“Douglas Merriam’s Farm Fresh Journey, The Santa Fe Farmers Market Cookbook is truly a work of love for the Santa Fe Farmers Market. Doug’s photographs are stunning and the recipes are oh so appealing! What mostly comes shining through is his deep affection for Northern New Mexico and its farmers. This is a most passionate work and one that will nourish readers for years to come, just as our farmers nourish us with their well-grown food.”
— DEBORAH MADISON, author of Local Flavors, Vegetable Literacy, and The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
The stories that follow are the farmer profiles written so eloquently by Lesley King. They’re presented here out of respect for the farmers, in the same seasonal order they would have appeared in the cookbook, because they reflect the farming practices and the farmers in Northern New Mexico in the 21st century. As I discussed in the book, small-scale farming can be very difficult, and many of the farmers profiled here are no longer at the Farmers Market, but their stories are forever. For those of you who have frequented the Market for years, you'll surely recognize some of the faces and that have disappeared, and you may know their current situation or what has happened since they left the Market. I hope you read the profiles with a kind heart, as some were written a while ago at the book's inception. It's my hope that the words and pictures will offer a glimpse into the realities of farming in this area, maybe to inspire future young farmers, and maybe to help some people realize the intricacies involved to produce real food, and that when they support a local Farmers Market they are really supporting someone's livelihood, and a beneficial way of life for the planet.
