Make my Heart Beet | February 10, 2020

Fresh & Local:

Make my Heart Beet

Strawberries are red,
Farm fresh eggs are blue,
Satsumas are sweet,
And honey is too!

Valentine’s Day is near, love is in the air, and the Crescent City Farmers Market is your one-stop shop for all things sweet and locally made. Need some ideas? Treat your best boo to a flaky butter croissant from Leo’s Bread or Windfield Farm Bakery’s famous big boy cookie. Bring some French macarons from Violet Sprinkles home to the love shack. Give the gift of Ponchatoula chocolate covered strawberries from Johndale Farm or Fletcher Farm. Make a Michelin star meal with lump crab meat from Pete and Clara’s seafood upon a bed of River Queen Greens’ greens. Keep it low key with a dozen of Ollie’s hot tamales and a chilled bottle of LA Serendipity Vineyards wine. Give your honey a bouquet of the freshest flowers from the NOLA Flower Collective at the SPROUT NOLA table. Veggies, pickles, jam, hot sauce and so much more. Whatever you decide, show some love from your head to your toma-toes this year!

Picks of the Week:

Eat Fit NOLA King Cake

Market last week was cancelled due to bad weather, so Eat Fit is popping up this week! We know that Mardi Gras season is all about indulgence, but this doesn’t mean you have to break your healthy eating habits. The Eat Fit King Cake is gluten and grain free, low carb (AKA keto friendly!), and sweetened with a local plant-based sweetener. The almond and coconut flour base of this King Cake makes for a dough that is oh so moist and tender, almost like a pound cake dressed in purple, green, and gold! Come to our next market outside of the Ochsner Rehab Center from 3-7pm, as a treat.

From left to right: Connor DeLoach of Top Box Foods, Angelina Harrison of Market Umbrella, Ben Burkett of Indian Springs Farmers Association, Joe Barnes of the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, and Dennis Bagneris, Tasheena Butler and Da’Mon Keelen of Liberty’s Kitchen

Farm 2 All

Last week as part of a Community Food Project called Farm 2 All, we took a field trip with Liberty’s Kitchen and Top Box Foods out to the Indian Springs Farmers Association in Petal Mississippi. While there, we visited several of the co-op members’ farms, and also their processing facility which is where they turn all those sweet potatoes into fries, and wash and chop the collards, mustard greens and turnips that can be found at market lately. This project works to incorporate locally grown produce into the supply chain for Liberty’s Kitchen’s cafe, catering and youth training operations and Top Box Foods affordable fresh food delivery service. At the heart of Farm 2 All is supporting historically disenfranchised growers of color through purchasing of fresh produce that supports the youth development and fresh food access goals of these two organizations.

It’s a SNAP!

Not only does Crescent City Farmers Market accept SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) benefits at all of our market locations, we also double those benefits dollar for dollar, up to $20 per day, with our Market Match program. Just bring your SNAP card to the welcome tent and we’ll do the rest! Not a SNAP recipient? Think you might qualify? CCFM is here to help. Our Food Access Program Manager, Allegro Hopkins can help you complete an application at our Uptown office located at 200 Broadway in suite 107 on Tuesdays from 9 am to 3 pm or make an appointment and she can help you on Fridays. On Thursdays through February, you can also find her at the Treme Center (900 N Villere). We’ll help make it a snap to apply!

Vendor of the Week:

Pickled NOLA

Kim and Jeremy, the pair behind Pickled NOLA’s story starts as so many pickling stories do, with an abundance of cucumbers they’d grown! At the urging of family and friends who loved their pickled cucumbers, peppers and other veggies, the Pickled NOLA business was born in March 2018. Kim and Jeremy make briny delights such as pickled carrots, onions, jalapenos, cauliflower, beets, and more-- swing by our Saturday market to try ‘em out! In addition to being an integral part of the CCFM community, Jeremy and his daughter (pictured) are both Mardi Gras indians so find them at market, or festooned in hand-beaded finery out and about this carnival season.

Tuesday’s Green Plate Special:

Luncheon

Let’s do Luncheon, y’all! Luncheon is a pop-up and catering company brought to you by Colleen Allerton and Camille Staub. These two Louisiana natives cook food inspired by their travels, but tied to their roots. They’re committed to sourcing ingredients locally and sustainably. Luncheon will be popping up as the Green Plate Special on Tuesdays through February to help you get the good times rolling. You can also find them at the Wednesday Ochsner and Thursday Mid-City markets and Levee Baking Co. on the weekends for brunch. Holler if you see them; they’d love to say hey!

Recipe of the Week:

Ribeye Steaks with Grilled Radicchio

Nothing says “olive you” like a juicy, grass-fed and grass-finished ribeye. Show that special someone you really care with primo dinner from the farmers market. Grab a thick steak from Gonsoulin Land and Cattle and some radicchio from Poche Family Farm and follow this recipe from Food and Wine. Grass-fed beef is leaner than conventional beef so be sure to follow Gonsoulin’s cooking guidance and check for doneness early and often to ensure the best preparation. Chefs’ kiss!

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!