Boulder Popcorn

I'm a popcorn fanatic. I have been for quite some time now. In fact, my whole family is pretty much addicted to the stuff and each of us has our own favorite toppings and our own favorite way of making it. I'm going to do a few popcorn posts for you here with some of my favorite methods, but first I have to point you in the direction of a good kernel. No, a great kernel. No, the BEST kernel!

Forget the prebagged microwave stuff, Boulder Popcorn is the only popcorn I make these days. I discovered them at the Boulder Farmers' Market where they set up each Saturday (and possibly Wednesdays, but I haven't been) showing off their red, blue, and yellow kernels and handing out samples of the fluffy popped product. Yum! I buy the stuff three bags at a time. For a normal person this would probably last quite a while. I have to stock up two or three times during the Farmers' Market season, though, to make sure that I have enough to last through the year.

Now you might be asking how I pop the stuff: the microwave, of course. You can do it stovetop (helps if you have a gas range), but I tend to burn it that way or end up with underpopped corn because I'm impatient.

I did have a fabulous microwave popper, but it's so old that you can't buy the required pieces for it anymore so it's pretty much useless. In the midst of my popcorn desperation, though, Mike came through with a microwave popper that Boulder Popcorn actually advertises (and sells) through their site. So I'm good and set right now!

As for the corn itself, Boulder Popcorn offers three varieties: Kailey's Kernels, Cambria Cream, and Ryder's Red. I like the Mayor's Mix, mixed bags of all three. The taste is just out of this world and I promise that if you try it and then go back to the microwave stuff (or the movie theater stuff) you're going to realize just how cheated you've been all these years. Trust me, I go into withdrawal if I have to start buying grocery store brand now. But that's ok, because Boulder Popcorn ships! And at $4.95 a bag, you get quite a bit of popcorn. I pop up about 1/3 a cup at a time and still have a whole bag and a half left of what Mike got me for Christmas. And since it's a fairly low calorie snack (if you leave off toppings) I sometimes eat it 3-4 times a week.

Give them a try if you're a popcorn lover like I am. You really won't regret it. I promise! If you're in the Boulder area, you can even try it yourself and visit their table at the Farmers' Market on Saturdays.