Page 40 - the NOISE June 2012

When are the darn markets?
The question that starts popping out of the mouths of babes and elders, and all those in between, every Spring in Old Town Cottonwood is, why does the Farmers Market start so late and end so early? And it’s a dang good question.
According to George Gehlert, instrumental in creating the first Farmers Market in 2001, “Jerry Owen, Community Development
Director at the time, set the 4th of July weekend in relation to when people around the valley had produce to sell.” It used to continue through to mid-October, but Mr. Gehlert comments, “This was stretching it, since produce had run out before October. We would see the Market attendance dwindle with the season passing.”
What about expanding the dates of the market? One City Parks and Recreation Department employee confirmed the same as Mr. Gehlert that, “vendors start becoming real sparse towards the end of the market.” He continued, “but there are many variables, not just that one.” For example, the Old Town Association foots the bill for the insurance, and their Board is instrumental in recruiting sponsors to solidify entertainment for the market. Ironically, some Old Town merchants who don’t get to actually sell their wares at the Market have sponsored much of this year’s music. May I present Chocolate Blonde Salon, Burning Tree Cellars, RIOT, AZ Stronghold Vineyards and the Candy Corral, to name a few?
Kicking off this year’s first Market on Thursday, July 5th will be a Cash Mob. That is a cash mob, not a flash mob. Local First Arizona is collaborating with the City of Cottonwood to bring Cottonwood its first ever cash mob to the Market. The cash mob, a fairly recent phenomenon, has grown from the desire to show support for small, independent businesses. The idea is simple: gather a large group of people to descend on a business in a short time span, and have each person spend $20 in cash at that business. We hope you will add to the crew arriving to show this support from 5-6PM.
Yummy Yummy Goodness!
For years I’ve loved the smell of fresh Orion Bread Company’s yummy baked goodies while meandering the stalls. Their Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie is a symphony of nourishment until I get home to cook all my newly purchased goodies. According to co-owner Trecia Taylor, “We were vendors at the 2007 Farmers Market one week before the bakery even opened. It
was a great way to promote our arrival.” And five years later, they are signed up to do it again.
A couple of years ago, the greater nourishment of dinner arrived with the Thai Palace stall. What? Thai food and fresh cookies? Pull up a chair and stay until dark. I can hardly wait to see what dinner delicacies appear this year, and from whom. Another freshly made favorite of years gone by, which can be popped right open and plunked onto the tongue, are the pickled and relished relishes of Milly’s Dillys Kickin’ Good Pickles. I pray for their annual return.
My favorite Old Town gardener Jeffrey makes magical things out of fairy-tales appear, such as scarlet colored pumpkins. His heirloom selections are artwork on the canvas of his pickup truck bed. Some are fully grown, others are baby vines you can carry off and watch the mystery unveil at home.
There is heat. Yes, it’s Summer and the months of full sun and sometimes, almost always choreographed to the Market as if nature intended, monsoon evenings. A perfect hot and wet melange makes you want to break the steam with a brightly colored and decadently flavored shaved ice from Hawaiian Ice.
Past years have brought truckloads of fresh cut flowers, baskets and buckets of potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, garlic, and even mushrooms. My favorite time is the apricot days, when bags of ripe fruit, whose pit just pops right out, sell for quarters on the dollar. That’s the time to make Apricot-
Jalapeno Jam for The Annabel Inn guests. It’s just the ooh-la-la blend to go with butter and toast, and even grilled salmon.
Making Health-wise turn to Good Cents
One of the beauties of the Farmers Market is circumvention of the middle man, resulting in better price per quality, fresher products, stronger community ties, and the propagation of supporting local economy. Local First Arizona Foundation has determined that if 600,000 people shifted 10% of their spending from national to local businesses, the following could happen: 1,600 new jobs created, $130 million additional dollars added into Arizona’s economy, and an increase of $50 million in additional local wages. Okay, Cottonwood is a bit smaller. These numbers are for a complete Arizona creature of which we are one finger. So, if our 11,000 residents shifted 10% of our spending from national to local businesses, 30 new jobs would be created,
40 • JULY 2012 • the NOISE arts & news magazine • thenoise.us