10th annual roasted chile festival - Sept 17

10th Annual Roasted Chile Festival-September 17, 2011

9 am to 3 pm at Rincon Valley Farmers & Artisans Market

The Rincon Institute invites all to the 10th Annual Roasted Chile Festival at the Rincon Valley Farmers & Artisans Market in Tucson. Savor fresh roasted Arizona grown green chilies, chile ristras, locally grown pesticide-free and organic fresh produce and fruit, artisans, great food, activities and games for kids, live music and a beer garden.

The Cienega High School Band will perform from 9 to 10 am and John Grant & the Guilty Bystanders will perform from 10 am to 2 pm.

The annual Roasted Chile Festival has attracted up to 2,000 people who enjoy live music while supporting our diverse artisans and farmers. Purchase green chilies grown locally here in Arizona including hatch and poblano chilies. Vendors offer goods ranging from handmade quilts, aprons, handmade soap, handcrafted home décor, and fine furniture.

All funds from the beer garden and raffle will go to supporting the Rincon Valley Farmers & Artisans Market. The 10th Annual Roasted Chile Festival is sponsored by Coyote Creek and the Solar Store. Citi will be providing volunteers to help with the event.

On display will be a large scale 3-D model of the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine commissioned by Pima County Administrator’s Office as a way to educate the public about what the mine will look like if the U.S. Forest Service approves it. The display will be in the former “Wild Desert Nursery” office (behind the Barn) during the Chile Festival. The model, approved by Coronado National Forest staff, shows the mine’s open pit, which would go more than a half-mile deep, and its tailings and waste rock, covering more than 2,800 acres.

The Rincon Valley Farmers & Artisans Market is located in the scenic Rincon Valley between Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District and Colossal Cave Mountain Park. Check it out and enjoy the beautiful Rincon Valley. The event is located about four miles east of the entrance to Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District along Old Spanish Trail and two miles west of Camino Loma Alta in and around the big historic green and white barn. Visit the website or call (520)591-BARN (2276) for more information. Remember to support your local farmers and artisans by shopping the Rincon Valley Farmers & Artisans Market every Saturday.

The market is a project of the Rincon Institute which is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting the natural resources of the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park, the Rincon Valley and the Cienega Corridor. Visit the website for more information.

Eat locally

Everyone probably has a favorite farmers market or markets. You may have favorites based on location, proximity, choices, friendly farmers, quality, parking, and prices.

American Farmland Trust had a contest for favorites and here’s the results:

One lucky Tucson farmers market was ranked in the top 20 in the United States:

Santa Cruz River Farmers Market is ranked in 12th place in all of the U.S. – Congratulations! The Santa Cruz River Farmers Market recently changed location to the Mercado San Agustin and when it cools off another 10 degrees I’m going to check it out.

Now in Arizona — two Tucson farmers market beat our neighbors to the north in Phoenix and Flagstaff.

Congratulations to first-place winner Sunday at St. Philip’s Plaza Farmers Market and to again Santa Cruz River Farmers Market in second-place. Tucson wipeout!

So what’s your favorite farmers market and why?

Marana–The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona’s Marana Heritage Farm will host a “Honey Mesquite Festival” on Saturday, September 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Marana Farm is located at 12375 N. Heritage Park Drive in Marana.

UPDATE: The public is invited to bring dried mesquite pods for milling. Cost for milling is $2 per gallon of pods. Please use 5 gallon buckets, with lids, to transport pods and freshly milled flour. Proceeds go to the Desert Harvesters. For more information contact Maggie Whiteside at (520) 468-1416.

Activities for the Festival include live entertainment, food vendors, a petting zoo, bee hive demonstrations, mesquite milling, seed planting, and farm tours. Additionally, there will be a salsa making and solar oven cook-off (please register with Cie’na Schlaefli at 449-3154) plus a variety of activities for children. There will be a ribbon cutting for the new composting program at noon.

Please bring donations of peanut butter and honey for the Marana Community Food Bank.

The Marana Heritage Farm is a partnership among the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, the Town of Marana Parks and Recreation Department, and many community members.

For more information contact Cie’na Schlaefli at (520) 449-3154.