There are gentlemen farmers, corporate farmers, and at the Sedona Farmers Market we have our very own “Fireman Farmer,” Dave Stutzman. For twenty years, until his retirement in March 2015, Dave commuted back and forth between Camp Verde and his job as a Peoria firefighter.  Dave says farming is “in the blood.” Growing up in Arizona, he travelled back to Iowa every summer to work on the farms of his Mennonite uncles. He still loves tractors. He started growing Asian vegetables as a hobby. When his kids were small, he branched out into pumpkins. A friend from Phoenix suggested tomatoes, which are now a specialty for Dave. In fact, his tomatoes were once voted “Best in Arizona.” He’s been featured in Sunset Magazine, and National Geographic interviewed him just this past month. Dave starts some of his plants in a greenhouse but quickly moves them into his fields when the danger of frost has passsed. According to Dave, tomatoes grown in the sun contain the most desirable flavor and the most vitamins. One of Dave’s favorite varieties is the Pierson. He also loves the sweet Old German.

By Laura Cox

The Sedona Farmers Market has been pioneering standard practices in Northern Arizona around food safety for growers in collaboration with University of Arizona Agricultural Extensions of Yavapai and Yuma Counties since 20011, promoting USDA GHP/GAP procedures.

Here is an interesting article on the latest research of wildlife on farms and how it relates to food safety.

Food Safety and Wildlife – click here!

Tomato Truths!

1.Believe it or not, tomatoes aren’t always red. They can be yel-low, pink, purple, black and even white!

2.The biggest tomato fight in the world happens each year in the small Spanish town of Buñol. The festival, called La Tomatina, involves 40,000 people throwing 150,000 tomatoes at each other.

3.Tomatoes are the official state vegetable of New Jersey. Tomato juice is the official state beverage of Ohio.

4.Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that is good for the heart and effective against certain cancers. Tomatoes are also packed with vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium.

5.Think of tomatoes as quintessentially Italian? Actually they origi-nated in the South American Andes of Peru. They were first used as a food by the Aztecs in Southern Mexico.

6.Tomato seedlings have been grown in space.

7.There are around 10,000 varieties of tomatoes worldwide.

8.According to the Guinness World Record (as of 2013) the heavi-est tomato weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was grown in Ok-lahoma.

9.Heinz Tomato Ketchup has a speed limit! If the sauce pours at more than 0.028 miles per hour it is considered too runny and rejected!

10.The first tomatoes in Europe may originally have been yellow and they were called ‘pomo d’oro, meaning ‘golden apple.’

By Laura Cox

“My Dad is the hardest working person I know,” says Rocío Aguiar of her father Fernando. His hard work is showcased every Friday at the Sedona Community Farmers Market, with a mouth watering display of garden-fresh vegetables picked that morning by the family on their farm at Paulden, Arizona. Fernando believes you can “live a good life when you work hard.” At the Aguiar booth you will find peppers, chilies (roasted on site if you choose), cabbage, corn, beets, onions, garlic, squash, tomatoes, lettuces, black, red and green grapes, herbs-in fact everything you need for a delicious, healthy meal!Fernando spent almost two decades as a plumber in Phoenix before returning to his roots in agriculture. Growing up in Mexico, with seven brothers and sisters, working the land to help feed the family was just part of life. All the produce on the 17 acre Paulden farm is grown from seed without pesticides, chemicals or herbicides. There is a small greenhouse for starting plants. Aguiar Farm is an approved WIC certified producer and WIC checks are ac-cepted at his booth. It is truly a “family farm,” with Fernando, his wife and four children all involved in the daily farming activities. And, at the Aguiar Farm and booth, hablamos Español!This is Fernando’s first year at the Sedona market. Our customers are delighted and we’re excited to announce that he’ll be joining us when we move to our winter market in West Sedona early in November. How does Fernando respond to his daughter’s comment? With a big grin!

Told by Laura Cox

Published by KNAU – click here for the full story and pictures!

