Farm to School Month is in Full Swing | October 16, 2023

Fresh & Local:

Farm to School Month is in Full Swing

October is National Farm to School Month! This program brings together farmers, educators, and community members to foster the connection between children and locally grown foods. Farm to school programs increase student access to healthy, locally grown foods, link schools and farmers, and increase student awareness of the importance of agricultural activities through engaging learning opportunities. Market Umbrella’s Meet Me at the Market and Marketeers programs focus on nutrition education for school aged children in grades Pre-K through 3rd grade and children12 and under, respectively. Meet Me at the Market partners with local schools to highlight seasonality, the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, nutrition, and how food grows. The Marketeers program has monthly meetups that facilitate a variety of different fun and educational activities. If you are interested in either program, please complete the respective forms below.

Meet Me at the Market interest form
Marketeers Signup form

Picks of the Week:

Plant starts at Market

It’s time to start prepping your fall garden! 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 our Thursday and Sunday markets, Too Tall Nursery is back with vegetable starts, edible flowers, and more. We are also excited to welcome Chickadee Natives to the Thursday market with their native plants. 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!

Crescent Fund: Fundraiser for Fire Damage at T&R Dairy

Mary Regan, the friendly face of T&R Dairy, is a fourth-generation dairy farmer from Liberty, MS, who produces aged cheese, yogurt, ricotta, whole milk, and eggs, along with beef yielded from their grass-fed cattle. On Sunday, October 1, Mary returned home from the ninety-mile trip from the Crescent City Farmers Market to find her tractor and property engulfed in flames. Adding insult to injury, the 90+ day drought has not only wiped out all forage for T&R Dairy's cows, creating a huge deficit in milk production and costing two of Mary's cows their lives, but has also turned her fields into fuel for the fire sparked by her tractor. The farm lost the John Deere tractor and supply of hay, but luckily the barn and everyone are okay. During these times, we need to come together to support our community, which works so hard to feed us. Please give what you can so that T&R can replace the tractor purchased for $15,000 a few years back and secure more hay to feed the herd. Current prices for round bale hay are going for $70+, and Ms. Mary will need 100 bales to get through the end of the year.

Call for Volunteers

Do you like to spend time at the Crescent City Farmers Market? Looking for more excuses to hang out? We would love to have you volunteer with us! There are several fun upcoming volunteer opportunities at CCFM, including counting visitor foot traffic, consumer engagement analysis, and helping out with Halloween activities at market. Volunteers get to spend the day connecting with local food producers, businesses, and community partners that make our markets and food access work possible. Shifts are available October 22, 24, 26, & 29, to view and sign up for shifts, click here.

We’re Hiring!

Market Umbrella is expanding our team! Now hiring for the following positions:

• Communications Specialist
• Healthy Food Access Program Manager
• Greaux the Good Program Coordinator

Read the full descriptions and apply here.

Vendor of the Week:

Seafood Sally’s

Uptown seafood destination Seafood Sally’s recently made a splash at CCFM with their boiled Louisiana jumbo shrimp, jambalaya, and ceviche. No stranger to the market, Seafood Sally’s sources many of their ingredients from local producers; the decision to join the market came after news from state health regulators that they needed to replace their kitchen floors. Owner Marcus Jacobs and Partner Caitlin Carney had to put the operations of their brick-and-mortar restaurant on hold until they could raise the funds to replace the floors, and they used this challenge as an opportunity to expand their reach and meet new customers through spaces like CCFM. Their fundraising was successful; Seafood Sally’s will soon continue their operations on Oak Street, and we are excited that even amidst the return of their brick & mortar, they will continue to pop up at our Tuesday Uptown market and Sunday City Park - make sure you're following our Instagram/Facebook and keeping up with our Who is at the market this week? page so you know when to find them!

Recipe of the Week:

Luffa Shrimp Curry Recipe

We’re used to seeing Luffa (or loofah) dried in the shower. Did you know that they are edible and grow voraciously in our region? Luffa or Ridge Gourds can frequently be found at VEGGI Co-Op’s table this time of year. The taste is somewhere between cucumber and okra, and its spongy texture absorbs the sauces and flavors it's cooked in. Luffa are low in calories and high in nutrients like Vitamins A, C, B-complex, and fiber, making them a nutritious fall ingredient. They tend to break down when cooked, so most recipes add the luffa toward the end of cooking. At market, pick up a tomato, shrimp, turmeric, and peppers for this hearty and aromatic Luffa Curry, inspired by a recipe from Saveur, that inspires a cozy mood and is perfect to add to your gumbo weather rotation.