January
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Root Vegetables
Some of the lesser-known root vegetables include parsnips, rutabagas, celery root, and Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), which have a potato-like texture with an earthier flavor. Roots are great roasted in the oven with garlic or boiled and mashed for a different take on classic mashed potatoes.
Recipe links: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Sweet Potatoes
Though they can sometimes be difficult to find because they require a long growing season, sweet potatoes from the market are a real treat. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Winter Squash
Winter squash is not harvested in winter, but rather gets its name because it stores well into the winter months after the fall harvest. Winter squashes are delicious on their when roasted in the oven. They can be served as a sweet side dish with butter, brown sugar, and pecans, or as a savory dish olive oil and spices. It’s also a great alternative to meat in Italian dishes.
Recipe links: Curried Winter Squash Soup with Quince, Apple and Ginger
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
February
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Root Vegetables
Some of the lesser-known root vegetables include parsnips, rutabagas, celery root, and Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), which have a potato-like texture with an earthier flavor. Roots are great roasted in the oven with garlic or boiled and mashed for a different take on classic mashed potatoes.
Recipe links: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Winter Squash
Winter squash is not harvested in winter, but rather gets its name because it stores well into the winter months after the fall harvest. Winter squashes are delicious on their when roasted in the oven. They can be served as a sweet side dish with butter, brown sugar, and pecans, or as a savory dish olive oil and spices. It’s also a great alternative to meat in Italian dishes.
Recipe links: Curried Winter Squash Soup with Quince, Apple and Ginger
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
March
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Root Vegetables
Some of the lesser-known root vegetables include parsnips, rutabagas, celery root, and Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), which have a potato-like texture with an earthier flavor. Roots are great roasted in the oven with garlic or boiled and mashed for a different take on classic mashed potatoes.
Recipe links: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
April
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Peas
Bright green, slender, sweet and ready to pop with tenderness, peas are meant to be eaten as soon as possible after picking, before the sugars turn to starch and the peas become tough. Peas are often cooked into Asian dishes, but fresh sweet peas from the market are most delicious raw on their own.
Recipe links: Healthy Garden Pea Sauté with Mediterranean Dressing; Pickled Sugar Snap Peas; Warm Snow Pea and Chicken Salad
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Rhubarb
Often confused for a fruit, rhubarb is a vegetable closely related to the leafy greens. Rhubarb requires sweetening to minimize its tartness, so a bit of sugar, honey, orange juice, or fruit like strawberries will bring out its flavor. Rhubarb stores well in a sealed bag in the refrigerator (cut off the leaves first) or frozen.
Recipe links: Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Rhubarb-Apple Crumble; Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
May
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Asparagus
This fleeting early season crop is a real treat. Market asparagus is fresh and tender (even the sweet fat stalks) and comes in green, purple, and white varieties. Because asparagus from the farmers’ market is so fresh, you can even eat it raw, but it’s also excellent steamed, sautéed, or grilled.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Asparagus with Citrus Dressing; Asparagus with Vinaigrette and Pecans
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Peas
Bright green, slender, sweet and ready to pop with tenderness, peas are meant to be eaten as soon as possible after picking, before the sugars turn to starch and the peas become tough. Peas are often cooked into Asian dishes, but fresh sweet peas from the market are most delicious raw on their own.
Recipe links: Healthy Garden Pea Sauté with Mediterranean Dressing; Pickled Sugar Snap Peas; Warm Snow Pea and Chicken Salad
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Rhubarb
Often confused for a fruit, rhubarb is a vegetable closely related to the leafy greens. Rhubarb requires sweetening to minimize its tartness, so a bit of sugar, honey, orange juice, or fruit like strawberries will bring out its flavor. Rhubarb stores well in a sealed bag in the refrigerator (cut off the leaves first) or frozen.
Recipe links: Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Rhubarb-Apple Crumble; Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Turnips
These hearty root vegetables have an earthy flavor and are great roasted, boiled and mashed, added to soups for texture and flavor, or stir-fried. Some turnips, such as Hakurei, can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
June
Fruits
Apricots
One of New Mexico’s most tender fruit crops, apricots blossom in early spring, meaning they often get nipped by late frosts. Ripe apricots, with their tart edge and almond-y overtones, must be picked at their peak.
Recipe links: Fruit Compote
Strawberries
While New Mexico strawberries are small compared to those from California, what they lack in size is more than made up in flavor thanks to our dry climate, plentiful sunshine, and knowledgeable farmers. Market strawberries, picked at the peak of ripeness, are a real treat.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Balsamic Strawberries
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Asparagus
This fleeting early season crop is a real treat. Market asparagus is fresh and tender (even the sweet fat stalks) and comes in green, purple, and white varieties. Because asparagus from the farmers’ market is so fresh, you can even eat it raw, but it’s also excellent steamed, sautéed, or grilled.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Asparagus with Citrus Dressing; Asparagus with Vinaigrette and Pecans
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Broccoli
Served raw as crudités, sautéed, steamed, blanched, baked in a casserole or quiche, or made into soup, broccoli is both versatile and nutritious. Also look for Rapini (also known as Broccoli Rabe), which forms smaller heads and is common in Italian food.
Cabbage
Really fresh cabbage from the market is sweeter and more flavorful than conventional, and can weigh up to 10 pounds. Cabbage makes a great base for slaws, soups, sauerkrauts, and stir-fries.
Recipe links: Oriental Chicken Salad; Cilantro Slaw; Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Peas
Bright green, slender, sweet and ready to pop with tenderness, peas are meant to be eaten as soon as possible after picking, before the sugars turn to starch and the peas become tough. Peas are often cooked into Asian dishes, but fresh sweet peas from the market are most delicious raw on their own.
Recipe links: Healthy Garden Pea Sauté with Mediterranean Dressing; Pickled Sugar Snap Peas; Warm Snow Pea and Chicken Salad
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Rhubarb
Often confused for a fruit, rhubarb is a vegetable closely related to the leafy greens. Rhubarb requires sweetening to minimize its tartness, so a bit of sugar, honey, orange juice, or fruit like strawberries will bring out its flavor. Rhubarb stores well in a sealed bag in the refrigerator (cut off the leaves first) or frozen.
