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Desert climate meets desire for locally grown
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Vicky Wilding of Apache Junction picks out tomatoes at the Mesa Community Farmers Market. Oct, 23. 2009.
Matt Pavelek, For the Tribune
Weather forecasters have predicted the Valley will have the first taste Wednesday of weather that many of our U.S. neighbors would describe as autumn, with a high temperature of just 65 degrees or less and nighttime lows down to around 40.
Of course, the calendar says autumn actually began more than a month ago, and most northern states already have been afflicted with at least one early blast of snow and cold wind. One of the privileges of life in the desert Southwest, one of the reasons we endure those months of asphalt-boiling heat, is that autumn gradually slides into place and then generally will linger right up to the launch of spring.
The lack of a true winter for much of Arizona also has important implications for a new trend documented last weekend by Tribune writer Mandy Zajac - rising support for farmers markets and community-supported agriculture. The movement toward locally grown and organic produce is national in scope, and in some ways Arizona is significantly behind other places. But this state has a rich tradition of local agriculture to drawn upon and our mild climate provides a vehicle for this style of grocery shopping to become a year-round habit.
The best part? Farmers markets can thrive with minimal government subsidies or interference. Local growers simply need to meet demand for freshness and variety that some shoppers believe they can't find at traditional grocery stores.
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