HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING & A PREVIEW OF NEXT YEAR'S MARKET

Katy Blanchard, who produces medicinals through Urban Eagle Designs, will be at the Española Farmers' Market in 2011. It seems so far into the future as I write this as the Thanksgiving observance approaches. Katy's a fiber artist and weaver, and she also prepares medicinal teas and body care products grown from herbs she grows herself. She'll also tell you that mothballs are carcinogenic and suggest how to deal with moth infestations. For less-invasive problems, she prepares "Moth-Away." Her body products have no chemicals, perfumes and essential oils. All natural, she says, and "people appreciate that."Check out her web site.

CONTEST WINNERS FOR ESPANOLA FARMERS MARKET

ELEVENTH ANNUAL BIGGEST VEGETABLE & BEST POEM CONTEST

October 11, 2010

Vegetable Judge:        Glenna Dean, archeobotanist

Poetry Judge:             Beata Tsosie-Pena, Santa Clara poet

BIGGEST HEIRLOOM SQUASH

First Place:                  Ross Vargas, La Madera

Second Place:             Elefio & Seraphine Montoya, Chimayo

Third Place:                 Eufelia Martinez, La Puebla

BIGGEST PUMPKIN

First Place:                  Ross Vargas, La Madera

Second Place:             Elefio & Seraphine Montoya, Chimayo

Third Place:                 Ross Vargas, La Madera

SMALLEST APPLE

First Place:                  Ida Salazar, Chimayo

BIGGEST CHILE

First Place:                  Jose Velasquez & Josie Gallegos, Velarde

Second Place:             Elias Gomez & Mary Trujillo, Alcalde

BIGGEST ROOT VEGETABLE

First Place:                  Luz & Leonard Lopez, El Guique

Second Place:            Carmelita Martinez, La Puebla

Third Place:                 Floyd Gonzales, La Puebla

                                   

ODDEST VEGETABLE

First Place:                  Elefio & Seraphine Montoya, Chimayo

Second Place:             Aurelia Johnson, Chimayo

Third Place:                 Luz & Leonard Lopez, El Guique

WILD CARD VEGETABLE

First Place:                  Vanessa Gonzales, La Puebla

Second Place:             Carmelita Martinez, La Puebla

Third Place:                 Elias Gomez & Mary Trujillo, Alcalde

BEST POEM

First Place:                  Lariss Foy, Santa Fe Girls School

Second Place:             Jy Prishkulnik, Santa Fe Girls School

Third Place:                 Shannon Fonseca, Santa Fe Girls School

Honorable Mention:     Erin Lazarus, Santa Fe Girls School

ANNUAL CONTESTS AND PHOTOGRAPH!

The annual poetry and vegetable contests were celebrated today --Monday, October 11, 2010. It's also the day when the farmers and market staff pose to have their photos taken. Each year's photo is made into a postcard and handed out the following year at the market. Watch for a list of the winners to be posted soon! Only two more markets left for the season. Stock up!

STORIES, SEASONINGS, SPROUTS AND MORE: SILVIA VERGARA

Silvia Ernestina Vergara of Dixon, NM may be best known for her preserves, but that's changing because of the other offerings she has spread over her table at the Farmers Market. She's motivated by being kind to the earth in the production of her Heirloom Apple Tea (apple, mint and mulberry), sprouted mung beans and a Spice Herb Blend that is sensational, in part because it's made with tender loving care and also because it's just plain delicious. She's also branching out in making cider and vinegar too. Her mother, who's 101 years old, tastes and comments on Silvia's creations. And it's not only what's delicious and good for you that Silvia talks about when you visit her at the market. This summer the community of Dixon put on its first musical opera which tapped the talents of a cross section of Dixon, including Silvia. And Silvia's eager to share her stories and poetry with you as well.

Other products by Silvia: Wild Cherry Chile Jam, Green Chile Lemon Marmalade, Wild Mint Lemon Jelly, Pure Apple Cider Syrup, Wild Cherry Syrup, Plum Preserves and La Carreta Reserve Products.

ELEVENTH ANNUAL VEGETABLE AND POEM CONTEST COMING UP!

