ORIGINAL POETRY FOR ESPANOLA FARMERS MARKET

A POEM FOR ESPAÑOLA FARMERS MARKET

Colorful, calloused hands

With earth under fingernails

Gritty dust on a sweaty brow

Overlooks eyes that survey gardens with pride

The weekly walk or short drive

To care for children grown from seed

Nurtured from the feminine held in the duality of our hearts

Learned languages from labors of love

That come from rustling corn stalks

Who ache for the song of their planting

The touch of weathered skin

The coolness of breath returned to the breath givers

All shared gratitude as milky kernels

Are pulled free from green mothers

And the circle is completed

 A summer’s hard work is traded for sustenance

Crops begin the journey back to dust

Beneath the gaze of warm starlight

As leaves begin to feel the cold

Always there colors revealed

Awaiting their time to shine

For fruit to be picked

Chili’s gathered and admired

Given to neighbors and friends

In abundance of mutual love for communal culture

The wellness that radiates through shared exchanges

Blessed is the act of yellow orange squash given to grandmothers

Of saving seeds for the next generation

Calabacitas of caring

That holds the toil

Deep within the soil of our thoughts and intentions

Knowledge awaits the rest of a dormant cycle

The coming of the stories

Spoken in bodies well nurtured by another season.

Beata Tsosie-Peña (Sept. 2010)

            

FRED MARTINEZ HEADS ESPANOLA MARKET BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Fred Martinez is a familiar vendor at the Espanola Farmers Market. He's president of the market's board of directors and busy during the growing season tending to the family's orchards (Martinez Apple Orchards) located in Dixon, NM. Crops have been grown on the family farm for the last 44 years, and these days he gets help from his son and daughter, wife, grandson and granddaughter.

"I've been doing this all my life," Fred says. "I was born and raised in an apple orchard. My dad passed away eight years ago and I took over the orchard from him." Martinez Apple Orchards has 11 varieties of apples. Apples are available from mid July to the end of October. Eight varieties of peaches go from the first week of June to mid September. And the four varieties of cherries are picked in early June and are available at the market to the end of July.

 

Fred has been involved with the Espanola Farmers Market since the very beginning and if you visit his booth over the summer, you might also find chiles and vegetables in season. He says he's seen the market grow over the years. "Ofcourse there's been a change in location, many more vendors and a good influx of customers." In 2006 Martinez Apple Orchards was designated Farm Family of the Year. It's a great year for apples. Stop by and see the juicy fruit from many area vendors.

YOUR EBT/SNAP CARD NOW GETS YOU DOUBLE THE VALUE!

Visit the Española Farmers Market information booth to swipe your EBT card in exchange for tokens. Recieve BONUS dollar-for-dollar matching tokens. Spend your tokens with market vendors for fresh, nutritious, locally produced foods. Matching program available while funds last. No cash or change will be given in exchange for EBT tokens. Lost of stolen tokens cannot be reissued or refunded.

HORNO IS FINISHED at Espanola Farmers Market! GREAT JOB, EVERYONE!!!

It was a hot day at the Espanola Farmers Market on Labor Day and in more ways than one. Music to celebrate the completion of the horno, free chile roasting, poetry and baking too. 

More customers than usual. More produce. Lots of visiting. It wasn't that long ago when the mud was being mixed for the horno and Labor Day seemed a long way off. . .

During the 2011 Espanola Farmers Market, watch for baking demonstrations!

For many people, the Espanola Farmers Market is an all-family affair.

And as always, the produce is lovingly arranged and waits for its full appreciation.