Sierra Vista Farmers Markets Update for 03-07-19

Welcome to Spring – – –
One of the few downsides of warmer Arizona weather is that it means the end of the winter greens growing season is within sight. By May or June most winter crops like spinach, kohlrabi, broccoli, lettuce, collards, radishes, beets, kale, and other similar greens will start to get bitter or have a bit of a bite to them. There are some varieties of greens that are more resistant to the heat, but for the most part, unless they are grown hydroponically or in a cooled greenhouse, it gets a bit hot in Cochise County during the summer.

 (In our garden we have grown Jericho lettuce (developed in Israel) with some success in the warmer weather, but even then you have to be careful to pick the lettuce in the early morning to avoid a bitter taste.)

Not to worry though, we should have a great variety of fresh greens at the Sierra Vista Farmers Markets for a couple more months. At our information booth Donna and Sivonn have salad mix, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, Romaine, chard, spinach, kale, and even mushrooms. Arevalos Farms and Backyard Gardening & Growing also have greens, so check them out as well.

At the west end of the market, Ruth’s Garden has carrots, turnips, a variety of greens and radishes. Ruth and her brother Ray also provide a variety of bedding plants, house plants, decorative and blooming pots and even strawberry plants. This year Ruth went all out with her tomato plants. At her booth you’ll find all sorts of tomato plants. She’ll have some for hot and humid weather, dwarf tomato plants (that produce large tomatoes – new this year), as well as varieties that make great tomato sauce.

Spring Gardening Tips
If you haven’t already, now is a good time to prune and fertilize your fruit trees. When pruning your fruit trees, remember to keep a cup (open center) shape in mind for all your stone fruit and the three to five branch shape (modified central leader method) for apples and pears. For more information on the subject, check out this short article by Jeff Schalau of the U of A. (Pruning Fruit Trees) or this more detailed guide (PDF) from the U of A  here: Backyard Fruit Production Guide  or here: Training and Pruning Newly Planted Deciduous Fruit Trees

This Week At the Market

Bakers and Food Vendor’s Spotlight

New to the Sierra Vista Farmers Market this Week
New to the market this week is Erin with Pappardelles Pasta. Erin has dozens of artisan pastas made with organic wheat. She also has gluten-free and vegan pasta as well. You’ll find Erin set up next to Randy of White Cane Salmon.

Dolce Amore
If you’d like to try some fine Italian cookies and pastries stop by Teresa’s booth at Dolce Amore. Teresa brings artistry and old world Italian flare to her unique variety of baked goods.

Artisans, Craft, and Body Care Vendor’s Spotlight

Hand Crafted Thursday
The first Thursday of every month we invite some of area’s finest Artisans to share their unique arts and crafts at the Sierra Vista Farmers Markets. This week (to name a few) you’ll find: Ray’s Leatherworks; Barb’s Blanchard’s aprons, fleece blankets, turtle mops, shoe bags, etc; Copper Canyon’s hand sewn home décor; Don Stinson’s woodworks; Lech with 4D Custom Design; John of Scroll Saw; and many more.

Special Announcements and Events

Lisa Thompson with Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch will be at the Market this week with her menagerie. Be sure to bring the kids by to pet her adorable animals.

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

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