Readers share their love for farmers' markets in California this Valentine's Day.
We love ours too. The 2012 Mountainair Farm & Garden Market opens Saturday May 19, http://facebook.com/MountainairFarmGardenMarket 
Not many people think of shantytowns, illegal street vendors, and unlicensed roadside hawkers as major economic players. But according to jo...
In his new book, Stealth of Nations: The Global Rise of the Informal Economy, Neuwirth points out that small, illegal, off-the-books businesses collectively account for trillions of dollars in commerce and employ fully half the world’s workers.
Further, he says, these enterprises are critical sources of entrepreneurialism, innovation, and self-reliance. And the globe’s gray and black markets have grown during the international recession, adding jobs, increasing sales, and improving the lives of hundreds of millions.
It’s time, Neuwirth says, for the developed world to wake up to what those who are working in the shadows of globalization have to offer. We asked him how these tiny enterprises got to be such big business.
And so should our local farmers market and vendor supported events. Time to get real. 
STAUNTON — Staunton Fresh, an online farmers' market that promises to connect local foods with local people, may sound pie in the sky, but after more than a year of planning by local entrepeneur Michael Reeps the concept looks close to delivering,... 
Robert Neuwirth Argues for the Benefits of an Informal Economy
As headlines trumpet worldwide financial doom and gloom, Neuwirth brings hope from unlikely corners of Nigeria, Brazil, and China. He reveals how businesses we consider illegitimate—from street vendors to gypsy cab drivers—are providing the majority of the world’s population with the employment and essential services that governments and traditional financial institutions are failing to supply.
To the horror and disdain of Chamber types, artists and newcomers from more zoned parts of the country, Mountainair has an informal economy too. May the newly established Mountainair Farm & Garden Market and "improved" Christmas Fair 2.0 read and heed Neuworth 
USDA Blog » Every year, American farmers work to ensure that everyone can have a pumpkin in their home to carve, eat, or decorate their tables. This year we asked you to show us how YOU used a pumpkin this season, and we were overwhelmed with the response! We just wanted to take the time to thank you for letting us in on your artistic, and in some cases culinary talents, and to share a few of our favorites. 
The new issue of L.A, Magazine takes a look at L.A.'s neighborhood farmers' markets, their influence on city cuisine and culture, and the reciprocal relationship with the the farms that surround it. Look up “buyer beware” on Wikipedia and the Craigslist logo pops up automatically (ok, not really, but it should). 
The Roppongi Market, located a few minutes walk from Tameike-sanno station in a part of the city more renowned for nightclubs pulsing to the beat of the most popular DJs and bands, expensive hotels, and high-end dining than fresh fruits and... 
Early to think about Christmas already but vendor announcements are out for Mountainair's annual Christmas Art and Crafts Fair, with, in my personal opinion, some unfortunate policy choices. The same arts community, Lost Tribes Diaspora voices dead set against resellers at the Farmers Market seem to be setting the tone here too. It is to be hoped that they will not prevail and may even learn something from the experience in time return the annual Fair to the community 
Amid crumbling buildings and empty lots, small farms have sprung up in the city. Some farmers buy up abandoned space for planting, while others have simply repurposed city land.
Leadley grows tomatoes and ornamental flowers outdoors on two vacant lots she's trying to buy from the city. She also has trays of sunflower shoots growing in her attic. Leadley's location inside Detroit allows her to deliver her produce to the city's huge farmers market and local restaurants by bicycle. 
The evolution of the merchant class in the latter half of the Middle Ages was brought about simply because trade as a career required the abolition of feudal obligations (Rowling 60). This class of merchants operated in a medieval marketplace. Early marketplaces had moveable stalls; then marketplaces with fixed stalls or housefront shops became more popular (56).
But now, without the protection of feudal lords, merchants had no way to protect themselves or their property. Guilds offered merchants the same priveleges of protection and support provided by lords to their vassals -- at a price, of course. Each occupation had its own guild, which fixed prices and arranged trade (64). Guilds could even regulate working hours; in London, a work day was up to 16 hours in summer and up to 12 in winter (Hanawalt 177). 10 Tips for Making Shopping at the Farmers Markets Easier (RT @cuzin_logic -> 10 Tips for Making Shopping at the Farmers Markets Easier http://t.co/hGRPM1tr...)... 
Fair Schedules | Home of the New Mexico State Fair and so much more! |
Emery's 5 & 10 is believed to be oldest family-owned five-and-dime store in the U.S. (Cash Mob?
