Farmers Market is a wonderful place to explore. (Photo by Lincoln Michaud)

Story by Merge staff

Whether you are visitors from out of town or have never experienced it yourself, you have been missing out on the Las Cruces Farmers Market, one of the largest and most popular forms of entertainment in the area.

Every Wednesday and Saturday, the Downtown Mall area is packed with musicians, crafts and produce tents selling local merchandise.

While summer is the best time to find fresh produce from farms in the area, the market runs year-round, every season bringing new and desirable products.

Having visited in the cold month of February, we compiled some stories of year-round vendors and the unique goods they have to offer.

Orana Design: My grandmother’s broken dishes

Virginia Houk displays her unique jewelry. (photo by Adriana Abarca)

It seems that we all carry some form of sentiment for items that have belonged to our loved ones. What do we do with such pieces when they break or are not useful anymore?  Virginia Houk, owner of Orana Design, has found the perfect solution. She has transformed her grandmother’s porcelain dishes into majestic jewelry.

Houk has been creating jewelry for more than 30 years.  She believes in repurposing an item’s value and creating something new.  Houk stated she is “preserving the past” with her creations.  Not only does she repurpose dishes into beautiful necklaces, she has found an art in creating earrings from pieces of glass, such as Jägermeister bottles.

Transformations by commission are also available for all who would like to have a meaningful piece turned into something new. Her items may be found online at oranadesign.net

Dog sweaters Diversity Gifts 

Cute little Ickis displays his owner's crafty sweaters. (Christine Peterson)

Ickis, a 5-month-old Chihuahua, models a crocheted dog sweater while watching people look at a table full of garments similar to his. A regular at the Farmers Market, Ickis showcases what his owner, Skye Wheeler, makes and sells.

Wheeler, co-owner of Diversity Gifts, started crocheting sweaters for dogs about 13 years ago.

“I had a Dachshund-Chihuahua mix that would get cold,” Wheeler said. Thinking of ways to keep the dog warm during the winter months, she took to crocheting.

“What’s great is that you don’t need patterns,” Wheeler said. She started off making capes and transitioned into sweaters. After discovering that some dogs prefer less constraint on their legs, Wheeler expanded her line to feature both sleeve and sleeveless sweaters.

The dog sweaters range from $4-$40 and are machine washable. The sweaters come in a plethora of designs, colors and patterns.

Crocheting for Wheeler takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 20 hours.

“I made a sweater for a beagle-size dog, and that one took 16 hours,” said Wheeler.

“Kittens can wear the sweaters too, but you have to start the animal young; that way they can get used to the confining feeling the sweater will give them,” Wheeler added.

While the crochet sweaters are only available from October to April at their booth, Wheeler and husband, Dave Edlen, make and sell jewelry year round.

“We’re very involved in the community. You can find us at Big Daddy’s Flea Market, Gay Pride Parade and Earth Day,” she explained.

Diversity Gifts can be reached at diversitylascruces@gmail.com and found at Diversity Gifts on Facebook.

Beck’s Coffee

Beck Rosnick displays her coffee. (Photo by Suzanna Lester)

Beck Rosnick, owner of Beck’s Coffee, is at the Farmers Market every Wednesday and Saturday.  What is special about her product is that she delivers anywhere within the county, and the bags of coffee she sells at the Mountain View Market are never more than 48 hours old.

Beck has a certain witty dialogue with her customers – she knows them by name and makes them feel like her long-time friends.  This is the feeling of community one can find throughout the Farmers Market.

Beck hails from a town near Queensland, Australia, somehow ending up in Las Cruces by “much randomness,” she said.  She’s been a barista for 20 years now, and after a 12-month apprenticeship she began roasting her own coffee beans about seven years ago.

Her coffee contains “no artificial flavors or additives – it is 100 percent natural, and a dash of love,” Beck said.“It makes all the difference.”

Beck can be reached at becks.coffee@gmail.com

Lincoln Farms Pecans

Lincoln Michaud has sold his pecans at the Farmers Market for five years. He owns 35 pecans trees that provide the produce for Lincoln Farms Pecans.  However, pecans are not the only product he sells.  He also sells his neighbor’s pistachios.

They get the best business in the summer time when tourists are coming and going.  The tourists want “a taste of New Mexico,” Michaud said.

Apart from selling pecans and pistachios, Michaud also takes photos of the market, its vendors and their merchandise.

– Kenya Reed, Suzanna Lester, Randa Hutcheson, Adriana Abarca, and Christine Peterson contributed to this story