Agua Linda Farm Journal – October Fall comes late in Southern Arizona… but it does come.  We want to think of October as a fall month, even though most of us are still strutting around in shorts and tank tops. As most of you already know, the month of October is the busiest time of year on our farm.  Pumpkin picking, caramel apples, hayrides – we put on an event to rival that of any other pumpkin farms in the country.  I think.  We are never able to visit operations like ours to see first hand how others in this business do it (we are too busy to leave!), so I have spent many hours online, visiting America’s pumpkin patches though the virtual world.  I peruse websites, read blogs written by stay-home moms and watch you-tube videos of kids picking pumpkins and petting critters in a petting zoo thousands of miles away.  I am inspired by what other farms do to provide a day of family fun and have borrowed many ideas.  Photos and videos of families visiting our Fall Festival look very much like the pictures taken at other farms – orange pumpkins, smiling kids with stubby legs riding ponies, families posed around a whimsical scarecrow – the same except while people in those images look cold – bundled in jackets and scarves, in Agua Linda pictures, families are dressed for sunny warm Arizona in October!   Ahh!  We are so lucky (I think we earned it after suffering in the heat this last August and the first half of September – all you snowbirds out there cheated – the rest of us should get to wear some kind of medal!).    The preparation for the festival starts the day after the previous year’s event.  What will we do differently?  What worked, what didn’t?  Pumpkins are planted in June and July and the care and cultivation continues well into October.  We grew more pumpkins than ever this year and spent many hours with hoes in hand fighting the weeds.  Amaranth is the dominant weed.  It starts to grow after the first irrigation, but takes off after the first summer rain.  Young amaranth is tender and edible and a green pasture covered in it looks lovely to the untrained eye.  As a famer, that endless carpet of green is daunting!  Left unchecked the weed will grow taller than me and will win the battle for domination over a pumpkin plant hands down!  At maturity amaranth arms itself with painful stickers, which it will wield indiscriminately at the unsuspecting pumpkin picker!  Then there is Morning Glory.  With elegant ivy-like leaves, curly tendrils and delicate purple flowers, this plant seems so innocent and civilized – like they belong in an English country garden.  In the early years I was enchanted by Morning Glory and didn’t pull her out.  “It is so pretty!  Couldn’t we leave this weed alone?” I pleaded with Stewart.  Their beauty and grace is deceptive, however.  Behind the sweet-talking, lady-like façade lurks a garden menace!  If she is aloud to thrive (sorry, Stewart!), Morning glory will tangle, wrap, strangle and steal sunlight from the crop lost beneath her lovely leaves and blooms.    Cockleburs are an indicator of good soil.  Apparently our soil is fantastic.  We scramble to yank out as many of this plant as we can before they go to seed, but every winter, long after pumpkin season has passed, my horse’s manes and tails are a solid clump of coarse hair and burs.  They hurt when your try to pull them out – even poking through gloves and every bur you discard on the ground, if not swept up, has a future – so to speak!  Hey, at least we know we have good soil! I have written about our nemesis – Bermuda Grass – many times before.  It is impossible to remove and I don’t feel like whining again about the frustrations of trying to pull it out of the ground, but will add this: Bermuda grass is habitat for grasshoppers.  Grasshoppers are NOT a farmer’s friend! I actually have a favorite weed (now that my misguided love of Morning Glory has passed).  I call it the Wild Tomatillo – because that is what it looks like.  There is a lot of it and it must be removed (I will not be fooled again!), but it is so willing and compliant.  There are no thorns or burs to defend it and no tendrils gripping the pumpkin plant like a hostage, (“Step away from my stem and no-one gets hurt!”) and the roots are shallow and give away easily when you pull.  The wild Tomatillo is humble and seems to say, “Well, okay, you’re right.  I shouldn’t be here…” if only all weeds could be like that! The efforts cultivating this past summer have resulting in some healthy pumpkin plants.  There are many weeds, though – we never actually win this war – we just get ahead – a little. In mid September, we have done what we can for our pumpkins and other than irrigating, they are on their own – like children who have gone off to college.  