Fall Back Without Missing a Beet | November 6, 2023

Fresh & Local:

Fall Back Without Missing a Beet

Fall back without missing a beet, and come shop with us Thursdays from 3 to 6 pm! Yesterday, the clocks jumped back an hour with the end of Daylight Savings. With the loss of an hour of light in the evening, the Thursday Mid-City market will now operate within our winter hours of 3 to 6 pm, starting this week. We’ll return to the 3 to 7 pm schedule in March when Daylight Savings starts again and the days are longer.

Thursday Market Winter Hours:
3-6 pm, November 9th - March 7th

Picks of the Week:

Thank you Greaux the Good!

November marks the last month to redeem WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) benefits this year! Greaux the Good, Louisiana's statewide nutrition incentive program, funds a $50 one-time match for zero balance FMNP cards at the Crescent City Farmers Market and also with two other Greaux the Good partners (Red Stick Farmers Market and Alexandria Farmers Market). There are additional Greaux the Good partners offering transactional matches for customer purchasing products with their FMNP card (Fightingville Fresh Market, Boyce Farmers Market, St. Helena Farmers Market, Stelly’s Organic Farm, LLC, and Armstrong Farms). Greaux the Good partners will not be able to match FMNP dollars after November 30th, but the market currency received can still be used after this date.

To find a partner location near you and view program details, visit: www.greauxthegoodla.org/partner-locations

Now accepting Amex at the Welcome Tent!

No cash, no problem! Swipe for tokens with a debit, credit, or EBT card at our CCFM orange welcome tent - now including Amex! For debit/credit token purchases we have a $10 minimum & $2 processing fee ($5 fee for Amex). Our tokens never expire and are accepted by all of our vendors at all 3 of our markets.

Having a Blast this Harvest Season
with Eat Local NOLA

Thank you to everyone who welcomed the autumnal season by participating in all of our fall events in partnership with Eat Local NOLA! This past Saturday, the French Market was filled with fresh produce and value-added vendors, kids activities, and live music. The Eat Local Bike Ride kicked off the journey with makin’ groceries at the Sunday City Park Market, went on to visit urban farms, and concluded with a Saints watch party and seafood demo at Clesi’s Seafood. We are grateful to our partners, The French Market and Eat Local NOLA, the talented musicians and the vendors for helping make the first official Harvest Fest amazing. We look forward to continuing these traditions for years to come.

Persimmon Season

Everyone, meet the persimmon! While there are Louisiana native varieties of persimmon, you’re most likely to find Japanese fuyu or hachiya at the market. All are typically red or orange when ripe. Fuyu - the squat, almost square type - can be eaten when firm, much like an apple, while saijo or hachiya - the heart shaped variety with the point at the bottom - are inedibly astringent until they ripen to a pudding-like consistency. Persimmons can be made into jellies, jams, marmalade, and syrups, or just grab a ripe fruit and eat it whole or slice it. They won’t stick around for too long, so pick some up from L’Hoste Citrus and Star Nursery.

Vendor of the Week:

JuiceSee

Cat and Joost started JuiceSee in 2020, when healthy food accessibility was declining due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. They believe in the medicinal qualities of raw fruits and vegetables as vital support for the healing process and their daily health and wellness. In their humble beginnings, they felt a sense of purpose in serving their community by making fresh juices and smoothies to order on their friend's porch in the Bywater neighborhood. They were able to build their own juice and smoothie truck to bring their products to festivals and markets. “This business has been such a wild and incredible ride for our family, and we are so excited to see where it takes us next!”

Recipe of the Week:

Homemade Creole Pumpkin Purée

Farmer Timmy Perilloux’s family carefully saved Creole Pumpkin seeds for 100 years, and the fruits of their labor have made their debut at market. This crop is uniquely improved by this year’s drought, able to grow and sustain itself without rotting in the damp environment (call it the silver lining of an otherwise challenging year for farmers).

Roast the seeds and bake the flesh for a versatile pumpkin purée. While there are an abundance of articles (one, for example), comparing recipes with canned vs. fresh pumpkin purée, at CCFM, nothing beats engaging with the farmers that grow our food. Real pumpkin is more fresh-tasting and can be less expensive when the whole pumpkin is used. Leftover purée can be frozen for future use and doesn’t contain artificial ingredients or unknown fillers. Pumpkin purée can be used in everything from baby food to desserts; mix it into dog food for a special treat for your furry friends. This article from Epicurious suggests 37 potential uses for your purée.