The word is getting around!

The Rio Arriba County web site has featured the Española Farmers Market for growing stronger and continuing its strong presence in the region. Follow the link.

Fifth anniversary garlic harvest festival at Northern NM College

Saturday, July 7, 2012. 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

JULY MARKET SCHEDULE FOR 2012

July 2: Independence Day at the market + students & others do a  Baking Demonstration in the horno + Music

July 9: Regular Market Monday. Look for the jams, jellies and baked goods produced by the Espanola Farmers’ Market Jams & Jellies Coop.

July 16: Regular Market Monday + students & others do a Baking Demonstration in the horno

July 20: First Friday Afternoon Market: 2-7pm

July 23: Market Treasure Hunt & Kid’s Day Hourly Treasure Hunt. Children win prizes for finding the glittery carrots, apples, squash or other fake vegetables hidden in the growers’ stalls + + students & others do a Baking Demonstration in the horno.

July 27:  Friday Afternoon Market: 2-7pm

July 30: Regular Market Monday.

June 11th is market opening day!

The 2012 season for the Española Farmers Market runs from June 11 through October 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And get ready for Friday afternoon markets which start July 20 and run through September 21st. It's going to be a great season!

We're getting ready for the opening of the Española Farmers Market. The ground is being prepared. The farmers are busy.

And now you can subscribe to our blog. Click here and give us your email.

And then visit our new Española Farmers Market platform at: espanolafarmersmarket.org

Sweet red onions in your salad: Coming soon!

If you're thinking about the opening of the Espanola Farmers Market already, you aren't the only one.

Soon the land will be prepared for the growing season. This year we'll be upgrading our outreach with a new web platform to show off our photos of people, food and fun. The new online garden will be tilled and seeded until the opening of the market in mid June. Here's the web address so you can check in and see how things are progressing: espanolafarmersmarket.org

We'll still post on the blog: espanolafarmersmarket.blogspot.com

You'll get more information, great photos and connection than ever before. See you this summer! Meanwhile, imagine fresh northern New Mexico sweet red onions in your salad.

Chile Bowl Cook-Off: March 31st

For those of us with chiles still in the freezer, mark the calendar for the 6th annual Espanola Valley Chili Bowl Cook-Off on March 31, 2012, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Santa Clara Casino Special Events Center. Enter for red chile, green chile or salsa, for prizes and trophies. Tickets: $10 for adults and $3 children, ten and under. Call 505-753-4956 for more information.

ESPANOLA FARMERS MARKET SEASON APPROACHING: WHAT'S NEW!

Cooking Up Traditions demonstrations:
The Espanola Farmers' Market will host several cooking-in-the-horno food demonstrations throughout the summer, thanks to a grant from Northern Ro Grande National Heritage Area (NRGNHA). We will also have demonstrations identifying wild food and dye plants growing in our Market Flower Garden and a tasting of local heirloom varieties of chile as the season unfolds.

Gardens:

Start looking in May for new plantings in the eleven wildflower ovals of the community garden facing the street. Last year, many customers took home donations of amaranth,cosmos and marigold seeds.  We are also starting community vegetable gardens in the back fields and have a core of five gardeners ready to plant in late spring. Watch the blog for a listing of possible student employment in these fields as summer nears.

Happy holidays and celebrate our great 2011 market season!

CONTEST WINNERS FOR ESPANOLA FARMERS MARKET

WINNERS  ESPAÑOLA FARMERS’ MARKET

TWELFTH ANNUAL BIGGEST VEGETABLE & BEST POEM CONTEST

October 10, 2011

Vegetable Judge:              Glenna Dean, archeobotanist

Poetry Judge:             Joan Logghe, Santa Fe Poet Laureate

 BIGGEST HEIRLOOM SQUASH

First Place:                        Eufelia Martinez, La Puebla

Second Place:            Gene Lopez, Lyden

Third Place:                        Ross Vargas, La Madera

BIGGEST PUMPKIN

First Place:                        Ross Vargas, La Madera

Second Place:             Tranquilino & Floraida Martinez, Penasco

Third Place:                        Ross Vargas, La Madera

BIGGEST CHILE

First Place:                        Rosa Espinosa  & Antonio Velasquez, Lyden           

Second Place:            Jorge Corona (smallest)           

Third Place:                        Salvador Corona

BIGGEST APPLE

First Place:                        Tony Maestas, Chamita

Second Place:             Rudy Cordova, Hernandez

Third Place:                        Gene Lopez, Lyden

BIGGEST ROOT VEGETABLE

First Place:                        Tranquilino & Floraida Martinez, Penasco

Second Place:            Lawrence Campbell, Alcalde

Third Place:                        Eufelia Martinez, La Puebla

ODDEST VEGETABLE

First Place:                        Floyd Gonzales, La Puebla (giant cucumber)

Second Place:             Steve Jaramillo, Espanola (unruly potato)

Third Place:                        Luz & Leonard Lopez, Nambe (orange “penguin” squash)

WILD CARD VEGETABLE

First Place:                        Steve Jaramillo, Espanola (watermelon)

Second Place:            Elias Gomez, Alcalde (beans)

Third Place:                        Luz & Leonard Lopez, Nambe (white squash)

BEST POEM

Honoring all Student Poets

12th Annual Biggest Vegetable & Best Poem Contest

When? Monday, Octrober 10, 2011
Winners announced at 1:30 p.m.