The last two weeks before the festival are all about the physical set up of the space.  This year we planted a 5 acre pasture with Milo and have our first ever Family Maze winding through it – small and less intimidating than a giant corn maze, this field will also provide November grazing and wild bird habitat.  The path was just cut and later today we will send our interns through it with timers to see how long it takes (maybe I should think of a prize for the winner…)!  Our other maze is built of hay bales.  Thanks to our friends at Amado Feed for helping us with this attraction.  After thousands of kids has screamed and giggled their way though this labyrinth, the bales will be sold and used to feed our own horses and those that we board.  Signs have been painted, the grill menu has been finalized and we are ready!  The Fall Festival starts the 2nd weekend of October.  See our website for details, hours, admission etc! www.agualindafarm.net       June 2011 My children just said goodbye to their friends for the summer as the school year came to an end and summer began.  As for most teenagers, this time was marked by yearbook signing (“Have a great summer!”, “Don’t change…”) and report cards, but unlike many kids who are looking forward to two months of endless television and video games, mine are looking forward to, (well… dreading, actually) the garlic and onion harvest that will soon be underway.  “UGH, I hate onions!”  They say, recalling many Junes past spent pulling loose onions and garlic from the upturned soil, loading them into a wagon, laying them out in the sun to cure, trimming, weighing and bagging.  A few years ago, we were a little overambitious in the quantity of alliums we grew and the whole process – from pulling to bagging took the whole summer, the four of us and countless volunteers to complete.  Desarae and Jesse still have not recovered, or forgiven us for that summer.  We all reeked of onions for months and the hay barn was piled high with the curing crop.  We all  sported matching blisters on our thumbs from the sheers used to trim the green tops and beard-like roots before weighing.  Onions were bagged in three-pound increments.  For the first few hours of weighing, each worker would set four to five onions in a mesh bag and on the scale – “Four pounds, too heavy”; so one large onion was replaced with a small. “2.3 pounds, too light”, then another small would be added ”2.8 pounds”, then another, “3.5 pounds, ahh, too heavy”, then 2 smalls would be replaced with one large, “2.7 pounds”, and so on until the desired 3 pound weight was achieved – quite tedious and very time consuming until you got a feel for it.  Then, it became a game (invented by me to keep the pace up) to see who could get the most bags filled at the correct weight by feel.  As each mesh bag was set on the scale, a point was earned if it weighed 3 pounds on the dot without adding or taking away onions.  It is a skill that we all got better and better at since there was a lot of teasing and cajoling to go a long with each weigh-in keeping everyone motivated.    Another tool to keep the crew motivated is music, which Stewart always sets up wherever we are working. Each onion and garlic harvest of Junes past is recalled when certain albums that were his favorites at the time are played today (I remember working in the packing shed one time.  Stewart had cued up Ray Lamontane on the I-Pod.  He asked me, “What does this song remind you of?”  It was a love song and I honestly answered, “You…”  He laughed and said, “It reminds me of trimming onions last year…”). Sewing up the larger burlap sacks is my job.  My dad taught me how while reflecting on his teen years tying up potato sacks on my grandfathers farm in Maine.  Using a large plastic needle, I zigzag the twine and create little doggy-eared corners on each sack that double as handles.  My daughter, Desarae learned to do this too and would watch me in the corner of her eye and try to keep up with my pace.  With great music, efficient teamwork, good company and a little competition, the tedious task is almost fun, but, for my daughter, the positive energy is clouded by the least productive member of the crew, who, each year, is my son, Jesse.  Out of the corner of her other eye she watches her brother who is often no help at all, but is always having a blast teasing volunteers, singing and throwing onion tops for fun.  During onion season Jesse makes more “emergency” trips to the bathroom than are physically possible for an individual with a young, healthy digestive system.  