It’s Bean a While | March 9, 2020

Fresh & Local:

It’s Bean a While

The Beans are back! During Bean Madness, 32 chefs and restaurants compete in a tasting tournament modeled after basketball’s March Madness to see who makes the best red beans in New Orleans. If you like having fun, supporting the farmers market, and the chance to win lots of restaurant gift cards or a gift package from the Krewe of Red Beans you’ll love Bean Madness. Visit redbeansnola.com, choose Crescent City Farmers Market as the non-profit your bracket purchase will benefit, and make your predictions on how local chefs and restaurants will fare as they advance through the competition. It’s a fun way to support the Krewe of Red Beans, Market Umbrella, and local food! The bracket will be available until Sunday March 10th.

This week we’ll be hosting taste test battles at the March 12th Mid City market and the March 14th CBD market so come try something new and cast your vote!

Good Food Word of the Week:

While Market Umbrella is known for our farmers markets and fresh food access programs, food systems work touches on issues of urban and rural economic development, immigration, environmental and economic sustainability, structural racism, local, state and federal policy, funding and advocacy, just to name a few. We know there are industry terms we throw around, so the “Good Food Word of the Week” seeks to shed some light on these various issues that are a part of our work and the way we talk. To kick off this new section, we’ll start with:

Good Food

Food that is picked when ripe and yields maximum nutritional value, grown locally, which limits carbon emissions as the result of transportation and keeps foods fresh and nutritionally intact, produced by small farms whose methods are in many ways more environmentally sustainable than conventional agriculture, for which the farmer and their employees get paid fairly and can make a decent living, and is affordable and accessible for all eaters. For shorthand, we often define good food as healthy, green, fair and affordable. When you’re shopping at the farmers market, you are supporting good food!

Picks of the Week:

2020 James Beard Award Semifinalists NOLA

Congrats to all of the NOLA restaurants, restaurateurs, chefs, bakers, and bars who received a James Beard nomination and a special shout out to all who have included the Crescent City Farmers Market in their journey there. We are extremely excited that every single 2020 nominee is a part of our market family - demonstrating commitment to local food and community by shopping regularly at the farmers market! Check out Ian McNulty’s write up of the semifinalists and make your reservations!

Farmers Market Health and Safety for Vendors, Shoppers, and Staff

The word “pandemic” can be scary, but we’re keeping abreast of the situation and working as always to prioritize safety at the market. Many of the precautions recommended by the CDC to reduce transmission of the coronavirus COVID 19 are things our vendors are well versed in - they’re also very important practices for safe food handling. Things like staying home when you’re sick, rigorous hand washing, proper cough covering, etc. are all things our expert vendors have practiced until they’re second nature. All CCFM vendors are required to abide by all food safety laws and regulations, which include things like the Food Safety Modernization Act, manager food safety training for operations, and others. We’re working with our vendors to ensure maximum food safety precautions, and will be increasing hand sanitizer available at the market, along with posting some signage about good market practices to keep us all safe.

Vendor of the Week:

Mizell Farm

Jim Mizell is an anchor of the Tuesday Uptown market and has been for many years. You probably recognize him from his vibrant and ample spread of plants that greet you as you enter the market. If you’re lucky, you’ve also collected some of his plants and gardening expertise for yourself. Stop by our Tuesday market to check out Mizell’s wide selection of herbs, plant starts, decorative plants and flowers, and more! Pick up everything you’ll need to start your spring garden, including the generously shared wisdom from Mizell himself.

Tuesday’s Green Plate Special:

Kinoko

Welcome back Kinoko to the Green Plate Special to the Green Plate Special every Tuesday in March. Kinoko is a sushi pop up that focuses on plant based sushi and Japanese cuisine. Chef Kelseay Dukae offers a creative and healthy take on sushi, using ingredients such as jackfruit for “sneauxcrab” for her spin on the traditional crunchy roll. Most recently, she was a contestant on the Fox Network show, Masterchef, owned a health food concept and ran a sushi bar here in the city and is now back to curating pop ups. Kinoko translates to mushroom in Japanese, so expect this mushroom lover to present an interesting twist on mushrooms and sushi!

Recipe of the Week:

Italian Vegetable Stew

The madness continues… bean madness, that is. As the battle for brackets wages on we’re enjoying the cool weather while we have it and making soup. We love this hearty stew this time of year - almost every ingredient is available at the market! Grab a crusty loaf from any of our markets and voila - a one dish dinner that’s always a winner!

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!