Recipe links: Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Rhubarb-Apple Crumble; Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Summer Squash
While New Mexico strawberries are small compared to those from California, what they lack in size is more than made up in flavor thanks to our dry climate, plentiful sunshine, and knowledgeable farmers. Market strawberries, picked at the peak of ripeness, are a real treat.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Balsamic Strawberries
Turnips
These hearty root vegetables have an earthy flavor and are great roasted, boiled and mashed, added to soups for texture and flavor, or stir-fried. Some turnips, such as Hakurei, can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
July
Fruits
Apricots
One of New Mexico’s most tender fruit crops, apricots blossom in early spring, meaning they often get nipped by late frosts. Ripe apricots, with their tart edge and almond-y overtones, must be picked at their peak.
Recipe links: Fruit Compote
Blackberries
Baked in a pie or crumble, made into jam, or eaten just on their own or over yogurt, blackberries are a special treat from farmers’ markets. Blackberries are an excellent source of fiber, providing a whopping 7.6 grams per cup of berries. Select berries that are plump and fragrant, and don’t wash or hull berries until just before using.
Recipe links: Blackberry Spinach Salad
Cherries
One of the earliest stone fruits to appear at markets each season, cherries are both delicious and are a great source of antioxidants. Markets offer many varieties of cherries varying in colors from dark red to yellow.
Melons
In addition to common varieties such as cantaloupes and casabas, New Mexico’s farmers’ markets offer a place to find many native melons, often named after the tribes that grow them such as Acoma, Isleta, and Cochiti, each with their own distinct flavors and characteristics.
Recipe links: Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
Nectarines
Similar in flavor to a peach, nectarines are absent of the fuzzy skin that is characteristic of peaches. Local New Mexico nectarines are generally smaller than peaches, but they pack a flavorful punch.
Peaches
A perennial summertime favorite, a perfect peach is one that is super sweet, juicy, and will run down your chin. Though most people eat them on their own, peaches can also be served atop yogurt, on your morning cereal, on a salad, grilled alongside a pork chop, baked into a pie or cobbler or of course, served over ice cream.
Recipe links: Basil-Peach Sorbet; Corn and Peach Salsa; Fruit Compote; Peach Chicken Salad with Cucumber; Peach Salad
Plums
Plums are one of the most diverse crops, with over 100 varieties available in the United States alone. Farmers’ markets are a great place to try a number of varieties to find your favorite. Enjoy them fresh on their own, or try making them into compote to serve with ice cream for dessert.
Recipe links: Fruit Compote
Strawberries
While New Mexico strawberries are small compared to those from California, what they lack in size is more than made up in flavor thanks to our dry climate, plentiful sunshine, and knowledgeable farmers. Market strawberries, picked at the peak of ripeness, are a real treat.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Balsamic Strawberries
Watermelons
Thirst-quenching and sweet, nothing says summer like a fresh watermelon. Choose watermelons that are heavy for their size and relatively smooth. Watermelons are a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as lycopene, which is said to help protect against certain cancers.
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beans
Look for fresh bean varieties – stringed, stringless, or snap – in summer. Really fresh beans from the farmers’ market are sweet, crunchy, and can even be enjoyed raw. In the fall, look for protein-rich dried beans such as Pinto, Anasazi, and Bolita.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Beans; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Black-Eyed Peas
Popular in Southern cuisine, black-eyed peas are actually beans named for their distinguishing black eye-shaped mark. Beans can be shelled, then brought to a boil and simmered until soft. For extra flavor, throw a ham hock or strip of bacon into the cooking water.
Cabbage
Really fresh cabbage from the market is sweeter and more flavorful than conventional, and can weigh up to 10 pounds. Cabbage makes a great base for slaws, soups, sauerkrauts, and stir-fries.
Recipe links: Oriental Chicken Salad; Cilantro Slaw; Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Corn
When it comes to corn, fresh is best. If you like corn to be sweet, you’ll want to get it at the farmers’ market, as corns sugars begin to convert to starches at the moment it is picked. Look for corn that has tight husks and tightly packed rows of fat kernels.
Recipe links: 5 Ways to Prepare Fresh Corn; Corn and Peach Salsa; Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil
Cucumbers
Fresh market cucumbers are very fragrant and flavorful. Depending on the flavor or texture you’re looking for, markets offer a wide variety including Sumter, Marketmore, Tendergreen Burpless, Orient Express, Sweeter Yet, Sweet Success, Armenian and Lemon. Try them all to find your favorite!
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; High Summer Soup; Fennel Cucumber Salsa; Peach Chicken Salad with Cucumber; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Eggplant
Look for a variety of eggplants at farmers’ markets such as the common dark purple Globes, small and white Bianca Ovals, long and skinny Japanese, or beautiful Rosa Biancas. Pick an eggplant that feels heavy for its size and has shiny, firm, and smooth skin.
Recipe links: Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi, an unusual looking vegetable that resembles a flying saucer, is a member of the nutritious cabbage family of vegetables. Vegetables of this family are high in fiber, low in calories, and contain compounds that are said to prevent cancer. Raw kohlrabi slices or sticks make a tasty snack (peel them first).
Leeks
Leeks, one of the lesser known of the alliums (garlic, onions, etc.), is most often used to flavor other dishes. Leeks lend themselves well to soups and broths, or can be sautéed or braised and garnished with lemon and thyme. Also try adding sliced leeks to omelets and frittatas.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Okra
Available in both red and green varieties, okra is best when it’s young and fresh, as it toughens with maturity. Okra does not store very well, so keep it in a paper bag in the refrigerator’s crisper for no more than a few days. Combining okra with something acidic like tomatoes can help cut the “sliminess.”
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Peas
Bright green, slender, sweet and ready to pop with tenderness, peas are meant to be eaten as soon as possible after picking, before the sugars turn to starch and the peas become tough. Peas are often cooked into Asian dishes, but fresh sweet peas from the market are most delicious raw on their own.
Recipe links: Healthy Garden Pea Sauté with Mediterranean Dressing; Pickled Sugar Snap Peas; Warm Snow Pea and Chicken Salad
Peppers
Sweet peppers, such as bells and lipsticks, are incredibly versatile and are higher in vitamin C by weight than citrus fruits. Frying peppers such as Jimmy Nardellos and Shishitos are also a popular market specialty. Looking for some heat? Common hot peppers at New Mexico markets include Jalapeños, Habañeros, Anchos, Poblanos, and Yellow Hots.