He also tends to get lost on his way to and from the barn and often finds time to make a sandwich before “hurrying” back to work.  This, of course, is least impressive to Desarae, two years older, who can just about keep up with me or Stewart on any farm task and though she tries to stay focused on how productive and efficient she is – usually more so than adult volunteers – she is angry most of the day at her brother, and me, for not successfully motivating him, (preferably through punitive action).  Even more infuriating for her is that because Jesse is so sociable and friendly, volunteers frequently return the next day (or whenever we can convince them to please come back) with a soda pop for Jesse or a bag of his favorite chips, thus rewarding him for his behavior.  He is like a court jester or clown, but we hold out hope for Jesse that he will actually learn a work ethic, too and I try to convince Desarae each summer that he has improved, (to this comment she cuts her eyes at me and sighs deeply).   This summer’s harvest promises to be more manageable and we plan on being finished by the beginning of the month with the hopes of selling most of the crop at our Garlic and Onion Festival the second weekend of June.  Stewart has lined up some great live music for the three evenings and Jesse and Desarae have counted the rows of alliums waiting in the field and know what is coming.  Desarae has thought about getting a job “off the farm” this summer, but (lucky for us), there isn’t much available this time of year, and (even more lucky), she doesn’t have her driver’s license yet, (I am soo selfish!).  When you come to the festival, be sure to thank the sullen girl with purple hair (who will probably be working hard at the pony rides) for all her hard work and the remind the energetic socialite (most likely entertaining customers with jokes and other antics), to get back to the Onion Ring Stand.  Agua Linda Farm Journal – June Goodies in the Garden Fava Beans Our first introduction to fava beans happened in 1998 when a local Mexican farmer (the uncle of Dr. Duran who had a few acres in Carmen, just south of Tubac) invited Stewart to see his small farm.  When he arrived, the farmer was working with an ox between rows of a plant unfamiliar to Stewart.  “Son abas,” he explained using the Spanish word for the bean.  After a tour of the garden, the two of them went into the house to talk shop.  Stewart was pretty new to farming back then and wanted to glean any information he could from the few people in the area still growing vegetables.  They sat in the man’s kitchen where a bowl of abas soaking in a salt-water brine was waiting.  “Very popular in Sonora,” the farmer explained, popping the salty beans in his mouth, “you should grow them, too.”  It was a few years later when a customer referred to the beans as “favas” and we have since learned that the beans, which are actually a giant pea, go by many names; vicia faba, the broad bean, field bean, bell bean, tic bean and more.  Elio (from our local Italian restaurant, Melios) was ecstatic when he learned that we were growing them.  He recalls a springtime tradition in Italy when families would head out to farms in the countryside for the early fava harvest.  I wish I could successfully write in his charming Italian accent as he explained with enthusiastic nostalgia how they would eat the sweet, young beans, fresh and raw with chunks of pecorino cheese and glasses of good wine – ahhh –  Italians make eating and food so romantic! We have been harvesting fresh favas the last couple of weeks and I am hoping to leave the rest to dry for winter use. Garlic Garlic is a mainstay in our diet – we use it to flavor almost everything that we eat.  Fortunately, it also has a relatively long shelf life, so when we run out, a new crop is just around the corner.  If you have fresh garlic growing in your garden (or if you visit a farm that does), you can get green garlic in the spring.  The garlic leaves or scapes that shoot up from the bulbs are packed with flavor and can be robbed from the plant well before it is ready for harvest.  Garlic is relatively easy to grow in Southern Arizona, mostly because it is pest resistant and also because it grows through the winter when the weeds are less persistent and the temperatures more bearable for cultivation chores (we plant ours in October or November and harvest in June).  The garlic harvest is in full swing by the 2nd week of June in time for our annual Garlic and Onion Festival the 3rd weekend of the month. Onions I have come to learn that onions are one of my favorite vegetables (I know – I have said that about many crops).  