Sierra Vista Farmers Market Vendor Update for 12-30-2021 – –

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

By Uncle Ralph (Ralph Wildermuth) 30 December 2021

The Farmers’ Market will be open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Arguably the biggest night of the year will be here before you know it. People from around the world will be watching the 12 feet in diameter geodesic ball weighing 11,875 pounds seemingly suspended in thin air, waiting for the seconds to pass before it precisely drops to the very moment of 12:00 midnight. Thus, ushering in the highly anticipated New Year on January the 1^st 2022. But it hasn’t always been that way.

This time of the year the holidays are steeped in a variety of traditions. Like no other time of the year these two holidays, Christmas and New Year’s, revolve so strongly around U.S. agricultural products and thoughts of farm life. Some 25 million to 36 million fresh-cut Christmas trees find their way into American homes from tree farms found in almost every state. Food sourced from a variety of America’s farms and ranches provide the social centerpiece for holiday gatherings. The fair is centered around a meat dish of turkey, beef, goose, lamb, venison, rabbit, duck, and pheasant. And pork appeared on American menus as early as the late 1600’s. Turkey, ham and roast beef remain the most popular meats served at American holiday meals today. By the late 1700’s, holiday menus included ice cream, acorn squash, lima beans, sweet potatoes, raisins and nuts, cranberries, plums, peaches, apples, and cherries for pies. During these pioneer days the menus depended heavily on location, economics, home situations, and heritage. Homes closer to farms or in bigger cities tended to have more variety than those living in outposts, camps, or wilderness areas. But one of the holidays was not always in December.

The New Year’s celebration of the coming new year has existed essentially forever and in all countries of the world. The calendar has a lot to do with when the celebration takes place.

The Sumerians in Mesopotamia made the very first calendar in 3100 BC, which divided a year into 12 lunar months, each consisting of 29 or 30 days. It was reformed several times until the Gregorian calendar we know today was reformed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, from the old Julian calendar, adapted by Julius Caesar of Rome. Stay tuned though as the Sumerians are credited as the first to track time, some historians believe the Europeans had a system that could be even older. 12 large pits have been found in Aberdeen Shire, Scotland, by researchers from the University of St. Andrews. These pits are said to mirror the moon’s phases. Since they are estimated to be 10,000 years old, they may be the oldest “calendars” in the world.

Most countries, but not all, follow the Gregorian calendar that ends on the 31^st of December each year. When the colonies were formed, the Julian calendar was still being used in America. It was not until 1752 that the United States adopted the Gregorian calendar. So, what does this mean? Well, it means that for the Pilgrims the new year started in March, not January. To be precise New Year’s Eve was celebrated on the evening of the 24^th of March and thereafter until the year 1752 when the Gregorian calendar was accepted and from thereon since, it has taken place on the evening of 31 December.

Oddly enough, the one traditional custom that endured over the years that is associated with the New Year’s Eve celebration, is the embracing and kissing of loved ones. Even though the new year didn’t start until March, the residents of Jamestown celebrated on January the 1^st in part because it was being celebrated everywhere the Gregorian calendar was accepted, but also because it was part of the Christmastide traditions, which included food, games and singing. “It was actually a really confusing time because the English hadn’t switched to the Gregorian calendar and were still using the Julian calendar but most of the world had already switched and celebrated in January,” said Lara Templin, assistant interpretive program manager at Jamestown Settlement.

One of the most popular traditions celebrated at the time for New Year’s Eve was for young ladies to get together, prepare a large bowl of wassail (heated, spiced ale) and carry it from house to house, sharing the warm drink with their neighbors, and receiving small gifts in return. It was believed that the ending of the previous year was to be celebrated with drinking and socializing with loved ones and friends, and that the starting of the new year should be celebrated with the giving and receiving of gifts.

For most people the year ends on December 31 and begins on January 1. But there are several countries and cultures that celebrate New Year later in the year and not on 1st Jan.  These countries and cultures follow solar, lunar, and other hybrid calendars.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated in the first week of February as a time of renewal and reflection. The Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year and the day signifies the beginning of the spring harvest season. The festival lasts for 15 days, but on the seventh day, the farmers traditionally display their produce. The full moon indicates when farmers should begin to plant crops. While the western calendars are based on the Earth’s orbit around the sun, the lunar calendar is based on the moon’s orbit around the Earth.

In India New Year’s is celebrated on the 14^th or 15^th of April, in West Bengali, on the 6^th, in some of the southern states, and in the state of Maharashtra it is celebrated on the 14^th of April. Just like India, Sri Lanka celebrates on the 14^th of April. Most of the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, originally known as the Gulf Cooperation Council, celebrate New Year’s as per the Islamic calendar and the date changes each year. The day celebrates the emigration of Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina, known as Hijra. The Koreans also celebrate New Year’s based on the Lunar calendar.

Most of the world still looks to Times Square to watch the ball drop ringing in the New Year, but how did that become such a focal point for the world?

Times Square hasn’t always been the focal point for New York’s New Year’s tradition. Until about the beginning of the 20^th century, the city gathered around Trinity Church to hear “the ringing out of the old and ringing in of the New Year” on Trinity’s bells.

