The Box Meal Plan
Do you have a fruit-bearing tree or edible plant on your property but neither the time, energy or materials to harvest it? If yes, volunteers from The New Orleans Fruit Tree Project would be happy to do it for you!
To further fulfill its mission of increasing the access of fresh, local produce to underserved populations in New Orleans, Hollygrove Market & Farm is pleased to announce The New Orleans Fruit Tree Project. This program will allow for city-wide harvesting of local fruits and edible plants from community space and private residential property. After homeowners and volunteers receive their share, surplus produce will all be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.
Please register your tree or edible plant here and a staff person from Hollygrove Market & Farm will contact you with more information. If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering please email Megan Nuismer at megan@hollygrovemarket.com
Bring you kids out tomorrow for a ton of fun in the garden. These month's theme will be holidary gift making. Kids will be making okra ornaments, holiday gift bags, and dipping oils. There is no cost and activities will take place from 10am to 2pm tomorrow, December 4th. If you have any questions about the activities, you can contact Melissa Luer at luerla@bellsouth.net.
Thanks to an overwhelming response to Hollygrove menu at Martinique, they have created another delicious three course menu based around the produce here at the Market & Farm. You can check out the menu this week by clicking here.
By Linda Michurski
s fortunate to have an abundance of great restaurants and talented chefs. Of particular interest to us are those who go the extra mile creating menus utilizing the seasonal, local produce items that happen to be available that week. To celebrate this movement toward local food, we are spotlighting restaurants where chefs work hard to create menus that rely on seasonably available produce. First stop on the list: Martinique Bistro. We arrived and were seated at a table with a window view of their quaint vine-enclosed outdoor patio. On our table was a vase of Hollygrove sunflowers and fresh herbs. We opened up our palate with one of their house-made fresh ginger infused martinis. Our first course was a sampling of the Hollygrove Market salad; a colorful array of mixed greens, purple sprouts and orange cushaw
pumpkin. The stuffed crimini mushroom appetizer with gulf shrimp and locally made chevre melted in my mouth.
-Chargrilled double cut pork chop, roasted Arkansas Black apple demiglace Arabi's Farm roasted sweet potatoes, braised mustard greens
-Chocolate shitake ice cream profiteroles with chocolate ganache
-Satsuma pot de crème, Grand Marnier chantilly and white chocolate shavings
Now that the temperatures have cooled down a bit, it's time for lettuces and salad greens! Our resident expert on these fall crops, mentor farmer Macon Fry, has chosen to dedicate his Hollygrove plot entirely to arugula. While he grows a number of other greens and lettuces, such as kale and buttercrunch lettuce, he decision to focus solely on arugula was based on its relatively short shelf life and a supply of volunteer gardeners who help him out on his plot here at Hollygrove. With his current setup now Macon is able to harvest approximately 60lbs of arugula each week. By staggering his planting he is able to consistently harvest from 3-4 rows, providing us with a steady supply of arugula every week.
After a long, hot summer of no baking and the oven breaking down, I've decided to rebuild the oven with some upgrades and modifications. Our new oven won't change in size, but it will have better insulation and a doorway. Our new insulation will use perlite (those little white pebbles in your potting soil) and clay slip. The purpose of this new insulation is to increase the R-value and eliminate the possibility of the oven catching on fire (our last insulation was wood, so it occasionally caught on fire).
We will be building the oven over the next two weeks, so feel free to check out the progress next time you stop by the market. We will be unvailing the oven and baking some bread at our Autumn Harvest Birthday Brunch, so make sure to get your tickets soon!
Hollygrove Market & Farm, in conjunction with the Master Gardeners of New Orleans, will conduct farm tours and educational programs every Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 to 11 a.m., beginning June 15 and ending July 29, 2010, at
Hollygrove Market & Farm
8301 Olive St.
New Orleans
The tour and programs are suitable for children ages 6-12 and will feature a combination of educational and fun activities such as:
- How fruits and vegetables are grown
- Backyard worm composting
- Make your own seed bracelet
- Hunt for plants and bugs
- Feed the chickens
- Take-home seeds and plants
- Juices and snacks
The cost of the program is $5 per child. Space is limited to 24 children per visit. Reservations are required.
Reserve your space now: 504.483-7037
info@hollygrovemarket.com
New Orleans, LA—The New Orleans Food and Farm Network, in collaboration with the Tulane School of Medicine, the Food Policy Advisory Committee and Our School at Blair Grocery, will host a dinner for faith leaders to discuss food, hunger and health in our communities on Tuesday, May 18th from 6 to 8 pm. The event will take place at Café Reconcile, located at 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, and will include a brief screening of the documentary, Food, Inc. This is an opportunity for faith leaders to join in a discussion about how to address hunger in our communities.
According to Feeding America,
1 in 8 Louisianans are at risk of hunger.
1 in 5 Louisiana children are food insecure.
There are an average of 10,000 people for every grocery store.
In New Orleans, there were 18,000 people for every grocery in 2008.
The event kicks off the our city’s participation in the Ingredients for Change Campaign, a nationwide initiative to address America’s alarming rates of obesity and other major health problems directly linked to our country’s food system.
The New Orleans Food and Farm Network was selected as one of 30 organizations around the country to participate in the Ingredients for Change Campaign, and will convene a range of related local projects to join a nationwide network of local, agricultural and public health groups working to increase the availability of nutritious food and improve their communities’ overall health. The Campaign is a collaboration of Active Voice and Participant Media.
