We're off to ... the Neighborhood Market!

Our Edible Garden tour is not only about growing food in your backyard, it's about community and supporting one another. One of the ways we do this is through our Neighborhood Garden Market. This market  provides an opportunity to share our fresh, local wares with the neighbors who attend the tour. A neighborhood market is not just selling eggs, fruits and veggies, jams, homemade soaps and other items. It's about months of planting, pruning, picking and tending animals. It's about hours of research and lots creativity and passion. It is really about placing something that one person has cultivated or made with their own hands, into the hands of another.

Someday, when we have urban gardens scattered throughout our neighborhoods, we will all have plenty to barter, sell and trade from our abundance. The way I see it, these markets could turn into monthly gatherings. We would begin to rely on our own local neighbors instead of a faraway land. We could transform not only the way we eat, but our relationship with food, our health and people. In one word, we could thrive!

An enormous word of THANKS to our marketers! I hope you know that you are part of a quiet revolution. I Thank you for your support, your beautiful wares and for sharing your gifts and passion with all of us!  
Meet the Neighborhood Market Merchants!

The magnificent roses you see here are grown at Tre Soli by Anne Jensen. She calls them true garden roses. That is, roses that are grown outside, in the sunshine and real air, not in a greenhouse. Anne's roses are mostly   old heirloom roses (extremely fragrant) that are grown organically, along with the rest of her vegetables and fruit trees. Roses are not only for brides, the petals are edible! Check out her site for more ideas and the rest of her delightful story! azgardenfresh or azgardenfresh@gmail.com

This is us... Sweet Life Garden. We offer our organic Peach and Strawberry Jam and Valencia Orange Marmalade, made from the fruits of our garden. We also sell local, raw, unfiltered, Orange Blossom Honey and all natural maple granola.

New this year, are our Salad Bar Boxes, great for growing creates or extra garden storage space. Holes have been drilled for drainage and boxes are lined with recycled burlap. Boxes are 22"x15". Info at Jill@sweetlifegarden.com

We were so excited to have Lylah and Michael's, Simple Farm join our tour this year! Of course, they brought a touch of France to the Market ( actually, good friend Cynthia did, while they were back at the farm). Their table was filled with perfectly pretty aprons, and their own spiced apples, apple butter and apple sauce. A fabulous favorite was Cajeta, a golden brown, caramel sauce made with sweet goats milk! See for yourself, at The Simple Farm.

If you need a special gift that almost melts in your mouth, talk to Rochelle at Spirited Cake Creations. Her Kahlua Cake Buntlet is fabulous! Spiritedcakecreations@gmail.com

Mira with her famous baklava and Aaryn (darling daughter).

   I love that we had my husbands favorite dessert available in our front yard! Yep, authentic Baklava, made from our friend Mira's very old family recipe. Perfected and passed down from grandmother to mother to daughter. This heavenly dessert, usually served at very special occasions is available to you. Contact, mjubica@gmail.com

I love what Nikki, owner (and lovely daughter) of  Project Home has done with these recycled pieces! Affordable do it yourself design, specializing in refurbished and recycled furniture. Her motto,  "Everyone deserves a beautiful home, no matter what their budget!"  Take a closer look on her site, Project Home.

A garden is certainly not complete without a tire swing! These recycled tires will provide hours of leisurely fun! They are available in large, medium and small.  aztireswings.com or Jeff@aztireswings.com

                                                        What a pleasure it was to gather with new friends and neighbors! Here is Leah (Goat-Chick Farm)  Andrea (with Blackbird Naturals) and me.

We were so happy to welcome Blackbird Naturals to our Market! We love what they are doing to, "replant Paradise on Earth!" Andrea and Amanda were selling their wild harvested, organic, super food seeds in an assortment of wonderful tins and jars. Also, coming soon to a Whole Foods Market near you are their Cocoa Fudge Truffles! Contact Blackbird Naturals.com

 Urban Farmer and fellow tour organizer, Rebecca Kidwell's booth is filled with an amazing array of goodies for your garden. From Mega Seaweed and Megafish Fertilizer to 100% certified organic seeds. Farmyard's hard working farmers, Sarah, Troy and Roseanne, also fill weekly CSA baskets with their own organic produce! For more info. my farmyard

Boho Farm and Home is a regular at our market and tour. If you want to taste local, homemade goodness at it's best, you'll want to stop at Caroline's site to check out what's up at her Urban Farm (because there is always something fun!) You've got to try her Rose Petal and Marmalade Jam! Shown below, is Michelle with Boho's limited edition t-shirt. Visit Caroline at Boho Farm and Home

                                Gino and Kristin provided the tour with their amazing, small batch roasted specialty   coffee. This is not your regular coffee! For more details and to order,  MatteBlack Coffee. .

Long time neighbor, friend and professional fiddler, Carolyn has been making her handcrafted, natural soaps since 1995. I personally love the textures and fragrances of all of her soaps, but Pink Grapefruit in one of my favorites. Carolyn also sells lip balms and roll on perfume oils, all made with natural ingredients! Contact her at  Verde Springs Soap Company.

And there you have it, some pretty amazing people!

May the magic and delight of the Christmas Season be with you and your family throughout this coming year!