Fresh @ the Market

     Marketumbrella.org is a non-profit organization in New Orleans that operates a number of farmers' markets throughout the city.  I visited the downtown Crescent City Farmers Market in the Warehouse District on Saturday.  Their slogan is "Where farmers and fishers feed you rain or shine, year-round."

     As I peered into the old dingy warehouse my first impression was not favorable.  First of all, it was small and crowded.  I surveyed the tables for fruit and produce and what I saw was pretty expensive.  $3/lb for tomatoes and $2.50 for a single head of cabbage seemed to be excessive to me.  There were lots of greens available if you like those sort of things.  I've never cooked up mustard or collard greens myself.

     But then as I looked around I thought to myself, "This isn't a farmers' market, it's an artisan market."  Most of the goods for sale were homemade.  There were breads and baked items, honey, sauces, cheeses, jams and jellies.  There were also cut flowers, plants and seedlings for sale and you could speak with the person who grew them.  There was even a fishmonger, Clara, who caught all the seafood being sold that day.

     I came away with a different perspective.  The market was providing a touch of home for those who either can't or don't know how to cook.  It was removing the commercialism from market day and putting the buyer in touch with the person immediately responsible for their food.  

     And that's a good thing!