Sierra Vista Farmers Markets Update for 05-23019

What Makes a Farmers Market
I believe one of the best things about a local farmers market is the diversity of people, products, and produce that come together in new and interesting ways each week. At the Sierra Vista Farmers Market on any given Thursday you’ll find the serious food scholar, the health buff, the discriminating shopper, and even visitors not looking to buy anything in particular but just there to enjoy the atmosphere and energy of their friends and neighbors.

The vendors are just as a diverse a group of interesting and unique individuals. We have vendors at the market who are passionate about growing their own food and other vendors who just like to share a little something of what they’ve grown or made with the community. We have vendors whose livelihood depends on what they grow and sell and others who aren’t in it for the money at all, but just like to be at the market for the interaction with the community.

Add this all together and you have a unique experience you won’t find anywhere else in Cochise County. So if you are looking for a fun and interesting place to visit in Sierra Vista this week we invite you to experience the Sierra Vista Farmers Market.

Keeping You Informed
Since we are a year round farmers market and some of the products that you like to buy at the market can’t be grown locally year round, some of our vendors purchase produce and agricultural products from outside our local community.  To better educate visitors to our market and hopefully avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in the future, in the coming weeks our newsletter will be designating our produce and agricultural product vendors with the – – Vendor Grown – – and – – Vendor Brokered – – seal. Look for these designations, so that you can make more informed buying decisions.

We hope you’ll – Come Grow With Us!

Lost and Found
Vannessa Felker – a vendor found your Credit Card at the Market. Please stop by the Information booth to pick it up.

 Vendors Spotlight

Ogden Maple Farm
Ogden Maple Farm will only be at the market for two more weeks. If you need to stock up on their fine Ohio maple syrup be sure to stop by while
supplies last.

Emu Enterprises
Get ready for Memorial Day weekend and cookouts with Emu Enterprises special 5 pounds of ground Yak (95% lean beef) for the price of 4 pounds.  That is one pound free!  Yak is a great way to eat healthy without sacrificing taste. Roger’s Yak are fed nothing but alfalfa (grass fed) since birth.

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. Pick up at the station is on the hour and half hour. At the market pick up is at 15 and 45 after.  Give it a try and be sure to thank your driver and the City of Sierra Vista for their great service.

Musical Entertainment This Week:

Music this week will brought to you by Lorenzo.

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

This Week’s Weather Forecast

This Weeks Vendors
(Vendors are Alphabetized – attendance at Thursdays market subject to change without notice)

– – Vendor Grown – – Agricultural and Produce Vendors with the – – Vendor Grown – – seal are known to grow at least 85% of the products they sell.
– – Vendor Brokered – – Agricultural and Produce Vendors with the – – Vendor Brokered – – seal do not grow a majority of the produce they sell and are known to purchase  a majority of their products from third parties.

 ———————————————————————
This section is under construction – thank you for your patience.

Ancestral Herbals
Ancestral Herbals has a new lotion refill station.  Now you can bring your previously purchased plastic bottles and refill for $1.30 per oz or bring your own clean bottles as well.

Arevalos Farms – – Vendor Grown – –
Aaron Cardona with Arevalos Farms has a wide variety of seasonal vegetables. 

Backyard Gardening & Growing – – Vendor Grown – –
Winnie & William Struse bring their seasonal fruits and vegetables to the market each week all year long. In the winder you’ll find a variety of greens, root vegetables and flowers. In the summer you’ll find a wide variety of delicious fruits and vegetables. 

Bisbee Balms
This week Bisbee Balms has a new batch of Buzz Off, the all-organic repeller of no-see-ums and other bitey, stingie insects!!.

Big Skye Baker
Bodie with Big Skye Bakers always has tasty baked goods for you to try.

Big Woody’s

Café Cultiva
This week Jesse and Jessica will have fresh brewed coffee by the cup. They will also have fresh roasted whole beans from Guatemala, Colombia, Costa Rica, and India. If you need your beans ground they’ll be happy to do so while you wait.

Celestial Breads
Celeste with Celestial breads make fresh calzones and Stromboli every week. Try their chicken calzone with Chef Scotty’s garlic sauce or beef calzone with his famous marinara sauce; both have two cheeses added (mozzarella and cheddar).

