Author: Kenny & Brenna Aschbacher

This season, we’re excited to feature an extraordinary honey made from Ambrosia dumosa, also called desert buckwheat, burro-weed or white bursage. This native plant flourishes in the Arizona desert from March through November, producing clusters of yellow flowers under the right conditions. Bees transform its nectar into a dark, richly flavored honey with bold, earthy undertones—a true reflection of the desert landscape.

Because ambrosia dumosa doesn’t bloom reliably every year, this honey is harvested only during exceptional growing seasons. It’s packed with desert ragweed pollen, which could offer a natural boost for allergy sufferers. And like all of our offerings, this honey is raw and unfiltered to preserve every bit of flavor and nutritional benefit.

Come see us at the market this weekend to try a sample of this limited-batch honey. Or, elevate your tasting experience with a private honey flight featuring a selection of our finest varieties.

PHOENIX: We plan to participate in both Roadrunner Park and Ahwatukee Farmers Markets through December 8, 2024 for the fall season. Then we spend the rest of December in New Mexico harvesting beef. We’ll be back in Arizona for the winter/spring market season at the beginning of 2025.

ALBUQUERQUE: We plan to be back for the Los Ranchos Winter market on December 14, 2024. We suggest ordering in advance.

Please check our calendar page frequently to stay updated on our market schedule.

Stay Nourished,

Brenna & Kenny

FishHugger is back at the Phoenix farmers markets this weekend, bringing all your favorites to kick off the season! Whether you’re craving wild-caught sockeye salmon, premium grassfed-grassfinished beef, or a variety of flavorful pork cuts, we’ve got something delicious waiting for you. For those with a sweet spot for honey, don’t miss out on our selection of raw local and regional honey and bee pollen.

We’re also stocked with Bariani Olive Oil and Kenny’s spice rub to elevate your meals. And yes, FishHugger’s tallow salve is back too, ready to keep your skin nourished.

Swing by to explore these fresh finds, enjoy the bustling market vibe, and say hello! We’re excited to reconnect with everyone and fuel your fall meals with top-quality foods.

PHOENIX: We plan to participate in both Roadrunner Park and Ahwatukee Farmers Markets through December 8, 2024 for the fall season. Then we spend the rest of December in New Mexico harvesting beef. We’ll be back in Arizona for the winter/spring market season at the beginning of 2025.
ALBUQUERQUE: We plan to be back for the Los Ranchos Winter market on December 14, 2024. We suggest ordering in advance.

Please check our calendar page frequently to stay updated on our market schedule.

Stay Nourished,

Brenna & Kenny

As you may know, we’ve extended our time in New Mexico to allow for a 21-day dry aging process, ensuring the perfect quality of our beef. Join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 12th, for our final market in New Mexico until mid-December.

We’ll have Black Cod Filet, Miso Marinated Black Cod, Smoked Black Cod, Smoked Sockeye Salmon and Snow Crab Clusters. Our grassfed-grassfinished beef includes ground beef, ribeye, NY strip, and beef shanks. For pork lovers, we’re offering ground pork, green chile pork sausage, pork belly, and pork chops. Don’t forget local raw honey, Kenny’s spice rub, and Bariani Olive Oil!

Want to stay in the know about our exclusive market specials and updates? Sign up for our email newsletter for exclusive access to deals and seasonal offerings!

We’re excited to announce that, in addition to our wild Alaska salmon, black cod, and halibut, we plan to expand our fish inventory, and we want your input!

Please take part in our Fall Seafood Poll and let us know which fish you’d like to see:

• Ling Cod
• Octopus
• Pacific Cod
• Yelloweye Rockfish

As of October 15, 2024, our official poll is closed, however, you can still respond anytime via email. Your feedback is invaluable, and we’d love to hear any questions you may have. If you have a preference for a specific volume of your selected fish, feel free to let us know!

Until the Next Catch,

Brenna & Kenny
 

Nature has always been our most patient teacher when it comes to food production. In a world of year-round availability and instant gratification, we’ve somewhat lost touch with the intricate dance of seasonal food production. Each harvest has its own rhythm that must be respected, and the best flavors emerge only when we honor these natural cycles.

This deep respect for timing extends beyond the field and pasture. The art of food preparation often involves patient waiting – the slow fermentation of sourdough, the careful aging of cheese, and the methodical development of premium meats. These processes can’t be accelerated without sacrificing quality. Each day of waiting builds flavor, enhances texture, and contributes to the final excellence of the product.

As we adjust our market schedule to align with these natural rhythms, we’re reminded that some of life’s finest offerings simply can’t be rushed. We’ll be extending our time in New Mexico at the Los Ranchos Growers Market by one more week, allowing us to better synchronize with nature’s timeline. This slight adjustment ensures we can continue providing the highest quality products while respecting the seasonal cycles that govern our work.

