Sierra Vista Farmers Market Vendor Update for 8-19-2021 – –

A day In the Life Of – The Sierra Vista Farmers’ Market

A day In the Life Of – The Sierra Vista Farmers’ Market

By Uncle Ralph (Ralph Wildermuth) 18 August 2021

Tomorrow the Farmers’ Market opens at 10AM and closes at 2PM.

EXTRA! EXTRA! The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Early Childhood Nutrition Education will be doing a food demo at the market on Aug. 19 at 10:30 am.  They will be highlighting what to do with eggplant from the Farmers Market!  AZ Health Zone will demonstrate how to make Ratatouille using produce from different vendors at the market that accept SNAP dollars.  This will be a skills workshop and not a tasting opportunity.  There will be take home copies of an easy to make recipe for market goers to make their own delicious meal at dinner time.

During the summer months farms and gardens are abuzz with the sounds of flying insects that are needed by the crops that have been planted. The sound is literal when it comes to bees. Do you know why some bees buzz? The anatomy of some flowers like tomatoes and blueberries only release their pollen through two tiny spores of the anther, so the bees bite into the anther, then hold on tight and buzz to shake the pollen out of the flowers.

Now I would like you to imagine for a moment that you and your family are sitting around the dinner table getting ready to have dinner. What do you think would be on your plate if all bees and other buzzers were not around to pollinate the foods that you eat? Really give it some thought. Don’t believe that there would be what you wanted to see, but what would realistically be there. If you are true to the task, you would probably be looking at a plate full of rice and a piece of bread to go with it. Let me tell you why.

Even though many people attribute this saying, “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”, to Albert Einstein, but since he was not an entomologist, he probably didn’t say it. If he had, though, he would have been close to the truth.
The phrase probably originated from a confusion of quotes by none other than Charles Darwin, where he said in his 1859 treatise “On the Origin of Species”, “Hence, we may infer as highly probable that if the whole genus of humble-bees (now called Bumblebee) became extinct or very rare in England, the heartsease and red clover would become very rare, or wholly disappear”, and another quote from the prominent Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck, who published his book in 1901 called the “The Life of the Bee.” In his book he provocatively suggested that we owed our civilization to the bee, and some readers may have concluded that the extinction of the bee would lead to the collapse of civilization. In the book he said, “You will probably more than once have seen her fluttering about the bushes, in a deserted corner of your garden, without realizing that you were carelessly watching the venerable ancestor to whom we probably owe most of our flowers and fruits (for it is actually estimated that more than a hundred thousand varieties of plants would disappear if the bees did not visit them), and possibly even our civilization, for in these mysteries all things intertwine.”

S.E. McGregor, an Apiculturist, retired, from the Agricultural Research Service Western Region, Tucson, Ariz. is credited with saying, “it appears that perhaps one-third of our total diet is dependent, directly or indirectly, upon insect-pollinated plants” In 1976. Either way the humble honey bee is responsible for pollinating approximately one third of our diet from vegetables and fruits.

Of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, i.e., those that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products, almost 80% require pollination by animals or insects of some kind. Visits from bees and other pollinators also result in larger, more flavorful fruits and higher crop yields. Unfortunately, monoculture industrial farming practices, and the pesticides used to make them productive are slowly wiping out our insect population and without them our food chain cannot survive.

Now you might be wondering since plants and bees came about around the same time, which one came first pollination or the pollinators. We had this conundrum before with the chicken versus the egg question. Well, first of all I think we can finally answer the question about the chicken or the egg, since research shows that the chicken produces an enzyme that is required to produce an egg shell. That probably makes the chicken the winner.

The pollination question is similar in nature (pardon the pun) in that plants were around first and used the wind to pollinate others of their species. Researchers believe that both plants and insects probably were here around 480 million years ago, but for the first 300 million years or so, the plant kingdom was dominated by non-flowering plants, such as ferns, conifers, and cycads and the early insects were actually flight-less until about 400 million years ago. Somewhere around 150 million years ago, flowering plants (called angiosperms) abruptly emerged on the scene about the same time as the bee.

