Ten Days to Moonlight Market! | April 10, 2023

Fresh & Local:

Ten Days to Moonlight Market!

The Lafitte Greenway Plaza (500 N. Norman C. Francis Pkwy) is the place to be Thursday, April 20th! Join us at our Thursday Mid-City market between the hours of 3 pm and 7 pm to connect directly with local food producers and community partners, enjoy live music, and see why we call Crescent City Farmers Market “More Than a Market”. Then, from 6 pm to 9 pm, local foodies and food businesses come together at Moonlight Market, a fundraising event to build support and awareness of CCFM! Moonlight Market features 12 local restaurants and pop-ups, live music by Lilli Lewis, a silent auction and raffle prizes, and more! Order tickets for Moonlight Market by clicking here.

Many thanks to the 2023 Moonlight Market sponsors that made this celebration possible: Fidelity Bank, Times-Picayune|nola.com, Tulane Doctors, Where Y'at, WWNO, Chehardy Sherman Williams, Louisiana Healthcare Connections, Richard's Rainwater, trepwise, Corcoran & Bernard CPAs LLC, Elizabeth and Keith Crawford, Innovative Strategic Partners, Jay and Avery Corenswet, Louisiana Fish Fry, Sharon Courtney, and Susan Talley.

If you’ve been a friend of CCFM for a while, you may remember Moonlight Markets from the past. We are excited to bring back this tradition with new and seasoned friends alike! Please help us spread the world about Moonlight Market by sharing this newsletter.

Picks of the Week:

Farmers Market Nutrition Program Application Period Now Open!

The Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) was established by Congress in 1992, to provide fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables to high-need community members, and to expand awareness, use of, and sales at farmers’ markets. In Louisiana, this program includes support for seniors as well as families that receive WIC. Seniors are eligible based on income requirements and must submit an application for 2023. You can find the senior FMNP application and guidelines on our website. Families that receive WIC are automatically enrolled but must coordinate with their local WIC offices to receive benefits. If you have any questions about the WIC FMNP, please contact your local WIC office.

This year seniors are eligible for $50 in incentives and individuals and families participating in the WIC program can receive $30 per eligible household member. Market Umbrella doubles Senior and WIC FMNP food benefits with tokens issued at the welcome tent. Now is the time to apply for FMNP benefits, and once issued, participants can visit any CCFM market to receive a one-time match.

Volunteer at Market April 20th!

Market Umbrella is looking for volunteers interested in helping at Moonlight Market or the Thursday Mid-City market on April 20th! Volunteers will assist with set up and break-down and support activities. Volunteers gain free entry to Moonlight Market and get to spend the evening connecting with local food producers, businesses, and community partners that make our markets and food access work possible. Market Umbrella is a small team and volunteers truly make a difference in our work! Shifts are still available—click here to sign up for a volunteer shift!

Spring has sprung!

Hello piquant alliums, peak-season strawberries, herbs, and spicy roots! Get ready for a whole new cornucopia of warm-weather crops, including green, butter, and snap beans, sugar and snow peas, new potatoes, and cucumbers. We are excited to now have Amorphous Gardens back at Sunday market, Joe Fekete Family Farm back at Tuesday market, and later this month, we will be welcoming back Timmy Perrilloux Farm as well! With a final flush, we’ll bid farewell to cabbage, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, and as we progress into summer, welcome creole tomatoes, okra, eggplant, peaches, and melons.

Stock up with your favorite producers at Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday markets for the last of the winter harvest and to whet your appetite for a colorful spring plate!

Greaux the Good increases current partner count to ten!

Market Umbrella’s Greaux the Good program has recently added three partners: German Coast Farmers Markets, Shreveport Farmers Market, and Stelly’s Organic Farm. The addition of these new partners has brought the total of Greaux the Good partners to ten! To view the full list of current partners, click here.

Greaux the Good provides funding and administrative support to Louisiana farmers markets, farm stands, and other eligible entities to create or expand a Market Match program in their communities. Shoppers that utilize food access benefit programs will receive a dollar-for-dollar match for SNAP/FMNP dollars they spend at Greaux the Good partner locations. This empowers families to purchase more fresh local foods and generates more business for local farmers.

Greaux the Good is greauxing fast! Please visit the Greaux the Good website and follow Greaux the Good on social media pages for the latest updates: Instagram: @greauxthegoodla | Facebook: Greaux the Good | Twitter: @greauxthegoodla

Vendor of the Week:

Buttery Spell

Meet Amanda and Nick, the self-proclaimed crazy geniuses of Buttery Spell! Buttery Spell was started in August 2020 during the height of the pandemic. While Amanda was home attempting to stay sane in the midst of all the stress and craziness, their very first nut butter, Milk Chocolate Pecan, was born. A year later, the compounds were introduced! The first compound butter made was Shrimp Butter, and it’s still around to this day. While it doesn’t have shrimp in it, it’s amazing on shrimp. Buttery Spell makes their gourmet nut and compound butters with love and intent, intentionally utilizing fresh ingredients and amazing flavor profiles with the goal of waking up your taste buds! Catch Buttery Spell at a Thursday or Sunday market and grab yourself something special!

Recipe of the Week:

BBQ Cauliflower Wings

Not only is cauliflower nutritious, but it is also incredibly versatile! You can enjoy it mashed, roasted, in soup, in pizza crust, as rice, in “steak” form, turned into tots, and cooked up as wings. This BBQ cauliflower recipe from Eat With Clarity is not only delicious, but it is a great lighter alternative to chicken wings. Suffice to say, this BBQ cauliflower wing recipe will not disappoint. Serve and enjoy immediately for maximum crispiness.

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!