Page 15 - Cuisione fo Arizona - Volume 8

Unpacking a Farmers Market
It’s a chilly winter morning in the metro area. Long rays of an early morning sun suffuse a pale golden light over an area that is covered with bright canopies. Vendors are mingling and chatting, sipping hot cups of coffee and tea, while putting the last minute touches to their stands.
by Dee Logan photos by Mark Lewis
Suddenly, a gust of cold, biting wind whips through the rows of tents, snatching banners from cold, stiff hands and making apping kites of them. The startled helper at the Mar- ket Information booth grabs at the scattering of yers and brochures, while others seize at the impromptu dancing umbrellas, that are being placed for the shade needed later to
shield against the bright, desert sun- light.!
As the rhythm of the Mar- ket settles again, tan- talizing aromas are beginning to waft from the Market Chef’s booth. And food vendors are meticulously ar- ranging samples of their products that will soon be available for
public consumption. Freshly baked artisan
breads and honeyed pas-
tries line the stands of some of the Valley’s best specialty bakers and pastry chefs. Next to one of these stands, the coffee vendor prepares another pot of
freshly brewed coffee as more ven- dors line up for their hot morning beverage to be nursed back
at their booths.
As the time ap-
proaches, just before Market opening, there is that mo- ment of pause when each ven- dor at each booth faces the reality of the com- ing event. If there
are butter ies, if there is fear and doubt, this is the moment when each vendor in his or her own unique way, approaches the threshold of the un- known — and moves through it; a small act of heroism that begins to ll the Market with that potent, heady mixture of hope and faith.
Unpacking a Farmers Market Four hours previously.
It’s 3:30 in the morning and at one of the local farms, 2 trucks are being loaded with the fresh produce that was picked, sorted and cleaned from the previous day. Dark leafy greens, bins of colorful carrots, red, white, purple and black radishes are bunched, and ready for the anxious customers. The bins of citrus have already been loaded, na- vels, Arizona Sweets, lemons, grape- fruit, all ready for the trip across the valley to the market.
In the south part of the Valley, an- other small grower is just starting to harvest the rows of spinach and kale at his community garden. Carrots have already been dug up and are waiting the last rinse and bundling. A basket of lemons leans against the side of the van waiting to be loaded. Other help-
ers from the neighborhood are begin- ning to show up, and the harvesting is now going faster with additional hands at the task.
Several miles to the west another farmer has varieties of greenhouse, heirloom tomatoes for harvest. Work- ers are loading trailers with baskets of fresh herbs and owers. A heady aroma of basil and mint mixes with the green tang of freshly harvested tomatoes, all soon to be offered as a special treat for customers this time of the year.
Outlying ranchers have loaded their trucks with freezers lled with beef, pork, lamb and chicken — raised in their elds and farms, and processed locally. Grass-fed is what their custom- ers have been asking for; cage-free or pastured. They have it.
Unpacking a Farmers Market
Farm fresh eggs from local coops are also making their way to the mar- ket. Again, a favorite market commod- ity. Local cheeses and butters? Check! It’s all on the way to Market.
Also on their way to the market, are the local bee keepers with their golden load of sweet desert honeys, the collec- tion and processing done earlier in the season. All part of the Arizona agricul- ture scene.
In another part of town, bakers are bringing the last of the breads out of the ovens to cool. Baking has been go- ing on since early in the morning and is just now nishing up. The wonder- ful aroma of oven-fresh breads is as close to nirvana as the un-initiated will get. There are rows of artfully formed
14 cuisineofarizona.com
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Farmers Market Magazine