Pollination as we think of it with bees and other pollinators probably began around 130-150 million years ago. This kind of pollination is essential to the production of the fruit and seed crops that form the basis of our current food system. Bee fossil records indicate that bees might have arisen roughly 140–110 million years ago, which is consistent with fossil origins of flowering plants. These bees include some 20,000 species that depend almost exclusively on resources produced by flowers such as pollen and nectar.

We all know that if you plant a seed, unless you have a brown thumb, the seed will become a plant. What most people don’t think about is that without pollination, there will be no seeds to plant. There will be no fruit to eat, no vegetable to put on your plate. Even animals that we cook and put on our plates like chicken, pork, and beef require plants to eat in order to stay alive.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are other crops that do not require insect or animal pollination. There are some self-pollinating plants such as tomatoes, green peppers, and chili peppers, eggplants, green beans, lima beans, sweet peas, and peanuts, among others. There are also the grasses, and these are among the most important foods for humans and domestic livestock. There are as many as 10,000 species of grasses. The agricultural crops species of grasses are among the most important foods. They are maize, wheat, rice, sorghum, barley, and sugar cane. These sources are wind-pollinated.

As insect pollinators go, the king of the flowering pollinators is unquestionably the honeybee. The earliest recorded bee was found encased in amber in Myanmar and is believed to be 100 million years old.

Honeybees prefer to live in colonies, but most other bees prefer a more solitary existence. For instance, bumblebees live in burrows in the ground. Aside from bringing us the great taste of honey, researchers also believe the honeybee is responsible for the vast rich flower diversity we enjoy today.

In ancient times, honey was the most important sweetener for food and alcoholic drinks. It was sought after as an antiseptic and sweetener for at least the last 100,000 years. In fact, until sugar became widely available in the sixteenth century, honey was the world’s principal sweetener. As a side note, in Ancient Egypt and the Middle East, it was also used to embalm the dead.

The Egyptians are credited with inventing the first domestic beehives, a simple upturned straw basket called a “skep.” It was not until much later in the 19^th century when a man by the name of Lorenzo Langstroth discovered that bees would keep a ‘bee sized’ pathway clear within a hive. He called it the ‘bee space’. The importance of this discovery became the foundation of developing beehives with moveable frames which would not destroy the hive.

These hives allowed the beekeeper to remove comb and honey without destroying the hive. He produced the first practical movable-frame hive around the 1850s. The Langstroth hive design is still the most popular style in America and Australia. It allows the beekeeper to fulfill the role of providing a comfortable home for a bee colony and be able to nurture it in a more hands-off way.

Have you ever wondered how many bees it takes to make a jar of honey? Of course, we know that a colony can produce many more jars than just one jar. The average queen bee produces between 100,000 and 200,000 bees that each work long shifts, each spending 10 to 20 days collecting nectar and pollinating flowering plants. This equates to approximately 1,764 pounds of honey. Of course, most of this honey is used to keep the hive going, a majority of which is used to keep the brood warm, so in the end the hive probably produces between 22 to 44 lbs. of honey.

But back to the question of how many bees it takes to make a jar of honey. It is best answered in how many trips a bee would make to fill a jar of honey. It is 22,700 trips! Part of the reason for so many trips is that the bee can carry only so much nectar, but nectar only contains about 40% sugar, and honey needs to be at 80% sugar, so the bee needs to make two trips to get the 80% needed for honey.
Keep in mind that you need to have a hive when you are finished harvesting the honey, so you need to keep a mindset like, “a little for me and a little for you.” Otherwise, your hive will be a onetime event.

As with all tales, we have come around to the beginning of the circle. Meet the Simmons family and their little touch of heaven in the honey market. What started out as a hobby in 1989 has become a ranchito just north of Douglas, AZ, on Leslie Canyon Rd., eight miles north of the county fairgrounds. Ray and Kerry Simmons opened their Simmons Ranchito Honey booth here at our Market around 2007 when the market was still located at the corner of Carmichael and Wilcox.

