, Colorado three years ago. We absolutely love the town but during the winter and early spring we find ourselves back in Littleton twice a week to buy fresh organic produce.

I am deeply envious of the large Vitamin Cottage that recently opened in Parker and we often go there to stock up on their non-limp produce. But the more I learn about developing a sustainable life the more I become convinced at how ridiculous it is that we drive 15-20 miles each way to buy organic produce and antibiotic free meats. However, I am not willing to give up organic food to eat from my local grocery store just to save on my petroleum use.

One may argue that large local chains offer more organic foods than ever before. I agree, they offer more foods with the organic label; however, the strict guidelines for organic labeling are continuously being lowered thanks to the powerful influence of conventional food lobbies. This dilution of the organic label allows more companies to affordably get into the game but it means the consumers are left with less healthy foods. Organic labels are quickly becoming meaningless.

To try and avoid this dilution, I try to only buy from companies who have been in the business a long time and who have higher standards for their organic food quality than the government imposes. I tend to think that companies who only offer organic products and who have been in the industry for a long time have higher quality standards. I will share information about these companies as I research them further. So while large grocery stores do have more "organic" food, I rate those products as better than conventional but by what margin? I do not yet know. Whole food nutritionists urge us to eat locally grown organic foods for optimal nutrient content and minimal adverse earth impact.

Eating locally grown organic foods is challenging to do when you live in states with long winters. Our short growing season in Colorado and seasonal farmer's markets also makes it challenging to eat locally. So the winter and early spring months find me making my bi-weekly trek to larger suburbs to forage for the healthiest food available. Meanwhile I hope for and lobby for a small natural foods grocery like Vitamin Cottage or Wild Oats to take root in fast-growing town of Castle Rock.

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Denver Metro Living at its Finest: Life in South West Douglas County
Lifestyle, Events, News and Gossip, and Real Estate for Castle Rock, Sedalia, Louviers, Larkspur, and Castle Pines and Castle Pines North in Colorado

Colorado's Indian Summer Keeps on Giving

One reason people love Colorado is because there are four distinct seasons. This has never been more the case than this year as the Indian Summer has lingered on the Front Range for two glorious months.

Since the beginning of September we've been enjoying brilliantly sunny days and 60-70 degree weather. Douglas County has seen an extension of fall colors as the characteristic scrub oak that covers the low lying hills, screening houses from neighbors and providing ample space for wildlife. These leaves turn from a glowing orange to a grocery bag brown before falling to the ground. It is true, the leaves are finally dropping which means more work for us homeowners who must rake them up.

Rather than dumping leaves in your weekly garbage, consider taking them to the Sedalia dump or a slash/mulch site (during the summer only) for composting.

I never understood why eco-friendly geeks championed the idea of composting. Why can't I put my yard waste into the garbage? I finally discovered yard waste and food scraps release carbon dioxide as they decomposed in an airless environment. If the waste is trapped under conventional garbage including plastics, and are not in an open aired-environment, the emitted gases consolidate and contribute to greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

Yesterday I finished creating a kidney shaped soil and mulch island around one of our silver maple tree. A representative from Lawn Doctor, who is fertilizing our trees and bushes with a winter feeding, recommended that I create an island so that the trunk of the tree does not get nicked by the lawn mower or weed wacker.

With much anticipation, I planted red and yellow tulip bulbs that are still available at Castle Rock Gift and Garden Center.

Resources you can use:

Sedalia Dump accepts leaves and biomass. Open year round. The hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every Monday and Saturday. Closed on holidays.
Sedalia Dump phone number: 303.660.7470
Please note: They do not accept recyclables at this site.

Some South West Douglas County municipalities offer slash/mulch collection sites to help residents reduce wildfire danger by clearing their land from the debris shed from trees and bushes.

Summer Programs for Slash/Mulch sites that allow for drop off and pick up:

Rather than putting the slash (debris fallen from trees - pine needles, leaves, pods, and small branches) into the trash, consider a trip to the town of Castle Rock slash/mulch site located at the end of Caprice Drive, just west of the the I -25 and Wolfensberger Exit.

They are open during the summer months, May - September on Saturdays from 8 AM until 2 PM. They accept slash and offer free pine mulch. Free mulch can help offset expensive landscape projects.

Castle Pines North also has a slash/mulch program that runs during the summer.

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Denver Metro Living at its Finest: Life in South West Douglas County
Lifestyle, Events, News and Gossip, and Real Estate for Castle Rock, Sedalia, Louviers, Larkspur, and Castle Pines and Castle Pines North in Colorado

Picture taken from the perimeter trail around The Rock, the signature thin butte rock in Castle Rock, Colorado. Hikes along this rock also include an off trail, un-marked rock scramble to the top. Views overlook the entire town of Castle Rock.