<p>Eating Locally Means Eating Healthier</p> | December 30, 2024

Fresh & Local:

Eating Locally Means Eating Healthier

New Year’s resolutions often come with a lot of pressure, with as many as 80% of people failing to keep their New Year’s resolutions by February. But you shouldn’t have to commit to a strict diet to eat healthier! One simple way to incorporate more nutritious habits into your life is by knowing where your food comes from. The Crescent City Farmers Market connects you directly with local farmers, fishers, ranchers, bakers, and food makers from within 200 miles of Greater New Orleans. Most of what you'll find is fresh, unprocessed, and grown or made right in our region—ensuring maximum freshness, flavor, and nutrients. Just-harvested produce is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help protect against chronic diseases. Skip the lofty goals and disappointment and start your year off right with healthy, local foods from the Crescent City Farmers Market. 

The Tuesday Uptown Market will be closed tomorrow for New Years Eve, but join us for the first market of 2025 this Thursday on the Greenway to get your resolutions off on the right foot!

Picks of the Week:

Goodbye 2024!

With humble beginnings in 1995, Market Umbrella and the Crescent City Farmers Market are turning 30 this year! As we celebrate this milestone, we’re excited for what’s ahead and would love your support to help our programs and markets continue to grow. Your donation helps us strengthen our community, support local farmers, and bring fresh, healthy food to all. Here’s to another great year of fresh food and community!

If you have the means this year, you can send an early birthday gift to Market Umbrella by texting CCFM to 44-321 or by visiting our fundraising page.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree for Coastal Restoration

This holiday season, skip the landfill and help protect Louisiana’s coastline by recycling your Christmas tree! Started in 1989 by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), the program has turned over one million trees into protective barriers for our coast. Recycled trees are used in brush fences to slow erosion, trap sediment, and protect shorelines. Follow CRCL to learn where you can drop off your green tree and contribute to this long-standing tradition of coastal restoration. Just remember to remove all lights, ornaments, and stands before recycling!

New Year Food Traditions

Many cultures and countries have particular "lucky" foods, and the southern United States is no exception. Greens, pork, and cornbread, as well as black-eyed peas, cowpeas, or beans, are some of the typical symbolic foods served on New Year's Day. Peas and beans symbolize coins or wealth, while greens resemble money, specifically folding money. Pork is considered a sign of prosperity in some cultures because pigs root forward, the reason many southern New Year's Day dishes contain pork or ham. Add a bit of luck to start off 2025 with these Southern Living New Year recipes!

Brrrr… Ways To Warm Up At The Market!

Winter temps make us crave a warm tummy. Vendors all across the Crescent City Farmers Market have you covered!

• JuiceSee: Try their Butternut Squash Soup with a rich lion’s mane mushroom broth—perfect for cozying up!
• Latino Snacks: Featuring weekly special soups, like the hearty and flavorful Chicken Tortilla Soup.
• Applied Arts Coffee: Warm up with one of their specialty roasted, single-origin coffees. With 3–4 varieties available, there's something for every coffee lover.
• Delightful Merriment: Sample her hot Crawfish and Shrimp Pies—and take them home to cook for a quick, delicious meal.
• Fat Cat Farms: Fresh specialty cookie dough ready to pop in the oven and warm up your house!

Vendor of the Week:

Delightful Merriment

After retiring, I decided to try something new and started making pies to share with others. I never imagined I'd be selling them at farmers markets, but here we are! As I thought about what to create, I realized I had always avoided seafood pies because they were packed with rice or breadcrumbs, masking the true flavor of the seafood. So, I set out to make something simple and full of fresh, flavorful seafood, spiced just right. I made individual, bite-sized pies along with the classic 9-inch ones—filling a gap I noticed in the market. Each pie is made with love, using local Louisiana crawfish or Gulf shrimp and a special blend of Cajun spices that’ll transport you straight to the bayou. Now, a year into this journey, it brings me so much joy to see the delight on people’s faces after trying hot samples—often leading to both planned and unplanned purchases! Come visit us at the Sunday Crescent City Farmers Market, and let Delightful Merriment bring a little taste of Louisiana to your day!

Recipe of the Week:

Savory Southern Bloody Mary

Save the potlikker (the liquid that is "left behind" from cooking a pot of greens) from your holiday dishes to be used as a broth in beans, hams, and even a bloody mary! Ring in the new year with the hero of all brunch cocktails with this savory, southern Bloody Mary. If you haven’t made greens, you can always cook down any broth instead!