Cochise Shrine Club – Onion Fundraiser – – Vendor Brokered – –
For the month of May, the Cochise Shrine Club will be selling freshly harvested Vidalia onions for their annual fundraiser. They are selling 5 pound bags of onions for $6.00. And in case you are wondering, Vidalia onions are named historically after the town of Vidalia in Georgia. These onions are unusually sweet in comparison with other onions due to the low sulfur content in the ground where they are grown.  Yellow Grannex onions are a hybrid of the Vidalia onion and can be grown successfully in Cochise County as a short day onion. Yellow Grannex onions will be available at the Sierra Vista Farmers Markets from our regular vendors starting in June or July.

Desert Oasis Soap
Astoria Riverwalk is the name of one of Greg’s anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial soaps made with star anise essential oil (licorice scent). Greg says it’s very good for your skin. My favorites for this week are “All Dressed Up”- a juniper, bayberry, and lavender scented soap and “Sun Lily”, which smells like lily of the valley, but also has pineapple and sandelwood in it. You’ll find all these soaps and many more at Desert Oasis Soap’s booth.

Designs by Copper Canyon

Echoing Hope Ranch – – Vendor Grown – –
Echoing Hope Ranch will be bring a variety of produce and greens grown down on the beautiful San Pedro River. If you want to help support a great cause, stop by Echoing Hope’s booth and ask them about how they are changing the lives of children and adults with autism. While you are there pick up one of the their t-shirts and help them get the word out about their mighty efforts to fight autism.

Emu Enterprise – – Vendor Grown – –
How would you like to crack one egg and get the equivalent of 5-6 chicken eggs? Well, this week is your chance. Emu Enterprises will have emu eggs this week at the market. These heart healthy eggs are low in cholesterol and really rich.

Fun Fact: Emus are the second largest birds in the world after the ostrich. Native to Australia, they are members of the ratite family, a group of birds that can’t fly. Not only are their eggs size immense, but their stunning emerald color makes them one of the most striking eggs on earth.

Fizzy Wonders
Have you heard of a lotion bar or moisture bar before? Come and take a look at Vanessa and Miguel’s booth at Fizzy Wonders. The lotion bar consists of all natural mango butter, coco butter, jojoba butter , and beeswax. You can choose from lavender, almond, or honey oat scented bars that can be used straight on your skin. For Valentine’s Day, they will have Valentine Gift boxes available, that contain a lip balm, two wash cloths, and two bath bombs. If you want to mix it up, ask about customizing your gift.

Ginny’s Eclectic Kitchen
Ginny makes fresh sourdough bread for you every week. But it is not only her baking that makes this sourdough so delicious. She has to “feed” her sourdough leavening starter every day to keep it “alive” and healthy. Ginny only uses unbleached, unbromated, unenriched wheat flour, so come and sample her bread or some of her scrumptious sweet treats.

Golden Rule Dairy – – Vendor Grown – –
Remember to pick up your raw milk and cream at Golden Rule Dairy. For those of you who like granola the Stride family makes their own healthy granola.They also offer kefir grains. Oh, and not to leave out Fido, the Stride’s also have a variety of deer antlers which make great dog chews. Must be an acquired taste…

Greenstone Pottery & Crafts
Charlatta and Eric are full-blooded Navajo and proud of their heritage.  Their pride and skill bring you genuine hand made Navajo artisan works that you will not find anywhere else at the market. Winnie was intrigued by their cedar berry necklaces which are made from the seeds found in juniper berries. Those seeds are also used in dream catchers and their pottery. Stop by and ask them to tell you about their fine works of art.

Hilltop Hydroponics – – Vendor Grown – –
For some of the most beautiful lettuce and greens around be sure to stop by Tom Hanson’s booth.  Tom has living lettuce and spring mix available. If you ask, Tom will tell you about how he grows his greens hydroponically. 

Hone Ranger
Scott the Hone Ranger will sharpen just about anything you bring to the market.

Incredible Snacks
Each week David brings an incredible assortment of dried fruit and nuts.

 Just-A-Pinch – – Vendor Grown – –
Michael with Just-A-Pinch can harvest fresh culinary herbs for you right at the market or you can take home a healthy small plant. There is cilantro, thyme, oregano, and many varieties of mint to choose from.

Krazy Koytote Kettle Corn & Smoothies

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.

Lasagna and More
Chef Scotty will be at the market this week with his mouth watering Lasagna. A consistent favorite at the Sierra Vista Farmers Market, these ready made meals will delight your family for dinner tonight. If you are wondering what the “more” is in Lasagna & More you might also like one of Chef Scotty’s killer burritos. Scottie makes a two meat (beef/pork) burrito as well as a six vegetable vegan burrito.  Just a note, all of Chef Scotty’s burritos are lard free.