This commitment to timing and tradition might seem out of step with our fast-paced world, but we believe it’s essential to maintaining the quality our customers have come to expect. Your appreciation for quality and seasonal eating makes it possible for us to maintain these traditional practices that result in superior products.

We look forward to continuing to serve you with the very best that each season has to offer.

Best,

Brenna & Kenny

A traditional roundup on a large ranch involves gathering all the cattle into a set of corrals to separate breeding stock from market-bound beef. As early fall sets in, the slowing grass growth signals the need to reduce the herd size to prevent overgrazing. Modern-day roundups employ a variety of tools: trucks, trailers, horses, ATVs, motorcycles, and sometimes even airplanes.

In my early days visiting the family ranches in northern New Mexico, I was tasked with driving large diesel-powered gooseneck trailers. We’d load up horses and pack the cab full of cowboys, then bump slowly to the far side of the pasture to drop off the horsemen. My instructions were to wait until my cousins were out of sight before following them with the truck and trailer back to the corrals. However, my limited driving experience left me ill-prepared for the big truck I was in charge of. I pushed every button and pulled every knob, cursing and crying alone in the wilderness, bewildered by my failure at this seemingly simple task. Though I knew I was safe from harm, I was terrified of the embarrassment that would come if someone had to rescue me. Thankfully, after no more than an hour of frustration, I found the right combination of key and pedals and made my way to the working pens for the next stage of sorting.

I rode a horse named Sally, the best cutting horse around. She preferred to jump over bushes and cacti rather than go around them. Her jumping prowess was so renowned that years later, when she was stolen, she found her way home and even taught her son how to jump fences and cattle guards. It takes all morning to clear thousands of acres on horseback. Once the cattle are penned up, Granddad would call for a lunch break of bologna and Wonder Bread under the lonely trees surrounding the windmill.

A courteous cowboy had loosened the cinches of the saddles on all the horses while we rested, as horses should rest when we do. Feeling a small sense of accomplishment, I was eager to be the first one back on horseback after lunch. I’m sure it was quite a spectacle to see me climb up into the saddle, only to watch as the saddle and I slowly slid off sideways under the horse. Sally just stood there, knowing full well I was no horseman. My cousins, to their credit, did not laugh… at least not out loud.

As we reminisce about these cherished ranch memories, we’re excited to share that it’s currently an excellent time to consider stocking your freezer for the winter. We’re proud to offer our premium dry-aged beef, perfect for those cozy family dinners and holiday gatherings ahead. Our beef is 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, ensuring the highest quality and flavor in every cut. The dry-aging process enhances tenderness and concentrates the beef’s natural flavors, resulting in a truly exceptional eating experience. Our next harvest will be available in early October. Don’t miss this opportunity to secure your supply of our nutrient-rich, sustainably raised beef – your taste buds (and your family) will thank you!

Stay Nourished,

Kenny

In this ongoing series, we’ve explored how deceptive practices impact different sectors of the food industry. These insights reveal how consumers can easily fall prey to mislabeling and adulteration. For an overview of food fraud and food fencing, see Part 1, and for an exposé on olive oil, the world’s most commonly adulterated food, check out Part 2.

It’s no surprise that 🐝🍯HONEY🍯🐝 is one of the most commonly adulterated foods worldwide, ranking just behind olive oil. In the United States, honey production stands at around 150,000 to 160,000 metric tons annually, while consumption far outstrips this, reaching approximately 400,000 metric tons each year. This gap between production and consumption necessitates a heavy reliance on imported honey, which significantly heightens the risk of adulteration. The high demand creates opportunities for fraudsters to introduce diluted or counterfeit honey into the market. Adulterated honey often contains cheaper sugars such as high-fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, beet sugar and/or cane sugar; compromising its purity and health benefits. Additionally, pasteurizing and filtering honey can eliminate beneficial enzymes, vitamins, and antioxidants, diminishing its health benefits and natural flavor. Filtering also removes pollen, which can be important for identifying honey’s source and maintaining its nutritional value.

In the honey industry, mislabeling is a frequent form of food fencing. Lower-quality or adulterated honey is often marketed as premium or pure, misleading consumers about its true nature. This can involve blending cheaper or contaminated honey with genuine products or falsely labeling imported honey as domestic. Such practices not only deceive buyers but also erode trust in honey products. Therefore, it’s crucial for consumers to remain vigilant about the sources of their honey to ensure they’re getting genuine, high-quality, raw, unfiltered honey.

We are dedicated to offering honey that meets the highest purity standards. For authentic honey, choose products from reputable sources known for their transparency. We advise purchasing only pure, raw honey from trusted beekeepers or local farmers markets, and we recommend avoiding the grocery store. When dining out at New Mexican restaurants, be sure to bring your own honey, as most establishments serve “sopapilla sauce,” a blend of corn syrup, pasteurized honey, and vanilla.