The Española Farmers Market is hosting its Eleventh Annual Biggest Vegetable & Best Poem Contest on Monday, October 11, 2010. The big vegetables will be displayed all morning and the selections of winning vegetables and poetry will be announced at 1:30 pm. Ribbons will be awarded in several categories: biggest pumpkin, biggest heirloom squash, biggest root vegetable, biggest apple, biggest chile, oddest vegetable and wild card vegetable. Archeobotanist Glenna Dean will be the judge for the vegetables. Santa Clara poet Beata Tsosie-Pena will select and read the winning poems in the children’s poetry contest. Dexter Trujillo will be baking all afternoon in our new horno. Copies of the 2007/2008 Double Edition of A Farming Chapbook will be available free to participants on the Contest Day. Winners of this year’s contest will appear in the 2009/2010 Chapbook next season.

 Our October 11^th Contest Day is also a regular Market Monday, 10 am- 5pm. The Market is located at 1005 N. Railroad Avenue. Visitors can find heirloom squash, pumpkins, apples, onions, late tomatoes, chile, horno-roasted chicos, and other treats. Children will be able to select a book from our free Kids’ Book Exchange. Join your neighbors and friends at the Española Farmers’ Market on October 6th, enjoying the fine produce, the award-winning vegetable giants and the children’s poetry. Every Monday is a special day at the Market! 

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.

LABOR DAY CELEBRATION ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH

Espaňola Farmers Market will celebrate the first firing of the new Market Horno with special events from noon to 2 P.M. in the Wildflower Garden next to the horno. Dexter Trujillo will be roasting fresh corn and chile and other treats while musicians from Los Resolaneros play traditional norteňo music. Santa Clara poet Beata Tsosie-Peňa will also read some poems and we may have other surprise artists. Visitors can sample the fresh roasted goods from the horno, admire the beautiful new clay oven and also meet the students who helped construct the horno during eight Mondays of work. On Labor Day we celebrate the labor of the horno workers and of the many fine farmers, gardeners, honey producers and fruit growers who bring their produce to the Market each Monday and each Friday in season. The Horno + Wildflower Garden Project has been funded thanks to a grant from Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area (NRGNHA) and support from New Mexico Community Foundation (NMCF).

All DAY FREE CHILE ROASTING: Labor Day is also a regular Market Day. We will have free chile roasting of any fresh local chile purchased at the market throughout the day, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Please come visit us on your way back from the holiday weekend and stock up on vegetables and fresh fruit for the week. The market accepts WIC, Senior WIC, SNAP (formerly EBT) and Debit cards. Each Market Day, children can select a free book at our Kids Book Exchange. We also have a colorful selection of Market aprons, tee shirts or post cards and issues of A Farming Chapbook from previous Market seasons. We are now also open on Friday afternoons from 2-7pm. Come visit us! Every Market Monday  & every Market Friday is a special event!

REMEMBER LAST YEAR'S HARVEST?

Every year at the end of the season there's a closing ceremony, produce awards, and a reading of original poetry written by young people of northern New Mexico. This is the final harvest photo for 2009 and the photo features vendors and local growers who sell at the Espanola Farmers Market. These annual photographs are a record of the passing seasons and the growth of the market itself. Watch for an announcement for the 2010 ceremonies in October.

VOLUNTEERS ARE VIRTUAL ANGELS

Jim Beverwyk

Damien Turner

The Espanola Farmers Market couldn't get by without its vendors who plant and harvest with tender loving care, the board members, the children who come with their parents to get books and shop with their parents, the sponsors of the oval gardens, the shoppers, and the behind-the-scenes volunteers whose tender loving care adds to the mix of keeping the Espanola Farmers Market alive and healthy.

Meet two of our volunteers: Damien Turner, who has been volunteering since the beginning of the season and stops by every Monday to pitch in, as well as Jim Beverwyk, who's seen in the photo above setting up the signs around town so that everyone knows the market is alive and well. Wave to Jim and Damien and let them know how much they're appreciated. And if you'd like to help out too, stop by the manager's table and speak to Sabra Moore.

NORMA NAVARRO IS NEW MARKET ASSISTANT

Norma Navarro has been working at the Espanola Farmers Market as an assistant to market manager Sabra Moore since June and my, has she been busy. One of her first challenges was to canvas the Espanola business community for contributions for a market portable toilet. It wasn't easy at first, but with persistence she raised $750 from the following businesses: Rigoberto's Mexican Food, El Rodeo restaurant, Cook's, Del Norte Credit Union, Valley Bank, Vecinos del Rio, and the Red Door Cafe. "Small businesses were especially eager to help," she said. Norma will be at the market all season. On Monday she set up a food station to give people a taste of fresh vegetables. The smiles on people's faces summed up their appreciation. In this photo (below) are two of Norma's assistants.

