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Ten years in the making, a cookbook telling the stories of Santa Fe Farmers Market vendors and with recipes using ingredients found at the market was published this summer.
Local photographer and Farmers Market regular Doug Merriam started creating the book, “Farm Fresh Journey: Santa Fe Farmer’s Market Cookbook,” about a decade ago along with Santa Fe-based travel writer Lesley S. King.
Merriam describes the book as “part cookbook, part history book, part photo book.” Merriam sells it at the market most weekends and it’s also available in the market gift shop.
Initially, the idea was to honor the
market and its farmers with recipes featuring their natural ingredients. Then he was inspired to also include profiles of nearly 20 farmers, with photos from the places where they produce their goods. All of the farmers were assigned a different season of the year for their stories.
Merrimam said the idea came to him one day as he bought tomatoes from a farmer and he realized the same hands handing him the tomatoes were those that tended the specific plant that produced the fruit.
“The light bulb went off that there was such a bigger story here, this very personal connection that you won’t get at a supermarket or Whole Foods or anything,” said Merriam. “You’re buying directly from the hands that nourished that product.”
The profiles are now on the Farm Fresh Journey website rather than inside the book because, as time went on, the book became too large. Also, about half of the highlighted farmers no longer come to the Santa Fe Farmers Market.
Pat Montoya, owner of Montoya Family Orchards in Velarde, was among the first people Merriam took photos of and he’s still selling at the market. Since Merriam and King first came to his farm, he has retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory and farms full time. He said he’s glad the book was finally completed and that it helps people better understand what kind of work goes into the products people see at the Farmers Market.
“We’re not like Walmart where it appears there out of nowhere ... . We’re busy behind the scenes growing this stuff,” said Montoya.
Inside the book are more than 100 recipes that also correlate with the four seasons, matching up with when different produce and products are available at the Farmers Market. Merriam said he came up with some of the recipes and others were submitted by farmers willing to share.
Phil Loomis, owner of Jacona Farms in Santa Fe County and another of the farmers Merriam and King followed, provided his lamb stew recipe. The vegetable farmer adds in fennel bulbs and other goods that can be found at his booth. Loomis said people have asked him to autograph the book, which includes photos of him and his stew.
“Fennel is something that makes it really great,” said Loomis. “I make up recipes a lot, and I’m usually pretty good at it.”
A sizable percentage of the proceeds from the book go back to the Farmers Market, although Merriam wouldn’t disclose how much. Market general manager Amara Nash said the money will be used for upkeep of the market, helping keep booth prices low for vendors.
With speed bumps in the publishing process and periods when life and family got in the way, Merriam said there were times he was discouraged by how long it was taking him to complete the project. But he wanted to finish the book for northern New Mexico farmers and help make them feel proud of their hard work.
“It’s not a lucrative endeavor,” Merriam said. “It’s hard, backbreaking work. The farmers do it because they love it.”