Get excited about heirloom tomatoes

garden.

Guest Column

Josie Hart

The essence of summer for me is a freshly picked tomato, and if you are a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member or visit farmer’s markets, I am sure you love the rainbow of colors that come from heirloom tomatoes. At the Denver Botanic Gardens Chat eld Farms’ CSA, we get super excited about new nds, old classics and interesting adapted heirlooms that we can add to our o erings.

Of course, tomato season starts well before the summer — deep in the winter, when the snow is falling, tomato growers pursue seed catalogues with all sorts of tomato varieties. Now, with mid-summer approaching, we enthusiastically wait for the rst fruits of the vine.

I would like to share three varieties we are most excited about for this season. ese varieties are heirloom or more accurately, ‘open pollinated’ tomatoes, which means a saved seed from the fruit will have very similar characteristics as the original plant.

Carbon ese black heirloom tomatoes are heavy feeders and have a high tolerance for drought and hot growing conditions. Carbon tomatoes are open pollinated, which means they use natural pollinators such as bumblebees, bees, birds and, sometimes, the wind — all natual elements of the e carbon tomato is a large, rm, meaty tomato. Its esh is deep red with light to dark purple shoulders. It has a vibrant, sweet, smokey avor with the texture of a beefsteak. ese fruits are marketed as crack resistant, but according to several growers, they tend to split if watering is not regular.

Cherokee green is tomato is a true green when ripe which can cause confusion. We see many people pick up green tomatoes, then set them down because they think they are not ready. However, if you know what to look for in ripeness, then you are blessed with the sweetest avor (in my opinion) of all the tomatoes. Ripeness is indicated by a slight yelloworange hue on the blossom side of the fruit. is wonderful heirloom has an excellent, complex avor with a gorgeous color, which makes it one of our most anticipated tomatoes for this season based on being a favorite from last year. Each tomato can be between six ounces and one pound. Cherokee green is a large, beautiful beefsteak selected by Craig LeHoullie who has trialed more than 1,200 tomato varieties and has several helpful books on home gardening. is tomato comes from the same gene selections at the Cherokee purple, which is known for bold, acidic avors.

Moskovich

A true classic in every tomato

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• Keep it polite: No name calling or “mudslinging.” garden, this early, small, red tomato makes for a great slicer. ese perfect little red globes are coldtolerant, which means they will be one of the rst to start to ripen. Moskovich can put on growth while the early May conditions are still too cold for many big fruit tomatoes. It will be one of the last to keep producing because of its hardiness, making it a true work-horse winner for production. e avor is very balanced — not too acidic and not too sweet, so it also works for canning, if that’s your thing. Happy growing (and eating)!

Josie Hart is the associate director of farm program for the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Local libraries o er nontraditional items and programs, preserve important ‘third place’

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Fo r those who haven’t stopped by their local library in recent years, it’s not just a place to pick up and drop off books anymore.

In the post-pandemic era, libraries have become meeting places, remote work spaces, play areas and more. Rather than the repositories of books and other print media they once were, libraries are taking on more of a community center role, staff members at Denver-area library districts explained.

“They’ve always had that role,” said Holly Grant of the Clear Creek County Library District. “But now, it’s about … not just seeing (a library) as a storehouse of knowledge and scholarship.”

To that end, libraries have diversified the items and programs they offer to address community needs.

Depending on the district, patrons can check out everything from camping equipment to virtual reality headsets. Additionally, patrons can access videoand audiobook-streaming services for free with their library cards.

Plus, along with children’s storytime and book clubs, library events and programs can range from puppy yoga to snowshoe hikes.

“It’s a very different library than what many of us grew up with,” Holly Whelan of Arapahoe Libraries said. “ … We have everything, everything, everything.”

Items and resources aplenty

Whelan’s words aren’t an exaggeration, as staff members from multiple districts said their libraries offer so much it’s hard for them to remember everything. So, before buying, renting or downloading something, check the library first.

Along with books, movies and comics, districts have nontraditional items for check-out. Many offer laptops, iPads, Kindles, mobile WiFi hotspots, passes to local museums, cookware, GoPro cameras and science kits.

Mark Fink, executive director of Anythink Libraries — which has branches from Thornton to Bennett — said his district’s TryIts collection includes musical instruments for various experience levels; lawn games; outdoor gear like snowshoes and backpacks; 3-D printers; sewing machines and crafting kits; and microscopes.

People have borrowed them for weekend barbecues, camping trips, one-off projects, or to see whether they’d want to buy their own. Fink said the TryIts collection has been so popular, Anythink Libraries has “expanded the level of items we provide.” Offering items like these saves patrons money and helps the environment too, Grant pointed out, as people aren’t buying things they might only use once.

Along with physical items, districts have several online resources patrons can access with their library cards. Through these apps and online services, patrons can download e-books and audiobooks, stream movies and TV shows, and access tutoring services and online classes — all for free.

Lizzie Gall of Jefferson County Public Library said patrons who used to spend money on Audible and Netflix have saved money by finding their items through the library instead.

In-person services are also crucial, whether it’s answering technological questions or notarizing documents. Grant said Clear Creek patrons have asked for help setting up their Kindles and reviewing their emails, and tourists often stop into the Idaho Springs and Georgetown branches to ask questions about local sites and museums.

As Whelan summarized it: “If you think the library isn’t for you, or we don’t have anything to offer, think again. … We have something for everybody.”

Unique programs, events

Beyond summer reading and book clubs, libraries have expanded the type of events and programs they offer — ranging from outdoor and out-of-library adventures, to arts and culture, to physical and mental health.

Almost all are free and open to everyone, including out-of-district attendees. Some may require preregistration and/or tickets to cover event costs.

Clear Creek has hosted everything from snowshoe hikes to American Sign Language classes. It also has free presentwrapping stations in December, which are immensely popular, Grant said.

Both Jefferson County and Arapahoe libraries have hosted after-hours laser tag for teens, which are well-attended and sometimes have fun themes like “Star Wars.” Gall highlighted other teen events, like this August’s Teen Iron Chef and the ongoing Coding Camp, which has expanded to include preteens.

Summertime outdoor concert series are popular at Anythink and Arapahoe library districts, with each concert drawing hundreds of attendees.

Fink noted how Anythink Libraries also has an artists-in-residence program through a partnership with the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. The district’s also partnering with the City of Thornton to build a 35,000-square foot nature library so people can engage with nature in an accessible way, he commented.

For Arapahoe Libraries, Whelan highlighted the Library For All program, which is for adults with disabilities and their caregivers. It also has a Memory Café for adults with memory loss, their caregivers and families.

Events like these have become crucial ways for participants to connect and interact with those in similar situations, Whelan described.

At Douglas County Public Libraries, the popular brew tour is returning this year, which encourages patrons to support local breweries and coffee shops. Kerri Morgan, special events manager, said the district also hosts several literary trivia nights, library-wide scavenger hunts and similar events throughout the year.