Recipe links: Blistered Shishito Peppers; Corn and Peach Salsa; Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Summer Squash
While New Mexico strawberries are small compared to those from California, what they lack in size is more than made up in flavor thanks to our dry climate, plentiful sunshine, and knowledgeable farmers. Market strawberries, picked at the peak of ripeness, are a real treat.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Balsamic Strawberries
Tomatillos
Tomatillos are commonly used in Mexican cooking and are surrounded by a papery husk. They are an essential ingredient to Mexican green sauces and can be made into salsa.
Recipe links: Corn and Peach Salsa; Pescado Tortillas a La Santa Barbara; Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatoes
A true taste of summer, fresh tomatoes from the farmers’ market don’t even compare to their store-bought counterparts. Keep an eye out for beautiful heirloom varieties that have special qualities such as extra large size, unusual coloring and patterns, or unique flavors.
Recipe links: Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Herbed Tomato Sauce; High Summer Soup; Pasta with Simple Heirloom Tomato Sauce
Turnips
These hearty root vegetables have an earthy flavor and are great roasted, boiled and mashed, added to soups for texture and flavor, or stir-fried. Some turnips, such as Hakurei, can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
August
Fruits
Apples
Delicious, crisp apples are hard to beat. New Mexico has many great apples and varieties are countless, including Winesap, Rome, Red Spur Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Winter Banana, and Jonathan. Make sure to leave the skin on your apples, as this is where most of the fiber and nutrients are found.
Recipe links: Baked Apples; Rhubarb-Apple Crumble
Blackberries
Baked in a pie or crumble, made into jam, or eaten just on their own or over yogurt, blackberries are a special treat from farmers’ markets. Blackberries are an excellent source of fiber, providing a whopping 7.6 grams per cup of berries. Select berries that are plump and fragrant, and don’t wash or hull berries until just before using.
Recipe links: Blackberry Spinach Salad
Figs
Figs from the farmers’ markets are a special treat. Although dried figs can be found in grocery stores year-round, fresh figs offer a unique texture and flavor that can’t be beat. Fig varieties have a range of colors, sizes, and flavors.
Grapes
Unlike wine grapes, table grapes have thin skin and can be found in both seeded and seedless varieties. Wait to wash grapes until right before you eat them. Grapes make great additions to salads, fruit salads, curries, or to accompany cheeses.
Melons
In addition to common varieties such as cantaloupes and casabas, New Mexico’s farmers’ markets offer a place to find many native melons, often named after the tribes that grow them such as Acoma, Isleta, and Cochiti, each with their own distinct flavors and characteristics.
Recipe links: Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
Nectarines
Similar in flavor to a peach, nectarines are absent of the fuzzy skin that is characteristic of peaches. Local New Mexico nectarines are generally smaller than peaches, but they pack a flavorful punch.
Peaches
A perennial summertime favorite, a perfect peach is one that is super sweet, juicy, and will run down your chin. Though most people eat them on their own, peaches can also be served atop yogurt, on your morning cereal, on a salad, grilled alongside a pork chop, baked into a pie or cobbler or of course, served over ice cream.
Recipe links: Basil-Peach Sorbet; Corn and Peach Salsa; Fruit Compote; Peach Chicken Salad with Cucumber; Peach Salad
Pears
In addition to the traditional varieties like Bartlett and Anjou, farmers’ markets offer special Asian varieties such as Shinseiki, Twentieth Century, and Hosui, which are great in salads, with a bit of cheese, or simply on their own. Like apples, pears should not be peeled, as this is where many of the nutrients can be found.
Plums
Plums are one of the most diverse crops, with over 100 varieties available in the United States alone. Farmers’ markets are a great place to try a number of varieties to find your favorite. Enjoy them fresh on their own, or try making them into compote to serve with ice cream for dessert.
Recipe links: Fruit Compote
Raspberries
Raspberries are one of the most popular summer fruits. Because they are so fragile, don’t wash raspberries until right before eating them. Many raspberry growers around the state also offer products such as raspberry jams, vinegars, and sauces at farmers’ markets.
Watermelons
Thirst-quenching and sweet, nothing says summer like a fresh watermelon. Choose watermelons that are heavy for their size and relatively smooth. Watermelons are a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as lycopene, which is said to help protect against certain cancers.
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beans
Look for fresh bean varieties – stringed, stringless, or snap – in summer. Really fresh beans from the farmers’ market are sweet, crunchy, and can even be enjoyed raw. In the fall, look for protein-rich dried beans such as Pinto, Anasazi, and Bolita.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Beans; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Black-Eyed Peas
Popular in Southern cuisine, black-eyed peas are actually beans named for their distinguishing black eye-shaped mark. Beans can be shelled, then brought to a boil and simmered until soft. For extra flavor, throw a ham hock or strip of bacon into the cooking water.
Cabbage
Really fresh cabbage from the market is sweeter and more flavorful than conventional, and can weigh up to 10 pounds. Cabbage makes a great base for slaws, soups, sauerkrauts, and stir-fries.
Recipe links: Oriental Chicken Salad; Cilantro Slaw; Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Corn
When it comes to corn, fresh is best. If you like corn to be sweet, you’ll want to get it at the farmers’ market, as corns sugars begin to convert to starches at the moment it is picked. Look for corn that has tight husks and tightly packed rows of fat kernels.
Recipe links: 5 Ways to Prepare Fresh Corn; Corn and Peach Salsa; Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil
Cucumbers
Fresh market cucumbers are very fragrant and flavorful. Depending on the flavor or texture you’re looking for, markets offer a wide variety including Sumter, Marketmore, Tendergreen Burpless, Orient Express, Sweeter Yet, Sweet Success, Armenian and Lemon. Try them all to find your favorite!
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; High Summer Soup; Fennel Cucumber Salsa; Peach Chicken Salad with Cucumber; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Eggplant
Look for a variety of eggplants at farmers’ markets such as the common dark purple Globes, small and white Bianca Ovals, long and skinny Japanese, or beautiful Rosa Biancas. Pick an eggplant that feels heavy for its size and has shiny, firm, and smooth skin.
