So You Have a Green Thumb | September 10, 2024

Fresh & Local:

So You Have a Green Thumb

It’s time to start prepping your fall garden! Now is the perfect time to prime your garden and prepare for planting to allow your flowers to fully blossom before it gets too cold. Before planting new seeds or transplants, clear the area and amend the soil with compost. Adding a thin layer of organic mulch can help conserve moisture and shade the soil from direct sunlight during the hot, dry autumn months.

Next, head over to Crescent City Farmers Market to pick your plants! Whether you grow flowers, herbs, or vegetables, our plant nursery vendors have plenty of great options available. If you’re shopping at our Tuesday Uptown Market, choose from Jim Mizell's wide selection of flowers, herbs, decorative plants, and plant starts. At the Thursday Mid-City Market, you can pick up microgreens from Know Dat Grow Dat and learn more about planting young veggies. At the Sunday City Park Market, you can check out CRISP Farms selection of subtropical fruits, perennial vegetables, leguminous plants, and natives.

Each vendor has tons of experience growing in the Louisiana climate, so be sure to ask them for advice if you’re unsure how to best care for your new plants. Happy gardening!

Picks of the Week:

Keeping An Eye On Hurricane Francine

With a tropical storm warning issued for New Orleans, we will be keeping a close eye on Hurricane Francine this week. Stay tuned for updates via email, on our Instagram, Facebook, and website about the Thursday Mid-City Market schedule. Our goal is to provide 24 hours notice before a market closure, and is dependent on weather conditions and vendor availability. Check back tomorrow!

Market Umbrella at the Big Health Event

If you’ll be at the Urban League’s Big Health Event this Saturday, September 14th - come say hi to Market Umbrella! It’s free to attend and open to the public with online registration. We’ll have a booth where attendees can learn more about the Crescent City Farmers Market and the many food access and education programs that Market Umbrella offers.

It’s National Mushroom Month!

September is chock full of National food months that tap into CCFM offerings!

Neither plant nor animal, the noble mushroom has a kingdom all its own. Considered by the ancient Romans as the “Food of the Gods”, this humble decomposer is packed full of B vitamins, copper, selenium and potassium. If you’ve been purchasing your ‘shrooms at the grocery, you’ve probably been limited to only a few varieties… the ubiquitous white button, cremini and portabella. At CCFM, you can find wood-cultivated, exotic varieties like oyster, lion’s mane, or pioppino as well as wild-foraged chanterelles! 

You can take home mushroom treasures by visiting Také Box NOLA every Thursday Mid-City Market and Sunday City Park Market, and Mycelium Express every other Tuesday Uptown Market, Thursday Mid-City Market, or on Sunday City Park Market.

Louisiana State Nutrition Action Council (SNAC)

Last week, Greaux the Good (Market Umbrella’s statewide nutrition incentive program) and Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services hosted the inaugural Gather & Grow event for the Louisiana State Nutrition Action Council (SNAC). This council has convened regularly for almost a year and established a goal to improve food and nutrition security for all Louisianians, particularly in inequitably resourced communities, focused on enhancing food accessibility and affordability. The council will continue to collaborate on initiatives, engage communities through outreach and education efforts, and advocate for policy changes. 

Vendor of the Week:

Louisiana’s Best Kettlecorn

From farmers markets to local festivals, Louisiana's Best Kettlecorn has become synonymous with good times and great flavors. Husband and wife team, Amanda and Jairus, pop their kernels in small batches, using time-honored techniques to achieve that perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness that keep customers coming back for more. Follow the smell to find them at CCFM on Sundays or book them for your private event!

Recipe of the Week:

Simple Southern Boiled Green Peanuts

Fresh boiled peanuts… take me to the fair! Green peanuts have hit the market with the Indian Springs Farmers Association. Here’s an easy recipe to make fabulous peanuts, and lots of room to get creative with your own flavors!