They started the ranch with a few goals to be achieved. Their first goal was to be able to provide a source of honey for the locals in Southeast Arizona. They agreed with each other that if they could only reach those in Cochise County; they would be satisfied. Their second goal was caused by a realization that honey had some medicinal effects against allergies and they had kids with allergies so, growing honey would solve two problems at the same time.

Honey is made in a process by the bees that includes turning the nectar into honey and then sealing it away for future use. Nectar is a sugary liquid that gets extracted from the flower of a plant and deposited into an “extra” stomach of the bee, known as a “crop” where the nectar is mixed with enzymes which modify the liquid for more long-term storage. The nectar is then deposited into a cell in the honey comb. Since it is still filled with extra water, bees set to work fanning the honeycomb with their wings in an effort to speed up the process of evaporation. When most of the water is evaporated the bee seals the comb with a liquid from its abdomen which eventually hardens into beeswax.

Ray and Kerry get their honey through a collaboration with other bee keepers from the southern Arizona area. The honey is extracted from the approximately 400 to 500 hives using a centrifuge method. The centrifuge extractor spins the honey out of the comb, which separates the comb and beeswax from the frame to pump out the honey which is then strained and put into storage containers.

On any given day at the Market, usually you can find an early summer late spring mesquite honey that they extract every year. They also have a “wildflower” honey from the last harvest of the summer which tends to be a darker looking honey, particularly this year it is very dark, Ray believes, due to the dryness of the season. Occasionally, now included, they have the lighter more delicate honey called Catclaw.

Their honey is available in various sizes from a small 2 Oz. honey bear size bottle all the way up to a gallon size jar. The one pound and the one-quart sized jars being the most popular. Along with honey they have honey comb, pollen, and honey dippers for sale. They even have honey sticks reminiscent of the hard stick candy of yesteryear that kids clamored for during trips to the dry goods store.

Ray says the amount of honey that is needed to fill one jar is best measured in miles. It is estimated that one jar of honey results in at least one or more circumference of the globe at the equator.

In addition to their honey, Ray carries seasonal homemade preserves, jams and jellies. They also carry an assortment of pickled goodies, like asparagus, pickles, garlic and others. If you want some of the best honey in southern Arizona stop by the Simmons Ranchito tables and pick up a pound or two for just about anything you have that needs a little sweetening.

As always, many of the market vendors accept WIC Farmers Markets & Senior Farmers Markets Vouchers in exchange for fresh fruits and vegetables. SNAP vouchers can also be used at some of the vendors booths. You can use your EBT card at the info booth for SNAP vouchers and Double UP tokens (unlimited amount right now).

We are looking forward to seeing you all at this coming week’s Market. For more information on all our vendors and the products they will be bringing, please see this week’s Farmers’ Market newsletter at www.sierravistafarmersmarkets.com.  Also, check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/sierravistafarmersmarket/.

Vendor Updates
Please see the vendor listings below with updated vendor information and the products they will be bringing.  Please keep in mind the social distancing while you shop at the market.

Market Hours: Thursdays from 10 am to 2 pm at Veteran’s Memorial Park.

SNAP and Double UP food bucks available at the info booth.

NOTE: Pick up free Herald Review newspaper at the info booth.

Music Entertainment: Starry Night Guitars

BASA is a volunteer board non-profit with a mission: “to promote local, sustainable food production, marketing and education in southern Arizona.

Webpage: http://basamesquite.org/
Webblog: http://bajaaz.blogspot.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/125627894978189
Email: brownchristie1@gmail.com

Updated Vendor Listing & Contact Information

– – 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.

Produce & Plant Vendors

Allred Family Fungi – – Vendor Grown –
Oyster mushrooms and other varieties.