Recipe links: Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes
Fennel
Fennel adds a subtle anise flavor to any dish. Stalks can be cut from the bulb and eaten as you would celery sticks, roasted, braised or added to a soup. The fronds are great in dips or as an aromatic in fish, pork or lamb dishes. The bulb is the most versatile part and can be grilled, roasted or sliced raw.
Recipe links: Fennel Cucumber Salsa
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Green Chile
The perennial favorite, from the large and fleshy Big Jims of the south to the smaller and uniquely flavored native chiles of the north such as Chimayó, New Mexico growers’ markets provide chile connoisseurs with a wealth of varieties. Many vendors and markets offer roasting as well.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi, an unusual looking vegetable that resembles a flying saucer, is a member of the nutritious cabbage family of vegetables. Vegetables of this family are high in fiber, low in calories, and contain compounds that are said to prevent cancer. Raw kohlrabi slices or sticks make a tasty snack (peel them first).
Leeks
Leeks, one of the lesser known of the alliums (garlic, onions, etc.), is most often used to flavor other dishes. Leeks lend themselves well to soups and broths, or can be sautéed or braised and garnished with lemon and thyme. Also try adding sliced leeks to omelets and frittatas.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Okra
Available in both red and green varieties, okra is best when it’s young and fresh, as it toughens with maturity. Okra does not store very well, so keep it in a paper bag in the refrigerator’s crisper for no more than a few days. Combining okra with something acidic like tomatoes can help cut the “sliminess.”
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Peppers
Sweet peppers, such as bells and lipsticks, are incredibly versatile and are higher in vitamin C by weight than citrus fruits. Frying peppers such as Jimmy Nardellos and Shishitos are also a popular market specialty. Looking for some heat? Common hot peppers at New Mexico markets include Jalapeños, Habañeros, Anchos, Poblanos, and Yellow Hots.
Recipe links: Blistered Shishito Peppers; Corn and Peach Salsa; Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Summer Squash
While New Mexico strawberries are small compared to those from California, what they lack in size is more than made up in flavor thanks to our dry climate, plentiful sunshine, and knowledgeable farmers. Market strawberries, picked at the peak of ripeness, are a real treat.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Balsamic Strawberries
Tomatillos
Tomatillos are commonly used in Mexican cooking and are surrounded by a papery husk. They are an essential ingredient to Mexican green sauces and can be made into salsa.
Recipe links: Corn and Peach Salsa; Pescado Tortillas a La Santa Barbara; Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatoes
A true taste of summer, fresh tomatoes from the farmers’ market don’t even compare to their store-bought counterparts. Keep an eye out for beautiful heirloom varieties that have special qualities such as extra large size, unusual coloring and patterns, or unique flavors.
Recipe links: Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Herbed Tomato Sauce; High Summer Soup; Pasta with Simple Heirloom Tomato Sauce
Turnips
These hearty root vegetables have an earthy flavor and are great roasted, boiled and mashed, added to soups for texture and flavor, or stir-fried. Some turnips, such as Hakurei, can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
September
Fruits
Apples
Delicious, crisp apples are hard to beat. New Mexico has many great apples and varieties are countless, including Winesap, Rome, Red Spur Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Winter Banana, and Jonathan. Make sure to leave the skin on your apples, as this is where most of the fiber and nutrients are found.
Recipe links: Baked Apples; Rhubarb-Apple Crumble
Blackberries
Baked in a pie or crumble, made into jam, or eaten just on their own or over yogurt, blackberries are a special treat from farmers’ markets. Blackberries are an excellent source of fiber, providing a whopping 7.6 grams per cup of berries. Select berries that are plump and fragrant, and don’t wash or hull berries until just before using.
Recipe links: Blackberry Spinach Salad
Figs
Figs from the farmers’ markets are a special treat. Although dried figs can be found in grocery stores year-round, fresh figs offer a unique texture and flavor that can’t be beat. Fig varieties have a range of colors, sizes, and flavors.
Grapes
Unlike wine grapes, table grapes have thin skin and can be found in both seeded and seedless varieties. Wait to wash grapes until right before you eat them. Grapes make great additions to salads, fruit salads, curries, or to accompany cheeses.
Melons
In addition to common varieties such as cantaloupes and casabas, New Mexico’s farmers’ markets offer a place to find many native melons, often named after the tribes that grow them such as Acoma, Isleta, and Cochiti, each with their own distinct flavors and characteristics.
Recipe links: Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
Nectarines
Similar in flavor to a peach, nectarines are absent of the fuzzy skin that is characteristic of peaches. Local New Mexico nectarines are generally smaller than peaches, but they pack a flavorful punch.
Peaches
A perennial summertime favorite, a perfect peach is one that is super sweet, juicy, and will run down your chin. Though most people eat them on their own, peaches can also be served atop yogurt, on your morning cereal, on a salad, grilled alongside a pork chop, baked into a pie or cobbler or of course, served over ice cream.
Recipe links: Basil-Peach Sorbet; Corn and Peach Salsa; Fruit Compote; Peach Chicken Salad with Cucumber; Peach Salad
Pears
In addition to the traditional varieties like Bartlett and Anjou, farmers’ markets offer special Asian varieties such as Shinseiki, Twentieth Century, and Hosui, which are great in salads, with a bit of cheese, or simply on their own. Like apples, pears should not be peeled, as this is where many of the nutrients can be found.
Plums
Plums are one of the most diverse crops, with over 100 varieties available in the United States alone. Farmers’ markets are a great place to try a number of varieties to find your favorite. Enjoy them fresh on their own, or try making them into compote to serve with ice cream for dessert.
Recipe links: Fruit Compote
Raspberries
Raspberries are one of the most popular summer fruits. Because they are so fragile, don’t wash raspberries until right before eating them. Many raspberry growers around the state also offer products such as raspberry jams, vinegars, and sauces at farmers’ markets.
Watermelons
Thirst-quenching and sweet, nothing says summer like a fresh watermelon. Choose watermelons that are heavy for their size and relatively smooth. Watermelons are a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as lycopene, which is said to help protect against certain cancers.
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beans
Look for fresh bean varieties – stringed, stringless, or snap – in summer. Really fresh beans from the farmers’ market are sweet, crunchy, and can even be enjoyed raw. In the fall, look for protein-rich dried beans such as Pinto, Anasazi, and Bolita.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Beans; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Broccoli
Served raw as crudités, sautéed, steamed, blanched, baked in a casserole or quiche, or made into soup, broccoli is both versatile and nutritious. Also look for Rapini (also known as Broccoli Rabe), which forms smaller heads and is common in Italian food.