Farmers in central Arizona are working together to protect a precious resource that flows through their land. The Verde River supplies every drop of water they use for irrigation, and everything else in their lives. As the drought swallows up lakes and rivers across the West, Verde Valley farmers are embracing new and old technology to ensure their water supply doesn’t dry up. Arizona Public Radio’s Aaron Granillo reports.

The Hausers are a farming family. They’ve been harvesting and selling pumpkins, alfalfa, and sweet corn for generations. The youngest member in this long line of farmers is 26-year-old Zach.

“My great, great, great grandparents started in Iowa, eventually moved to Phoenix,” says Hauser. “My dad and grandfather farmed this, and then I just kind of followed in their footsteps.”

Hauser runs one of the largest farms in central Arizona. His family has always practiced flood irrigation, using water from the Verde River. It’s a classic way to farm, but it loses a lot of water to evaporation.

“You can see on the top of the field there that aluminum pipe. You just open one of the little gates on the pipeline, and, you know, water just flows out of the pipe directly on top of the ground,” says Hauser.

To conserve water, Hauser is going underground with a drip irrigation system.

“We’ve heard some figures of 30 to 50 percent water savings. We’ll have to wait to see how that actually turns out. But we’re going to save some water for sure,” says Hauser.

Drip-irrigation is not a new farming technique. Advanced systems have been around for about 100 years. But, today’s technology is expensive. It would cost Hauser around $2 million to install a drip system on his 600 acres. The only reason he can afford the upgrade on nine of those acres is because of a grant aimed at increasing flows in the Verde River.

“It is definitely a threatened river,” says Kim Schonek, water transactions director with the Nature Conservancy. “Right now we have spots on the river that are nearly dry as it is today.”

The Nature Conservancy received the grant as part of last year’s federal Farm Bill, and put some of the money toward Hauser’s irrigation system. His farm is the conservancy’s test site to see how much water he can put back in the Verde.

“This particular project is our first on-farm project, where we work directly with the farmer on changing the operations of their water in the field,” says Schonek. “We probably have about 2,000 people who rely on water for their irrigation.”

It’s Frank Geminden’s job to makes sure they get it.

“I’m ditch boss. And I’m responsible for keeping the water going down the ditch,” says Geminden.

Geminden is one of seven ditch bosses in the Verde Valley. He’s also a farmer. His pecan trees and blackberry bushes are a quick golf cart ride from the irrigation ditch he manages.

“There are a lot of people. There’s 640 acres on this ditch,” Geminden says. “Over half of it as where the Hausers are farming it. And they have to have their water.”

At the ditch, Geminden opens a wooden box nailed to a post. Inside is a set of rules people must follow when they want to irrigate.

“This is our sheet that we sign up on for approximate time that you’re going to need the water,” says Geminden. “This is a one-acre lot and it’s four hours. Lee’s got five or six acres in there and he does it in 20. You try and keep the order so people have a little bit better idea of when they’re going to get the water.”

Geminden also uses a smartphone to check automated sensors and water levels in the ditch.

“And it shows that we’ve got 1.45 feet of water at that gate. And that tells me it’s running the way it ought to be,” Geminden says.

Demand and drought usually decide the way water ought to be in the West. But farmers in the Verde Valley hope their conservation efforts will bring some of that control back to the community.

Published August 14, 2015  USDA Blog:

Food safety is a top priority for consumers, especially when it comes to the leafy greens in salads. Researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered natural methods to sanitize these vegetables using ingredients commonly found in the kitchen, such as oregano, cinnamon, and vinegar.

Plant extracts, essential oils, and organic sanitizers have all proved effective in killing bacteria on leafy greens and extending their shelf life. When emulsified in the water used to wash these leaves, the approach compares to (and sometimes even works better than) bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

“Plant antimicrobials can be used by consumers at home,” said Sadhana Ravishankar, associate professor at the University of Arizona’s School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences. “Plant extracts and essential oils can be added in the wash water by themselves or combined with vinegar in the wash water for treatment.”

