Local Source

First the back story, according to Andrew Furse, cofounder of the Abiquiu Farmers Market.  

​In 2016, I had a conversation with Richard Trout who was then on the board of Tres Semillas, the foundation that owns and manages the property adjacent to the Abiquiu Post Office. I gave him my best spiel for why a farmers market might be successful in Abiquiu on that land. (My dad is a salesman and so is my younger brother. My older brother is a lawyer and I'm a chore boy so hyperbole runs in my blood.) Trout replied, “Young man, let's give this idea a go. It just might work.”
 
In 2017, Lupita Salazar and I started in earnest and slowly people started to show up.... Some of the first to vend were Gil Luhman, Gloria McFarland, Peggy McCracken, Jeff Nitz, Vivian Jean and Tiffany Fernandez. We started small, never charged anything to participate and felt really proud every week. Miraculously, people understood the open invitation to sell, and more vendors started showing up. Nobody really knew who was running this thing, it just grew legs on its on. At that time, I acted as a veggie broker. I would buy from Malandro Farms and sell for some extra change. People would ask, “Where is your farm” and I would just point north.
 
In 2018, I got a phone call from Eunice Naranjo who wanted to sell and was calling for details. Eunice invited Lloyd Ferran and Xochitl Romero, both of whom sold in Espanola. With Eunice as a connection, word spread rapidly. The late Thurman Reitz of Chama River Farm started showing up all the way from Los Ojos to sell eggs! A retired veterinarian, he made the trip gladly, enjoyed the market and sold out every week. We miss Thurman. May he rest in peace.
 
After the 2018 season, we decided to participate in the United States Department of Agriculture Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP). We hoped Luciente, Inc., might be interested, so we reached out to board members, Wendy and Bob Dolci. Doing so was one of the best ideas we've had since showing up to an empty parking lot. In 2019, The Abiquiu Farmers Market became a sponsored program of Luciente. With their support, we developed Kid Bucks, a voucher program which engages children with the market by providing them economic independence. Each child that shows up at the market is showered in colorful paper voucher-money that can be spent however they choose. Jen Harrington, a retired educator and the Luciente board president, prints and cuts out every dollar given away, every week of the market. It's amazing how much joy three dollars can give a child when the decision is theirs on how to spend it. Our hope is that Kid Bucks will help children develop positive relationships with, and leave lasting memories of, farmers markets that last throughout their lives. When I once watched a young boy take his money and buy flowers, I smiled and remembered the Red Sovine song, “Roses for Mama.”
 
During this early history of the market, Lupita was working with Northern Youth Project. She and Andrew chose late afternoons on Tuesdays to avoid other markets' days and to make it convenient for local customers to come by on the way home from school or work. Her initial concerns were to make the market accessible and affordable, inclusive and diverse. During Covid, the size of the market increased substantially, so she focussed on keeping money in the community. She now concentrates on things remaining low-key, down-to-earth and continuous. Adhering to a credo of do-it-yourself, Lupita is just as proud of a kid showing the initiative to bring a few eggs to sell as she is of attracting a new professional vendor. She will even interrupt a story being told about teaching the turkeys to eat grasshoppers to go straighten out a parking snafu.

It's easy to see why Eunice Naranjo is the perfect ambassador for the Abiquiu Farmers Market. Her husband, Joe, an renowned potter from Santa Clara Pueblo, is from a family full of farmers growing alfalfa, corn and beans. It seemed like a natural progression when she grew so many cherry tomatoes and cucumbers that a decision was made to start selling at the Espanola Farmers Market. Ron Cox  encouraged her to participate in the Abiquiu Farmers Market and for years, he's kept his promise, that if she did so, he would help. Earlier in the season, they had starts grown from seeds and in containers that had been saved by family and friends. This week there were brownies, eggs, zucchini bread and jam. When Eunicetravels, she makes sure to visit other farmers markets to learn from and share her own knowledge about special blends and recipes. She sells in Abiquiu and Pojoaque. And yes, she is an accomplished potter, too. 

​​Xochitl Romero of de Sol a Sol in Cuarteles has, by far, the most fragrant canopy full of candles, sage smudge sticks, soaps, healing salves and lavender-filled sachets made of vintage linen, silk and cotton. There's always cota tea and often perennial seedlings including strawberries. On her fresh produce table, micro greens and lettuce mixes, parsley and apricots are nestled among floral and herbal bouquets. Xochitl was born Nayarit, Mexico, so it all makes perfect sense since her name is Spanish for flower. Her husband wanted to make sure everyone knows that their farm name comes from the ancestors and that free humor is available to order – both good and bad. One day, he thought it was too hot for either. They sell in Abiquiu and Taos.

​Later in the season Lloyd Ferran, a proud Senior Olympian of Hernandez, will be roasting green chili. So, he will be smelling pretty good, too. He said his story was simple, he enjoys farming and has a lot of fruit trees. He also admitted that it makes his wife mad that he's always outside gardening but she tries to make the best of it by baking lots of zucchini bread with walnuts and raisins. Her loaves not only sell out but are often reserved. Right now, Lloyd has ground red chili, apricots, cherries,  tomatoes, onions, and radishes which he plants every three weeks to provide a steady supply. And, there are bags of the most delicious dried and thinly sliced apples. In addition to Abiquiu, he sells in Espanola and Pojoaque.