Cabbage
Really fresh cabbage from the market is sweeter and more flavorful than conventional, and can weigh up to 10 pounds. Cabbage makes a great base for slaws, soups, sauerkrauts, and stir-fries.
Recipe links: Oriental Chicken Salad; Cilantro Slaw; Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Cauliflower
Bringing color to your dinner table, market cauliflower can be found in a rainbow of colors, including white, orange, purple, and golden. Cauliflower can be boiled and mashed like potatoes for a low-calorie, high vitamin C version of the classic comfort food.
Corn
When it comes to corn, fresh is best. If you like corn to be sweet, you’ll want to get it at the farmers’ market, as corns sugars begin to convert to starches at the moment it is picked. Look for corn that has tight husks and tightly packed rows of fat kernels.
Recipe links: 5 Ways to Prepare Fresh Corn; Corn and Peach Salsa; Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil
Cucumbers
Fresh market cucumbers are very fragrant and flavorful. Depending on the flavor or texture you’re looking for, markets offer a wide variety including Sumter, Marketmore, Tendergreen Burpless, Orient Express, Sweeter Yet, Sweet Success, Armenian and Lemon. Try them all to find your favorite!
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; High Summer Soup; Fennel Cucumber Salsa; Peach Chicken Salad with Cucumber; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Eggplant
Look for a variety of eggplants at farmers’ markets such as the common dark purple Globes, small and white Bianca Ovals, long and skinny Japanese, or beautiful Rosa Biancas. Pick an eggplant that feels heavy for its size and has shiny, firm, and smooth skin.
Recipe links: Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes
Fennel
Fennel adds a subtle anise flavor to any dish. Stalks can be cut from the bulb and eaten as you would celery sticks, roasted, braised or added to a soup. The fronds are great in dips or as an aromatic in fish, pork or lamb dishes. The bulb is the most versatile part and can be grilled, roasted or sliced raw.
Recipe links: Fennel Cucumber Salsa
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Green Chile
The perennial favorite, from the large and fleshy Big Jims of the south to the smaller and uniquely flavored native chiles of the north such as Chimayó, New Mexico growers’ markets provide chile connoisseurs with a wealth of varieties. Many vendors and markets offer roasting as well.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi, an unusual looking vegetable that resembles a flying saucer, is a member of the nutritious cabbage family of vegetables. Vegetables of this family are high in fiber, low in calories, and contain compounds that are said to prevent cancer. Raw kohlrabi slices or sticks make a tasty snack (peel them first).
Leeks
Leeks, one of the lesser known of the alliums (garlic, onions, etc.), is most often used to flavor other dishes. Leeks lend themselves well to soups and broths, or can be sautéed or braised and garnished with lemon and thyme. Also try adding sliced leeks to omelets and frittatas.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Okra
Available in both red and green varieties, okra is best when it’s young and fresh, as it toughens with maturity. Okra does not store very well, so keep it in a paper bag in the refrigerator’s crisper for no more than a few days. Combining okra with something acidic like tomatoes can help cut the “sliminess.”
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Peas
Bright green, slender, sweet and ready to pop with tenderness, peas are meant to be eaten as soon as possible after picking, before the sugars turn to starch and the peas become tough. Peas are often cooked into Asian dishes, but fresh sweet peas from the market are most delicious raw on their own.
Recipe links: Healthy Garden Pea Sauté with Mediterranean Dressing; Pickled Sugar Snap Peas; Warm Snow Pea and Chicken Salad
Peppers
Sweet peppers, such as bells and lipsticks, are incredibly versatile and are higher in vitamin C by weight than citrus fruits. Frying peppers such as Jimmy Nardellos and Shishitos are also a popular market specialty. Looking for some heat? Common hot peppers at New Mexico markets include Jalapeños, Habañeros, Anchos, Poblanos, and Yellow Hots.
Recipe links: Blistered Shishito Peppers; Corn and Peach Salsa; Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Pumpkins
Though many people have become accustomed to using canned pumpkin for pies, a fresh Sugar or Pie Pumpkin from the market offers the delicate taste of fresh that canned just doesn’t have. For culinary pleasures, such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin butter or pumpkin-stuffed ravioli, nothing beats fresh pumpkin.
Recipe links: Pumpkin Butter; Pumpkin Purée
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Root Vegetables
Some of the lesser-known root vegetables include parsnips, rutabagas, celery root, and Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), which have a potato-like texture with an earthier flavor. Roots are great roasted in the oven with garlic or boiled and mashed for a different take on classic mashed potatoes.
Recipe links: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Summer Squash
While New Mexico strawberries are small compared to those from California, what they lack in size is more than made up in flavor thanks to our dry climate, plentiful sunshine, and knowledgeable farmers. Market strawberries, picked at the peak of ripeness, are a real treat.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Balsamic Strawberries
Tomatillos
Tomatillos are commonly used in Mexican cooking and are surrounded by a papery husk. They are an essential ingredient to Mexican green sauces and can be made into salsa.
Recipe links: Corn and Peach Salsa; Pescado Tortillas a La Santa Barbara; Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatoes
A true taste of summer, fresh tomatoes from the farmers’ market don’t even compare to their store-bought counterparts. Keep an eye out for beautiful heirloom varieties that have special qualities such as extra large size, unusual coloring and patterns, or unique flavors.
Recipe links: Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Herbed Tomato Sauce; High Summer Soup; Pasta with Simple Heirloom Tomato Sauce
Turnips
These hearty root vegetables have an earthy flavor and are great roasted, boiled and mashed, added to soups for texture and flavor, or stir-fried. Some turnips, such as Hakurei, can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
October
Fruits
Apples
Delicious, crisp apples are hard to beat. New Mexico has many great apples and varieties are countless, including Winesap, Rome, Red Spur Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Winter Banana, and Jonathan. Make sure to leave the skin on your apples, as this is where most of the fiber and nutrients are found.