A late August market day is hot and the clouds rumble in the sky before delivering some cool breezes. It's a lot of work to garden and come to market. By the end of the day, everyone's ready for a feast of fresh food. The harvest of corn and chiles is enough to whet anyone's appetite.

Waiting for customers to buy, taste and visit!

HORNO UNDER CONSTRUCTION GETS ATTENTION

This season at the Espanola Farmers Market we'll have our own horno. Hornos are a small squat oval hollowed mound that used to be found in every household in the region. Now they're still seen in the area and they're still used for many purposes. primarily, they're used for making chicos and bread. Stop by the market and watch the progression as young people from our community learn first hand about building a horno.

Yes, the vegetables are plentiful and delicious. There's nothing like fresh tomatoes and corn just picked from the ground. MMmm.

Volunteers are tending the ovals devoted to flowers and flowering plants. Last week another volunteer stepped forward and said she appreciated the opportunity to teach her five year old son about gardening. It's small enough not to be overwhelming and large enough for him to get a taste of getting his hands dirty and watching things grow.

UPDATES ON ESPANOLA FARMERS MARKET

MUSICAL FRIDAY AFTERNOON MARKET: Come visit our Friday Afternoon Market this coming Friday, August 6th @ 5:30 pm- 7pm for a free concert by Corridos y Musica de Memoria de Nuevo Mexico with musicians David S. Garcia on accordion & violin, Jose Martinez on violin and Richardo Vigil on guitar. Stop on your way home from work and stock up on fresh vegetables for the weekend and stay to enjoy an hour of music while sampling fresh biscochitos and tea.

TWICE-WEEKLY MARKET: We now have twice weekly markets with the addition of our Friday Afternoon Market from 2-7pm. Or stop in at our regular Monday Market from 10am-5pm. The Market accepts WIC, Senior WIC, SNAP (formerly EBT) and Debit cards. Each Market Day, children can select a free book at our Kids Book Exchange or customers can purchase a dollar raffle ticket for our Monthly Free Bag of Produce. We also have a colorful selection of Market aprons, tee shirts or post cards and issues of A Farming Chapbook from previous Market seasons. Come visit us!

HORNO: A new horno is being constructed at the Espanola Farmers’ Market in the Wildflower Garden area, thanks to a grant from Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area(NRGNHA)and support from New Mexico Community Foundation (NMCF). Work started on July 5th and will continue each Monday Market through August 23rd. Dexter Trujillo from Abiquiu is constructing the horno with the assistance of four students and interested volunteers. Dexter helped build an horno with a delegation of Abiquenos ten years ago at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. The horno builders are making the adobes on site and will continue each Monday with laying a stone base, laying adobes, mud plastering the horno, making the first firing and finally cooking in the completed clay oven. We invite customers to the Market to visit with the horno builders and watch as the oven grows.

WILDFLOWER OVALS: Visitors may also notice that both flowers and small signs are sprouting in the Wildflower Garden. Last season, students created fourteen oval beds and paths around these beds. This year, the Market is inviting customers and farmers to Adopt an Oval and cultivate flowers and native plants for all to enjoy. Ten of the ovals have already been adopted; you can read the signs with the names of the gardeners inside the adopted ovals. There are still four ovals available for adoption. Consult Sabra, the Market Manager, if you want to adopt any of the remaining ovals.

MARKET DAY THIS FRIDAY --COME ONE, COME ALL!

This coming Friday July 16th will be our first Friday Afternoon Market from 2-7pm. Please come visit us on your way home from work and stock up on vegetables for the weekend. Or stop in at our regular Monday Market from 10am-5pm. The Market accepts WIC, Senior WIC, SNAP (formerly EBT) and Debit cards. Each Market Day, children can select a free book at our Kids Book Exchange or customers can purchase a dollar raffle ticket for our Monthly Free Bag of Produce. We also have a colorful selection of Market aprons, tee shirts or post cards and issues of A Farming Chapbook from previous Market seasons. Come visit us! Every Market Monday & every Market Friday is a special event!

