Mile-Hi Farmers' Market: Vendor Roll-Call

The feeling after a good market day is it's own kind of feeling, one of accomplishment but also the feeling that a miracle took place.  Every week its a difficult balance to obtain - a very important vendor can't make it which I know will disappoint a certain number of market customers who came just for that vendor's product.  But it could also be, the folks who are coming to put on that week's activity "completely forgot".  The market days when I don't wake up to 7 missed calls, or there isn't a poor turn-out due to the heat or rain, this is when it feels like a miracle...when all the moving parts line up and charge ahead, which is happening more and more often!  When the vibe (and I don't abuse this word by using it often) is one of satisfaction, comfort, & ease - which is exactly the type of feeling I'm trying to produce each week.  At my dream farmers' market, I come to buy fresh, organic food & artisanal goods, meet my neighbors/friends, feel comfortable walking around without being pressured to buy anything or participate in anything.  This is the ambiance I try to create by being relaxed myself, not letting small things ruffle my feathers and always accentuating the positive (wow...writing that now that's really how I should be everyday, not just market day)!   I think this intention of creating my 'dream farmers' market' has been transmitted to our vendors - who I can't thank enough for being so patient & positive and helping us in getting this first full season off to an incredible start!

A little more about our vendors:

Uptown Herbs by Doctor Lynn because she's a PhD Botanist!  She blushed when I first called her doctor, her husband Robert let it slip when talking about the business to me, but I have a lot of respect for the depth at which she understands plants.  They live right on the park and Lynn volunteered to be on the Board of Directors of our market a few months back when we were in need of reconfiguration.  They come with fresh cut flowers & herbs grown not more than 200 yards away every week - can't get more local than that!

Passiflora - Passion Flower

Land of Enfigment, better known as Lloyd the Fig Man also grows his trees in the neighborhood.  Lloyd brings his beautiful fig & fruit trees and his massage chair.  On the first market day Lloyd gave me a Passion Flower to take home and relax after the big day.  Lloyd has a wealth of knowledge concerning plants and their medicinal uses, he is always happy to chat and share with you on any subject.  He has a steady and certain presence and puts everyone at ease, I am so grateful to have him there every week.  


Mama Jo's Pie Hole this name just oozes deliciousness, and Jojo knows how to pie!  She was our first vendor to sign up for the whole season on market day one, showing her confidence & commitment to the market.  Her pie has really been a staple for market attendees, she sells by the slice or whole pies to share.  Her cheery demeanor and retro aprons will make you want to try every flavor she's offering - which changes each week depending on the season.

a whole lot of summer squash

Faustino Farms our very first farm!  They came to the market one week to check us out and by the next they were a celebrated vendor.  The whole idea this season was to give farms a FREE venue to sell their bounty, its called a farmers' market therefore the farmers come first!  We are so thankful to them for giving our market a chance, when every other farm seemed to be tied up with other markets in town.

their great set-up and rad Zia flag!

Artisan Valley Smokehouse if you follow our blog, you'd know that we met Ben back in March when we built them 2 custom chicken coops.  Ben & Gil's energy is magnetic and they are really passionate about local food.  If you've ever been to La Cumbre Brewery, you've probably seen their food truck or even tasted their delicious meaty meals!  These guys, like us, are young and passionate about producing food, thinking globally & acting locally - fighting the good fight :)

with his garlic & Iris bulbs

Mercator Mark,  another neighborhood grower, as he puts it: he just has a garden which produces too much food for him & his family so he comes to sell his bounty!  He is such a kind person and a very good listener, I made a comment about how much I love leeks - the next week he shows up with heritage Blue Solaise Leek seeds for me.  A market go-er expressed her love of sauerkraut - the next week he shows up with home made, perfectly sauer sauerkraut.  Mark is at the market really investing himself in the community and just being his thoughtful self!

Robin's Naturals - I aspire to be more like Robin, she's real and everything she is about is real.  Real food, body products made from real ingredients, and she works really hard.  I had to talk her into doing the market, and it was worth it, she has been such a great addition  and a strong supporter of our market & our business!  If you're into gardening or homesteading I'm sure you've already met Robin and her husband Tom, they have quite the set-up and skill-set, proving that living sustainably in the city is possible.  She writes a blog on Duke City Fix called "At the Urban Homestead" about gardening and all things DIY:
At the Urban Homestead

Rainy Day Cafe a landmark on San Pedro with her brightly colored painted windows, Rani's breakfast burritos are what we eat every Sunday morning!  She comes with hot and iced coffee for only $1, at that price Cameron usually ends up having several...
Find her anyday of the week at their location:
1617 San Pedro Dr. NE (505) 232-9060

Afterwork, Marcelina I found a while back when I got an Insta-crush on her incredible jewelery!  I started following her work on my personal Instagram account and contacted her about joining the market.  Mile-Hi is her first time selling her jewelery in person, perviously she's had great success on Etsy.  Her mix of high-quality stones and metals mixed with things found in nature make for beautiful pieces, each unique.  Check out her Etsy:  AfterWork Etsy

Woodworking by Hazel

The Ginger Ninja, we finally got him to come sharpen knives at the market in the past few weeks.  His knowledge of knives and old-fashioned way of sharpening them leaves the knife sharp & improved upon leaving his touch.  Hazel, his daughter, makes all those wooden goods at his booth: bowls, pens, mortar & pestles - incredibly skilled work out of a girl barely in her teens!  

Frank, the Mile-Hi Farmers' Market wouldn't be complete without our weekly dose of music...and mostly that is Frank playing his accordion!  There's something about the tone & feeling an accordion gives that is like no other instrument, immediately it feels festive once he starts playing.  His repertoire is of old Polkas (for the Polish girl in me) and the Beatles, and Western classics - all in his own style of course.  He is very friendly and extremely supportive of our market and our community, a cherished addition the weeks that he is present!



Yoga with Liz & Grassroots Yoga - It's been truly my pleasure to invite these incredible people to the market to put on donation-based yoga classes.  Liz has been such a trooper, our "market yoga teacher" from day one, so she had to endure a few classes with only 1 or 2 participants...now her classes easily can be up to 10.  Grassroots Yoga Studio has been sending one of their teachers on the 2nd Sunday of each month for an outdoor class under the shade trees.

Side note: One week Liz called off sick and we didn't have a teacher for yoga, but 3 students still showed up with their yoga mats, not at all annoyed that their class wasn't going to happen.  They all set up in the 'Healing Area' under the shade trees and comfortably cycled through their poses.  It was such a beautiful sight to see, the fact that the market has created a 'local custom' to do yoga in that spot at the park at that time & day of the week - with our without instruction - this made my heart melt!

Jill Brown of Brown, Green, & More - what an awesome person we've met through running the market.  Jill is a landscape coach & permaculturist who practices here in Albuquerque, she also runs an incredible blog (that I hope some day our blog can be like!) that is a source of knowledge of all things landscaping and gardening.  She came to do free landscaping consultations, and will surely be back to teach another activity before this season is through.  Check out her blog: My Landscape Coach



This Sunday 8/9: we will be having 103.7 The Oasis coming to do a live broadcasting at the market, interviewing vendors and market goers, come by to be on the radio!


Also this Sunday: Robin, of Robin's Naturals, will be putting on a Natural Cleaning Products demo, she'll be teaching how to make laundry detergent & glass cleaner all from natural ingredients - costing only cents compared to store bought.  Take home these products to try, for FREE, after learning how to make them yourself at the market!


Forever grateful*
-jennifer