In the last few years, we’ve seen food scares in the United States around a
lot of the fast food chains ranging from green onions at Taco Bell to tomatoes
at McDonald’s. These scares have even extended to the grocery store chains as
well. Remember the spinach scare last year?

During all these various food scares and as the Green Movement has been growing, a big message has also been to buy local, go green, support the local economy, and eat Organic. Also during these food scares, from the small towns to the large metropolises there are and have been Farmer’s Markets. These Farmer’s Markets are where you will find the farmers, gardeners, and crafters to support your local economy.

This all may sound funny from not only one of the creators of Green Ascension, which offers so many fabulous products to green your life, yourself, and your world, but also as one of the creators of one of the sets of products available on the site.

I grew up in Monterey, California, with one of the largest agricultural areas at my finger tips and one of the largest foods processing plants close by. When I was little, my mom and I would pass the huge lettuce, strawberry, mushroom, and artichoke fields as we drove around the area getting from here to there. Every chance we got, we’d stop at a stand on
the side of the road or a small store selling fresh fruits and vegetables, go home and eat them up.

When the Farmer’s Market started its season, every Tuesday and Thursday we’d be down at the Community College, wandering down the way checking out all the squashes, lettuces, cherries, strawberries, local honey, peaches, apples, crafts, and whatever fruits and vegetables were harvested that people brought to sell. We’d make one pass down, while my mom decided what she wanted to cook for the next few days, I’d be taking samples from anyone who would allow me to have one, savoring the goodness from their land, and then we’d make our way back with our bag in tow, getting heavier and heavier, making our purchases.

As I grew older, it became natural for me to head to the Farmer’s Market which later moved to Alvarado (the main street in Downtown Monterey) and continue the pattern. I’d wander from one end to the other, checking out everything they had, calculating, figuring what was needed, what I wanted as the "new craft item" of the visit, and what items were new and exciting that I didn’t have yet, but just had to have.

As the creator of Lucretia’s Creations I fondly remembered these days, and so I made
the choice that in my first year of making these amazing candles available to the public, I’d set up some booths at the Farmer’s Markets here in New Mexico. To be honest when I first started looking at the markets for booth set-ups it was a hard decision. I found a website for New Mexico’s markets, but the list was massive. Every small community had one near by, and every large city (the whole 3 in the state of New Mexico) had at least 2 or more.

At the time I was originally looking, I was living in Albuquerque, so doing at least one market in Albuquerque was mandatory for me, but selecting which one was the hard part. Albuquerque city alone had 3 markets in the heart of it and about 6 more in its outskirts. But in my search I found the South Valley Grower’s Market located at Cristo Del Valle Presbyterian Church’s parking lot (3907 Isleta Blvd SW) and that became the first market I
committed to. So I put into my calendar that Saturdays from 8am to 12pm I was going to be there.

For my other market it was a no brainer, my heart was in Northern New Mexico, and seeing as how I wanted to find one close to where Ornesha and I met to do our brain storming for Green Ascension, the Espanola Farmer’s Market was the place I needed to be. So I found the contact information and gave it a go and after some back and forth on e-mail I was ready to go. Mondays from 10am to 5pm I was going to be there, table, chairs, candles, and tent. I thought about it, and decided two was good for a start.

Both ladies who managed the markets were open to the idea of having all natural soy candles available at the markets and gave me all the information I needed to be there, set up, and have my little booth. Being new the markets I didn’t know what to expect, or what to think, or even what I needed to have. It was a bit of a mystery. But now, what I have found is a new way we as humans reach out to each other, touch each others lives, and support each other.

Now when most people think of Farmer’s Markets they think of fruits, vegetables, and fresh eggs. What better way to support the local economy and have a healthier meal but to go out to the market in the summer, meet the growers themselves, and pick over what goodies they have on their tables? That is what happens at both markets I sell at, but that’s not all that happens...Not only are people getting out there and picking what they are going to have in their salads, with their dinners, or just a healthy snack to munch
on, there is community. Community exists between the vendors and their customers, the customers as they wander from booth to booth, and between the vendors as they set up in the morning, man their booths through out the day, and break down at the end.

I watch as people who are familiar with the markets come by, stop chat with a vendor they remembered from last year, meet with the market managers, get a hug, chat to see what new and exciting things are going on, and pick up a few goodies to wander home with. There are even children who peek up over the edge of a table to see what is there. Some children run around with the dollar or two that their parents gave them and negotiate a vendor into selling them a bag of snap peas for $1 when the asking price is more. The
vendors tend to just say yes to the children, take the dollar, let the child pick the bag that looks best to them, and then smile as they watch the child run off, thrilled as can be with their new purchase.

The Monday market has a bin of books for the kids, and each day that they come they get one new book free. The manager will sit with the kids and read to them. Then I’ve watched as they young children who are with one of the other vendors run from booth to booth talking to the vendors, laughing, telling stories, asking to be read to, and playing to keep themselves amused. I too, as I stand there with my apron on, candles laid out in front of me, listening to the vendors on either side give their spiels about their products, do the same. I too give my spiel about why soy candles are better than paraffin, what the essential oils are good for, and make my sales, while encouraging people to drink in the essential oil scents as the candles sit there in front of them. It really just makes me marvel at how much of a community the Farmer’s Market really is.

So the next time you are heading out to pick up some green beans, squash, and lettuce from your local Farmer’s Market, take a few, and be in the community of it, chat with the honey people about the pollen counts and how their bees are doing. Stop by the crafters booths and see how much they love their crafts. Give the market manager a hug and a congratulations for getting all these people together so you can sample all their fine products. Really and truly be a part of your community.

If you aren’t sure about the closest market to you, check it out on the web. I simply searched for New Mexico Farmer’s Markets in Google, and there was a site! Most states have a Farmer’s Market Association that monitors and keeps track of all the markets in the state, and can usually give you the dates, times, locations, contacts, and manager. IT really is a completely different experience going to a Farmer’s Market than it is heading to even the all natural stores for your goodies. The experience is more than well worth it.

With Love,

Tina