Biggest pumpkin, heirloom squash, root vegetable, apple or smallest apple, chile, oddest vegetable, wild card outstanding vegetable. And best poem by a student about farming. Where? at the Espanola Farmers Market. Deliver all poems and vegetable contestants to the market by 10 a.m. on contest day. Call 505-685-4842 for more information.

ONGOING ACTIVITY AT ESPANOLA FARMERS MARKET

FREE CHILE ROASTING AT ESPANOLA FARMERS MARKET

The Espanola Farmers’ Market will be roasting chile purchased at the Market free on Monday, August 29^th. Market hours are 10am-5pm. Customers can purchase a variety of heirloom chile, including specialty chile from Chimayo, Hernandez, Velarde, Dixon and other communities. They can also browse for other fine produce- corn, sweet peas, lettuce, mixed greens, onions, garlic, herbs, atole, tomatoes, pumpkins, potatoes and other fresh foods. We have horno bread, pastelitos, honey, jams, USDA-certified grass-fed beef, dried chile, beans, blue corn meal and other special treats. We are also offering lunch each Monday and a growing market on Friday afternoon from 2-7pm. Thanks to a grant from Pojoaque Valley Fund and New Mexico Community Foundation, three students worked weekly in our Wildflower Garden and also helped prepare the irrigated fields behind the Market plaza for cultivation next year. Visit the Wildflower Garden in bloom now. 

The Market accepts WIC, Senior WIC, SNAP (formerly EBT) and Debit cards. August 29^th is also the last day to redeem any Double Bonus tokens awarded earlier in the month. 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 and every Friday Afternoon Market are special events!

More produce and more customers. . .

Espanola Farmers Market News

The Friday market starts on Friday, July 22nd. Call to reserve a space (505-685-4842). The setup is 2 p.m. and the market closes at 7 p.m.

Three students are working with gardener Isabel Trujillo for five Mondays to plant around the acequia and in two wildflower ovals in order to clear the paths and prepare the acequia for the planting of winter rye. We are preparing the back fields for students to plant vegetables next season.

The double bonus program is underway through August. Anyone using EBT/SNAP cards will receive double bonus tokens. The WIC/Senior WIC checks will be distributed at the market starting August 1st and will be distributed each Monday.

Slow start for Espanola Farmers Market, but plenty of everything

Bad spring weather, the drought, and the wildfires that put a strain on the area's water supply. . .all of these added up to a slow start for the Espanola Farmers' Market. But don't let that stop us! There's plenty for everyone. Fire up the grill for veggies. And if you're too busy, stop by the market for home-cooked food prepared right there. It's the same as you can whip up at home and an inspiration as to what's possible. Work is ongoing in the market garden and a schedule for summer activities to be announced soon.

Edith Lopez visits the administration tent where articles about the Espanola Farmers Market are kept in a loose-leaf notebook. When asked, she points out her photo in the Espanola newspaper from as far back as 2005. Young people often come to the market with their parents and grandparents to hang out for the day.

Mmmm. There's nothing like speaking to the growers themselves. Chances are they'll tell you about getting up early on market day and all the work involved in getting the produce ready for sale. And a great deal of the offerings can't be purchased in any supermarkets around the area.

OPENING DAY OF THE MARKET FOR 2011

Monday, June 13^th is Opening Day for the Espanola Farmers’ Market’s 2011 season. Visit us every Market Monday through Halloween 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, and other fresh foods. We will have horno bread, pastelitos, honey, jams, USDA-certified grass-fed lamb, buffalo and 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 and enjoy lunch and occasional concerts with local musicians or browse among the thirty Market stalls.

This season, we will be cooking during various Market Mondays in the horno that students built last summer in the Wildflower Garden area and also cultivating a small vegetable garden with students in back of the Market plaza. Eleven vendors and customers have “adopted” flowerbed ovals in the Garden, so visitors will be able to enjoy colorful plants as they grow and bloom. 

The Market accepts WIC, Senior WIC, SNAP (formerly EBT) and Debit cards. In July we will host two weekly Market Days; Friday Market starts on July 15^th and continues through September 16^th 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 ofMarket aprons, tee shirts or post cards and issues of A Farming Chapbook from previous Market seasons. Come visit us! Every Market Monday and every Friday Afternoon are special events!

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.