Pedal to the Metal | May 28, 2024

Fresh & Local:

Pedal to the Metal

Well not that fast - because we’ll be savoring our time during another year of the Eat Local NOLA Bike Tour happening this Sunday, June 2nd at the City Park Farmers Market! Join us for a lovely Sunday morning as we pedal through the city to support local businesses and learn about the importance of eating local. In partnership with Eat Local Nola, we'll be kicking off the morning with coffee at the market, and making stops at:

- Grow Dat Youth Farm!

- Porgy's Seafood Market!

- Sprout Nola!

- Skeeta Hawk Brewing!

Be sure to bring sunscreen and stay hydrated! RSVP today.

Good Food Word of the Week:

While Market Umbrella is known for our farmers markets and fresh food access programs, food systems work touches on many social, economic, and environmental issues. The Good Food Word of the Week seeks to shed some light on these parts of our work and the way we talk – demystifying the jargon.

Foodshed

The geographic region that produces food for a specific population. CCFM vendors typically come from within 200 miles of the markets, which includes farms and production facilities all over Louisiana and southwest Mississippi.

Picks of the Week:

What To Do With Herbs

It’s thyme to give it up for the real dill master-complementers: Herbs! If you’ve been sleeping on herbaceous offerings at the market, you may need to rethink your grocery game. 

Herbs are truly champions in the kitchen. They are incredibly versatile, and their flavor-enhancing powers can work in a multitude of ways to transform meals. They help to add depth, aroma, texture, and can build flavor without the addition of fat, sugar, or salt. With that being said, a little DIY herb-infused salt works wonderfully in marinades and sprinkled atop just about anything. 

There are oh so many ways to use herbs! Roast herbs with meat or vegetables to bring out and add complex flavors to a dish. Beat the heat and whip up a refreshing agua fresca or how about a rosemary honey or basil mint ice cream? Make your own edible art with herb laminated fresh pasta and then pair that with a homemade pesto. Fresh herbs make glorious pestos and chutneys! Herbs can also be turned into syrups for cocktails and mocktails or made into fun, homemade tea blends! Too many leftover herbs? You can dry and store or throw them in a quick and simple compound butter.

Third Annual CCFM Kitchenware Sale

We’re busy preparing for National Farmers Market Week, and you can help! We need your gently used pots, pans, barware, small cooking appliances, cookbooks, and dishes for our Third Annual Kitchenware Sale happening during the first week of August! Thought you’d love zoodles more than you actually do? Maxed out at three novelty ice cube trays? Bring in those one-time treasures you’ve accumulated along the way and support Market Umbrella and the Crescent City Farmers Market by shopping the sale to find your next new favorite thing!

Please drop off your donated items Monday through Friday from 9 am until 4 pm until August 2nd at our offices located at 200 Broadway, Suite 107. If you have any questions, email us at admin@marketumbrella.org or call the office at (504) 861-4485.

Breaking Records

The weather this Spring season has been so generous for beautiful market days and bountiful crop produce for all of our vendors. The Sunday City Park Markets have been setting records this past month for foot traffic, with an average of over 1,800 daily shoppers per market. CCFM markets help bring fresh, local food to our communities and provide an accessible, inviting space to spend your morning or afternoon. Thanks to everyone who stops by and helps make CCFM more than a market!

Market Match Cooking Class

Are you looking to up-level your skills in the kitchen? We’re excited to the Fresh & Local Market Match Cooking Class in partnership with the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University and Top Box Foods! Come learn more about the magic of buying local produce and how you can center your home’s cooking schedule around the seasons. Our recipes will be exciting and healthy for the whole family. Everyone will leave with a homemade food item in addition to sharing the meal made together in class! Register for your preferred date here.

Registration preference given to Market Match eligible shoppers.

Vendor of the Week:

J&D Blueberry Farm

Blueberries are so BACK! After a rough 2023 blueberry season due to a late winter freeze, J&D Blueberry Farm is officially back at all three markets with a plentiful bounty bluebs. Jeff and Don of J&D Blueberry Farm have been in the blueberry business since 2004, and today, they offer a variety of baked goods, jams and jellies, teas and cold drinks, fresh and frozen blueberries, and creamy fruit and yogurt popsicles. Come visit them at all three markets!

Recipe of the Week:

Samin Nosrat’s Vietnamese Cucumber Salad

There is something truly special about recipes that rely on ingredients you can easily find at the market. They have a way of capturing the essence of simplicity and convenience. As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we have a delightful Vietnamese cucumber salad recipe that you and your family can enjoy making at home. Prepare to be delighted by this incredibly easy and wonderfully refreshing recipe that is sure to become a go-to for the warmer seasons!