Farmer Highlight: Parenthetical Farms
May 26, 2025 | Ben Dickerson, Parenthetical Farms
Parenthetical Farms is a semi-urban (very) small farm in Corrales, New Mexico. I utilize natural techniques to grow seasonal fruits and vegetables in concert with the local ecosystem. I grew up in the North Valley but left New Mexico for 20 years, during which time I received a MFA in Poetry, but I was always working and/or living within food systems. After many years of bike rides through the conventionally farmed fields of Oxnard, California, watching crop dusters, breathing in chemicals and seeing the runoff pollute the local waterways and ocean, I knew there had to be a better, healthier way for our communities to thrive. Soil health, soil science, and natural methods of farming became a passion, so this past winter when the opportunity arose to join the Corrales community and transform a horse property into a small farm, I dove in.
So, why Parenthetical Farms? In our growing and developing communities in the Middle Rio Grande Valley we have displaced local agriculture. I grew up surrounded by grazing pastures and vegetable gardens, but when I returned to New Mexico in 2016, all of those fields and gardens had been replaced with homes and businesses. I have worked in compost, soil, and regenerative agriculture for the last decade throughout New Mexico, and even in that short time I have seen our best farmland parceled off, farmers displaced, and our communities' ability to sustain and feed themselves slowly diminish. Parenthetical Farms, on 2/3 an acre in a backyard, is a re-interposition of local food production back into the neighborhoods where agriculture is being displaced by development. For me, farming is about community. I work without chemicals and plan the farm to work in concert with the environment, working with the land for mutual benefit, and helping feed my community.
Visit us in Corrales
500 Jones Rd. Corrales, NM 87048
We are located on Corrales Road, just south of the Post Office. Parking is available on either side of the market, both in the Post Office parking lot and attached gravel lot. there is also more parking at the Corrales Recreation Center and Top Form Arena at the back of the Rec Center.
Traveling from Albuquerque: Travel north on Coors Road, past Alameda Blvd. Continue north on Corrales Road approximately 2 miles. The Market is located on the left, just before the Post Office.
Traveling from Rio Rancho: Travel east on Southern Blvd/Meadowlark Lane, past NM-528 into Corrales. Turn north on Corrales Road, and drive approximately half a mile. The Market is located on the left, just before the Post Office.
Traveling from Bernalillo: Travel south on NM-528. Turn left on Corrales Road/NM-448 and follow for approximately 4.5 miles. The Market will be located on the right, immediately after the Post Office.
2025 Market Schedule
Weekly markets on Sundays 9AM-12PM
Our Mission
The Corrales Growers’ Market operates to support the traditional agricultural economics of the Village of Corrales and to provide community access to sustainable sources of locally grown food. We support the preservation of farmland, the sustainability of family farms and local agricultural production by providing agricultural producers a marketing facility for the sale of their products directly to consumers.
