Hello Modified Walk-Up Market! | July 6, 2020

Fresh & Local:

Hello Modified Walk Up Market!

The Modified Walk Up Market starts tomorrow! We’ve watched as the world tries to normalize in fits and starts, and pivoted our operations to keep everyone safe and in business. As we all learn together how best to proceed, and in keeping with farmers market best practices, it is our great pleasure to open a modified walk up market on Tuesdays beginning July 7th from 8 am – Noon at Uptown Square!

We’ll be bringing you a dozen vendors who haven’t been making it to the drive thru featuring locally grown fruits and vegetables, fresh juices and fruit bars, seafood, honey, baked goods, and preserves. And Suzie Q the knife sharpener will be there to hone those dull blades!

Things will look different than you remember as we implement social distancing and other safe practices including limiting crowd size within the market. Make your reservation now to ensure you won’t have to wait to enter. See the rest of our recommendations in the infographic below.

We look forward to this return to a new normal. Please note, many of our vendors and shoppers are in a higher risk category for complications from Covid-19. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping these community members safe, and keeping this market’s operation sustainable. For updates, including vendor lineup and expectations, check out our Facebook event. See you there with masks on!

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.

Co-op

This week’s Good Food Word is Co-op – A co-operative, or co-op for short, is a type of business that is owned and operated by its members who all benefit from its profits. Within agriculture, farmers may form a co-op by pooling their resources, like land and machinery, to build a more robust business. At our markets, the Indian Springs Farmers Association is a joint venture of 30+ small farms from Mississippi that collaborate in growing and distributing their produce. Their beautiful spread of juicy watermelon, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, beans and more for sale at market (and the CCFM Box) are the result of the combined efforts of a dedicated group of farmers. Learn more about the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, a prominent cooperative association of black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives in the south, including Indian Springs Farmers Association.

Picks of the Week:

More Ways to Shop with CCFM

Just a reminder that the Modified Tuesday market is in addition to these other options:

The CCFM Box - Need fresh produce delivered to your door? Crescent City Farmers Market has partnered with Top Box Foods to create boxes full of CCFM vendor products for home delivery (pickup option available). Now with TWO box sizes available - $25 and $40! As always, both size boxes qualify for our Market Match program for SNAP benefit users, doubling buying power and cutting the price in half!

Drive Thru Markets - Two weekly Drive Thru Markets - Sundays at Parkway Bakery and Tavern and Wednesdays at Bucktown Harbor. Drive Thru markets are different from traditional markets, but not complicated! Order and pay in advance (with debit/credit or SNAP). When you arrive, staff will guide you to enter the market, make sure your placard is complete, and help you pop your trunk if needed. All vendors will be wearing face masks, sanitizing hands between customers, and respecting social distancing guidelines.

Farmers Market Nutrition Program

In an effort to increase access to healthy fresh foods and support local agriculture, the USDA and Louisiana Department of Forestry & Agriculture work together to administer the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Through this program state agencies distribute a booklet of vouchers worth $20 that can be spent with Louisiana farmers at roadside produce stands, CSAs and area farmers markets including the Tuesday Uptown Market. These vouchers are good for fresh produce, herbs and honey (for seniors only) and can be accepted by any FMNP certified produce vendor, just look for the yellow sign! The FMNP program is available to both low income seniors (over the age of 60) and to families who participate in the WIC program. Vouchers are distributed starting in May and are typically valid through November. Follow the link to find out more or to check your eligibility for Senior FMNP or WIC FMNP. WIC booklet values will be doubled at the Welcome Tent for even more buying power!

Yellow Watermelon

Green on the outside, yellow on the inside? You bet! While the exterior of a yellow watermelon doesn’t look any different than the red variety, cutting one of these big boys open will come as quite a surprise! The bright yellow flesh of these watermelons is actually a natural mutation that happens when melons lack lycopene. Yellow watermelons have a sweet, honey-like flavor compared to your standard red-fleshed melon and are quite the treat! Word on the street is Ben Burkett will be coming to the Tuesday Market with a truck load.

Vendor of the Week:

Indian Springs Farmers Association

You’ve probably missed seeing Mr. Ben Burkett of the Indian Springs Farmers Association (ISFA) - we know we have. Long time vendors of the CCFM, the ISFA headed up by Mr. Ben will make their return to Tuesday’s modified walk up market with watermelon (our featured pick of the week), and other summertime produce like okra, fresh peas and beans, eggplant, peppers and more. He probably wouldn’t mention it, but Mr. Ben was recently inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame for his decades of activism and advocacy for small farms, black farmers and the cooperative model. And if you have a few minutes to learn more, check out this great mini-documentary about Ben and Indian Springs.

Recipe of the Week:

Watermelon Salad

Hot days, cool salads :) We love a good summer watermelon salad and this recipe by Love and Lemons hits the spot! Pick up a juicy red (or yellow) watermelon at the CCFM Drive Thru (order ahead) or Tuesday Uptown Market!

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!