Isn’t it amazing how the flavor of an onion changes from crisp and hot when raw, to tender and sweet when cooked to down right delectable when caramelized? – mmmm!  Onions also have a long shelf life and are a part of most of our meals.  We are harvesting them this month and hope to sell most at our Garlic and Onion Festival. Mulberries Other than the shade that they have provided, I have taken our mulberry trees here on the farm for granted for many years.  The branches are too high making the berries too difficult to pick and when the overripe fruit drops, it gets tracked into the house and stains the bottoms of my bare feet.  A few years ago I was sitting on the roof close to the branches of one of these trees when I noticed a beautiful bird – the Western Tanager – with colors that reminded me of grenadine and orange juice in a Tequila Sunrise.  They come for the berries and I enjoyed the birds and envied their harvesting technique.  Then, this spring, while combing the internet for canning recipes, I came across one for mulberry jelly.  My first though was – what kind of idiot would climb up on a ladder and struggle for hours to get a pint of berries.   Then I GOOGLED “how to harvest mulberries” and, duh, I’m the idiot – you just lay a sheet on the ground underneath the tree and with a stick, shake the branches above and catch the berries in the sheet – SIMPLE!  The first morning, Stewart and I harvested about seven pounds in fifteen minutes.  That was enough to make 3 batches – 24 jars of mulberry jelly!  The berries will be done soon, but there is mulberry jelly in the Farm Store! Tomatoes When I think of tomatoes I have mixed emotions.  One of the most versatile crops, tomatoes are a magnet for customers who know the difference between a farm fresh and store bought tomato.  They can be sliced in sandwiches and salads, made into an infinite variety of sauces, purees and salsas, are amazingly flavorful when sundried and are easy to can for later use.  They also are hard to grow, sensitive to many blights and diseases, have reactions to you-pickers who have tobacco on their hands, split quickly after a monsoon rain and attract the MOST hideous creature – the green horn worm, best removed by hand – UGH!  I am praying for a good tomato crop this year.  We have had bad luck with tomatoes the past three seasons and this season, so far, so good.  We have some planted with plastic mulch and we are using drip tape to water instead of flood irrigation.  All signs point to success and we hope to have a tomato crop by the 4th of July. Other goodies in the ground for the summer include squash, cucumbers, okra, melons, basil, dill, zinnias, cabbage, broccoli, chilis, sunflowers and beans. Be sure to come to the farm for our 3rd Annual Garlic & Onion Festival this June 19 and 20 from 4 in the evening to 9.  Scenic hayrides, great food, music under the giant mulberry trees which will be sure to be done dropping their messy fruit! More info. at www.AguaLindaFarm.net   Agua Linda Farm Journal  September Dirt Diva Much time has been spent the last few weeks with hoes in hand, or on hands and knees weeding in the vegetable garden and the pumpkin patch.   Though we miss the summer rains, the poor monsoon has helped to keep eager weeds at bay and I feel guilty for appreciating the drought.  Larger weeds come up easier after a good irrigation and Stewart and I have been getting very intimate with the mud in the fields.  Usually, I love the country girl in me.  I am not afraid to get dirty and smelly.  When I head out the door in the morning I often look like a bag-lady in my favorite sweat stained hat with a torn light-weight long sleeve shirt still crusted with yesterday’s mud, mismatched gloves and chlorophyll knees on my khaki work pants.  I feel practical, smart - ready for the day.  I have never claimed to be real tough or strong, but I know how to work hard and efficiently.  Usually, I feel proud of my grubby self – that is until it’s time to go out into the real world, or certain folks come to the farm for a visit. My sisters-in-law are always perfectly groomed.  They come down to the farm with manicured fingernails and salon fresh hair looking fabulous, and, although they would never intend to make me feel bad, I do.  Suddenly, I am a country bumpkin, as I try frantically to find a pair of unstained pants and to dislodge the garden soil from my stubby fingernails so I can join the family in the main house for dinner appearing half civilized. Three summers ago, Stewart informed me that two girls were going to be interning for the summer.  Girls? I protested.  