​Flora Chavez, who lives in Santa Cruz and is often accompanied by her daughter, Becky, also credits Eunice Naranjo for introducing her to the Abiquiu Farmers Market. She grows her own fruit and bakes big loaves of delicious apricot and banana bread and often has special smaller pastries full of blueberries and strawberries. Yet another vendor known for consistently selling out, she is also recognized for the wide variety of plants that thrive in containers on her patio including cilantro, habanero peppers and tomatoes. It sounds like some delicious salsa might be in the making. Flora sells in Abiquiu and Pojoaque.

Most weeks, the tempting selection of flavored honey sticks produced by RZs bees of Ohkay Owingeh is the most popular purchase made with Kid Bucks. Mason jars of local raw honey are available up to an approximate weight of 5.7 pounds! In 1990, the bee hives were handed down to Ricardo Z. Sanchez by his father-in-law, Robert Hayes. Ricardo always credits his success to his late wife, Deborah Hayes-Sanchez, and since retiring from Los Alamos National Labs, he continues to farm south of Alcalde and sells honey in Abiquiu, Espanola, Los Alamos and Santa Fe. ​

Last week, Jacona Village Bakery's delicious cookies were the main attraction for another little guy who already seemed to know the location of the wood fired sourdough bread booth at the far end of the market. Dylan Sparks and Laura Kosowski focus on local ingredients to present a special menu each week from which they accept preorders. They mill all of their whole grains in house the day before baking and sell in Abiquiu, Dixon, Los Alamos, Nambe, Santa Fe and Velarde 

Don't forget, Kid Bucks can also be redeemed at the Frosty Cow as well as Fire N Ice. And, don't worry, honey is good for you – not to mention that I saw a kid buying a beautiful bunch of carrots! One market's funniest comment was made by that cookie-loving younger brother of two older sisters. While Lupita was doling out his loot, he emphatically announced that green was his favorite color! There's another small child who must be banking bucks – at least it seems like there already some brightly colored bills in those tiny hands before any are handed out on a given day. Who knows what he might be saving up for? Today's comedic winners were two boys telling Andrew jokes like “What do roots drink?” Gardeners might answer water, but this kidder declared, “Root beer!” His cohort offered “What do you get when you mix ice and cream?” Yep, “Ice cream!” Either answer sounded great.
 
The idea, to find out about local farmers markets and write about the fun and fabulous one in Abiquiu, turned into a bit of a scavenger hunt for two friends from El Rito. Two websites proved to be great resources: one for the big picture and the other, our own state's version.
 
The Farmers Market Coalition (farmersmarketcoalition.org) poses, and answers, the question: Why Farmers Markets? This organization describes three complementary goals. “Farmers earn fair prices for the fruits of their labor by selling directly to consumers. Consumers gain access to fresh, nutritious, local produce. Communities regain a figurative 'town square,' experiencing the many positive outcomes of foot traffic and community connection.”
 
The New Mexico Farmers' Marketing Association (newmexicofma.org & farmersmarketsnm.org) also focuses on three-fold concepts, “connect, grow, learn” with an emphasis on providing a way to “find, prepare, be inspired by New Mexico-grown and raised foods.” Their website includes a vast array of information about everything from locating a market, trainings, events, grants or food assistance programs to seasonal recipes and videos. 
 
Even though we felt like we were running a little behind, as sort of an introduction, we visited a few markets close by – talking first to Andrew in Abiquiu, traveling to Los Alamos to speak with Cindy Talamantes and then chatting with Sabra Moore in Espanola. (Sabra assured us that the weather had delayed harvesting and that our timing was OK.) Each of these market managers have a wealth of useful information, including federal and state subsidies like Double Up Food Bucks and FreshRx, a produce prescription program.
 
Finally, the foodie of the two of us, decided to create a fictional menu around some feta cheese she'd received as a gift. So we begged our way in to see its makers: Lisa Anderson and the goats of Malandro Farm just north of Abiquiu. Yes, we've gone full circle – it's the very same place Andrew mentioned at the start of his story whose produce and flowers are now sold in Abiquiu, Santa Fe and Taos. And, it's nothing short of a miracle but, despite our behavior (one of us wanted to know the name of every single flowering plant, the other was intent upon kissing the goats), we've been invited back for a nonfiction lunch at the real farm along the Chama River.
 
Do check out her recipes and absolutely go to the Abiquiu Farmers Market on Tuesdays from 4-6pm, June to October. It's alive and well worth the trip. This week fifteen vendors had tamales, dried apples, apricots, eggs, honey, empanadas, jams, peas, onions, tomatoes, radishes, potatoes, garlic, cabbage, lettuce, kale, chard, amaranth, baked goods, lotions, salves and soaps. We appreciate all of their hard work. As Andrew would say, “Thank you to all who show up.”
 
Be sure to let the editor know if you'd like to read individual Abiquiu Farmers Market vendor profiles and please think about how our current situation could be even better if we revived local access to a mobile food cooperative.  ​