Recipe links: Baked Apples; Rhubarb-Apple Crumble
Grapes
Unlike wine grapes, table grapes have thin skin and can be found in both seeded and seedless varieties. Wait to wash grapes until right before you eat them. Grapes make great additions to salads, fruit salads, curries, or to accompany cheeses.
Melons
In addition to common varieties such as cantaloupes and casabas, New Mexico’s farmers’ markets offer a place to find many native melons, often named after the tribes that grow them such as Acoma, Isleta, and Cochiti, each with their own distinct flavors and characteristics.
Recipe links: Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
Pears
In addition to the traditional varieties like Bartlett and Anjou, farmers’ markets offer special Asian varieties such as Shinseiki, Twentieth Century, and Hosui, which are great in salads, with a bit of cheese, or simply on their own. Like apples, pears should not be peeled, as this is where many of the nutrients can be found.
Raspberries
Raspberries are one of the most popular summer fruits. Because they are so fragile, don’t wash raspberries until right before eating them. Many raspberry growers around the state also offer products such as raspberry jams, vinegars, and sauces at farmers’ markets.
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beans
Look for fresh bean varieties – stringed, stringless, or snap – in summer. Really fresh beans from the farmers’ market are sweet, crunchy, and can even be enjoyed raw. In the fall, look for protein-rich dried beans such as Pinto, Anasazi, and Bolita.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Beans; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Broccoli
Served raw as crudités, sautéed, steamed, blanched, baked in a casserole or quiche, or made into soup, broccoli is both versatile and nutritious. Also look for Rapini (also known as Broccoli Rabe), which forms smaller heads and is common in Italian food.
Cabbage
Really fresh cabbage from the market is sweeter and more flavorful than conventional, and can weigh up to 10 pounds. Cabbage makes a great base for slaws, soups, sauerkrauts, and stir-fries.
Recipe links: Oriental Chicken Salad; Cilantro Slaw; Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Cauliflower
Bringing color to your dinner table, market cauliflower can be found in a rainbow of colors, including white, orange, purple, and golden. Cauliflower can be boiled and mashed like potatoes for a low-calorie, high vitamin C version of the classic comfort food.
Corn
When it comes to corn, fresh is best. If you like corn to be sweet, you’ll want to get it at the farmers’ market, as corns sugars begin to convert to starches at the moment it is picked. Look for corn that has tight husks and tightly packed rows of fat kernels.
Recipe links: 5 Ways to Prepare Fresh Corn; Corn and Peach Salsa; Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil
Cucumbers
Fresh market cucumbers are very fragrant and flavorful. Depending on the flavor or texture you’re looking for, markets offer a wide variety including Sumter, Marketmore, Tendergreen Burpless, Orient Express, Sweeter Yet, Sweet Success, Armenian and Lemon. Try them all to find your favorite!
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; High Summer Soup; Fennel Cucumber Salsa; Peach Chicken Salad with Cucumber; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Eggplant
Look for a variety of eggplants at farmers’ markets such as the common dark purple Globes, small and white Bianca Ovals, long and skinny Japanese, or beautiful Rosa Biancas. Pick an eggplant that feels heavy for its size and has shiny, firm, and smooth skin.
Recipe links: Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes
Fennel
Fennel adds a subtle anise flavor to any dish. Stalks can be cut from the bulb and eaten as you would celery sticks, roasted, braised or added to a soup. The fronds are great in dips or as an aromatic in fish, pork or lamb dishes. The bulb is the most versatile part and can be grilled, roasted or sliced raw.
Recipe links: Fennel Cucumber Salsa
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Green Chile
The perennial favorite, from the large and fleshy Big Jims of the south to the smaller and uniquely flavored native chiles of the north such as Chimayó, New Mexico growers’ markets provide chile connoisseurs with a wealth of varieties. Many vendors and markets offer roasting as well.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi, an unusual looking vegetable that resembles a flying saucer, is a member of the nutritious cabbage family of vegetables. Vegetables of this family are high in fiber, low in calories, and contain compounds that are said to prevent cancer. Raw kohlrabi slices or sticks make a tasty snack (peel them first).
Leeks
Leeks, one of the lesser known of the alliums (garlic, onions, etc.), is most often used to flavor other dishes. Leeks lend themselves well to soups and broths, or can be sautéed or braised and garnished with lemon and thyme. Also try adding sliced leeks to omelets and frittatas.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Okra
Available in both red and green varieties, okra is best when it’s young and fresh, as it toughens with maturity. Okra does not store very well, so keep it in a paper bag in the refrigerator’s crisper for no more than a few days. Combining okra with something acidic like tomatoes can help cut the “sliminess.”
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Peas
Bright green, slender, sweet and ready to pop with tenderness, peas are meant to be eaten as soon as possible after picking, before the sugars turn to starch and the peas become tough. Peas are often cooked into Asian dishes, but fresh sweet peas from the market are most delicious raw on their own.
Recipe links: Healthy Garden Pea Sauté with Mediterranean Dressing; Pickled Sugar Snap Peas; Warm Snow Pea and Chicken Salad
Peppers
Sweet peppers, such as bells and lipsticks, are incredibly versatile and are higher in vitamin C by weight than citrus fruits. Frying peppers such as Jimmy Nardellos and Shishitos are also a popular market specialty. Looking for some heat? Common hot peppers at New Mexico markets include Jalapeños, Habañeros, Anchos, Poblanos, and Yellow Hots.
Recipe links: Blistered Shishito Peppers; Corn and Peach Salsa; Grilled Harvest Veggies with Garlic Oil
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Pumpkins
Though many people have become accustomed to using canned pumpkin for pies, a fresh Sugar or Pie Pumpkin from the market offers the delicate taste of fresh that canned just doesn’t have. For culinary pleasures, such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin butter or pumpkin-stuffed ravioli, nothing beats fresh pumpkin.
Recipe links: Pumpkin Butter; Pumpkin Purée
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Root Vegetables
Some of the lesser-known root vegetables include parsnips, rutabagas, celery root, and Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), which have a potato-like texture with an earthier flavor. Roots are great roasted in the oven with garlic or boiled and mashed for a different take on classic mashed potatoes.