Awareness Ranch
Local produce (mint, basil, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, bok choy) from Tucson area

Backyard Gardening & Growing  – – Vendor Grown –
Brown Turkey figs, onions- Red, white, and yellow. Cucumbers (Armenian, suyo, and lemon), beets, and turnips. Gala apples and pears (Asian & Bartlett), Peaches and Okra.
New this week Gala apples.

Beatty’s Orchard – – Vendor Grown –
Edith will NOT be at the market
For more information please visit one of their links: Website
520-378-2728 or 520-678-9443

Echoing Hope Ranch – – Vendor Grown –
Variety of greens and herbs from their green house.
Kale, radishes, lettuce and more.

Horton’s Farm  – – Vendor Grown –

Cucumbers, Garlic, onions, Eggplant, chilies, patty pan squash, lettuce mix, radish, zucchini, tatsoi, red Russian kale, and beets.
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook

Just A Pinch – – Vendor Grown –
Michael will be back in September.
They still have fresh-cut herbs available, but due to the pandemic still in effect, they will be limiting what they bring to farmer-selected,
pre-portioned herbs and custom orders made through phone (520-234-3254), email (justapinchllc@yahoo.com),
or in person at the market the week before!  This week’s selection of fresh harvested herbs are Strawberry Mint,
Chocolate Mint, and Italian Oregano for $1.00 per bundle!

Ruth’s Garden

Ruth and Ray will be back with a load of plants and soil. Fresh Garden Produce and Eggs and Flowers. Come visit and find fresh veggies to your liking.

The Lettuce Man’s Daughter – – Vendor Grown –
Donna will NOT be at the market this week.
Salad mix, red and green leaf lettuce, spinach, kale, and young bok choi

SAS-Z Nuts – – Vendor Grown –
Locally Grown Pistachios
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook

Sivonn’s Garden – – Vendor Grown –
Fresh Seasonal Garden Produce such as mushrooms, salad mix, collards.

Tawin’s Gardens and Crafts – – Vendor Grown –

Seasonal Garden Plants

Triple J & R – – Vendor Grown –

“We are a family providing homegrown microgreens and sprouts. We carry a varied selection of microgreens and sprouts grown hydroponically on food safe screens using only pH balanced water and food grade nutrients for microgreen growth. If you don’t see one you like just let us know and we will grow it for you. Email us at triplej&r@arizonaremountstation.net or give us a call at (520) 266-2479. Our Website is arizonaremountstation.net.”

Meat, Milk, Egg & Honey Vendors

Emu Enterprise – – Vendor Grown –

Roger will NOT be at the market.
For more information please contact Roger at: 520-585-6148 or email:
circlet@juno.com for orders

Golden Rule Dairy – – Vendor Grown – –
NEW: Raw butter and Ghee.
Golden Rule Dairy Special: Their very own chicken eggs!
Fresh Raw Milk, Cream, and Dairy Products and their yummy granola.
Golden Rule Dairy Special eggs will be available in July and August.
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, Facebook
Instagram-  golden_rule_dairy
goldenruledairy@gmail.com
www.goldenruledairy.com
520-210-2857

L&B Farm
Burt will be at the market on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th , and 5th Thursday of every month.
Frozen chicken and lamb, fresh eggs

Papa Mike‘s Jerky 
Locally Made Jerky
For more information please visit one of their links: Website Facebook

Rocky Creek Ranch
Duck, chicken, and quail eggs

San Ysidro Farm – – Vendor Grown – -,
Jackie will NOT be at the market (every first Thursday) with beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey and frozen pasties.
email jackie.syf@gmail.com
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, Facebook

Sky Island/47 Ranch – – Vendor Grown – –

– Locally Raised Range fed Criollo Beef, and Navajo Churro Lamb.
All natural, no hormones, no antibiotics, and no grain feeding.
– Wild caught sockeye salmon from Naknek Fisheries, Bristol Bay, Alaska.
– Apple or Mesquite smoked bacon from Willcox Packing House (uncured bacon, nitrite, and nitrate free), pork chorizo, and pork sausage.
– Homemade Cowboy Style Peanut butter (made with slightly-roasted organic peanuts, no salt or sugar added).