When I met Tajare and Annica, I was floored.  They were young, smart, funny AND attractive.  “This is against the rules!” I complained to Stewart that first night, and many there after.  Then I realized that I alone had made up the “no-cute-girls-can-work-on-the-farm” rule and that, although he had never disagreed to the rule – he had never agreed to it either.  So, for the summer of 2007, I actually brushed my hair daily, wore my better fitting jeans, and washed my work shirts.  I bought a new hat and, some days I even wore lipstick when I headed out to the garden.  The girls were at least a decade younger, however, and Stewart insisted on daily “pool-time” for the whole summer when he was surrounded by 2 girls in their 20’s wearing bikinis and mixing us up mojitos with fresh mint.  Who can blame him?  Truth is, the girls were great to have around.  They were tough and strong and were working on their PhD’s and were beautiful inside and out – a perfect influence on my own then pre-teen daughter. Worse for my insecure mind was a year or so prior when Stewart’s old buddy Pascal called from France.  Pascal had met Stewart in high school when he had come to Green Valley as foreign exchange student and they had kept in touch all these years.  (Can you imagine coming from Paris to Green Valley…?) Pascal had a friend whose daughter was looking for a family to stay and work with in the United States so that she could practice her English.  “Are you kidding me?”  I protested, “you want a twenty year old girl from France to live with us for a month?” When we went to pick Jessica up at Tucson International Airport, our family stood in a little group with a sign spelling her name.  I thought it might be hard to find her, but the airport is pretty small and there were very few young women traveling alone.  I know I must sound very desperate and shallow, but when I saw this very large, unattractive young woman heading toward us, I held the sign up high for her to see.  As she passed us, I turned with her, following her with the sign as she walked by.  Obviously it wasn’t her, but, just in case I asked, hopefully, “Are you Jessica?”  Then this very attractive, tan, petite blond appeared and with a killer smile and seductive accent said, “Halo – I am Jess-ee-ca.”  Of course.  I muttered to Stewart that she was going to have to get back onto the plane. My plan was to keep Jessica with me.  It made perfect sense - what better way to learn English than in a 2nd grade classroom?  She was bored out of her mind!  Her English was almost non-existent so she could not follow my lessons.  She spent the day yawning and re-organizing my desk.  Fortunately for my fragile ego, she wasn’t interested in farm work either, so she spent most of her time either tanning by the pool alone or hanging out with my step-mother who wanted to brush up on her French.  I don’t think she learned very much English and her biggest influence was not on my daughter, but on my then 10-year-old son who fondly recalls when she accidently lost her bikini top after diving into the pool. Since the last two summers have brought no more bombshells into the garden, I look like crap!  I slide into the same mud-encrusted pants everyday for a week before they make it to the laundry and I only put on lip stick if we are going out or my husband’s brothers are coming down with their beautiful wives.  Poor Stewart. For the most part folks who come to work on the farm are male.  Somehow (sorry, guys) there have been no “bomb-shell” equivalents amongst the guys.  I am certainly not looking to make Stewart jealous, but maybe if he was just a little he might appreciate my “no-cute-girls-can-work-on-the-farm” rule.  One guy who worked here refused to change his clothes.  I know that makes me sound like a hypocrite, but I’m talking NEVER changed his clothes, or showered or flushed the toilet.  Another existed on a garlic diet that made the air around him impossible to breath.   Another showed off his very hairy legs by wearing a kilt every day and puffed cigarette smoke into my face when I talked to him and, sweet Wayne, who has worked for us for years, just turned 70.  Is this all a coincidence, or is Stewart filtering out the options... The other day as my son Jesse and I were headed out the door for a quick run to the Amado Mini-Mart after a couple of hours of cultivating.  He paused and looked at me – “Are you wearing that?” he asked, referring to my bag-lady uniform.  I glanced over in the hallway mirror.  Poor kid.  I changed my shirt and put on some lipstick. - Laurel Loew We are looking forward to the next round of beans, squash, okra and more that should start coming off this month.  