Recipe links: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Summer Squash
While New Mexico strawberries are small compared to those from California, what they lack in size is more than made up in flavor thanks to our dry climate, plentiful sunshine, and knowledgeable farmers. Market strawberries, picked at the peak of ripeness, are a real treat.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Balsamic Strawberries
Sweet Potatoes
Though they can sometimes be difficult to find because they require a long growing season, sweet potatoes from the market are a real treat. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Tomatillos
Tomatillos are commonly used in Mexican cooking and are surrounded by a papery husk. They are an essential ingredient to Mexican green sauces and can be made into salsa.
Recipe links: Corn and Peach Salsa; Pescado Tortillas a La Santa Barbara; Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatoes
A true taste of summer, fresh tomatoes from the farmers’ market don’t even compare to their store-bought counterparts. Keep an eye out for beautiful heirloom varieties that have special qualities such as extra large size, unusual coloring and patterns, or unique flavors.
Recipe links: Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Herbed Tomato Sauce; High Summer Soup; Pasta with Simple Heirloom Tomato Sauce
Turnips
These hearty root vegetables have an earthy flavor and are great roasted, boiled and mashed, added to soups for texture and flavor, or stir-fried. Some turnips, such as Hakurei, can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Winter Squash
Winter squash is not harvested in winter, but rather gets its name because it stores well into the winter months after the fall harvest. Winter squashes are delicious on their when roasted in the oven. They can be served as a sweet side dish with butter, brown sugar, and pecans, or as a savory dish olive oil and spices. It’s also a great alternative to meat in Italian dishes.
Recipe links: Curried Winter Squash Soup with Quince, Apple and Ginger
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
November
Fruits
Apples
Delicious, crisp apples are hard to beat. New Mexico has many great apples and varieties are countless, including Winesap, Rome, Red Spur Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Winter Banana, and Jonathan. Make sure to leave the skin on your apples, as this is where most of the fiber and nutrients are found.
Recipe links: Baked Apples; Rhubarb-Apple Crumble
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Broccoli
Served raw as crudités, sautéed, steamed, blanched, baked in a casserole or quiche, or made into soup, broccoli is both versatile and nutritious. Also look for Rapini (also known as Broccoli Rabe), which forms smaller heads and is common in Italian food.
Cabbage
Really fresh cabbage from the market is sweeter and more flavorful than conventional, and can weigh up to 10 pounds. Cabbage makes a great base for slaws, soups, sauerkrauts, and stir-fries.
Recipe links: Oriental Chicken Salad; Cilantro Slaw; Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Fennel
Fennel adds a subtle anise flavor to any dish. Stalks can be cut from the bulb and eaten as you would celery sticks, roasted, braised or added to a soup. The fronds are great in dips or as an aromatic in fish, pork or lamb dishes. The bulb is the most versatile part and can be grilled, roasted or sliced raw.
Recipe links: Fennel Cucumber Salsa
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi, an unusual looking vegetable that resembles a flying saucer, is a member of the nutritious cabbage family of vegetables. Vegetables of this family are high in fiber, low in calories, and contain compounds that are said to prevent cancer. Raw kohlrabi slices or sticks make a tasty snack (peel them first).
Leeks
Leeks, one of the lesser known of the alliums (garlic, onions, etc.), is most often used to flavor other dishes. Leeks lend themselves well to soups and broths, or can be sautéed or braised and garnished with lemon and thyme. Also try adding sliced leeks to omelets and frittatas.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Pumpkins
Though many people have become accustomed to using canned pumpkin for pies, a fresh Sugar or Pie Pumpkin from the market offers the delicate taste of fresh that canned just doesn’t have. For culinary pleasures, such as pumpkin soup, pumpkin butter or pumpkin-stuffed ravioli, nothing beats fresh pumpkin.
Recipe links: Pumpkin Butter; Pumpkin Purée
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Root Vegetables
Some of the lesser-known root vegetables include parsnips, rutabagas, celery root, and Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), which have a potato-like texture with an earthier flavor. Roots are great roasted in the oven with garlic or boiled and mashed for a different take on classic mashed potatoes.
Recipe links: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Sweet Potatoes
Though they can sometimes be difficult to find because they require a long growing season, sweet potatoes from the market are a real treat. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Turnips
These hearty root vegetables have an earthy flavor and are great roasted, boiled and mashed, added to soups for texture and flavor, or stir-fried. Some turnips, such as Hakurei, can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Winter Squash
Winter squash is not harvested in winter, but rather gets its name because it stores well into the winter months after the fall harvest. Winter squashes are delicious on their when roasted in the oven. They can be served as a sweet side dish with butter, brown sugar, and pecans, or as a savory dish olive oil and spices. It’s also a great alternative to meat in Italian dishes.
Recipe links: Curried Winter Squash Soup with Quince, Apple and Ginger
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
December
Fruits
Apples
Delicious, crisp apples are hard to beat. New Mexico has many great apples and varieties are countless, including Winesap, Rome, Red Spur Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Winter Banana, and Jonathan. Make sure to leave the skin on your apples, as this is where most of the fiber and nutrients are found.
Recipe links: Baked Apples; Rhubarb-Apple Crumble
Vegetables
Arugula
Arugula is a leafy green with a mustard flavor that makes a robust addition to any salad. You may find tender baby arugula in its immature stage, or with broader, larger leaves, sometimes with serrated edges. The distinctive flavor ranges anywhere from mild to pungent. Ask growers for a description, or better yet, if you can have a taste.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Beets
Sweet, earthy, and loaded with nutrients, beets come in a variety of colors besides red. Beets offer great value: not only can you eat the bulbs, but locally grown beets are so fresh that you can also enjoy the nutritious leaves and stems.
Recipe links: Beet (and Beet Green) Gratin; Carmelized Beets; Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette; Roasted Beets
Cabbage
Really fresh cabbage from the market is sweeter and more flavorful than conventional, and can weigh up to 10 pounds. Cabbage makes a great base for slaws, soups, sauerkrauts, and stir-fries.
Recipe links: Oriental Chicken Salad; Cilantro Slaw; Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
Carrots
While carrots are known for their distinctive orange color, some wild and heirloom varieties at the market can be white, yellow, pink, black, or purple. Because market carrots are so fresh, they are often sold with their feathery green tops. Cut these off before storing carrots in the refrigerator and toss them into salads or soups.
Recipe links: Carrot and Ginger Soup; Carrot Soup; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Spicy Orange and Carrot Soup
Garlic
Not all garlic is created equal, and many local growers have a variety from which to choose. In the spring, look for garlic scapes, which add a subtle garlic flavor to salads and stir-fries, or can be made into pesto.
