Fundraiser for Isabel's Son | July 17, 2023

Fresh & Local:

Fundraiser for Isabel's Son

Edgar is the 14-year-old son of Isabel Mendez, one of Crescent City Farmers Markets’ very first and longest-standing vendors. The Mendez family is currently seeking a living donor willing to give one of their kidneys to Edgar. Edgar has recently started dialysis and is in dire need of a donor. Many know Edgar for his hugs and sweet personality. Please share this with anyone you may know who is able and willing to donate a kidney or donate to help with medical expenses. Please use this link to learn more about becoming a donor and to complete a living donor evaluation. Click “Get Started Now on One Medical Passport” and create an account. In the “Organ Donation” section of the evaluation, select “Named Recipient” and fill in Edgar Mendez.

Edgar’s blood type is O+. We suggest a donation amount of $25; any amount helps! Enter the amount you would like to donate in the donation amount box.

When tragedy strikes Crescent City Farmers Market vendors and disrupts our local food system, Market Umbrella's Crescent Fund has historically operated to collect donations from market friends and supporters to provide immediate, direct relief to our vendors. 100% of donations received will go to the Mendez family. Thank you for your support; see you at market!

Picks of the Week:

Jefferson Parish WIC Office will Table at Market

Jefferson Parish WIC staff will table at market to help shoppers make the most of the markets now that the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) is in full swing. This federal nutrition assistance program helps eligible seniors, families that receive WIC, and local farmers. They will be at Sunday and Thursday markets in July and August. Jefferson Parish WIC staff will table at market on July 23 & 27, &August 6, 10, 20, & 24. Visit the event calendar on our website to double-check before you head to market. Jefferson Parish WIC staff can answer questions and issue WIC FMNP Benefits cards to shoppers that visit a WIC office in Jefferson Parish. The 2023 FMNP benefit is $50 for seniors and $30 per WIC-eligible household member. Shoppers receive an FMNP match of $50 to buy local, fresh produce once they use all FMNP benefits on the incentive card. To learn more about FMNP, click here.

Thank You for an Amazing Market Match Cooking Class

Thank you to our partners at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine and all the community participants that made the Market Match Cooking Class Series so successful! Chefs of all ages learned kitchen skills and how to stretch food dollars through free hands-on demonstrations. Each recipe featured seasonal produce like kale, mint, eggplant, and peaches, which you can buy with our Market Match program. They grilled up lean beef burgers loaded with hidden veggies in the patty: onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Then, they caramelized cantaloupe and peach slices on the flames and topped them with whipped Greek yogurt for dessert. Keep practicing those kitchen skills and using market-fresh seasonal produce!

Farmers Market Week and Second Annual Kitchenware Sale

National Farmers Market Week is August 6–12. Crescent City Farmers Market is more than a market! Join us to celebrate farmers markets and the local food system! Each market during Farmers Market Week will have special events. To see an overview of events at all three markets, click here. Local food producers will have fresh and delicious fruits, vegetables, bread, and beverages, plus some surprises! Farmers Market Week features produce tastings, live music, a plant start activity, and more! As part of National Farmers Market Week, visit the second annual Kitchenware Sale on Tuesday, August 8! You can bring your gently used kitchenware to our office at 200 Broadway, Suite 107. We accept donations Monday through Friday, 9 am – 4 pm through August 1. Plus, you can drop off items on Thursday, August 27 at the Mid-City Market from 3 - 7 pm at 500 N Norman C Francis Pkwy and Sunday, July 30 at the City Park Market from 8 am - noon at Tad Gormley Stadium. Clear out your kitchens and donate your extra items so they can find a new home! This sale is ONE DAY ONLY; don’t miss out on a great deal on a neat find!

Moonlight Market Thank You: 89.9 WWNO

Shout out to 89.9 WWNO New Orleans Public Radio for their support of this year’s Moonlight Market fundraiser! WWNO serves a region with stark disparities, and its commitment to deep reporting on public health, the environment, education, and politics—and racial and economic inequities across the board—is essential. The staff at WWNO are driven by a love for our city. Market Umbrella applauds their work to give listeners and readers the information we need to understand our community and be better members of it. We thank 89.9 WWNO for being curious, creative, concerned, and connected in and with our community. Thanks to 89.9 WWNO for their sponsorship of our Moonlight Market fundraiser back in April and their investment in the stories of our communities.

Vendor of the Week:

Sunset Oaks Farm

Welcome, Sunset Oaks Farm! Family and veteran-owned, operated, and farmed by husband and wife duo Robert and Jodie Harrison, Sunset Oaks Farm is a regenerative and pasture-based farm striving to provide local communities with ethically raised and nutrient-dense meat and eggs. First established in 2020 in Picayune, Mississippi, Sunset Oaks operates with the mission of bringing cleaner, real food back to the table and back to their local community. With a range of chicken, pork, and beef products, Sunset Oaks prides itself on its humane and regenerative practices that involve using every part of the animal and regularly moving their grazing cattle to continuously provide a range of nutrients to their animals and back to the land they are working with. Find Sunset Oaks at our Thursday Mid-City market and every other Sunday market at City Park!

Recipe of the Week:

Chorizo Shakshuka

This Chorizo Shakshuka from Tasty is deliciously satisfying and relatively versatile. Chorizo can easily be substituted for a different sausage, like Sunset Oaks’ Andouille, Italian, or Jalapeño Smoked Pork sausages. Bolster the dish with seasonal vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, or potatoes for a more nutritious and filling meal. Top the Shashuka with a little more flavor with Huckleberry Farm’s marinated feta. Check here to see if a vendor that may carry eggs is at market.

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!