New market hits Mesquite Street

A new market, called the People’s Market, opened in Klein Park on Mesquite Street on Sunday, June 22, and part of what makes this open market a little different is that it will be open on Sundays, every weekend from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., through November.

Created by Las Esperanzas Inc., an organization dedicated to preserving the Mesquite Historic District, the gathering differs slightly from the Saturday farmer’s market downtown. Mesquite People’s Market requires vendors to sell only food products or produce –– no arts and crafts.

Las Esparanzas president Corrina Miramontes said this limitation to food only is intentional.

“Our neighborhood is like a food desert,” Miramontes said. “We do not have any grocery stores in our neighborhood anymore.”

Mesquite is the oldest neighborhood in Las Cruces and the one grocery store they had has since closed, Miramontes said. She hopes this market can be the neighborhood’s way of stocking up on groceries while also nurturing farmers.

Cactus were available for sale at the People’s Market this past Sunday.

Las Cruces Bulletin photo by Serena Johnson

The premier Mesquite Street People’s Market was intimate and featured growers from OG Farms in Anthony. They sold out of their tomatoes and peppers but brought a plant that thrives in the desert and, in some cases, can be eaten –– cactus.

OG Farm’s Quinn Cooper started getting interested in local and sustainable farm practices after traveling north and spending time in nature for the first time.

“That got me into foraging and trying to open my eyes to what was around me and all the things that we just overlook,” Cooper said. “Living in the desert, it becomes very easy to tune them out.”

Cactus pads, or the paddle-shaped leaves of the prickly pear cactus, have health benefits such as antioxidants and high-fiber, according to Cooper.

“There are all these native foods that have these benefits, and prickly pear hits all those boxes,” Cooper said. “We celebrate it, but we also treat it like it’s a novelty. It's a regular thing that grows all around us.”

Cooper said a person moved into a house and was overwhelmed with the number of cacti growing in their yard. Instead of taking everything to the landfill, they called OG Farms, who was able to salvage 12 mother plants and sell their pads at the market last Sunday.

Cooper told the Bulletin he ended Sunday morning feeling grounded and more connected to the community.

“I do hope people get a chance to come out,” he said. “It’s a fun experience; I’ve learned a lot. All these projects that we do lose their frame of reference if we don’t have that community aspect, if we’re not taking it back. This helps us.”

The market’s final day will be November 23; around the time the harvest season ends. Miramontes’ hope is that this event becomes an incubator for education and how local food is more sustainable.

Vendors looking for a spot next time can send a message to the Mesquite Street People’s Market Facebook page.