Red, White, and Blueberries | June 28, 2021

Fresh & Local:

Red, White, and Blueberries

Celebrate the holiday at the farmers market! Join us Sunday, July 4th at the City Park hybrid market. Pre-order your faves through WhatsGood for easy pick up. Drive-thru 8-9:45 am to beat the crowd and keep it contactless. Pick up your pre-orders from vendors in person from 10-12 pm. Don’t miss out on holiday treats like hotdog and hamburger buns from Compagnon Bakery, Mississippi blueberry pies from J&D Blueberry Farm ground beef from T&R Dairy, Creole tomatoes, watermelon from Graham’s Harvest, and tons of grillable veggies (and fruits)!

Once again, in partnership with the French Market Corporation, the official Creole Tomato Festival pickup will take place at the Sunday Market, July 4th at City Park.

Market Umbrella is excited to participate in the annual Creole Tomato Festival! We’re hosting our City Park farmers market featuring local vendors and their home grown creole tomatoes, among other local summer crops and baked goods and other treats featuring creole tomatoes on the 4th of July holiday. Festival attendees can view the ripe offerings and order beginning Wednesday, June 30 through Friday, July 2 through the WhatsGood Online Marketplace.

Creole tomatoes have ignored the news, and are doing their usual thing, in abundance. Come join us and pick up your tomatoes to slice, sauce, and can to save the season. Whether you believe that "Creole" tomatoes are any tomato grown in Louisiana or that a true "Creole" tomato must be grown in the rich alluvial soil of the River Parishes (no bias here, wink wink), we can all agree there is nothing better than a tomato sandwich made with a sun-ripened, juicy tomato!

Picks of the Week:

Join our team!

Join the Market Umbrella team and help us build a stronger food system and healthier community! We are looking for an individual that is passionate about food access, nutrition education, and small business development for local food producers. Applications are currently being accepted for Finance Director

WhatsGood

Hey y’all! WhatsGood is sponsoring an end of month promo for NEW and EXISTING customers! Use code: JUNE10 through June 30th to receive $10 off your order of $35! Get your pre-orders in by Wednesday via WhatsGood! Must use code at checkout and can not be applied to past orders. Can not be combined with other offers. 1 code per customer. 1 code per household. No cash value.

2021 Board of Directors

As Market Umbrella has embarked on a pivotal moment in its 25-year history this past year - navigating the lasting effects of the global pandemic, reimagining our local food systems, and recruiting new Executive Leadership - the Board has played an active and engaged role in guiding the mission, vision, and future of Market Umbrella. We are so grateful for their leadership and dedication - meet them here!

Pandemic EBT

P-EBT, nutritional assistance for school children who normally receive free or reduced price lunch, has once again been funded to support children and their families through the summer. In New Orleans, 79% of public school students are considered economically disadvantaged and qualify for the free and reduced price lunch program. Unlike the 2020 round of P-EBT, families with students who receive free or reduced price lunch will automatically qualify and be sent an EBT card in the mail without having to apply for the funds. Bring your card(s) to market and we’ll double P-EBT dollars with our Market Match program to double down on fresh fruits and veg over the summer.

Vendor of the Week:

Des Allemands Outlaw Katfish

Jeannie and her husband Joey have been providing us with the tastiest gator and crab meat, as well as wild-caught catfish from Bayou Des Allemands, for about a quarter century and have been married for a half-century come November. Crawfish, frog, and turtle meat are also seasonal menu items. Jeannie says that it was Joey’s idea to start coming to markets and although it was tough at first, she grew to love it. The Fonsecas raised their four children on the banks of the bayou, upholding the “Outlaw” moniker with their method of catching catfish-- previous Des Allemands fisherman used paint cans and 55 gallon drums to snag the fish as opposed to troutlines or their bare hands. However, it is time to close up shop and move on to new horizons. It will be bittersweet, but the Fonsecas’ last market day will be tomorrow, June 29th so come on down and say good bye. We will miss Jeannie and her cheerful disposition at Tuesday markets! In Joey’s words, “It’s been a fun ride.” They won’t be at farmers markets, and you won’t find them on local menus any longer, but you can still reach Jeannie to place an order if you’re willing to go pick it up.

Recipes of the Week:

Mama’s Tomato Casserole

Tomatoes are abundant at market, full of antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals. It only makes sense to introduce them to suppertime classics, like this creative NOLA recipe for a beef and tomato casserole. Almost all the ingredients are available at market--bell peppers have been lining the table at producers like Faust Farms and the Monicas, while Amorphous Gardens has had big cloves of elephant garlic ready to sell for quite a few weeks! Ms. Mary over at T&R Dairy packs her ground beef by the pound. This recipe is a perfect starter dish to try out if you haven’t taken the leap into Creole tomatoes yet. Scroll to the bottom of the article for the casserole recipe, but if you’d rather try your hand at something else, there is a sausage and tomato pasta recipe as well as one for garlic and tomato soup.

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!