Sierra Vista Farmers Markets Update for 04-25-19

Earth Day 2019 at the Sierra Vista Farmers Market – –

The Sierra Vista Farmers Market’s annual Earth Day celebration will be held during regular market hours (10 am to 2pm) this Thursday at Veteran’s Memorial Park. Each year on Earth Day we are reminded of the beauty and diversity of this amazing planet we are living on, its delicate balance, and the necessity of being good stewards of its many blessings. What better way to be part of that important effort than to celebrate it with your friends, neighbors, and local farmers at your neighborhood farmers market. Did you know that Earth Day is now observed in at least 193 countries?

You may not realize it, but many of your local farmers and growers are at the forefront of the effort to promote and encourage good stewardship of our agricultural resources. Whether it be the science of sustainable ranching, innovative methods of water conservation, chemical free pest control, or just more efficient methods of gardening – your local farmers are often leading the way. For 14 years, the Sierra Vista Farmers Market has celebrated Earth Day  and each year it keeps getting better. This year is no exception because you’ll still find your regular vendors with their fresh produce, but this week we’ll also have special exhibits, attractions, and additional artisans.

Special Attractions This Week Include:

• The Sierra Vista Area Garden Club’s semi-annual plant sale at the West end of the Market
• Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch with their friendly llama, alpaca, and churro sheep 
• Gracewater Farms will be bringing their young goats
• Julie with her super soft and gentle Angora rabbits
• Sandy Anderson with Gray Hawk Nature Center will be sharing here exceptional knowledge of snakes, rattlesnakes, and birds.
• The Huachuca Astronomy Club will be there to put it all in perspective by telling you about the planets and stars as well as answering your questions about our celestial neighbors
• BASA will be there to tell you about harvesting and processing your mesquite beans.
• Rae Willis with of Walking Art will be demonstrating face painting
• Rick Weisberg of Oasis Water Harvesting will be there to educate your about rainwater harvesting and storage
• The Sierra Vista City Council will be on hand for a “Meet and Greet”. Be sure to tell them how much you appreciate them supporting your local farmers market.
• The Forest Service will be at the market as well to share their wealth of information with you
• Sierra Vista Community Gardens to offer you helpful gardening advice
• WaterWise of Sierra Vista will be there with great “water wise” tips and other important information related to water conservation

Special Demonstrations by the Sierra Vista Area Garden Club (SVAGC):
Rod Lancaster, with Tucson Audubon, is a Master Gardener and master grafter who will be demonstrating the art of fruit tree grafting on heritage stock. Rod will also have a fellow representative available to discuss other Audubon programs and answer your questions. Demonstrations start at 10:am at the Sierra Vista Farmers Market. 

At 12:30, Ed Henley, a member of SVAGC, will demonstrate how to make seed starting pots from newspapers

Agricultural and Produce Vendors Spotlight

La Pina Raw Juice
If you haven’t been to the market recently, come on by and try Alexa’s incredible raw juices. With only the best ingredients Alexa uses a vertical “slow” juicer which helps keep all of the goodness (enzymes, phytonutrients) alive in her raw juices.  The result is the best tasting raw juice available. Did I say it tastes delicious? My favorite is the Apple – Ginger – Turmeric – Lemon blend. It’s refreshing with a nice tangy bite at the end.

Alexa also has Kangen Water, a filtered/ionized water produced by Enagic – a Japan-based company who has been a leading manufacturer of alkaline ionizers/water filtration for over 40 years. Alexa is happy to give you samples of her juice and water. So make sure you stop by and give it a try.

Bakers and Food Vendor’s Spotlight

Simmons Honey Ranchito
This week Simmons Honey Ranchito will have water melon jelly and orange marmalade. They’ll have their usual selections of bee pollen and honey comb which are always in high demand. Their honey stix are also in high demand and are perfect to carry a little bit of healthy sweets wherever you go.

Did you know: Honey is a natural sweetener (sweeter than table sugar) mostly composed of fructose and glucose and about 18% water (the lesser water content the better the quality of the honey). It is rich in antioxidants, fat free, and cholesterol free. Honey is an excellent energy food, so make sure you stash a few honey stix in your hiking backpack, it might just give you that extra edge to make it there and back.

Special Announcements and Events

SNAP – Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program
The Sierra Vista Farmers Market now accepts SNAP and Double Up benefits. Just visit our information booth near the center of the market to swipe your cards. Remember you can use them for all produce, dairy products, meats, spices, baked goods, and frozen ready-to eat meals (such as lasagna), plants that produce edibles like tomato plants and herbs. Double Up is only redeemable for Arizona grown fruits and vegetables, though.

Ride Vista Transit to the Market for FREE
Did you know that you can ride Vista Transit from their Coronado/Wilcox station to the farmers market for free each Thursday? That’s right, it’s free. If the traffic is a bit much for you at the market each week you can park your car at the Coronado/Wilcox station and Vista Transit will deliver you safe and sound to the market. With pick up and drop off every half hour, you can do your shopping and get a ride back to your car without any inconvenience. Give it a try and be sure to thank your driver and the City of Sierra Vista for their great service.

For your enjoyment Ken Cantrell will be bringing you live music.

We hope to see you all at the Market this week!

This Week’s Weather Forecast

Widget not in any sidebars

…