Quivira Farmer’s Market Opens

Situated next to Amakiri Botanical Garden, the new Quivira Farmer’s Market, unveiled in late October, features organic products, food stalls, artisanal crafts, natural medicines, handmade jewelry, cleaning products, colorful folkloric clothing and more. The market, open every Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. through May, is accessible to community residents as well as guests of Pueblo Bonito Resorts.

The vendors, many of them based locally, are spaced around a grassy square, their goods shaded by white tents. Each is worth a visit. Here’s an overview.

Home Goods - Concre Ativa mixes sand from La Paz with acrylic resin to make small serving dishes and figurines. Also available are clay pieces from Oaxaca, Italian linen and mezcal cups made from seed pods. Hot plates? This kitchen essential, made in Guanajuato, is constructed from colorful hand-painted tiles. They even have cork feet. Beside them are handmade concrete candle holders and colorful doorstoppers. Also on display are natural onyx and marble and unusual minerals from Puebla and Oaxaca.

Food – The Holy Bread Bakery, a family operation, prepares homemade empanadas (leek with goat cheese, sweet corn with bell pepper) and homemade tamales (wrapped in a banana leaf) using no machines or preservatives. The bakery also sells vegan, gluten-free muffins and cookies.

Blanco Pomelo is a top-notch producer of organic yummies, from peanut butter and almond butter to organic wildflower honey sourced from hives in Santiago and Miraflores on the East Cape. The vanilla is from Veracruz, as is the coffee. The homemade granola, for breakfast or as a snack, is scrumptious.

Soleil, a well-established French-style bakery situated behind La Comer in San Jose del Cabo, turns our delicious croissants, macaroons, pumpkin pies, apple pies and tarts, chocolate cakes and sandwich breads.

Personal items - Nui, which translates as “abundance” in the Maori language of New Zealand, offers organic body mist, room fresheners, and sun block as well as lavender-scented body cream and hand soap.

Spirits & Elixirs - For mezcal devotees, a visit with Carla Ramirez Garcia of Mezcal DENUVI is a must. The mezcal on display is a true artisanal spirit from Oaxaca treated to a double distillation in copper stills. Five different types of agave are used to create individual bottles: espadin (smoky), tobala (sweet), bicuishi (smells like the air after rain), tepeztate (herbal, citrusy) and jabali (strong, smoky). There’s a traditional version of mezcal, Abacado con Gusmo, with an agave worm in the bottle, reputed to be an aphrodisiac. There’s also a Destilado de Conejo (rabbit) and a Destilado de Pavo (turkey). These are true artisanal mezcals not available in a commercial liquor store. Garcia also stocks mezcal accompaniments (worm salts, grasshopper salts) and traditional mezcal glasses at her booth.

El Señor de los Tepaches sells a traditional fruit drink highly valued for its medicinal properties. Made from the fermented skin of pineapples, tepache has been consumed since pre-Colombian times and is known to have beneficial digestive, detoxifying and diuretic properties. The engaging proprietor, who hails from Sinaloa, also makes sweet or spicy citrus drinks to order.

Well-being - For a chakras realignment or a mini-massage, practitioners are on hand beneath a large shady palapa to help you relax.

According to Q Life director Paloma Palacios, the Farmer’s Market is off to a flying start. “In the weeks ahead, we expect to attract vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables.” These will be a welcome addition for residents who like to prepare meals with farm-fresh ingredients.