In addition to a short film screening which will share a few clips from the movie, this event will feature a delicious meal catered by Café Reconcile. Following the film, a panel of faith leaders will share innovative ways they are bringing fresh, wholesome food to their communities. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss ideas over dinner and to learn about organizations in New Orleans that provide resources for food projects such as gardens and farmers markets. The event is free, but space is limited so you must RSVP in order to attend. Please contact Danielle Dinner by Monday, May 10th at the New Orleans Food and Farm Network at 864-2009 or Danielle@noffn.org to RSVP.
The event’s organizers are encouraging neighborhood organizations and religious congregations to help spread the word amongst their communities, and to also consider organizing transportation for their constituents to the screening. Organizations working on food-related initiatives are invited to get in touch to arrange for on-site education and outreach opportunities.
Food, Inc., the critically acclaimed 2009 hit documentary from Participant Media, Magnolia Pictures and River Road Entertainment, gives audiences a vivid view of industrial food production, a system that in the last 50 years has drastically changed the American diet. Scrutinizing our national agriculture and food policies, the film examines why soda and fast food are now significantly cheaper and more accessible then fresh fruits and vegetables, and how this change has directly contributed to soaring rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems. For more information, visit www.foodincmovie.com.
ABOUT ACTIVE VOICE AND THE INGREDIENTS FOR CHANGE CAMPAIGN
Active Voice, a non-profit media strategist and national organizer of the IFC Campaign uses film, television and multimedia to put a human face on pivotal social justice issues and spark social change. The year-long IFC Campaign began in June 2009 with support provided by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
ABOUT PARTICIPANT MEDIA
Participant produces social issue films intended to entertain audiences and inspire them to actions. Through social action campaigns accompanying each film, Participant partners with relevant organizations to create opportunities for education and direct involvement in film-specific issues. To date, Participant has developed active, working relationships with 112 non-profits, and has reached over 60 million people worldwide.
Be sure to visit us this weekend at the French Quarter Festival in the French Market. We will have stall in the Farmers' Market section of the French Market and will be selling delicious local goodies. Our presence at the French Market for the FQF and JazzFest marks the beginning of our efforts to serve the French Quarter and the Marigny/Bywater area with fresh, local produce.
Starting in May, Hollygrove Market & Farm will have a operate a second location in the Farmers' Market section of the French Market. Our hours will be every Wednesday and Saturday from 10am to 5pm.
We will have the Buyers' Club available for purchase one week in advance (must pre-order through website or by email) for Saturday pick-up. We will include our dairy line of Smith and Ryals, fresh yard eggs, cheeses, pastured meats, and a local seasonal selection of the very best the farm collective has to offer.
Hollygrove Market & Farm started organizing, purchasing, and providing access to locally grown foods in October 2008. Since our birth we have worked with over 50 farms, transformed an acre of blighted property into community garden plots, composted several thousand pounds of unmarketable material, and given over $5,000 in edible donations to other food/social justice community organizations. Our unique location off South Carrollton provides the surrounding neighborhoods with a centralized location in which to take part in the city’s only CSA (community supported agriculture). A CSA can be defined as a community of citizens who pay a farmer, in advance, for a season of produce thus supporting & sharing the risks with the farm. A weekly CSA share consists of fresh fruits & vegetables while on occasion they may sometimes supply stake-holders with fresh dairy, pastured meats, flowers etc.
We, of course, have modified this somewhat. There is no advance payment and the share comes from many, different farmers, depending upon the season. Nevertheless, our farmers can depend upon us to buy what they grow, thus reducing risk. Hollygrove Market & Farm operates as farm collective not only with rural growers but also with urban growers in the New Orleans area. In conjunction with our farm collective our partners, New Orleans Food & Farm Network, AARP-La., and Trinity Christian Community also strive to share resources, such as labor, through strong volunteer networks. Our partners have also provided financial support for creating lasting community initiatives such as our mentor farmer program. This model of a CSA-style farm collective provides greater opportunity among many rural and urban growers with an outlet to move the local foods they produce thus further stimulating a regional economy. Hollygrove Market & Farm’s collective has successfully provided access to fresh local foods not only to the Hollygrove neighborhood but to other surrounding underserved communities and Greater New Orleans.
Our Average Food Miles.
The average distance, nationally, fresh food travels from farm to table is currently in the neighborhood of 1,500 miles (one way). During the delay from farm to table, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses it vitality, not to mention the carbon footprint. The average distance the produce purchased by HFF travels is 181 miles (round trip).
Our Local Diversity.
We have worked with over 50 farms since our start in October 2008. The largest farm in the collective is an eighth generation strawberry farm with 40 acres is in production at one time.
2 farms are certified Organic.
10 practice organic methods but are not certified.
15 employ alternative/sustainable methods such as crop rotation, minimal pest control, composting, rotational grazing, etc.
14 use some alternative methods as well as conventional management practices.
9 are conventional* producers of fresh fruits and veggies.
*Conventional farming: a farming system with out the application of alternative methods. The small family farms we work with limit their conventional methods of pest management and fertilizers as it is not cost-effective to intervene with pest management unless absolutely necessary.
Our Local Economic Impact.
Hollygrove Market & Farm works diligently to keep our dollars within the local economy. We purchase from small, family owned farms and locally-owned businesses whenever possible. Research shows that purchasing goods and services locally strengthens the economic foundation of a community.
In 2009, we purchased $168,333 of produce from local growers and $64,106 in goods and services from local businesses. Using a standard multiplier effect, this translates into approximately $1,000,000 of economic impact for our local economy.
Conclusion
As an urban farmstead and market, along with our partners whose focus is food and social justice, we are building a strong foundation to create lasting community initiatives.
Thanks
This is only possible because of you, the Hollygrove Market & Farm patrons. On behalf of all our staff and our family farmers we say Thanks a million!!