We are also getting ready for our annual Fall Festival coming up this October.  See our website for details. www.AguaLindaFarm.net The farm is open Sat. 9-3 and Sun. 12-3. Agua Linda Farm Journal July, 2009 My Kids On The Farm This summer marks the 10-year anniversary of the adoption of our two wonderful kids, Desarae and Jesse.  They were 2 and 4 years old when they came into our lives.   People who know us say that our kids are very lucky to have us.  Both are full of energy and needed the space and activity that a farm provides.  The truth is, we are the lucky ones.  Stewart tells of the first day they came to visit before the adoption.  His father, Arthur Loew had died a couple of years before and Stewart felt that the life and energy of the farm had died with him.  “When Desarae came bouncing out of that car, it was like she was being born into the family and the place came alive again.”   Des, squealing in delight, ran from animal to animal while her little brother slept in his car-seat.  Stewart and I had recently been told that we would not be able to have kids the old fashioned way.  Suddenly, what had seemed like a curse became a blessing as we opened our hearts to two children who needed a mom and dad.  We were pretty clueless as to how young and helpless our kids were when they first came to us and made some mistakes.  They were so savvy and street smart that we often forgot just how young they were.  While working at the barn with only a half an eye on the kids, Jesse, who had barely turned 3, found an old bottle of fly spray and doused one of the barn kittens.  It later died.  About the same time, we let Desarae walk her brother around on one of the ponies by herself.  She led him near some farm equipment and the pony spooked.  Jesse fell off and broke his arm.  He has been tentative around horses ever since.  Although I have always lived in the country, I didn’t grow up on a farm so there were no traditions or expectations to follow as to what my kid’s role in the family business would be.  Should they be up before dawn feeding animals or is school their “job”?  How long can a three year old ride in the cab of a tractor?  How many hours of work is reasonable to expect from a 10 year old?   Should kids witness the death of animals?  I had no prior experience to make these decisions and it has not been easy.   We spent a lot of time that first year bonding through horses.  Desarae, at 4 and a half, was a better rider than most adults and Jesse loved sharing the saddle with me.  We explored the land beyond the farm on trail rides that would sometimes last hours.  The kids learned the names of all the different kinds of cacti and Jesse and I would canter along to a song that we made up “Rocky, rocky Cody,” (Cody is my appaloosa).  A month after Desarae and Jesse came to live with us, our miniature horse, Lady gave birth to Bailey.  We woke the kids up at one in the morning to witness the miracle.  We sat in the stall on fresh straw and took turns holding the newborn through the night.  Many births have followed – baby goats, sheep, cows, geese, chickens and piglets have come into their lives every year.  Unfortunately, coping with death has also been a big part of farm life, too.  Desarae has suffered most from the loss of animals on the farm, which, given the fact that she lost her mother  at 4 seems terribly unfair.  For a while we gently teased her, telling her to not name any animals or they would be jinxed.  It isn’t something we joke about anymore.  Her first pony was pretty old when she inherited her, so Breeze’s death was not surprising, yet it was devastating to poor Des.  The pony’s replacement was a little gray gelding that was healthy and young and sure to be around for a while, but during a monsoon storm, he was struck by lightning.  A lamb that was rejected by its’ mother became Desarae’s baby.  Buddy followed her everywhere and drank from a bottle that she would mix up five or six times a day.  It died of a bladder infection at 3 months old.  And just last week, our whole “petting zoo” of pet goats, raised by Des, was killed by a mountain lion. When we slaughtered our first steer, I was at work late at my teaching job.  I knew the dirty deed was scheduled to take place that day and wanted nothing to do with it (raising animals for meat was new to me, too), so I found some extra papers to grade.  When I got to the farm, I couldn’t find the kids who were already home from school and realized that they were at the barn witnessing the demise of “Chuck”.  I was furious!  I couldn’t believe that Stewart had exposed them to something so horrific!  