Church bells have long been sounded to mark the New Year. It’s possible that the custom in New York began in 1698, when a bell was first installed in Trinity’s steeple. Trinity’s archives provide a passage from the Vestry minutes of January 12, 1801, when the Vestry stated “that eight pounds be paid to the Persons who rang the Bells in New Year’s Day.” The gathering at Trinity on New Year’s Eve died out in the early twentieth century, replaced by the Times Square celebration, which began in 1904 with its dazzling fireworks display lunched from the roof of the 25 story New York Times newspaper building in downtown Manhattan. Due to the concern for the hot ash that rained down upon concerned New York City officials from the fireworks in 1907, Adolph S. Ochs needed a new gimmick for 1908. Adolph Ochs went to his chief electrician, Walter Palmer, for his thoughts. Palmer, inspired by the maritime tradition of dropping a time ball so sailors could adjust their chronometers while at sea, devised the idea of dropping a lit-up ball on New Year’s Eve. Dropping the ball in Times Square has been a tradition ever since.

Unfortunately, this tradition seems to be on the brink of extinction like the dodo bird, and so many other things these days. In 2000 the crowd in Times Square, consisting of people from across the world, some coming just for the New Year’s spectacle itself, numbered around two million. This year the crowd will be limited to only 15,000 and they won’t even be allowed into Times Square until after 3:00 PM.

How will you celebrate this year? Of course, I will have champagne, noise makers and confetti, all the essential staples. This year I might even bring back a little of my childhood growing up in Germany when my aunt used to make a German wine punch made from champagne, apple, cranberry, and white grape juice, vodka, peaches, cranberries, cherries, strawberries, lemon and orange slices, then finished off with edible carnation petals sprinkled on top of the punch.

Southern US food tradition, which I greatly follow, dictates that eating black eyed peas on New Year’s will bring luck and good fortune. Often served with cabbage or collard greens, and ham, black eyed peas are seen as symbolic stand-ins for coins and financial prosperity.

Agriculture is one of the most essential industries in the world. Without the food that farmers grow, we wouldn’t have much to celebrate. Whichever way you choose to ring in the New Year, whether you follow the Gregorian or the Lunar calendar, we encourage you to remember and support the hardworking farmers that make your meals possible.

Cooking with onions is a great way to start! And you can order your onions sets to grow your very own onions right here at the market (info booth).

As always, SNAP vouchers can be used at some of the vendors booths, as well as Double Up tokens for exchange for fruits (Estrada Citrus from Mesa is back) and vegetables. 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.       The terminal is working again!!!

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

Music Entertainment: Rich Kettner

This week:  extra artisans and crafters

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–Vendor Grown
Bali will be back during the winter season.
Local produce (mint, basil, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, bok choy) from Tucson area

Backyard Gardening & Growing  – – Vendor Grown –
Mandarin quats, Onions, Beefsteak tomatoes & cherry tomatoes 9last time), Gala and Pixie crunch apples.

Beatty’s Orchard – – Vendor Grown –

Edith will be back next season.
520-378-2728 or 520-678-9443

Beatriz’ Dates

Dates from Mesa, Arizona

Cazador Ranch

Donna Henricks aka Lettuce Man’s Daughter

Lettuce mix, chard, kale, parsley

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

Estrada Citrus

Oranges and grapefruit from Mesa, Arizona.

Horton’s Farm  – – Vendor Grown –

Mark and Jessica will be back soon.
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 the spring of 2022.
(520-234-3254), email (justapinchllc@yahoo.com)

Nat Hutchins Farm

Local and Asian plant. Seasonal produce. Meyer lemons.

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 –

Ralph and the children will be back in the January 2022.
“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 –

With sadness we let you know that Roger Taber passed away this summer.

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 and Lisa will be back soon.

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 only) 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

Whitecane Sockeye Salmon

Alaskan caught sockeye salmon, king salmon, halibut, ling cod, shrimp, snowcrab, Bairdi crab, Dungenese crab

Baked Goods & Snack Vendors

Designs by Copper Canyon
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

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

Katerina’s-It’s Original Greek
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.

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 will be back in January.
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
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.

Nature’s Premium Skin Care
Aloe Vera miracle cream

Prepared Foods & Beverage Vendors

Ascendare-Bean to Bar Chocolate
Kendra will be at the market on the 1st and 4th Thursday.
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
Variety of cotton candy and new hot cocoa mix and hot cocoa by the cup.

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

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.
NOTE: Esperanza will retire from our market at the end of 2021.

Crazy Coyote Concessions

Kettle Corn and Smoothies
For more information please visit one of their links: Facebook
520-904-2327
kettlekornaz@gmail.com

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

Sippin
Annalysa will be back in January.
Specialty soda drinks

Zumi Juice
Chris and Kristie will be back in January.
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
Zia will be back in January.
All Natural Pet Snacks and Treats
For more information please visit one of their links:
480-488-1053
ziabischoff@gmail.com

Services

Hone Ranger

Knife sharpening at the market.

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:

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

Artisan Vendors (once a month)

Bannuar Trading & Sporting Goods

Handcrafted jewelry and cut antlers for dog chews

Chalia’s Craft (will be back in the spring)

•Crochet earrings

•Crochet & Macramé Plant Hangers

•Crochet bags and baskets

•Wall Decor

•Pillow Shams (seasonal item)

•Throw Blankets (seasonal item)

Shop: chaliascraft.Etsy.com

Instagram: @chalias_craft

Doug Merrill

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

Jim Williams
Wood works such as Lazy Susans, checker boards, and unique writing utensils

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

New artisans for November and December

Anna’s Gifts
Buena High School artisans
Leta’s Gallery
Vagabond
Crafts by Kate
Godard-woodworkings

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