Vendor Profile: Ela Family Farms

By: Garth Bontrager, Master Gardener

Note: Ela Family Farms will be starting sales at the LCFM in mid-July.

Apples. That alone is enough to start a conversation with just about anyone. There are books dedicated to the subject. Bananas, umm, just don’t have the same connotation. Apples grow all over the United States, and many of us remember apple trees from our childhood. Descriptions of apple varieties read like the J. Peterman catalog. Now what about peaches, plums and cherries? I’m sure you’ve conjured up some memories of contented eating.

Ela Family Farms owned and operated by several generations of the Ela family will indulge your apple interest and your peach, plum and cherry interest too. They offer fruits and fruit products from their orchards in Hotchkiss, Colorado each Saturday, starting July 16, at the Larimer County Farmer’s Market. “We only sell what we grow,” says Steve Ela because that way they control the whole show. And what a show it is: fruit jams, butters, sauces, nectars and ciders. The fresh fruit is the highlight, however. All fruit is picked at the peak of ripeness, which is why you won’t see peaches in early July. Flavor gives Ela the competitive advantage over internationally distributed fruits.

Steve personally walks the field sampling fruit to tell when it’s ready to harvest. Ela grows over 50 varieties of fruit, and each year they introduce another variety to their markets. This year Steve suggests you try the Swiss Gourmet apple. Some folks think its tart, others sweet, but all agree that you can’t beat a fresh picked apple ripened on the tree. Ela has been servicing markets for 11 years, and the LCFM for at least eight years. They selectively continue to hold booth at the LCFM because it’s such a great market.

Steve really appreciates how people have educated themselves on their food supply. And Ela’s customers can really appreciate that the Ela product is certified organic, family owned and operated, and of high quality. That, says Steve, really sets Ela Family Farms apart. They feel a responsibility to their customer to put quality first; quality means staying local, staying organic and keeping with the family tradition of growing and selling what they consider to be the best fruit and fruit products available. The LCFM is very proud to be one of six markets in the state to host Ela Family Farms.