YouTube Channel (Ranching in the Right Hemisphere): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrfx3NWeUSGZ7KOnV8XL4tQ

For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook and YouTube
520-507-5203
crossu@vtc.net

Simmons Honey Ranchito 

Our many varieties of local honey will be available in one pound jars up to one gallon jugs.
520-364-2745, no text, no call id
520-368-2039 text welcome
simmonshoney1@powerc.net

Baked Goods & Snack Vendors

Designs by Copper Canyon
Nancy & Jim will NOT be at the market this week.
New: Gluten-free breads.
Delicious truffles and sweet & savory breads.
Home decor items.
coppercanyonind@gmail.com

Ginny’s Eclectic Kitchen
Crumb coffee cake, oatmeal sandwich cookies, sourdough, and another fun bread.
Instagram is @ginnyseclectickitchen

Celestial Breads
Celeste will NOT be at the market.
Fresh Baked Goods and Prepared Foods
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook

5 Nut Granola by Better Than Provisions
Better Than Provisions 5 Nut Granola is a nutrient dense, grain-free, sugar-free granola made with a premium 5 nut blend (macadamia, almond, pecan, walnut, and hazelnut) plus organic pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, and spices. It suits a variety of dietary preferences including keto, paleo, vegan, gluten-free, low-carb, dairy-free, and diabetic. Available in 3 flavors.
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, facebook

Farmer’s Daughter
Cassandra will NOT be at the market during the hot season, but
for orders call 623-523-7367.
Gluten free baked goods

Incredible Snacks
An Incredible Variety of Snacks
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook

Katerina’s-It’s Original Greek
Kathy & Jim will be back in October.
Fresh Made Greek Baked Goods and Prepared Food
New: Artisan Greek breads.

McDonald Farm
Baked goods such as cinnamon rolls, pies, and nut bars. Fresh eggs, pecans, beans (black, pinto, 9-bean mix), chicken and duck eggs.
SAS-Z-Nuts pistachios
Leave a message for Dona 520-220-3000

Mystic Eatz
Baked goods such as quick breads, cinnamon roll muffins, and seasonal pies.

Steph’s Sweets Bakery
Stephanie will NOT be at the market (every 1st Thursday)
Granola, cookies, muffins (all vegan)
Desert Bloom Photography &  Ray’s Leatherworks 520-368-2454

Sweet Arizona
Roger will NOT be at the market this week.
Locally made Toffee, Brittle, & Fudge
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, Facebook
www.sweetarizona.org
520-312-5351

Sweets By Shelly
Shelly is back!
Cake pops in a wide variety of flavors, almost too pretty to eat, but oh so yummy.
Toffee and pretzels.
308-708-1680 for special or custom orders.

Wild Arizona Gardens
Kathleen will NOT be at the market this week.
Wild Arizona Garden will have pink oyster mushrooms this week. The bread selection will include na’an, green chili and cheddar bread, 5 seed bread, honey oat bread and rye bread. Also on the menu will be apple pie and strawberry rhubarb crisp. If you would like to have some held for you, please text 520-508-2494.

Personal Health & Household Vendors

Ancestral Herbals (Arizona Soap Company)
www.ArizonaSoapCompany.com
Hand made soap, lotion, balm, muscle rub, etc.
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, Facebook

Chloe’s Creations
Handmade soap.

Desert Oasis Soap
Home made Soaps
For more information please visit one of their links:Website, Facebook
desertoasissoap@outlook.com
520-822-5330
desertoasissoaps.com

Greywood Soap Company
Gabrielle and Jaimie will be back in October.
Handmade soaps.

