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Support Local Food Producers | March 5, 2018
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Fresh & Local:
The Crescent City Farmers Market started in 1995 with one weekly farmers market in downtown New Orleans and has continued to expand to four weekly markets throughout the City. Our mission is to support public markets for public good and as such, Crescent City Farmers Market/Market Umbrella founder Richard McCarthy and former staff member Dar Wolnik helped advise the Hollygrove Market and Farm founders and connect them with local farmers and food producers. The closure of Hollygrove has meant a loss of business for some of our region’s small family farms and food producers.
MU believes that we need multiple sales outlets for farmers and food producers to encourage the growth of the local food system. When a business like Hollygrove fails, small family farms are losing a valuable revenue stream. We recommend two things local shoppers can do to help these farmers right now.
Crescent City Farmers Market has dozens of vendors in common with Hollygrove and shopping at the market directly supports local farmers. We are working with vendors displaced from Hollygrove and so you may see new faces over the coming weeks, but vendors you can currently find at CCFM* who also sold at HGMF include:
- A&K Citrus - Citrus and other greens and vegetables
- Amorphous Gardens - Naturally grown specialty and heirloom vegetables
- Blue Tara - Certified organic fresh and frozen blueberries and blueberry jam
- Cajun Growers - Hydroponic tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs and lettuces
- Cherry Creek Orchards - Peaches, nectarines, plums, and assorted produce
- Country Girls Creamery - Milk, cheese, eggs, butter, grass fed beef, pork, and pastured chicken
- G&M Goat Farm - Goat milk, chevre, goat milk kefir, and goat and lamb meat
- Grow Dat Youth Farm - Cooking greens and lettuces, fresh herbs and tomatoes, other seasonal vegetables
- Indian Springs Minority Growers Association - Year-round production of the full spectrum of vegetables grown in this region
- J&D Blueberries - Blueberries, black tea and tea blends, plant starts
- Johndale Farm - Strawberries and other fresh produce and canned goods
- L'Hoste Citrus - Certified organic citrus
- Mendez Farm - Fresh fruits and vegetables, salsas, tamales
- Nur's Kitchen - Hummus and other mediterranean dips and spreads
- Our Family Farm - Hydroponic lettuce and greens, microgreens, grass fed beef, goat and lamb
- Poche Family Farms - Naturally grown and heirloom veggies, freeze dried and canned goods
- Southbound Gardens - Plant starts, compost, fresh herbs and veggies
- Spicy Lady - Herbs and seasonings, seasoning mixes, seasoned oils and spreads
- Star Nursery - Citrus, cabbage, broccoli, creole tomatoes
- Tomott's - Hydroponic tomatoes
- Two Dog Farm - Naturally grown specialty vegetables
- Veggi Co-Op - New Orleans urban farm cooperative specializing in asian greens and veg, tofu and soy milk
*Vendors are at various CCFM markets depending on seasonality. Please call 504.495.1459 to inquire about vendors and available produce offerings.
Second, many of these producers offer their own Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. When you visit the CCFM, ask the farmer you speak to if they have a CSA and how you can sign up.
Market Umbrella will be thinking about ways to help bridge the convenience gap for our vendors and shoppers in the weeks and months ahead. Your input to this planning process would be welcome. Please consider emailing us with your thoughts on how our farmers markets can better support you. We ask for your support of the over sixty family farms in our network and look forward to seeing you at the Crescent City Farmers Market.
Sincerely,
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Picks of the Week:
Tasting and Book Signing with Jenné Claiborne
Stop by the Saturday market on March 10th from 9:30 to 11am to get your copy of SWEET POTATO SOUL signed! In her debut cookbook SWEET POTATO SOUL: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul, vegan chef and blogger Jenné Claiborne inspires readers to embrace the time-honored traditions of classic soul food while celebrating the plant-based roots of the Southern staples. Chef Claiborne will be discussing how to enjoy fresh, seasonal market produce and preparing a dish to taste! |
Bean Madness
March is here so you know what that means? Beans! The folks from Red Beans Parade are getting ready to kick off Bean Madness: the tournament modeled after college basketball’s March Madness that determines through blind taste tests the best red beans in the city. The single elimination tournament raises money for nonprofits Anna’s Place, which offers after-school and summer camp programs as well as health outreach and a food pantry, and Make Music Nola, a free music-for-social-change program. This year completing your bracket will be easy and exclusively online, where you can compare your bets to those of celebrity judges. The website is currently live - complete your brackets now! First tastings will happen next week at our Thursday, Mid-City Market - March 8th and Saturday, Downtown Market - March 10th. Get your bean on, y’all! |
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Vendor of the Week:
White Oaks Farm
It may only be March, but spring has sprung! That means White Oaks Farm will not only be at the usual Downtown Market on Saturday, but also at Uptown on Tuesday. Mrs. Shirley Randon and her daughter Ann have been with CCFM since the beginning, providing beautiful flowers and fresh veggies from their small family farm in Folsom, Louisiana. Right now White Oaks Farm is offering ranunculus, anemones, snapdragons, daffodils, delphiniums, larkspurs, dutch iris, freesias, calendulas and more. Zinnias, sunflowers, and lisianthus soon to come! Remember: you don’t need a reason to buy flowers. Pick some up during your next market run!
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Tuesday’s Green Plate Special:
La Cocinita Food Truck
Everyone’s favorite Latin American street food truck is back at the Tuesday Market! La Cocinita will be the Green Plate Special for the month of March. Their fresh cuisine features tamales, tacos, and make your own bowls. Enjoy them for breakfast and lunch every Tuesday in June at 200 Broadway Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
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Recipe of the Week:
Uncle Bob’s Fried Catfish
We’ve got another recipe from the folks at Garden & Gun this week for your Lenten needs - fried catfish. Chef Duane Nutter of Morgan City says catfish holds a special place for him, “If there were ever a fish that can have a terroir, it would be the humble catfish.” Ain’t that the truth! Get your (locally sourced) catfish fix from our CCFM vendors Pete and Clara’s Seafood (Tu, Sa), and Des Allemands Outlaw Katfish (Tu).
What’s your favorite dish to make after visiting the Crescent City Farmers Market? Share your recipes with us on Instagram or Facebook or even Twitter and it might be featured in our weekly newsletter!
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