Crescent City Farmers Market

Grow with St. Joe CCFM Fundraiser

At the Tuesday Crescent City Farmers Market, I had another chance to support my old employer and hometown market: Buying a ticket to their “Grow With St. Joe’s event, the latest of their charming “popup” fundraisers. Founder Richard McCarthy has been busy mastering the art of creative fundraising on behalf of his organization over the years and when he does throw an event, they always reflect his deep awareness of how to connect his community to the food culture through fun and seasonality. St. Joseph’s Day is an important day for New Orleanians, and yet the Sicilian altars that used to be found in every neighborhood have lessened over the years. Leave it to CCFM to revive the tradition while remembering the saint who is credited with saving his believers from famine and in doing so, raise some money for our farmers markets.

0 CommentsLeave a comment

Meat-Eaters Guide

As markets find more ways to measure themselves, natural capital will have to be an important category. Yet, the local food system is not always the lowest user of energy (sometimes the lack of centralization in distribution seems to work against us) but of course, we know that will balance out by the green style of shopping, innovative farming, and intentional planning of the market organizers. An example such as the Crescent City Farmers Market which no longer sells plastic bottles of water, but simply filters water and offers it free or sells a reusable cup to those who forget theirs. In many ways, markets should work hardest on the environmental issues of farming and consumerism, because they come the hardest.
Environmental Working Group has released a carbon footprint for meat eaters. It may be worthwhile to link or to print for your shoppers and farmers to read through. As usual, we don’t need to preach but to lead with information and allow people to make good healthy choices.
EWG

0 CommentsLeave a comment

A simple way a market can help

The Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans has had a disaster this week; their iconic dairy farmers, Warren And Sandra Smith of Smith Creamery in Mount Hermann, LA had a huge explosion on the farm. Luckily, no one was hurt including the cows) but the damage to the processing plant is massive and will take months to repair.
Besides being the conduit for information for the community, the market staff is collecting donations and getting signatures on a card for the Smiths. The table is manned by community advisory and board members of the market, and if someone gets there early enough, they can also have a free I (heart) Creole Cream Cheese t-shirt (which was being phased out of the market merchandise and so has come in handy!).
The important thing is the channels of communication are kept open by the market and any media or support requests can be channeled through or facilitated by the skilled staff on behalf of the farmers. Therefore, the time the Smiths spend answering the phone, explaining their plan and deciding how and when to accept donations is reduced and instead they can spend their time rebuilding.
Once again, a market, its shoppers and farmers share a social contract that is not written down but it understood and expanded when needed.

I Heart Smith Creamery


Smith Creamery Facebook page

0 CommentsLeave a comment