This Week at the Crescent City Farmers' Market ("CCFM")

 

Seed Saving, History, & Sovereignty | February 21, 2022

FRESH & LOCAL: Seed Saving, History, & Sovereignty The legacy of slavery in Louisiana is deeply embedded in our local food system, and while we celebrate and support the work of small farmers, ranchers, fishers and other food suppliers, we as an organization think it is also important to recognize and bring awareness to the harm that agriculture has caused and continues to cause to communities of color. Although slavery was abolished with the 13th Amendment in 1865, Jim Crow laws designed by white southern law makers were put in place to undermine and limit the freedom of newly emancipated people. When these laws were broken, Black men, women, and children were sometimes “leased” to private businesses, including plantations, a system which became known as “convict leasing''. Although it was eventually banned in 1898, this system incentivized the mass incarceration of Black people in the South to create a supply of cheap or free agricultural labor which still continues today. In 1901, the state of Louisiana purchased 8,000 acres of land, which was formerly Angola plantation (named after the country where enslaved Africans were stolen from). Today, Angola continues to use the labor of incarcerated people to farm over 18,000 acres of cotton, corn, soybeans, and vegetables that are sold to neighboring communities. Incarcerated people at Angola are only paid a few cents an hour. With 75% of incarcerated people at Angola being Black and 70% facing life in prison, “Angola is essentially a place where slavery never ended.” It is important in our work as food system organizers and local food advocates that we acknowledge the harm that agriculture has had and continues to have on Black communities in the South. We encourage our community to educate themselves about the history of agriculture in this region and to donate to organizations like the Innocence Project who work directly with incarcerated people facing wrongful convictions and on prison reform.

PICKS OF THE WEEK: BHM Book List: Cookbooks As we continue to celebrate Black History Month we want to further celebrate the contributions of Black chefs and their cooking. This list showcases cookbooks ranging from the first cookbook penned by an African-American woman in the U.S. to modern cookbooks exploring the intersection of black history, music, and food.

Domestic Cook Book: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen by Malinda Russell The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase Afro-vegan : farm-fresh African, Caribbean & Southern flavors remixed by Bryant Terry Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin Black food : stories, art and recipes from across the African diaspora by Bryant Terry Soul food advisor : recipes and tips for authentic southern cooking by Cassandra Harrell Sweet Home Cafe cookbook : a celebration of African American cooking by Albert Lukas Creole Feast: Fifteen Master Chefs of New Orleans Reveal Their Secrets by Nathaniel Burton, Rudy Lombard, and Leah Chase Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul : a Cookbook by Jenné Claiborne The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson Mixtape Potluck Cookbook: A Dinner Party for Friends, Their Recipes, and the Songs They Inspire by Questlove

Seed Saving, History, & Sovereignty Seed saving is the practice of intentionally selecting and saving seeds to be used from year to year. In many ways seed saving is a means of preserving food culture, and serves as the bridge between the overlooked past and a regenerative future. Okra, purple hull peas, and fish pepper are just a few of the crops we know and love today that hold a rich history of seed saving and exchanging, and represent important food traditions associated with the African diaspora. Seed libraries function as a form of food sovereignty and allow us to preserve seed systems and the culture they hold. Read further about the history and importance of seed saving here.

Free COVID Testing Now Available at the Tuesday Uptown Market CORE offers free COVID testing weekly right next to the Tuesday CCFM at 200 Broadway St. Tests are available to people of all ages, with no insurance or appointment required. To protect the safety of vendors, staff, and shoppers, please refrain from entering the market space if you have had a known exposure to COVID or have symptoms.

Calling all musicians! Are you a musician interested in performing at the Crescent City Farmers Market? We are looking for acoustic bands of one to three musicians to perform at one of our three markets! Thanks to funding from the Threadhead Cultural Foundation, we are excited to announce Music at Market-- a monthly series of safe, outdoor performances at each of our market locations. You can apply to perform on our website, and be on the lookout for the Music at Market lineup for March, soon to be announced!

VENDOR OF THE WEEK: Kirby Jones Kirby Jones, a former vendor with the markets’ Green Plate Special, is excited to join the Crescent City Farmers Market as a full time vendor at the Tuesday Uptown Market serving up Creole coffee cold brew blends, freshly roasted coffee beans, and her special king cakes. What started out as a bike cafe popup at Martin’s Wine Cellar has bloomed into a flourishing business for the mother of two. With deep roots in New Orleans Creole culture dating back to the 1800s, Kirby first fell in love with coffee when her grandmother, who lived across the street from the sugarcane fields in Lutcher, LA, handed her a cup of coffee and bunny bread to dip in it. Now, Kirby is slated to open up the newest addition of La Vie En Rose in the CBD on February 14th, 2022. You can find her at the Tuesday Market starting in March.

RECIPES OF THE WEEK: Curry Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potato Formerly featured as the Tuesday Market Green Plate Special, Chef Indigo is no stranger to CCFM. He has early memories of cooking with his grandmother and later worked his way up from a busboy in the French Quarter to working in the kitchen beginning in 2013. As a contributor to the New Orleans plant-based scene, seasonality informs his cooking. As the weather begins to warm, look forward to class offerings and dinners from Indigo. To get the latest updates on his work, you can follow him on Instagram at _indig0soulcuisine, look out on Airbnb Experience and Tock – where he promotes upcoming events. Inspired by Chef Indigo’s plant-based approach to cooking, here’s a recipe from our friends at the Goldring Center of Culinary Medicine, using seasonal produce which you can currently find regularly at Crescent City Farmers Markets What’s your favorite dish to make after visiting the Crescent City Farmers Market? Share your recipes with us on Instagram or Facebook and it might be featured in our weekly newsletter!

KING CAKE OF THE WEEK: King Cake Offerings by La Vie En Rose Among the highly anticipated items on offer from La Vie en Rose Cafe are the Don Creole (Crawfish King Cake) and Rose Queen Cake. The Don Creole, is a savory delight with a filling as rich as the beautiful city of New Orleans, which it is an homage to. It’s filled with robust ingredients including crawfish, cheese, herbs, seasonings and spices. Whereas the Rose Queen cake is infused with signature Rose Cane Syrup providing a decadent and floral flavor which could satisfy all sweet tooths.

MARKETS THIS WEEK: TUESDAY UPTOWN WALK UP Tuesday, February 22, 2022 8 am - 12 pm Uptown Square 200 Broadway St. near the River CCFM BOX DELIVERY through Top Box Foods Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Order Tuesday through Friday for home delivery the following Tuesday THURSDAY MID-CITY WALK UP Thursday, February 24, 2022 3 pm - 7 pm Lafitte Greenway Plaza 3200 Lafitte Ave. at the Bayou SUNDAY CITY PARK WALK UP Sunday, February 27, 2022 8:00 am - 12 pm Tad Gormley Stadium Marconi @ Navarre TUESDAY UPTOWN Tuesday, March 1, 2022 MARKET CLOSED FOR MARDI GRAS