Recipe links: Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto; Skordalia
Greens (Cooking)
From varieties of kale, collard greens, and chards to the native quelites and verdolagas, New Mexico farmers’ markets offer great variety. Greens are versatile and can easily be added to dishes. They can be steamed, sautéed, grilled, or eaten raw. Rubbing leaves with salt, mixing with lemon juice or vinegar, or slicing them thinly can cut the bitterness of raw leaves.
Recipe links: 5-Minute Collard Greens; Farm Greens and Pasta; Greens, Eggs, No Ham; Pasta with Goat Cheese and Greens; Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic; Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta; Simple Swiss Chard; Swiss Chard Pie; Thai Curry Stew
Herbs
Fresh herbs make any dish special. New Mexico farmers’ markets offer a wide variety of herbs for all types of dishes including chives, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary, sorrel and lavender. Keep herbs fresh longer by placing the stems in a glass of water and covering with a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recipe links: Anne Sommariva’s Tarragon Vinegar; Basil-Peach Sorbet; Cilantro Slaw; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes; Lavender Lemonade
Leeks
Leeks, one of the lesser known of the alliums (garlic, onions, etc.), is most often used to flavor other dishes. Leeks lend themselves well to soups and broths, or can be sautéed or braised and garnished with lemon and thyme. Also try adding sliced leeks to omelets and frittatas.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Lettuce
Look for the freshest lettuce mixes, red and green leaf heads, butter lettuce, and other varieties at local farmers’ markets. The key to delicious salads is fresh lettuce!
Recipe links: Cuban Beet and Citrus Salad with Mojo Vinaigrette
Onions
Every cook depends on onions to flavor dishes, and market varieties are always extra flavorful. Look for Jumbo Candy Onions with golden skin and white flesh that are super sweet, Spanish Onions, Walla Walla Sweets, and more.
Recipe links: French Onion Soup; Grilled Vegetable Po’Boy; Short-Term Cucumber-Onion Pickles
Potatoes
Market potatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. Among the many varieties, try Fingerling potatoes, which have a big taste and creamy consistency or Russian Bananas, which keep their firmness when cooked. If you’d like to stock up on potatoes to last into the winter, ask growers which varieties store well.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad; Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto; Farmers’ Market Summer Salad; Simply Delicious Farmers’ Potatoes; Skordalia; Thai Curry Stew
Radishes
Looking to add a peppery kick to your salads? Try radishes, which come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors at local farmers’ markets. Radishes get spicier and more peppery as the weather warms. Also look for Daikon radishes, which look like huge white carrots and have a mild flavor, making them a great spring roll filling.
Recipe links: Asparagus and Radish Salad; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Red Chile
Red? Green? Christmas? Red chiles are those that have been left on the vine longer to ripen. Because of this, they have a distinctive smoky flavor compared to those picked in the green stage. Many market vendors sell ristras of dried red chiles for making fresh sauce year round.
Recipe links: Basic Chile Sauce
Root Vegetables
Some of the lesser-known root vegetables include parsnips, rutabagas, celery root, and Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), which have a potato-like texture with an earthier flavor. Roots are great roasted in the oven with garlic or boiled and mashed for a different take on classic mashed potatoes.
Recipe links: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Salad Greens
Not just limited to lettuce, farmers’ markets are a great place to find a number of more unusual salad greens: tatsoi, mustard greens, frisee, delicate microgreens, and more. Mixing these robust flavored greens with lettuce makes for a great-tasting salad.
Recipe links: Asiago Cheese Bowls with Microgreens; Summer Spring Rolls with Daikon
Spinach
At only 7 calories per cup, spinach may be low in calories, but is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium. An extremely versatile food, young and tender spinach can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Arugula, Spinach and Strawberry Salad; Blackberry Spinach Salad; Easy Spinach Soufflé; Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote; Spinach Pancakes; Spinach, Tofu and Sesame Stir-Fry; Warm Spinach Salad
Sweet Potatoes
Though they can sometimes be difficult to find because they require a long growing season, sweet potatoes from the market are a real treat. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Turnips
These hearty root vegetables have an earthy flavor and are great roasted, boiled and mashed, added to soups for texture and flavor, or stir-fried. Some turnips, such as Hakurei, can even be eaten raw.
Recipe links: Farmers’ Market Soup with Pasta and Pesto
Winter Squash
Winter squash is not harvested in winter, but rather gets its name because it stores well into the winter months after the fall harvest. Winter squashes are delicious on their when roasted in the oven. They can be served as a sweet side dish with butter, brown sugar, and pecans, or as a savory dish olive oil and spices. It’s also a great alternative to meat in Italian dishes.
Recipe links: Curried Winter Squash Soup with Quince, Apple and Ginger
Specialty Items
In addition to agricultural products, many farmers’ markets offer other types of foods such as breads and baked goods, jams and jellies, sauces, pastas, tamales, burritos, and dried mixes, herbs, and beans. With all of these choices, you can find the ingredients for a whole meal all at the market!
Dairy
Goat and cow cheeses, milks, yogurts, and butters can be found at many New Mexico farmers’ markets. New Mexico dairies often collaborate with local producers to bring delicious all-local delicacies such as raspberry goat chevre, java stout gouda, and green chile cheese curds.
Eggs
Eggs from the farmers’ market come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are some of the freshest available. Some research suggests that cage-free chickens that feed from pastures produce eggs of higher nutritional value than their caged counterparts, including less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamins and nutrients. Keep an eye out for other less common types of eggs, such as pheasant, turkey, and duck.
Honey
Common New Mexico honey varieties include mesquite, alfalfa, wildflower, and clover. These are not flavors added to the honey, but rather come from the nearby plant life that the bees pollinate. Color, texture, and taste vary, so ask for a taste to find your favorite. Many market beekeepers also sell bee pollen, which is said to help reduce environmental allergies.
Meat & Poultry
New Mexico ranchers offer a wide variety of grass-fed, heritage, organic, and natural meats, including beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, and even yak. In addition to finding a number of cuts at farmers’ markets, many ranchers also offer CSA shares or the opportunity to place “on the hoof” bulk orders.