Truth is, Des and Jess were very practical about it.  They helped in the skinning of the steer and the next day, enjoyed a juicy steak.  In retrospect, I am glad that they participated in the process.  They have assisted cows when they have had trouble calving, bottle fed one our two whose mothers could not, have helped feed, water, round up, brand, slaughter, cook and eat beef.  They know exactly what happens and have made a very informed choice to continue to eat meat.    The painful truth of dying is something we all wish we could avoid, so we shelter our children from that reality, but, ultimately, despite the pain, I think my kids will have a better understanding of life and death than most Americans. My kids have also participated in the less exciting venture of vegetable growing.  This summer, in fact, they have proven themselves invaluable as we harvested, trimmed, weighed and bagged acres of onions and garlic.  Now that they are 12 and 14, they know the routine and Desarae, in particular, is almost as efficient as Stewart and I.  She can recognize a squash plant amidst a sea of weeds and can run the store, make change, weigh and “schmooze” with customers.  She even made half of the flower arrangements with me for a recent wedding on the farm. To most Americans, this life is extraordinary, but it was not long ago that an agrarian life was typical.  As Stewart and I blindly feel our way through parenthood – as every one does – we are happy that we are raising two typical kids who – given their experiences on the farm - will grow into extraordinary adults. Thanks to all of you who were here for our Garlic & Onion Festival!  I was a great time!  The farm stand is still well stocked with onions and garlic and is open Saturdays, 9am-3pm and Sundays, 12-3pm.  I-10, Exit 42. www.agualindafarm.net, 520-398-3218 June 2009 Newsletter, by Laurel Loew Is including locally grown food in your diet important to you?  The “buy local” trend is growing and more Americans are frequenting farmers markets, joining CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) and looking for “local” sections in grocery stores and on menus. Unfortunately, the demand for organic, local and fresh has opened the door for deception at farmers markets, in grocery stores and restaurants.  People with very good intentions are being manipulated into thinking that they are buying local, fresh foods when they are not!   Some chefs brag about using locally grown foods but many have never contacted us or other local farmers we know (maybe their definition of local is much bigger than mine, and perhaps, yours).   Grocery store chains have told customers, through their advertising, that they are buying from local farmers.  These same stores have told us that we would need to be able to supply all the stores in their region (as in - the Southwest) the same crop year round, regardless of season.  Being controversial and making waves is not my style, but we are working very hard to make our farm a viable business and the deception of others has a direct impact on our success.   Many of our regular customers want to know why we don’t participate in more farmers markets.  The truth is, we just can’t compete with market vendors.  I have been to farmers markets in January after waking up at the crack of dawn to harvest, wash, weigh and pack winter crops that we have been tending to.  Then, it’s off to market where we set up our table and lay out our rather monochromatic green winter wares.  Invariably, a vendor nearby is already assisting the long line of buyers which has formed at their table, attracted to the colorful boxes of bright red tomatoes, cucumbers and even pineapple.  Some folks are probably well aware that someone other than the vendor grew these vegetables.  They may even know that the foods were grown in another country.   Many, however, have no idea.  They are at a farmers market after all.  Some perhaps ask a question or two before committing to their purchases, but the answers, which aren’t actually lies, can be misleading;   Q: “Are you a farmer?” A: “Yes, I have acreage in _______.”  - Owning land doesn’t mean the produce you are buying came from that land!  I know of one vendor who owns land and even refers to it as a “farm” but has no well on that land.  In the dry desert, no water means no farm. Q: “Is this organic?” A: “Yes.” – Often “yes” is a truthful answer.  There are perfectly legitimate organic farms in Mexico and maybe that is all you want to know, but, think about it – are you willing to compromise quality and freshness for the “organic” label?  Usually produce warehouses in Nogales aren’t interested in selling vendors a couple of boxes of produce.  