Almaraz’s Hydroponics
Apr 26, 2018
Moving down from Murillo’s stand, a unique sight meets the gaze of the people walking by. Miguel Almaraz is a local farmer who grows his produce without land, a type of farming called hydroponics. In the midst of the many greens he had grown, Almaraz smiled as he explained the purpose behind his uncommon approach to farming.
Buckets of freshly picked, organic produce are placed on tables. Farmers want to ensure the quality of their produce to their customers, so they make sure everything is organically grown.
“Hydroponics are the new age future. Since land is starting to run out we [have] to find a way to harvest produce without using actual land and soil,” Almaraz said.
Like most of the local farmer’s, Almaraz grew up in a farming family. He remembered his first time farming with joy and mentioned the rewarding nature of his work.
“Well, I’ve kind of been [farming] ever since I was a little kid. One day my parents couldn’t find a babysitter and they took me to work one day and I started farming with them at the age of five,” shared Almaraz, “Most people think it’s kind of boring, [and] it does get boring every once in a while, but the fruits of the labor are the fruits that you are actually picking.”
The produce that local farmers grow is distributed to many different people across the county. With so many people dependent on the produce being safe, caution is extremely important when it comes to sanitization, as mentioned by Almaraz.
“The most challenging part of my job is making sure everything is sanitary because a lot of people could get sick if we mess even the smallest step up. Like washing our hands or down to the hairnets we wear,” Almaraz said.
As he organized his produce in an appealing manner, pushing the freshest greens to the front, Almaraz explained the importance of farmer’s markets in supporting small businesses as well as the beneficial nature of local produce.
“For one [local produce] is healthier. There [are] not as much pesticides or genetically modified organisms in it and it helps give back to your community. It helps farmers actually grow and kind of stops big business from taking over the little guy,” Almaraz said. “You will most likely get a better cost for the price that your paying.”