Sierra Vista Farmers Markets Weekly Update for 08-22-19

Reinventing Hilltop Hydroponics – –
This week I’ve got a real stumper for you: What do rubber stamps, Craig’s List and Red Sails lettuce have in common?

The common denominator of all three is Tom Hanson of Hilltop Hydroponics. Nearly 10 years ago Tom and his wife Linda traveled around the country as vendors at rubber stamp shows. After years of this urban nomadic lifestyle Linda decided it was time to quit.  With nothing to keep himself occupied Tom was in a bit of a quandary.   Fortuitous for Tom and those of us who love beautiful fresh living greens, Tom ran across an advertisement for used hydroponic equipment on Craig’s List. Then the real fight began…

After lots of study, some trial and error, and a bit of persistence Tom found that he could grow decent looking Red Sails lettuce outside his house in hydroponic vessels. Then the deer came…

Not willing to give up Tom decided to build a greenhouse behind his house on the hill overlooking the green grasslands of Sonoita. He figured not only would this protect his crop of lettuce from the deer but the greenhouse would also extend the growing season of his lettuce. Now it may seem a little bit backwards, but in southern Arizona greens can be grown all through the winter time, so “extending the growing season” means Tom needed to cool his greenhouse lettuce in the summertime with evaporative coolers. (Most greens prefer a temperate climate or they develop a bitter taste.) Tom built his first greenhouse on the hill behind his house with 2” PVC pipe and plastic sheeting. Then the brutal southern Arizona winds came…

After several seasons of repeated greenhouse reconstruction necessitated by the ravaging winds of spring and winter, Tom nearly gave up. He really didn’t want to quit, but he was tired of picking up the pieces of his greenhouse that the winds were blowing all over southern Arizona. As a final last ditch effort he invested several thousand dollars in a metal framed prefabricated greenhouse.  His investment paid off.

With plenty of room to grow, protection from the local wildlife, and the seemingly ever-present  harassment of the wind, Tom took his hydroponic endeavors to a whole new level. Each season Tom’s success encourages him to try new types and variety of greens and vegetables. Today, Tom grows green and red Roman lettuce, butterhead, several kinds of kale, bok choi, arugula, watercress, basil, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, and other greens in his hilltop greenhouses. This beautiful and tasty produce Tom sells at the Sierra Vista Farmers Markets.

So if you’d like to try some of the most beautiful local summertime greens you’ll find in southern AZ then stop by the market this Thursday and check out Tom Hanson’s Hilltop Hydroponics booth. Tom is an affable fellow and enjoys talking about growing greens.

This Week at the Market
Don’t forget the Sierra Vista Farmers Markets sells more than vegetables and fruit. We also have Incredible Snacks, Popcorn, Carmel Corn, Nuts, Natural Granola, Smoothies, Boba Tea, cookies, pastries, candy, and a whole lot more interesting, delicious, and often healthy treats.

Food Demo This Week – 12 Noon at Queen Ceviche’s

If you’d like to learn how to make a fancy, cool, thirst quenching summer drink, be sure to be at Queen Ceviche’s booth at 12 noon this Thursday. This week Feliz will be sharing some of the secrets of how she turns her hibiscus Syrup into refreshing hibiscus lemonade.

Vendors Spotlight

Jonathan Wick – Black Smith
Part of the mystique of a farmers market is that it takes you back in time  and gives you a little taste of a time when the local market place was where the farmer, butcher, baker, cooper, cobbler, and blacksmith shared their produce and ply their trades.  This week at the market Jonathan Wick will be demonstrating blacksmithing.  From rustic bottle openers to exquisite hand made swords, Jonathan Wick is the real deal. If you’ve ever wanted a real hand made tool, knife, or sword stop by Jonathan’s booth and talk to him about it. If you are lucky he might even show you some of his incredibly crafted works of art.  You’ll find Jonathan in the median under the trees at the East end of the Farmers market. If you don’t see him just listen for the ring of his hammer and anvil.

Beatty’s Orchard
This week Edith will have McIntosh and Early Gold Apples. She tells us that they are great eating apples, excellent for pies, and apple sauce. Their small size is great for children and their thin skin is great for cooking. Edith will also have some Rhubarb, Asian pears, peaches, and blue Italian plums. For those of you who have been asking about Edith’s Rhubarb now is your chance to stop by and pick some up.

Rhubarb Recipe tip:
Edith uses 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of diced rhubarb (good mixed with berries or pineapple) for sauces and pies.

Incredible Snacks
Looking for a healthy snack, something a bit sweet, or just some dried fruit to munch on? David with Incredible snacks has dozens of delicious snacks for you to try. This week he has dark chocolate pecans, peanut brittle, cinnamon apples chips, and so much more. 

Simmons Honey Ranchito

This week at the market come take a closer look at Granulated Honeys. Honeys specially selected for their ability to homogeneously sugar (granulate) with special hand-packed care with very minimal processing or heat. Bee pollen in raw granule form for your health maintenance needs are also offered by Simmons Honey Ranchito. They are stocked well with Prickly Pear Jelly, but only a limited supply of Cluck-Cluck Farm’s chicken eggs.

Special Announcements and Events This Week

Chile Festival
On the 29th of August, Chris Ochoa with be at the market with his Big Jim chilies. Big Jim’s are a medium heat Hatch variety chile. Chris will be roasting chili’s for you as part of our celebration of this great southwestern vegetable. A special thanks to Aaron Cardona for helping make this possible.

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.

NOTICE: Only for the month of August in honor of the 3rd anniversary of Double Up, you can double up an unlimited amount for your snap dollars.

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:

For your enjoyment music this week will be by Ken Cantrell.