September is National Honey Month! Celebrate with a jar, case, or 5 gallon pail of our pure, raw honey. Visit us at Los Ranchos Growers Market to taste the rich, natural flavor that sets our honey apart. It’s perfect for your favorite recipes or a sweet addition to your day. Come see us and bring home the real taste of honey this month!

Taste the Truth,

Brenna & Kenny

As August breezes by, we’re reminded that summer is quickly coming to an end and our New Mexico season is winding down with only six Saturdays left at the Los Ranchos Growers Market. Time to think about stocking up on our Alaska wild salmon before we’re gone! 

Got plans for August 31st? It’s National Eat Outside Day! Perfect timing to grab our wild-caught Coho or Sockeye salmon for a tasty outdoor meal. Throw it on the grill or pack some smoked fish for a picnic – either way, you’re in for a treat.

While our Alaska salmon is the star of the show, don’t forget about our other goodies. We’ve got grass-fed beef for you red meat lovers, a variety of other wild seafood, green chile pork sausage and pork chops, local raw honey to sweeten things up, and a bunch of other premium foods to round out your meal. It’s the peak of summer so your favorite growers will have a great variety of local veggies and fruit.

Here’s the deal: as we get closer to the end of our season, our variety might start to thin out. So if you’ve been eyeing something, now’s the time to snag it. Our salmon comes in bundles starting at 10 pounds – perfect for filling up your freezer without going overboard.

Want to make sure you get exactly what you’re after? You can pre-order until 6 PM on Fridays for weekend pickup. We take cash, Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay, and cards – whatever works for you.

You’ll find us at the market every Saturday until the end of September. Don’t miss out on these last few weekends of summer goodness!

Thanks for being part of the Fishhugger family. We’re excited to help you make the most of these final summer days with some seriously good food.

Stay Hooked,

Kenny & Brenna

National Farmers Market Week is a celebration of the vital role farmers markets play in our communities, offering fresh, locally grown produce directly from the farm to our tables. Here in New Mexico’s central Rio Grande Valley, the Los Ranchos Growers Market stands out as a shining example of this tradition. Nestled in the heart of the region, this market brings together a diverse array of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and artisanal products. Each week, vendors showcase the best of New Mexico’s harvest. On Saturday, you can anticipate finding blackberries, raspberries, apricots, plums, peaches, various melons, a variety of tomatoes, greens, onions, garlic, turnips, radishes, beets, carrots, sprouts/micro greens, eggs, dried fruit, mushrooms, okra, jalapenos, summer squash, squash blossoms, bouquets, lavender and more.

The market not only supports local growers and artisans but also fosters a sense of community, where neighbors can connect and enjoy the abundance of their surroundings. As we celebrate National Farmers Market Week, we honor the hard work of these local producers and encourage everyone to visit the Los Ranchos Growers Market. In addition to your favorite growers, the market features a wide variety of arts and crafts, delicious ready-to-eat foods, and refreshing hot and cold drinks. We also have ample parking nearby and offer a pet-friendly atmosphere—just please keep your pets on a leash. Come experience the rich flavors and vibrant culture of New Mexico’s agricultural heritage and support your local farmers, growers and food producers. If you’re not in the valley, be sure to visit your favorite local farmers market!

Taste the Tradition,

Brenna & Kenny

Mead Day, celebrated on the first Saturday in August, honors one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages. Mead, often called “honey wine,” has been enjoyed for thousands of years across cultures from ancient Europe and Asia to Africa. It is made by fermenting honey with water, often with the addition of fruits, spices, grains, or hops, to create a variety of flavors. Historically, mead was associated with myth and ritual, believed to be a drink of the gods, a sentiment that still captures the imagination of enthusiasts today.

Mead is believed to have been both discovered and invented, as its origins are somewhat unclear. Various ancient cultures likely discovered it independently, stumbling upon the natural fermentation of honey mixed with water left exposed to air. Over time, these cultures refined the process, adding ingredients and experimenting to create different mead styles. Thus, while mead might have been initially discovered by chance, its diverse production and variations were developed through intentional innovation.

Mead is often associated with honeymoons, a tradition that dates back to medieval times. Newlyweds were gifted a month’s supply of mead to ensure happiness and fertility, coining the term “honeymoon.” This romantic connection makes mead a delightful choice for celebrating love and new beginnings.

In celebration of Mead Day, we’re offering bulk honey (6+ quarts or a 5-gallon pail) for dedicated mead makers eager to create their own signature brews. We’re also seeking to partner with a local microbrewery in Arizona or New Mexico to produce mead for our community. With our honey, recipes, and brewmeister ready to go, we just need the ideal commercial space to bring our vision to life. If you have any connections or recommendations, we’d greatly appreciate hearing from you!

In addition to our bulk honey offerings, we’re excited to provide personalized mead and honey tastings right at your home. Experience the rich flavors and discover your favorite blends in the comfort of your own space—perfect for an intimate gathering or a special occasion. For details or to schedule, please contact us.

Sip and Savor,

Kenny & Brenna