Summer Season, Winter Squash | August 22, 2022

Fresh & Local:

Summer Season, Winter Squash

Sightings of winter squash, jams and gumbo mix around the market have us dreaming of cooler days and wintertime treats. Most of us typically associate butternut squash with the comfort foods of autumn and winter, but its growing season is actually happening now. It’s called winter squash because the thick rind allows for long term storage, so before the modern developments in global “conventional” agricultural trade, when people ate what they grew, and storing food for colder seasons was important, winter squash like butternut, acorn, and delicata (and others) could be put up now to be saved and eaten through the winter. Grab a spaghetti squash from Indian Springs Farmers Association or a butternut Joe Fekete Family Farm, or find adorable honeynut squash from Williams Produce in the home delivery box and check out our recipe of the week for some dinner inspiration. If you blast your AC you’ll *almost* feel like it’s winter vacation.

Picks of the Week:

There’s still time to get your
WIC FMNP benefits and enroll in
Market Mommas Club!

You’ve got one last chance! Thursday, August 25th will be Jefferson Parish WIC’s last day in-market to distribute FMNP food benefit cards. The 2022 value of FMNP is $28 and is Market Match eligible. After receiving the card, participants can then double their dollars with tokens issued at the welcome tent.

WIC participants who are pregnant or breastfeeding may also be eligible to join Market Mommas. That’s right! Market Mommas Club is back and enrollment is currently open to new participants. Mothers who are pregnant or breastfeeding babies up to 6 months old, receive Medicaid or WIC benefits, and have not previously participated in the program are eligible to enroll. You'll be connected with a breastfeeding support group and then receive $60 a month to spend at all of our market locations. To enroll click here. For additional questions, please reach out to MMC@marketumbrella.org.

Students Get a Free Drink from Fresh Fruit Sensations on Tuesdays!

Calling all students: take a break from your morning classes and head over to the Uptown market on Tuesday, where Fresh Fruit Sensations has a special just for you - show your student ID and get a free beverage with the purchase of any Red’s Famous Salad! Pick your choice of their tasty shrimp or crawfish salad paired with home-made crackers, plus get a free fresh fruit drink. Makes for a great lunch! Find Fresh Fruit Sensations at 200 Broadway St on Tuesdays (8am-noon) to snag this deal - and don’t forget your ID!

Join Our Team!

Work with us to build a stronger food system and a healthier community! We are looking to fill the following positions: Business and Finance Manager to support our financial operations, Programs Manager to help facilitate our food access and nutrition education programs, Outreach Manager to build and strengthen community connections, and Greaux the Good Manager to assist with our new Greaux the Good statewide SNAP match program. Click here to learn more and to apply!

New Administrative & Communications Manager J Martel

We are excited to introduce you to our newest team member and Administrative & Communications Manager! J Martel (they/them) is an experienced communications worker, writer, and service worker from Louisville, Kentucky. They moved to New Orleans in 2018 to study Communications at Tulane University. J’s first job as a 14-year-old was being in charge of the social media, website, and communications of a food justice organization called New Roots. Since then, they have worked as a barista, an educator, an artist, and a graphic designer. They are excited to begin working with Market Umbrella at the intersection of fresh food, materially benefitting people’s lives, and developing interventions to systems of oppression and power. J spends most of their free time doing work with New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police (NOCOP), where they strive towards democratic community control of the NOPD. With their remaining time, J reads and writes fantasy, studies political history and theory, cooks shared meals, tends a small herb garden, makes art and music, and does their very best to nap regularly.

Vendor of the Week:

Burg’s Bees

Welcome back, Burg’s Bees! Meet Gerard “Jerry” Burg the beekeeper behind this one-man operation. First starting his beekeeping journey in the early 80s, it wasn’t until the late 00s when his kids were all grown up that he got serious with beekeeping, was involved with the Louisiana Beekeepers Association, started Burg’s Bees, and began attending markets. As a seasonal vendor of CCFM, Burg’s Bees typically joins us in late summer with the honey that has been produced from his 20 hives. Based in Amite, with a couple of hive sites in the Northshore, CCFM is the only outlet Jerry sells his honey through, so buzz on by the Tuesday and Thursday market and get a taste of his award-winning honey!

Recipe of the Week:

Roasted Butternut Squash

MU staff has been LOVING this recipe from Martha Stewart! “It’s a good thing” to prepare for a family or a group with one of those large butternuts that have been around market as of late, and while it gets a bit involved with all of the components in it, it’s a complete, vegetarian meal once prepared so you don’t need to worry about getting anything else on the table. The balance between toothsome grains, caramelized alliums, fresh herbs which you can swap out depending on what you find at the market, the pistachio yogurt and savory roasted squash is good to the last bite (and makes great leftovers!) - we recommend adding this to the butternut recipe repertoire.

What’s your favorite dish to make after visiting the Crescent City Farmers Market? Share your recipes with us on Instagram or Facebook and it might be featured in our weekly newsletter!