Nature’s Premium Skin Care
Aloe Vera miracle cream

Prepared Foods & Beverage Vendors

Ascendare-Bean to Bar Chocolate
Handcrafted chocolate

Big Woody’s
Hot Dogs, Mac & Cheese, BBQ, and Pulled Pork
For more information & their menu please visit one of their links: Facebook

Bombshell Sweets
Chris will NOT be at the market this week.
Variety of cotton candy

Café Cultiva
Fresh Coffee and Hot Beverages
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, Facebook
774-316-2328

Cliff’s Salsa
Cliff will NOT be at the market this week.
Pickles, and jalapenos and salsa

Esperanza
Pre-order tamales by calling 520-954-7782
New: Pasties
Fresh made Tortillas, Tamales, Baked Goods
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, Facebook
Esperanza will ship orders.

Crazy Coyote Concessions
Kettle Corn and Smoothies
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook
734-430-1996

Mi Burrito
Burritos from the grill with fresh salsa for lunch.

Lazy KJ Ranch
Locally Grown Organic Pork for lunch specials.
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook

Lasagna and More
Complete line of Take-n-Bakes, sauces, Chef Burritos, SW Spice Blend
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, Facebook

Mulcogi

Spices and herb mixes.

Queen Ceviche

Fresh Made Salsa, Ceviche, Hand Sanitizer, and  hibiscus syrup.
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook
520-904-4715

Sippin
Specialty soda drinks

Zumi Juice
Come quench your thirst with a delicious, fresh, raw, cold juice made to order at our bright orange tent.  All of our juices are made from fruit to cup with no additives, just pure goodness.  Fresh Limeade is always served.

Pet Food & Product Vendors

Maggie’s Dog Treats & Accessories
All Natural Pet Snacks and Treats
For more information please visit one of their links:
480-488-1053
ziabischoff@gmail.com

Services

Hone Ranger

Scott wants to let you know: “I’m back in a replacement vehicle with new equipment for onsite sharpening on most items and I wish to thank all those who helped, and some that still are, with my rebuild!
I am indebted to the wonderful patrons at the market, and the market itself for the opportunity to be involved w/ all of it.

Lindsay
Handmade fitted masks.
520-546-1058
meyerwill@cox.net

In Stitches
Variety of face masks,  fabric multi-use bowls and bags.

 
Artisan Vendors (are back)

Greenstone Pottery & Crafts
Hand Made Pottery, Jewelry, & Crafts
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook
520-537-4859
courage.4life4u@gmail.com
530-539-4859
greenstone.collection@gmail.com

Bernie & Bill Medley
Paintings, Custom Frames and Woodwork
Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.
For more information please visit one of their links:

Promise Farm LLC & Ash’s Amber
Ashley comes every 1st and 3rd Thursday.
Baltic Amber jewelry
Chicken eggs and small plants.

Migrant Shelter Workshop Carpentry
Furniture from their introductory carpentry school and bird feeders

Inner G Cells
Handmade orgonite item (includes jewelry) 

Sierra Vista Gems
New batch of blue oak and mesquite pens.
Cheri’s front license plates.

Artisan Vendors (once a month)

Banner Trading & Sporting Goods

Handcrafted jewelry and cut antlers for dog chews

Doug Merrill

Handmade wooden boxes, tables, coat racks, benches, and wind chimes

Jim Williams Woodworks

Checkerboards and many new lazy Susans,  one of a kind, all sizes of cutting boards, pens, pencils, fountain pens!  Key rings, toaster tongs, oven rack pulls.  By a special request, I have started making urns and jewelry boxes.

520-393-6608
weloveaz2@gmail.com

Rita Obenauf’s Windchimes
Every 1st Thursday when the weather cools again.
Up-cycle bottle wind chimes
909-957-0368
Insta-gram Lifeabove100

Sue’s Closet
Sue will be at the market on the first Thursday.
Tie-dye and painted clothing (hats, silk scarves, shawls, blouses)

Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch
Alpaca boutique of Unique Hand Made Gifts
For more information please visit one of their links: Website, Facebook
520-249-0362

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