Good Food for All | June 15, 2020

Fresh & Local:

Good Food for All

SNAP? P-EBT? DSNAP? What is in this alphabet soup? Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP is our nation’s largest federal nutrition assistance program. SNAP provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families via an Electronic Benefits Transfer or EBT card. You can use this card like a debit card to purchase eligible foods at CCFM drive thru markets or to order your CCFM home delivery box. Plus, Market Umbrella will match up to $20 of your purchase with Market Match, our SNAP doubling incentive. With the current economic climate, more and more Louisiana families are seeking assistance for getting food on the table. If you need assistance with completing the online application, Market Umbrella staff is available to help!

Pandemic EBT or P-EBT is available to families whose kiddos participate in the free or reduced-price lunch program during the school year, or those who may not have previously but whose household income has been negatively affected by Covid-19. Your family can receive $285 per child to help buy groceries during Covid-19. The deadline to apply for P-EBT is today, June 15th!

Disaster SNAP or D-SNAP gives food assistance to low-income households who experience food loss or damage caused by a natural disaster. Currently, D-SNAP is not an active program however the USDA is recommending Louisianaians to pre-register (unless you already receive SNAP benefits) in preparation for what could be a very active hurricane season.

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 many social, economic, and environmental issues. The Good Food Word of the Week seeks to shed some light on these parts of our work and the way we talk – demystifying the jargon.

Social Determinants of Health

This week’s Good Food Word is Social Determinants of Health – A person’s health isn’t just determined by his or her genetic code. The physical and social environment plays an important role in shaping the health of individuals and communities. Neighborhoods that have accessible affordable housing, food justice, strong social support networks, and are free of violence and environmental pollutants are all essential to promoting healthier communities. Learn more about how social and environmental conditions impact health.

Picks of the Week:

CCFM Drive Thru Markets

Keep on drivin’ on! We now have two weekly Drive Thru Markets – Sundays at Parkway Bakery and Tavern and Wednesdays at Bucktown Harbor. Drive Thru markets are different than traditional markets, but not complicated:

1. Order and pay in advance (with debit/credit or SNAP). You must place an order in advance to shop at these markets.
2. We’ll email you a placard to print and fill out with your name and the vendors who you’ve shopped from to place in your windshield the day of market (this helps us expedite your visit once at market)
3. Arrive and drive through the market and the vendor will place your order in your trunk
4. Repeat as needed!

When you arrive, staff will guide you to enter the market, make sure your placard is complete and in your windshield, and help you pop your trunk if needed.

All vendors will be wearing face masks, sanitizing hands between customers, and respecting social distancing guidelines. There will not be product displayed for purchase – the market is only for orders to be picked up. Find more information and how to volunteer here!

Peaches!

It’s June y’all, and you know what that means? Peach season! Local peaches are picked when ripe, so they’re fresh, juicy and delish. Store them at room temperature away from direct light until fully ripe. Once soft, put them in your fridge and eat within 5 days for maximum freshness and flavor. If you’re like us, you may get excited while buying and purchase more than you can eat. Luckily, peaches are great to freeze so don’t be afraid to stock up and keep enjoying them all summer long.

CCFM Box @ Top Box Foods

If the $40 CCFM box was too much good stuff for your household size, we’ve introduced a new smaller box. More appropriate for a week’s worth of produce for a 2-3 person household, there’s now a $25 box available. The small box contains ~8 mostly produce items from local growers. The large box contains all of those items, plus 3-4 more. Order Tuesday through Friday from our partners Top Box Foods Louisiana for delivery (see map for range details) or pick up at Liberty’s Kitchen. For the pick-up option, you can select “Liberty’s Kitchen” as the delivery date and pick it up from 3 pm – 6 pm on Tuesday the following week. As always, both size boxes qualify for purchase through our Market Match program for SNAP benefit users, doubling your buying power and cutting the price in half! Choose “pay at pickup” and Top Box will contact you directly to process your SNAP payment and apply your dollar for dollar match.

Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for updates. When you get your box, tag us in a pic of all the great dishes you make with it – we love new recipes!

Pandemic EBT

To apply for P-EBT, follow this link to the Department of Child and Family Services. The deadline has been extended and applications must be received by TODAY – June 15th.

Vendor of the Week:

Cherry Creek Orchards

Warm and fuzzy welcomes to Cherry Creek Orchards! Cherry Creek Orchards is a long beloved vendor at CCFM and we are happy to say peaches are juicy and abundant this year. You can find these Pontotoc, Mississippi peaches at the Parkway and Bucktown Drive Thru Markets by way of our beloved farm helper Dennis and through the CCFM Box offered by Top Box Foods.

Recipe of the Week:

Stovetop Eggplant with Harissa, Chickpeas, and Cumin Yogurt

Harissa is a spicy-smoky chili paste that’s widely used in North African cuisine. It works beautifully with eggplant and adds a rich tomato-y taste to any dish. Most grocery stores carry Harissa, but if you can’t find it, you can use tomato paste and chili peppers as a substitute. This one-pan dish makes for a meal that is hearty, delicious, and summery!

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!