A new horno is being constructed at the Espanola Farmers’ Market in the Wildflower Garden area, thanks to a grant from Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area(NRGHA)and support from New Mexico Community Foundation (NMCF). Work started on July 5th and will continue each Monday Market through August 23rd. Dexter Trujillo from Abiquiu is constructing the horno with the assistance of four students and interested volunteers. Dexter helped build an horno with a delegation of Abiquenos ten years ago at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. The horno builders are making the adobes on site and will continue each Monday with laying a stone base, laying adobes, mud plastering the horno, making the first firing and finally cooking in the completed clay oven. We invite customers to the Market to visit with the horno builders and watch as the oven grows.

Visitors may also notice that both flowers and small signs are sprouting in the Wildflower Garden. Last season, students created fourteen oval beds and paths around these beds. This year, the Market is inviting customers and farmers to Adopt an Oval and cultivate flowers and native plants for all to enjoy. Ten of the ovals have already been adopted; you can read the signs with the names of the gardeners inside the adopted ovals. There are still four ovals available for adoption. Consult Sabra, the Market Manager, if you want to adopt any of the remaining ovals.

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND BRINGS HORNO TO MARKET

From July 5th through August 23rd, a new horno will be in the process of construction at the Espanola Farmers Market. Dexter Trujillo will build the horno with four local students. When completed, it will be used to bring a taste of tradition to the market. A horno is a small squat oval hollowed mound that was once part of every household for cooking outdoors. Today an horno is commonly used for making chicos and bread. Horno-baked bread is available at some farmers' markets. Watch this blog for how hornos have been used in the Espanola Valley.

The farmers' market was off to a slow start this year because of the late spring and cool weather. This week is a turning point. Come for a wider selection of vegetables. And if you love locally-grown greens, come early. The greens are sold out quickly in the morning starting at 10 a.m.

It's not too late to adopt an oval for planting flowers at the market. Join those who have already signed up: Sepaphine and Elefio Montoya (two ovals), Glenna Dean (two ovals), Cindy Manzanares, Susie Lucero, Lucia Sanchez. Five ovals are still available.

Grass-fed beef (USDA Scottish cattle) is another extra this summer from the Soaring Eagle Ranch in Los Ojos.

ESPANOLA FARMERS MARKET OPENS FOR SUMMER SEASON

Monday, June 14th is Opening Day for the Espanola Farmers Market’s 2010 season. We invite the public to visit the Market at 1005 N. Railroad Avenue from 10 am- 5pm and enjoy the first fresh fruits and vegetables of the season: quelites, sweet peas, lettuce, mixed greens, onions, garlic, herbs, peaches, and other fresh foods.

We will have horno bread, pastelitos, honey, jams, USDA-certified grass-fed lamb and grass fed beef, dried chile, beans, blue corn meal and other special treats. We invite our customers to relax at the Market tables under the shade canopies or browse among the thirty Market stalls. This season we have additional parking at the back of the Market plaza.

This season, we will be building an horno in the Wildflower Garden area and we invite customers to speak with the Market Manager if they wish to adopt a wildflower oval to cultivate. The Market accepts WIC, Senior WIC, SNAP (formerly EBT) and Debit cards. Espanola Farmers Market will be open every Monday, including holidays, from mid-June through October.

In mid July, there will be two Market Days, Fridays from 2-7pm plus our regular Market Mondays. Each Market Day, children can select a free book at our Kids Book Exchange or customers can purchase a dollar raffle ticket for our Monthly Free Bag of Produce. We also have a colorful selection of Market aprons, tee shirts or post cards and issues of A Farming Chapbook from previous Market seasons. Come visit us! Every Market Monday is a special event!

FARMER'S MARKET WORKSHOPS

On Saturday, March 13, 2010 a day of Farmers' Market workshops will be held at the Rio Arriba Rural Event Center, State Road 554, House #122-A in Abiquiu. The topics include crop diversification, season extension, value-added products, record keeping, enterprise budgets, marketing and sales strategies. Speakers include NMSU Extension specialists and agents, agricultural specialists, local farmers and vendors. RSVP by March 10, 2010. Call the Rio Arriba County Extension Office at 505-685-4523.Lunch is potluck. Coordinate with Sabra Moore at 505-685-4842.

CELEBRATING THE NEW YEAR. . .

and looking forward to another productive year at the Espanola Farmers Market!