Growing and creating: Los Ranchos markets offer local art, produce and music

Jun. 21—It's summertime, and that means Los Ranchos Growers' and Art markets are back in season for their 32nd year.

At Los Ranchos markets, locals are able to shop an arrangement of locally-sourced crops from grower and farmer vendors, while also being able to purchase goods from local artisans.

Although the two markets are run separately, they combine during the summer to sell food, produce and arts and crafts to attendees.

Colene Montoya, volunteer manager of the Growers' Market, said the market offers fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season and grown by farmers who regularly sell at the market.

"Right now, it's greens, lettuce, radishes and plant starts," Montoya said. "Cherries are in right now, too."

Besides selling produce, there are vendors who sell a range of food like burritos, breakfast, pizzas and baked goods. Other vendors sell fresh protein like salmon and beef.

Montoya said a lot of vendors are regulars and people have created a community with them. Because of this, regular vendors are stationed in the same area each year.

"The regular vendors have been there for years," Montoya said. "They have their regular following of customers who know exactly where they are and what they sell."

Other vendors may have a large quantity of produce and call Montoya to get a booth set up. Typically, there are about 40 vendors through the market's duration, according to Montoya, but this year there will be roughly 70 different vendors this summer.

"This is the first year we've had to put vendors on the grass between the driveway to the old fire station because we've run out of space," Montoya said.

The Growers' Market typically has its peak season for both vendors and attendees in July and August.

"That's when most of the fruit comes in like peaches, plums, grapes, pears, and people just love fruit," Montoya said. "Tomatoes start coming in the end of June and early July, and people just go crazy for the heirloom tomatoes."

Montoya says that attending the market is a great way to get out and learn more about the community and what it offers.

"It's a great way to try out different produce you've never had and vendors can teach you a lot," she said. "They'll tell you how the produce tastes, how to use it, what to cook it with."

On the other side of the lot lies the Art Market, organized by Jane Gordon.

The Art Market hosts local creators in town who focus on a variety of things like skincare, clothes, jewelry, ceramics and more.

Gordon helps run the market, and planning for vendors starts long before the market. As a former vendor on both sides of the market, Gordon has an understanding of what is needed and wanted on both ends.

"I started out as on the growers' side with produce from our large garden," Gordon said. "I've always been a potter and I started thinking maybe I could sell my art here."

Artisans can submit an application to the market and that application is reviewed by a small jury. A second, in-person jury begins in early April, where a group of volunteers comes together to help decide which artisans will be featured at the market. The jury helps to ensure a variety of arts are shown at the market.

"At the Art Market, we take quality and handcrafting very seriously," Gordon said. "We try to keep the assortment of products as wide as we possibly can. We have about a dozen new exciting vendors this year."

Gordon feels like the market brings the community together.

"Many of us live in places where we can have some sense of our decorative elements, and having things that are made by real people, often who you get to meet in person," Gordon said. "I feel like that really adds to those avenues of daily living that we all have to go through and adds a sense of quality and sort of community, even when we're just in our own homes."

The market is free to attend and is dog- and family-friendly. There is a playground for children and the market has live performances for attendees. The Growers' Market is open from 8 to 11 a.m. every Saturday through Nov. 9. The Art Market is open from 8 to noon every Saturday through Nov. 18.