Benefits of using plant antimicrobials and organic sanitizers are that they are natural, environmentally friendly, and less energy intensive since they are effective at both room and cold temperatures. They also continue to kill bacteria during storage; their effectiveness is not reduced in the presence of organic matter; and they have added health benefits linked to a reduction in the occurrence of cancer, diabetes, and high cholesterol. The wash water containing plant compounds and organic sanitizers can also be recycled and reused without a loss in effectiveness.

“We have also researched a new way of applying plant antimicrobials to improve salad safety,” said Ravishankar. “We have incorporated plant essential oils into edible films that are added into salad bags and the vapors from the oils kill the bacteria in the salad bags during storage. Edible films are also plant-based sources such as apples, carrots, hibiscus, or spinach pulp.”

There are gentlemen farmers, corporate farmers, and at the Sedona Farmers Market we have our very own “Fireman Farmer,” Dave Stutzman. For twenty years, until his retirement in March 2015, Dave commuted back and forth between Camp Verde and his job as a Peoria firefighter.Dave says farming is “in the blood.” Growing up in Arizona, he travelled back to Iowa every summer to work on the farms of his Mennonite uncles.  He still loves tractors. He started growing Asian vegetables as a hobby.  When his kids were small, he branched out into pumpkins. A friend from Phoenix suggested tomatoes, which are now a specialty for Dave. In fact, his tomatoes were once voted “Best in Arizona.” He’s been featured in Sunset Magazine, and National Geographic interviewed him just this past month.  Dave starts some of his plants in a greenhouse but quickly moves them into his fields when the danger of frost has passsed. According to Dave, tomatoes grown in the sun contain the most desirable flavor and the most vitamins. One of Dave’s favorite varieties is the Pierson. He also loves the sweet Old German.

Unfortunately, the latter is quick to soften, so we don’t see them at the market.  This is Dave’s first year at the summer market but he’s a long time participant at the Sedona winter market. Dave’s the one we want to thank for the certified organic citrus, those beautiful navel oranges, Meyer lemons and pink grapefruit picked on Saturday and sold on Sunday. He also hopes to expand his own seasonal offerings to include spinach, lettuce and kale during the winter months. Dave likes to keep his operation small and simple. He says “if you enjoy what you’re doing you’ll grow a good product.” In need of a good tomato in the middle of the week? You can pick your own at Dave’s farm stand on Salt Mine Road in Camp Verde, open every day except Monday from March through November. Need to know which way the wind is blowing?  Check with Dave at the Market for his well-considered weather predictions.

Story and Photo by Laura Cox

When you talk to Freddy Muñoz at the Da’ Nede’ Farm booth you would never suspect that he hasn’t spent all his life farming. But, in fact, after growing up in Flagstaff, Freddy moved to San Francisco and spent the next thirty-five years as an electrician working in the tallest high-rises. He retired to Camp Verde to “chill out” only to discover he couldn’t sit still. It was then he found a new passion: growing vegetables. Da’ Nede’ Farm is located on Middle Verde Road in Camp Verde. There’s one acre planted in crops which are grown without chemicals or pesticides. Freddy likes to say “We farm with love, not a certification.” Freddy doesn’t have a particular favorite crop, but he does love to search seed catalogues to find unusual items.  That’s why you’ll find things like Russian Brown and Serpent Armenia cucumbers, Zephyr squash and garlic flowers at his stand. He’s always happy to educate folks about his produce as well.  For most of the year Freddy manages his farm on his own, but come summer his daughter Molly returns from Europe to lend a hand (ask her for her tomato sauce recipe. It’s delicious).  Da’ Nede’ Farm has been a contributor to the Sedona Community Farmer’s Market since its inception. Freddy’s customers are just as loyal!  And where did the name Da’ Nede’ come from? Freddy explains: he had an old friend and mentor from the Navajo Reservation. The Navajo prefer to be known as The Dinē, and in honor of his friend Freddy anglicized the word. The result? Da’ Nede’

Story and photo credit: Laura Cox

Enter our Mother’s Day Raffle on May 11th to win the 2014 Stella Natura Planting Calendar and sync your rhythms with nature!  Pick up a free raffle ticket on May 11th.   Drawing is at 3pm and must be present to win.

See Link Here.