Locally Grown: Experience at the Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market

What comes to mind when you think of buying fruits, vegetables, and maybe a bar of soap? Well, if you are like me, you would think of a supermarket like Safeway. You would picture perfectly placed and glistening slopes of produce under lights and sprinklers. Eating this produce would be a crap shoot. Maybe that grape might be sour or taste wonderful. The fact of the matter is that eating produce from supermarkets today is a surprise. After visiting the Santa Cruz Farmers' Market, I saw produce, organic and natural, in a very raw, imperfect, and fresh-off-the-vine state.

Located on North Riverside Drive and West Ontario Street, on East Speedway Boulevard at the west side of Interstate 10, the Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market is one of the most local happenings in Tucson every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. I can't describe the overpowering presence of community I felt. Residents were coming to this market, either by foot, bike, or car with recycled bags for their soon-to-be-purchased items. Almost everybody seemed to know each other, which I found amazing. I also discovered that this particular farmers market accepts food stamps and WIC Program coupons (coupons for low-income women and children). Even better.

The day I was there, I was told that not all of the vendors had shown up. There were between 8 to 10 tables set up with people selling stuff you can't find at your local supermarket. There was one table with a huge line. This was where you could purchase seasonal produce like eggplant, garlic, and more. At another stand, you could find fresh fruit like apples and grapes. I can still picture the grapes. They were not as large as the ones you find in the supermarkets but they reminded me of the fruit I would eat in Italy. The fruit there was seasonal, oddly shaped, yet gushing with flavor. I was pretty sure that was how the fruit at this market would taste.

If produce isn't your fancy, there are many other options. If growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs is your hobby, you can drop them off at the market. As a grower you and the Community Food Bank get part of the profits.

Other tables had handmade soaps and potted desert plants and herbs. At another table, Desert Tortoise Botanicals was selling dried herbs, teas, natural remedies, prickly pear juice and concentrate. You could buy tortillas and breads from a local Tucson bakery, and dried desert beans and desert honey from the San Xavier Cooperative Association. You could also buy all natural beef from Double Check Ranch in Winkelman, Arizona.

The Santa Cruz River Farmers' market not only had amazing fresh products, it reassured me that there is still an effort for community in rapidly expanding Tucson. I also realized that you could find natural,organic "Arizona grown" food in the desert.

Below is my first attempt to create a video slide show with voice clips from my experience at the Santa Cruz River Farmers' Market. I hope you enjoy watching it.




For more information contact www.communityfoodbank.org or call 520-622-0525. If you want to visit, check out this map.


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