Eat the Rainbow | June 7, 2021

Fresh & Local:

Eat the Rainbow

In honor of Pride Month, the Crescent City Farmers Market is celebrating LGBTQ+ farmers and makers at our farmers markets, each one creating a more just, sustainable, and nourishing world. They care for the people, animals, and the land through their activism and craft, and we care for them! While there is still much work to do in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality and liberation, particularly for farmers in rural communities and for transgender community members, there are also many victories to celebrate and stories to share, like how Queer Farmers Are Changing the Landscape.

Here’s how you can eat the rainbow this month at the market!

Pink - peaches, radish
Red - Creole tomatoes, radish, new potatoes, peppers, watermelon, beets
Orange - carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe
Yellow - summer squash, peppers
Green - zucchini, peppers, basil, onions, cucumber, mustard greens
Blue - blueberries, River Queen Greens "lezzies growing veggies" tees
Violet - eggplant, peppers, onions, radicchio, plums, mulberries, turnips

Picks of the Week:

Join our team!

Join the Market Umbrella team and help us build a stronger food system and healthier community! We are looking for individuals that are passionate about food access, nutrition education, and small business development for local food producers. Applications are currently being accepted for the following positions:

• Director of Finance
• Contract Farmers Market Coordinator

New Potatoes

While sweet potatoes are a frequently discussed southern fav, let’s talk about new potatoes. Potatoes are the number one vegetable crop in the United States and the fourth most consumed crop in the world, behind rice, wheat and corn, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Right now you can find freshly harvested tender and creamy new potatoes at the market. Potatoes are a good source of many vitamins and minerals, such as potassium and vitamin C, so eat ‘em up!

Farewell to Major Acre Farm

After four years of sustainable farming for the New Orleans community, Major Acre Farm is packing up and moving west. Ellis, Jasmine, and their small but mighty farm have been a major asset to the Louisiana food system and an irreplaceable anchor producer at the Crescent City Farmers Market. We will surely miss Major Acre Farm (and their top tier Creole tomatoes), but wish Ellis and Jasmine nothing but love and good luck on their journey forward. You can find Ellis at one last Uptown market tomorrow, Tuesday, June 8th. Stop by and bid them farewell!

Farmers Market Nutrition Program

This year, as part of our efforts to make fresh, local produce more affordable for families, Market Umbrella is stretching those Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) coupon dollars for senior and WIC recipients. Not only does the program contribute extra money towards healthy food for families, but it supports local farmers! These once-yearly coupons can be spent between June and November directly with certified farmers and offer extra money towards local fruits and vegetables for seniors, pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and families with young children. Stop by the welcome tent at any CCFM market and we’ll double WIC dollars with an additional $24 of market tokens, and round up senior booklets to $30, providing $6 in market tokens in addition to the coupon value.

Vendor of the Week:

Perilloux Produce

Mr. Timmy, a market favorite and a big supplier for our TopBox home delivery boxes, is back for a limited time at the CCFM on Tuesdays and Thursdays! His larger-than-life produce encompasses almost everything from beets to carrots to cauliflower bigger than your head. A native of the river parishes, Mr. Timmy lives and farms in Montz, Louisiana. If you can’t catch him at market or via TopBox, you can always call for pickup at the farm directly.

Recipes of the Week:

Potato Fry

This potato fry can quickly become a staple recipe in your cookbook, coming together easily in one pot. Warm and savory, these potatoes go well over rice and can be enjoyed with toast, tortilla or naan. Many produce vendors like Indian Springs Farmers Association and Amorphous Gardens have recently started bringing potatoes to market, and Amorphous and Poche Family Farms also happen to carry turmeric. Tomatoes and onions are abundant where produce is found. This recipe also allows for many substitutions in case you don’t have a few of the traditional spices on hand.

What’s your favorite dish to make after visiting the Crescent City Farmers Market? Share your recipes with us on Instagram or Facebook or even Twitter and it might be featured in our weekly newsletter!