It was Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett's doing. Recently, Burchett was watching late-night TV and saw a report on "cash mobs" — flash mobs that organize to drive customers to struggling locally owned businesses — and the light bulb went off. 
SILK ROAD BAZAAR...
One of the most exciting experiences for a traveler to the Silk Road is a traditional bazaar.
In a world where business transactions have become virtually devoid of human contact, Central Asian bazaars remind us of how vibrant and exciting commerce can be. The bazaars are no mere collection of shops. They have always been a dynamic center of the community, a place where goods and produce as well as ideas, news, philosophies, culture and politics are traded.
Here, people still trade in the open air and bargaining is a way of life. Goods are displayed on the ground or in stalls. These bazaars have always been central to life in cities along the Silk Road. They are organized into different sections depending on the type of goods you’re looking for. You can find anything here 
The #Mountainair Community Garden, a joint custody project (for lack of a better term but equally colorful designation) of iCreate, community gardeners not affiliated with iCreate, is in the process of applying for a New Mexico Centennial Garden Program grant. Supporting local food security programs is just one of the garden goals presented in the grant proposal due January 13.
Follow the link to read the rest of "How to organize a Community Garden for a Food Pantry" by Mary Jasch. 
You’ve been sleeping on the streets for two months pleading peacefully for a new spirit in economics. And just as your camps are raided, your eyes pepper sprayed and your head’s knocked in, another group of people are preparing to camp-out. Only these people aren’t here to support occupy Wall Street, they’re here to secure their spot in line for a Black Friday bargain at Super Target and Macy’s. 
The way faculty members work with university presidents is all too similar to the way today’s Congress works with the White House.
Part of an On Leadership roundtable on higher education and the 21st-century leadership challenge for university presidents.
As the [highered] crisis continues to escalate, there is a conspicuous lack of leadership from the presidents and chancellors of educational institutions. Many responsible administrators privately admit that there are enormous problems with our system, but almost all of them are unwilling to speak out publicly or put major reforms first on their agenda. Why?
h/t to The Elephant on the Campus, http://theelephantoncampus.wordpress.com/ 
The final day of the year for the Stow Farmers' Market, Oct. 22, turned out to be the first day of married life for Rick Bittner and Julia Davis, both with Bittner's Bees, one of the original vendors at the market. The couple had dated for two years.
The wedding ceremony took place in the parking lot where the market was located on Saturdays at Stow Community United Church of Christ, 1567 Pilgrim Drive in Stow.
The couple met through a common interest in bees USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grant recipients named, including BFBL Chapters in LA, NJ, VA, PA - Congrats! 
If a thrift store opened up down the street from you, what would you do?
Sure sounds like kin to the same folk in Mountainair who insist Christmas Fair vendors sell nothing but "handcrafted" items of their own making. Sartre was right: nothing quite like terrified bourgeoisie. 
Photo: Kelly Rossiter After eating your summer fill of super-sweet, soft berries, the apples of fall are the tart, crisp consolation prize of cooler temperatures. 
Yesterday Roy and I spent the day in Pittsburgh at the Sixth Annual Co-op Art Harvest with over 50 local vendors, wonderful food and live music. I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of the art/craft offerings! There were the numerous jewelry vendors but there were many unusual creations. I took the oportunity to do some networking and passed out business cards as well as postcards showcasing my artwork. It was great fun! The following photographs show the row of tents and I also had to include a photograph of one of the streetside buildings that is so "Pittsburgh". Love that town! 
From Wikipedia,
A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a single trade route contains long distance arteries which may further be connected to several smaller networks of commercial and non commercial transportation.
Historically, the period from 1250 BCE–153 CE saw the Western Asian, Mediterranean, Chinese and Indian societies develop major transportation networks for trade.
Europe's early trading routes included the Amber Road, which served as a dependable network for long distance trade. Maritime trade along the Spice route became prominent during the Middle Ages; nations resorted to military means for control of this influential route. During the Middle Ages organizations such as the Hanseatic League, aimed at protecting interests of the merchants and trade, also became increasingly prominent.
With the advent of modern times, commercial activity shifted from the major trade routes of the Old World to newer routes between modern nation states. This activity was sometimes carried out without traditional protection of trade and under international free trade agreements, which allowed commercial goods to cross borders with relaxed restrictions. Innovative transportation of the modern times includes pipeline transport, and the relatively well known trade using rail routes, automobiles and cargo airlines. 
Proof that Houston is (somewhat) green!Houston's best farmers markets - http://t.co/T07zMbQh... |
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