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

This Week’s Weather Forecast

This Week’s 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.

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

Ancestral Herbals
 Julee is well stocked this week with healing salve, aloe cream, shampoo bars, and conditioner bars.

Arevalos Farms – – Vendor Grown – –
Aaron Cardona with Arevalos Farms has a wide variety of seasonal vegetables and fruit like their yellow water melon or the sweet canteloupe. Also, they have onions, beets, and carrots.

Backyard Gardening & Growing – – Vendor Grown – –
Zane and Noah Struse will bring onions, eggplant, cucumbers (Suyo, Jade, Armenian), okra, peppers, Gala and Pixie Crunch apples, pears, yellow and white peaches.

Beatty’s Orchard – – Vendor Grown – –
Edith has the newest apples and rhubarb.

Bisbee Balms
Frena with Bisbee Balm will have her all natural lemongrass essential oil insect repellent which she has been selling for five years to protect humans and animals from those nasty seasonal insect bites. She’ll also have organic salves for summer issues, insect bites, and stings. All Frena’s products are “kid-safe and friendly”.

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

Big Woody’s

Hot lunch at the market with Sonoran hotdogs, pulled pork, or nachos.

Café Cultiva
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. If you have a sweet tooth ask them about their been to bar chocolate.

Celestial Breads
Celeste will NOT be at the market this week.

Desert Oasis Soap
Greg brings a wide variety of soaps to the market every week. Ask him for his favorite scent.

Designs by Copper Canyon
Nancy with Copper Canyon has a great selection of hand made bags, pillows, skirts and tops as well as a wide assortment of hand made home décor items to brighten your home.

Dolce Amore
Teresa will NOT be at the market this week.

Echoing Hope Ranch – – Vendor Grown – –
Echoing Hope Ranch will be bring a variety of produce such as squash, okra, carrots, 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 – –
Roger Taber provides us with yak meat every week. Try something new for dinner. Also, Roger has several emu products available.

Four King’s Kitchen
April brings 3 flavors of April’s Granola to the market each week. Their granola is grain-free, sugar-free, and low-carb. It suits a variety of eating styles: Keto, paleo, vegan, diabetic, low-carb, anti-inflammatory and more. Stop by the purple tent and try a free sample.

Ginny’s Eclectic Kitchen
Ginny makes delectable goodies each week for you. See what she will surprise us with this week.

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…

Gracewater Farm
Trudy brings seedlings and other plants each week. You’ll find her in Ginny’s booth at Eclectic Kitchen.

Gray’s Garden of Eat’N – – Vendor Grown – –
Clinton will Not be at the market this week, but you can find his garlic at the BGG booth.

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. —- This week Greenstone will have Christmas Ornaments and native jewelry.

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 as well as kale. 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.

Horton Farms –– – Vendor Grown – –
 Mark and Jessica with Horton Farmers brings fresh tomatoes, squash, peppers, cucumbers, and eggplant.

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

Just-A-Pinch – – Vendor Grown – –
Michael Burgess with Just-A-Pinch will have his culinary herbs. Treat yourself this week to fresh mint, and basil. Buy it by the ounce freshly cut at the market or take home a healthy plant. Still available are his Egyptian walking onions.

K-1 Kreations
K-1 owner Kris is one of our regular vendors. Her product line includes aprons, coaster, pot holders, dish rags, table runners, and tote bags made out of unique fabric patterns. She loves special orders and will customize anything, even cloth pin bags or a grocery bag holder, just ask her.

Ketoluscious Bakery
Janet will NOT be at the market this week.

Krazy Koyote 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.

Lazy KJ Ranch
Stuart with the Lazy KJ Ranch which specializes in “Farm to Table” all natural grass-fed pork. Stop by their booth and try their outstanding smoked pork ribs, BBQ pork sandwich, white truffle fries with parmesan~romano, double stacked nachos, burritos, and air fried quesadillas. All prepared fresh table side. This week Stuart is offering ribs by the bone along with amazing BBQ pork any way you like it.

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 – –

Donna will NOT be at the market.

Maggie’s Dog Treats & Accessories
Zia will NOT be at the market this week.

McDonald Farm
Scrumptious baked goods are brought to you by Donna. Try lemon bars, cinnamon rolls, scones, hand pies, and the ever favorite seven nut caramel bar. She also brings chicken and duck eggs.

Mustang Mountain Eggs

Mistik Valley Farms – – Vendor Grown – –
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.

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 will Not be at the market this week.

Peace, Love, & Smoked Cheese

Mickey will NOT be at the market this week.

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. Feliz will quench your thirst this week with her ice cold hibiscus lemonade. If spicing up your life is more your speed then try Feliz’s salsa or guacamole.

Ruth’s Garden – – Vendor Grown – –
This week Ruth will be bringing beautiful tomatoes and squash as well as many varieties of succulents. Many new herbs in small pots, tomato plants, geraniums and betting plants. Ruth’s Garden also carries organic fertilizers to feed those heavy feeders (plants).

San Pedro River Valley Salsa
Gary will NOT be at the market this week.

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
Their local mesquite honey is now in season and its the largest crop of the year, its light amber color is beautiful reminder of the wild desert mesquite from which it originates.

Fun Honey Fact: 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
Roger and Debra will bring milk chocolate fudge (my favorite) and white chocolate fudge (my favorite) and brittle and toffee.

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.

Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch

Lisa will NOT be at the market this week.

Tortilla Arevaloes aka Esperanza

Hot lunch at the market or take home her much-sought after tortillas, also available gluten free.

Toy’s Eggrolls

Tigerlily Boba Tea

White Cane Salmon
Not here this week.