My first day at Sleeping Frog coincided with the weekly farmer’s market at St. Philip’s Plaza, a fancy strip mall with main courtyards, sculptures, and fountains. When we all arrived with the goods, we couldn’t set up fast enough– customers crowded around the tables as soon as they were unfolded, and we scrambled to get all of the produce on the table and to hook up the electric scale.
By the end, just about everything had been sold– and at a premium, no less: $4 for a pound of baby greens, $5 for a pound of Asian braising greens, $1 a pound for Magdalena Big Cheese squashes (I sold one for $14!). Not many people balked at the prices, though. I didn’t get the impression they were hurting for money. One lady commented to her friend how quickly she had spent the $60 cash she had brought. I said, “It’s the best investment you can make,” meaning good food for your health and life. Debbie told me it’s the most fru-fru market they participate in. There is obviously a ton of demand for fresh, local produce, and marketss like St. Philip’s Plaza that attract wealthy customers allow small farms like Sleeping Frog to survive.
People gathered behind our booth on a small patch of lawn (which I was told is about the only green grass you’ll see in Tucson this time of year), and started practicing acroyoga. I was excited to encounter this in Arizona after learning some acrobalance in Oakland. The group, called Southern Arizona Acroyoga on Facebook, gets together every Sunday for the market, and at other times during the week on the University of Arizona campus. They hold various events and workshops as well, but the Farmer’s Market gathering is similar to East Bay Free Skool’s skillshare– everyone gathers to teach and to learn, all free exchange.
It’s a lovely thing.