Lettuce Man – – Vendor Grown – –
It doesn’t get much fresher than the Lettuce Man’s greens picked by his daughter Donna just before or the day of Thursday’s market. This week she’ll have Swiss chard, salad mix, spinach, green and red leaf lettuce, as well as Bok Choi and Romaine. Be sure to pick some up for your next fresh salad or smoothie.

McDonald Farm

Mustang Mountain

Mistik Valley Farms – – Vendor Grown – –
We welcome a new produce vendor to the market this past week.  Mistik Valley Farms, a group of young growers, who offer home-grown produce such as salad mix, lettuce mix, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and other greens. They harvest the day before market and hand-wash all their greens. Their farm is outside of Bisbee. Come welcome them and check out their produce.

Ogden Maple Farms
For those of you looking for a naturally delicious and sweet treat, Ogden Maple Farms from Ohio are back with a fresh batch of maple syrup, candy, and also maple dog biscuits. We welcome back Glenn and Kathy.

Papa Mike‘s Jerky 
Papa Mike and his much loved beef jerky will be at the market this week. Papa Mike has a flavor for everybody so come and find your favorite. His best selling jerky is mesquite flavored and the chili lemon.

Pappardelles Pasta 
Erin has dozens of artisan pastas made with organic wheat. She also has gluten-free and vegan pasta as well.

Queen Ceviche
This week Feliz has more of her spicy red salsa (with oregano) as well as red chipotle salsa. The chipotle has a slight smoky flavor after your first bite. Don’t forget to try her guacamole or of course her royally delicious ceviche- all are available with a bag of fresh tortilla chips. To quench your thirst during these hot spring days, have some of Feliz’s hibiscus lemonade or if you rather take a bottle of concentrate home for your next party.

Ruth’s Garden – – Vendor Grown – –
Now is the time to get those plant starts into the ground. I have the following: both bell pepper (green & red)and hot pepper varieties, cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, pumpkins, Dilicatda Sweet Dumpling, Kabota squash. Perennials a large variety in gallon pots, scented geraniums. Many new herbs in small pots, We are carrying organic fertilizers to feed those heavy feeders (plants).

San Pedro River Valley Salsa
Gary with San Pedro River VAlley Salsa will be at the market with their great variety of delicious salsa.

San Ysidro Farms – – Vendor Grown – –
If you are looking for quality grass fed beef or lamb for your next meal or special occasion, Nathan Watkins of San Ysidro Farms will be at the market this week. Nathan has a 100% grass fed beef and lamb. Their heritage cross pigs provide their fine pork If that’s not on your menu tonight then you might try their alfalfa fed and non-GMO grain supplemented pork from their heritage cross pigs.  Make sure to ask him about their other fine meat products as well. If a quick bite to eat is more your speed try one of Nathan’s warm (or take home frozen) pasties (pictured).  

SAS-Z Nuts – – Vendor Grown – –
If you’d like to spice up your pistachios a bit, Steve has garlic onion, green chili garlic, chili lime and hot chili in addition to premium salted pistachios.

Sky Island/47 Ranch – – Vendor Grown – –
Ranch owner Dennis Moroney tells us that he will bring their grass fed beef and lamb as well as wild Salmon from Alaska. He and his wife Deb make their own peanut butter from certified organic peanuts. Also, they bring all natural churro sheep wool in a variety of colors (no dye added at all).

Simmons Honey Ranchito 
Seasonal Mesquite Honey is like Desert Wildflower is available at Simmons Honey Ranchito booth this week.  Need a dab of honey on the go? Our small honey stix (Honey in a Sealed in a Plastic Straw) and their mini 2oz Honey Bears a great way to carry honey with you wherever you go. The Simmons also have fresh made Jams, Jellies and Preserves to choose from. Their Strawberry Rhubarb Jam is big favorite this time of the year. Jacob Simmons cut up a fresh batch of very early spring honey comb for this weeks market.  The honey has a unique flavor because it comes from the nectar gathered from the Rattle Pod & Spring Tallow Weed that carpeted the valley floor earlier this month.

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.

Sivonn’s Garden  – – Vendor Grown – –
Fresh backyard garden produce by Sivonn. Seasonal greens and other produce.

Super Natural Organics – – Vendor Brokered – –

Sweet Arizona

Tawin’s Gardens and Crafts 
Tawin’s Garden not only brings potted plants and succulents, but she is a whiz with her crochet needle, come check out her cute little cacti and Yodas. They make great souvenirs or gifts for the grandchildren.

Toy’s Eggrolls

4 D Custom Design