Rollin’ on the Rivertown | May 7, 2018
|
FRESH & LOCAL:Rollin’ on the Rivertown
The Rivertown Farmers Market grand opening was a smashing success this past Saturday! With gorgeous river views, near - perfect weather (we did get a few showers there at the end), an amazing vendor lineup, and a great turnout, the farmers market gods were definitely shining down on us Saturday when we cut the ribbon welcoming the new Rivertown Farmers Market into the CCFM family. After months of survey work in the area gathering information on what customers and potential customers would want out of the Rivertown Farmers Market, we brought it all out with plenty of local produce, a variety of meats, baked goods, jams, jellies, honey, eggs, cut flowers and prepared foods. Still to come, our new shrimp vendor and summer peaches are just around the corner! It’s a later market than other regional markets on Saturday, so come join us for breakfast or lunch from 9-1 every Saturday at LaSalle's Landing.
Please note, this new market is in addition to the CBD Saturday market that we run from 8-12.
|
 |
PICKS OF THE WEEK:GiveNOLA - Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who supported us during GiveNOLA day!!! Thanks to the generosity of donors, we raised over $8,000! As you know, we are a non-profit that not only hosts the farmers markets, but we run a number of innovative fresh food incentive programs as well as a variety of kids programming including Meet Me at the Market field trips and farm to school work. These donations make all of this important community building and food systems work possible! Thanks as well to the vendors who donated delicious treats that went out to donors at market, and also to the volunteers who helped out over the course of the day. We couldn’t have done it without you all!
|  |
 | Peas Primer
Snap peas, snow peas, shelling peas. What are all these things and how do we eat them? Here’s a brief overview of the peas you’ll see this time of year:
Snow pea: a flat, crescent-shaped pod containing tiny peas that make only slight bumps in the outside surface of the pod. You can eat this one pod and all. Very young ones you can consume whole, but as they mature, a fibrous string along the edge of the pod develops. Try one and see. If it’s easy to take a bite of, no need to remove the string. If you get a bite and the string comes off in your teeth, pull it off of each one. These tender things need only a minute or two on heat to cook and are best served crisp-tender.
Snap peas: Also called sugar snap peas, these you also usually eat in the pod and can be raw or cooked and depending on maturity, may need to be stringed. Look for plump, firm and shiny smooth pods. If these become over-mature (tough and starchy instead of sweet), you can always just shell them and eat only the pea. Which brings us to…
Shelling peas: A common variety is english peas, these are mature peas from inedible pods. You shell them by grabbing the pointy end that connected to the plant, snapping it which releases the string, pulling the string all the way down to open the pod, then slide your thumb up each side of the pod to release the peas. You’ll want to cook the peas, but it shouldn’t take long - a quick blanch will suffice.
|
Refresh Market, Our New Market Match Partner!
Market Match, the program through which we double SNAP dollars is now available at the Refresh Farmers Market which runs Mondays from 4-7 at the Broad St. Whole Foods. Use your SNAP card at any Crescent City Farmers Market (including the new Rivertown Farmers Market) and now at Refresh Farmers Market, and you’ll be issued the tokens for your purchase, then an additional set of tokens for a dollar for dollar match up to $20 per day, good for any produce items. Spend them at the market you’re at or hold onto them to shop at another, there are now six local options!
|  |
 | VENDOR OF THE WEEK:Johndale Farm
Enjoy them while we have them folks, the peak of strawberry season is past but they’re still around in quantity and first of the season blueberries have made an appearance so now is that sweet time of the year for those berry medleys. Heather Robertson with Johndale Farm, from Ponchatoula, the strawberry capital of the south, attends our Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday CBD markets and has been for quite some time. Visit her table and you’ll also find eggs, honey, jam, fresh red beans, mustard greens and more as the season changes. Or visit Amanda’s Fresh Fruit Specialties for an amazing strawberry lemonade, or Baking 504 for her signature strawberry banana pie, all made with Johndale Farms strawberries! And one final thank you to everyone who supported us on GiveNOLA day.
|
TUESDAY’S GREEN PLATE SPECIAL:La Monita
Delicious Colombian-inspired food made from locally sourced ingredients, La Monita (Colombian slang for blond girl) returns to the market for another stint as the Green Plate Special on Tuesdays. Inspired by her travels through South and Central America, Tracey Armitage is preparing for us this month incredible arepas, tropical salads, and a Colombian goodness bowl amongst a weekly changing cast of other dishes. Come grab plantains for breakfast or a fish stew for lunch. It’s all delicious!
|  |
 | RECIPE OF THE WEEK:Spring Veggie Pasta Primavera
This recipe from Saveur highlights many of the new items we’ve been seeing at market lately - peas, yellow squash, zucchini - and some that will soon be done for the season like broccoli. It’s a little heavy with all that cream, so enjoy its savoriness as is, or lighten it up by subbing in whole milk for cream and reducing the quantity. The beauty of a recipe like this that features such a melange is that you can adjust it seasonally, using any variation of produce. You know we love versatility like this in a recipe, and also the fact that a single dish is a stand alone meal - cutting down on prep time and dishes afterward. It’s also great with a salad and lettuce is abundant right now.
|
 |
 |  |  |  |
   |
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment