by Kevin Buggie
The spring winds have finally calmed down here on the high desert plateau and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the cooler monsoon season with those billowy-white storm clouds that roll into Gallup each afternoon starting sometime this month. July also signals the beginning of another seasonal treat in our area – the fresh produce and camaraderie of the Gallup and Ramah Farmers’ Markets!
The two markets, both held each Saturday morning well into the fall, offer a wide variety of fresh and locally grown produce as well as other food products at prices that rival any of our local grocery stores. The Ramah market begins June 25 and Gallup’s begins July 9. Both markets have their own individual character and are more than worth the trip into downtown Gallup or Ramah. But don’t just go once. The selection of vegetables changes considerably throughout the market season as cool weather spring crops of early July give way to the abundant summer harvest of August, and then back again to cool weather crops at the end of the season. Both markets also have fantastic harvest/fall festivals to wrap up the season.
In a sense, the term “farmers’ market” is a misnomer, because, while our area does have a number of small farms supplying eggs, produce, and meats, both markets and their managers are incredibly welcoming and really in need of just regular backyard gardeners with extra homegrown produce they’re willing to sell.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible wealth of gardening information available from the vendors at both markets. As pointed out in previous columns by Sid Gillson, growing vegetables in our region can be challenging, yet when people approach it with the right planning, resources, and a little perseverance it certainly pays dividends. Come down to the markets and you’ll go home with more than a couple growing tips, and a whole lot of inspiration.
The Gallup Farmers’ Market
If the Ramah market is the juggernaut of the local food scene, the Gallup Farmers’ Market is absolutely no slouch in comparison. Located in the downtown walkway between Aztec and Coal, it starts earlier in the morning than Ramah’s market, running from 8:30am to around 11am. A sizeable number of people in Gallup receive New Mexico food assistance checks redeemable only for fresh produce at farmers’ markets, and consequently the Gallup Farmers’ Market hosts a crush of people in the first hour of the market; get down there early if you can for the best assortment of produce, which, by the height of the harvest season in September, includes nearly everything available at a grocery store. Eggs and baked goods are also generally available at the market, as is community and recycling information from the KGLP public radio booth.
New this year, the market will accept EBT card transactions and the local Community Garden Club will have an information table set up with demonstrations by local growers of gardening techniques specific to our region. The Gallup market season wraps up on October 9 with a Harvest Festival complete with live music, dancing, face painting, and pumpkin carving for the kids. Surrounded by beautiful murals, restaurants, art galleries, and cultural events galore, the Gallup Farmers’ Market is a must-visit every Saturday morning from July into October. The Gallup Farmers’ Market is managed by Carole Palmer (gallupfarmersmarket@yahoo.com).
The Ramah Farmers’ Market
Generally speaking the farmers’ market in Ramah is the more developed of the two in our area, likely due, in no small part, to Ramah’s considerable distance from any conventional grocery store. That market truly fills the pantries of many, many people in the communities of El Morro, Pinehill, Zuni, and Ramah. The Ramah Farmers’ Market is now located at the Ramah Museum on Bloomfield Road and runs from 10am to 1pm. From Zuni and Gallup, Bloomfield Road is the first left past the Post Office on Hwy. 53.
At the peak of the season, close to 400 customers come through the market each day and dozens of vendors have produce and baked goods available well into the early afternoon. In past years locally raised eggs, beef, lamb, and incredible goat cheeses were available and may be again this year depending on the seemingly ever-changing food safety laws and permitting requirements. The market is operated by the Ramah Farmers’ Market Association who, in addition to pulling off a seamless market each week, maintain a new website (www.ramahfarmersmarket.org), and a long-running monthly publication, The Farmers’ Beet. The highlight of the Ramah Market has got to be their annual Fall Festival. It features an amazing, I mean AMAZING, harvest display competition amongst the local growers, a pie contest and auction, featuring only locally grown ingredients, guest chefs, and livestock demonstrations, including my favorite, the prettiest chicken competition. Check their website for exact dates (usually before Gallup’s Festival) and put it on your calendar now. The Ramah Farmers’ Market is co-managed by Denis Black and Jackie Rossignol (ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com).
