Five Days ‘till Farmers Market Week! | July 31, 2023

Fresh & Local:

Five Days ‘till Farmers Market Week!

Only 5 days left! National Farmers Market Week is August 6–12. Start the week off at the Sunday City Park Market with our August Marketeers Meetup and a goat milking demonstration with Huckleberry Farms’ goats! At the Tuesday Uptown Market, shop at the Second Annual Kitchenware Sale for affordable and unique dishes, utensils, appliances, cookbooks, and more! Take a peek at some of the donations in the photo! Chef Nini Nguyen will lead a cooking demo at the Thursday Mid-City Market; be sure to visit for some tips on how to make restaurant-level meals in your kitchen. Each market will have live music, a free watermelon tasting, and fresh produce and food from local vendors. Jefferson Parish WIC staff will table at the Sunday and Thursday Market. They can answer questions and issue WIC FMNP Benefits cards to shoppers who visit a WIC office in Jefferson Parish. For a list of who is at the market this week, click here. Realcycle will offer free compost and recycling collection at each CCFM market during Farmers Market Week. Acceptable recyclables include broken-down cardboard, aluminum, and glass; no plastic or trash, please. Acceptable compost materials include food waste (no oily foods, meat, or dairy, please), leaves, wood chips, clippings, and coffee grounds. This is an Eat Local NOLA event that is open to the public and fun for the whole family. There will be special activities at each market. To view a calendar of all events offered during Farmers Market Week, click here.

Picks of the Week:

August Marketeers Meetup

The August Marketeers meetup is on August 6 at the Sunday City Park Market! Join CFFM and all your Marketeers friends for a seed sprout activity! Come learn the very first steps that seeds take in the journey growing into food! Meet at the More Than a Market Tent. Marketeers Kid’s Club is a free membership program for market goers under the age of 12. Marketeers get to participate in special market activities on the first Sunday of every month and receive a special $5 market token of appreciation during their birthday month! To join in the fun, enroll your kids in the Marketeers Club by completing this brief membership form.

CCFM is Hiring!

Join the Market Umbrella and CCFM team to help us build a stronger food system and a healthier community! CCFM is currently hiring for the following positions:

• Part-time Program Coordinator to assist with SNAP-Education activities in the market like market tours, cooking demos, tastings, Marketeers Kid’s Club activities, Market Mommas Club meet-ups, and Meet Me at the Market field trips.
• Part-time FMNP Program Coordinator to assist with the implementation of the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and its accompanying nutrition incentive program, Greaux the Good. The FMNP Program Coordinator’s main work is processing FMNP transactions, distributing the matching of FMNP incentives, and providing information and guidance to FMNP customers in the market space.
• Part-time Market Coordinator to assist with the coordination of weekly farmers markets. The Market Coordinator’s main work is the day-to-day market operations, but will also contribute to outreach and promotion of the market and Market Umbrella’s mission.

Click here to learn more about the open positions and to apply!

Volunteer with CCFM for Farmers Market Week

Are you interested in helping out at National Farmers Market Week? CCFM needs volunteers! Volunteers will assist with set-up, breakdown, and support activities at each of the three markets. Volunteers get to spend the day connecting with local food producers, businesses, and community partners that make our markets and food access work possible. Market Umbrella is a small team, and volunteers truly make a difference in our work! To view and sign up for shifts, click here.

Vendor of the Week:

Monica’s Okra World

Monica’s Okra World started off as roadside sellers and then joined CCFM as regular vendors 25 years ago. The Monicas have lived the ups and downs of being a Louisiana farming family. Their okra has flown off the shelves since they began stocking it at the Garyville General Store. They made home deliveries throughout the Crescent City until Hurricane Katrina. During the summer season, you can expect to find okra and multiple varieties of summer squash, including zucchini and pattypan, overflowing at their table. This alongside eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, figs, and gorgeous bouquets of towering sunflowers. While making your groceries at any CCFM markets, be sure to pay a visit to our longtime friends the Monicas!

Recipe of the Week:

Stuffed Okra Poppers

While okra is a southern staple deserving of our attention and admiration, it’s easy to feel like cooking with okra is somewhat limiting. You can bake it, fry it, and enjoy it in gumbo of course, but are there any other ways to serve it? Introducing Stuffed Okra Poppers! This recipe from Southern Living is a fun way to change up our okra-eating habits. Believe it or not okra also serves as a great milder alternative to traditional jalapeno poppers for those who enjoy the milder side of life.