Greena Stewart Living

Buying local is one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your community. Small, local farms are more likely to put the money they earn back into the community, and when members of that community buy from them, it keeps those farms in business. It’s a win, win situation for both parties (Click here for more info). Also, when you buy locally produced commodities, you’re buying products that didn’t rack up a small fortune in gasoline emissions to get to you. Today I went to a local farmer’s market to give you all a taste of what they’re like. This is the first time I’ve been to this one. It was the Mesa Community Farmers Market. It was small affair, located in downtown Mesa, Arizona along Center Street, just south of University Drive.

The Mesa Community Farmers Market

I got there a bit late, but I still had time to browse the stands and talk to vendors. Here’s some of the awesome sellers I met while I was there:

Marcello Greco.

This is Marcello Greco, owner of  Classico Italiano. He was out in the market, and one of the things he was selling was fresh baked bread. He uses Arizona grown flour as part of the ingredients to make his bread. Greco’s been out here doing this since, “before you were born”. While I was talking to him, he was awesome enough to give me this sourdough:

Greco's sourdough.

Not only will this make an awesome bread bowl for the soup I’m going to have with it, but it’s also very soft and tasty as well.

I also met Shirley Miller, who makes Lil’ Sassy’s Salsa. When it’s in season, she gets her produce from Yuma, Arizona.

Lil' Sassy's Salsa

Shirley Miller

While I was there I also met Kathy Marshall, owner of Double Blessing’s Lotion and Cosmetics. Her products are really cool. Kathy has her own goats and actually uses goat’s milk to make soaps, lotions and more.

Kathy Marshall

I had no idea you could do so much with goat’s milk! And, let me tell you, Kathy’s stand smells awesome, better than walking through a Bath & Body Works. She was also nice enough to give me this sample:

A soap sample from Double Blessing's Lotion and Cosmetics.

It smells great and makes my hands feel nice and smooth. The best part? She made it right here locally with her own goats!

Last, but not least, Big Happy Farms was also there and is a regular seller at the Mesa Community Farmers Market.

Fresh local apples from Big Happy Farms.

While I was at their stand, I talked to Kathy Porter (pictured below). They don’t use any chemicals to grow their produce, and their farms are located right here in the Phoenix Metropolitan area.

Kathy Porter

Browsing their fresh produce, I also had the great fortune of meeting this shopper:

Josie Morris

This is Josie Morris, and it just so happens that she also has a blog. It’s  called Hungry Herbivores, and it’s a blog about veganism. I checked it out, and she has some great information available for those thinking about making the switch. I can’t lie. I, myself, am not a vegan, but if you are or if you want to know more, give it a look.

All the sellers were very friendly and easy to talk to, and they were happy to answer all my questions about their products. There were also vendors selling food and drinks on site. They do this every Friday, and there was a lot more there than what I was able to put into this post. Aside from the produce, it seems like a great way to get out of the house and socialize with your neighbors a bit too. If you’d like to find a farmer’s market in your area, go here for more info.