They sell their produce by palletized truckloads.  Stewart and I used to pick up produce from these same warehouses when we had pigs to feed.  Every week the managers decide which pallets aren’t going to last in the shipping.  Produce needs to be shipped before it is ripe.  While in transit, the foods are kept in optimal temperature and humidity conditions so when they reach the grocery store shelves they are ready for the consumer.  Food that has already reached its peek in the warehouse will not be shipped.  This goes to the dump or to cattle ranchers and pig farmers.  Sometimes, this is also the organic produce you are buying because vendors can pick up a few boxes instead of the whole pallet.  Yeah, it is still edible, and, great – let’s not let it go to waste, but were you really planning on buying the same produce you could have bought at a grocery store, often for a higher price? Again, if that doesn’t bother you, that’s fine.  It bothers me.  And what about post-harvest handling?   Our fresh picked produce not only comes to you shortly after harvest, but we are able to store it in a walk-in refrigerator until we are ready to transport it.  In fact, conventional produce was at least kept cool all the way through the shipping chain until you bought it.  Many vendors don’t have refrigeration to store their produce, seriously compromising the quality of the product.  Ever noticed how the bell pepper you just bought at a farmers market is already wrinkled when you get it home?  These are the reasons why.  My advice – If you want to buy bell peppers (or any other summer produce in January), go to the grocery store where at least you know they were handled properly.   Q: “Did you grow all this?” A: “We grow what we can and the rest we buy from our neighbors.”   That is such a vague answer and one that I have heard a vendor use over and over.  This is a vendor who goes to the farmers markets almost everyday of the week, yet has no employees.  Who’s doing the work; seeding, cultivating, harvesting, and washing….?   Thing is, he is probably being truthful, but think of the leeway that answer gives.  He could have grown six pots of basil on his front porch then bought the rest (tomatoes, peppers, pineapple, avocado, etc.) from his “neighbors” in Mexico or from a nearby warehouse. Again, if none of this bothers you, that’s fine.  Farmers markets are fun social events and bountiful, colorful tables overflowing with veggies make the experience more attractive, no matter where they came from and there aren’t many local farmers to fill those booths.  Keep in mind, however, that there are real farmers at these markets and there would be more real farmers if they didn’t have to compete with vendors.  Even more, vendors retard innovational farming  – why, for example, would we go through lengths to be the first farmer to showcase the season’s tomatoes if vendors have been selling them year round! If you are looking for the “real deal” – organic, local, fresh and from the grower, I have the following advice; Talk to market managers.  Many farmers markets in other states do not allow food “vendors” and these growers must have an open door policy at their farms to prove that they are, in fact, farmers.  Maybe managers would be willing to provide a sign for real farmers to post at their booths to indicate that this is a verified actual grower. Keep asking questions.  Don’t stop at “Is this organic?”, keep probing.  Here are some more questions you could ask. 1.    What organic growing practices do you utilize? 2.    How many acres do you have in production right now? 3.    What kind of post harvest handling systems do you have in place? (Refrigeration, washing, etc.) 4.    Do you re-sell?  If so, which items and whom did you buy them from? 5.    When was this (pepper, tomato, etc.) harvested? AND – THE BEST QUESTION OF ALL – 6.    When can I come to visit your farm? Want to but local?  You can come to the farm Saturdays 9-3, Sundays 12-3. Also, Melio’s Trattoria in Tubac has been consistently buying our arugula for years.  Janos in Tucson has been a great client as has The Velvet Elvis and Red Mountain Foods in Patagonia.  By far the client most dedicated to serving local is Primo Restaurant at the J.W. Marriott at Star Pass who changes their menu weekly to accommodate our freshest harvest!   Avalon Gardens (Tumacacori) and Forever Yong Farm (Arivaca) are two other very local farms.  Both will be at our 2nd Annual Garlic and Onion Festival June 19 & 20 in the evenings from 5PM-9PM.  Admission is free.  Bring a blanket to lie in the grass and enjoy live music and great food!