Fresh for Less in New Mexico

This past weekend, I decided to surprise my hubby with a little road trip to Farmington, New Mexico.  I had read that there was a Farmers' Market at Animas Park on Saturday mornings and wanted to see what they had to offer.  So, after a 2 and 1/2 hour drive we got to the park by 9:30am and found....nothing.  No stands with fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers, no fresh baked goods; absolutely nothing there at all, but the park itself.  Talk about a big disappointment.  Ok, so it was still too early to go for lunch and decided to do a bit of driving about and window shopping....until I saw the sign, "Fresh for Less" on Main Street.  I had heard about this place from an acquaintance; it offered fresh fruits and vegetables at low prices, so we pulled into the parking lot.

Fresh For Less 
 
2330 E Main St
Farmington, NM 87401

(505) 327-4400

Up and down the aisles we walked, around the little tables offering melons, apples, and peppers galore; racks of spices and herbs; bags of rice and beans.  I had found my own little Farmers' Market inside this small building.   Half the trunk of the car was taken up by the loaded box of huge fruits and vegetables, plus a 10 lb bag of Colorado potatoes, and it only cost $43.  The photo below only shows a sampling of all we had purchased.

My biggest thrill was the bell peppers, only costing 99 cents each, instead of the $2 per pound that the supermarkets are charging.  The bell peppers were huge, some weighing in at 1 to 1 and 1/4 lbs; and they were as big as our hands.

In fact, some were so large, they almost covered up my hubby's face.

I was able to find a few smaller peppers and I used these to make my Tamale Stuffed Peppers. I did find a bargain bag ($1) containing 3 baby green zucchini and 3 baby yellow squash.  I cut these into 1/2 inch pieces, combined them with a pound of fingerling potatoes, olive oil, salt, black pepper and garlic.  Baked in a 375F oven for 45 minutes, and oh so good.  Except for a little discoloring here or there on the outside skin, the zucchini and squash were firm inside, so nothing got wasted when I made the vegetable medley.

...and if you are big fan of chile peppers, you need to visit "Fresh for Less"; the peppers are huge and beautiful; and they have them labeled for mild, medium or hot; so if you are not familiar with the chiles, at least you'll know the heat intensity.

I miss the Farmers' Markets I used to visit back in Pennsylvania, but this store acts as a great substitue.

Mary Cokenour