Friday, January 29, 2010

Are you having a party for the Big Game?

Come to the Camellia City Market for all of your pre-game food. We have baked treats, savory goods and fresh fruits and veggies. There is nothing better than eating delicious LOCAL food while watching our LOCAL team win the Super Bowl!

Take pictures of your family and friends enjoying the good food and the good game and send them to us. Or let us know about your special Super Bowl recipe? We love to hear from you!


Thank you for supporting the Camellia City Market and Geaux Saints!



Whooooo Daaaaaat!!!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

January is National Egg Month. Tell us your favorite dish!


To celebrate, we at the Camellia City Market want to know - what is your favorite way to cook eggs? Have you tried Clyde Farm's goose or duck eggs? If so, let us know how you liked them. Send us pictures or even video. We love to hear from you! Send your stories, pictures or video to ddfatic@camelliacitymarket.org or link to them through Facebook or Twitter. Or send us your recipe and we'll post it on our website.

Have you tried our recipes?


Have you tried one of the recipes on our website? Did you modify it or cook it "as is?" Let us know how it turned out. And if you send us a picture (ddfatic@camelliacitymarket), we will post it on our blog and on Facebook.

If not, what's stopping you from picking up some delicious fresh produce this Saturday and trying something new. Send us your stories. We love hearing from our Market guests!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy at the Market

EGGS, EGGS & MORE EGGS
Come see Bonnie with Clyde's Farm. She has goose eggs, duck eggs and Araucana eggs, which are naturally lower in cholesterol. To discover more about these unique eggs, click here.



DELICIOUS BAKED GOODS
Cricket is back with her homemade King Cakes and blueberry plants and a variety of jams and jellies from her blueberry crop from Blue Tara Farms where she grows all organic berries.
Maw Maws Creole Delights sells pralines, chess pies, pumpkin pies, sweet potato pies, amaretto pecan and pecan pies.


SAVORY DISHES
We have bacon wrapped shrimp hot off the grill, crawfish pies stuffed crabs, crabmeat au gratin and crab and asparagus soup - all made with fresh Louisiana seafood from The Kitchen Fairy. Stuffed french breads are a real winner - bacon cheeseburger, muffaletta, bbq briskit, pulled pork, bbq brisket and a stuffed club sandwich to die for! Take some home for the freezer.



AND MORE...
Serious Breads has fresh baked cinnamon raisin whole wheat bread which makes the best french toast ever. They also have huge french loafs, whole grain loafs and great cranberry scones.

Fresh local honey, creamed honey, honey sticks from Twisted Pines Apiary.

Fresh made biscuits, scones, Italian cookies, biscotti, Goat milk soap, organic dog treats, herbs and plants from Slidell Nursery, smoked ribs, pulled pork sandwichs,rib tips,smoked meatloaf, baked potatoes, half and whole smoked chickens, smoked turkey legs, tamales, all hot off the smoker. Chocolate and peanut butter fudge, pralines with whiskey sauce, Frenchy's Gourmet Apples, gourmet chocolates, chocolate covered strawberrys, cookie cakes.Fresh herbs of almost every kind are available weekly and a wide variet of plants and flowers. The Mental Health Association of St. Tammany Parish is selling hot chocolate (nothing better on a cool Saturday morning!), as well as iced teas and fresh baked banana nut bread. Stop by and support them.

DON'T FORGET
We also recycle old cell phones and eyeglasses. Bring them to the information tent. Hot coffee every Saturday at the information tent. $1.00 donation to the Market.




SEE YOU AT THE MARKET!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

The Incredible, Edible Egg








Did you know that cholesterol is not a terrifying toxin, but a life-saving nutrient. Your own body makes it when your food don't provide it. And studies now show that if you're cholesterol-starved, you will raise your risk of massive strokes.



EGG LOVERS LIVE LONGER. Not only are eggs not guilty of causing heart disease, they've been proven to prevent it. That's right - an enormous study of 800,000 people has shown that egg-eaters have a much lower rate of heart attacks and strokes than egg-avoiders.


And on that note, we are pleased to announce that Clydes Farm is now a vendor at the Camellia City Market. Clydes Farms sells Bonnie's Farm Fresh Eggs. Bonnie's Farm Fresh Eggs include brown eggs, duck* and goose eggs* and lower cholesterol Araucana eggs.

*in season

So, just what exactly are Araucana eggs?

In 1914, fowl were discovered in the forests of Chile, South America. These fowl were different from all other known chickens in that they laid a bluish-grey colored egg. Until this time, it was believed that all domestic chickens were descended from the wild Jungle Fowl of southeast Asia and had come by explorers and traders to the Orient, Europe, Africa, and the New World. But the knowledge of this strange South American chicken suggests the possibility of an entirely different species of wild Jungle Fowl, which was indigenous to the Western Hemisphere.

The name, Araucana, comes from a large territory in Chile and the Araucanian Indian people there. It is thought that their ancestors had developed and domesticated this colored egg layer long before the Spanish conquest of South America. The disruption of Indian life and culture by this conquest led to what was, for 400 years, believed to be the extinction of these chickens. But since their re-discovery in 1914, they have gradually become known in both England and the United States.

It is known that Spanish conquistadores of the 16th century reported finding chickens in South and Central America that laid blue eggs and had no tails, and which were different from those of Castile in Spain. Also Chilean Indians had words for hen, rooster, and egg which were totally unrelated to corresponding Spanish terms. These pieces of evidence support the theory that there were chickens in South America before the Europeans came.

The original Araucanas, judging from a color plate appearing in the National Geographic Magazine of April 1927 and probably painted from a specimen in the Washington, DC Zoo was tail-less, clean legged, and with small tufts of feathers over each ear. Crossing with other breeds has pretty well eliminated the tailless feature, has reduced the number of birds with eartufts, although some are still present, and has introduced a great variety of plumage colors. The blue-green egg color trait seems to be dominant, however, and so far as is known will persist indefinitely in subsequent generations. This fascinating and colorful breed has not yet been standardized as to plumage color or body type, but the unusual egg color is an identifying feature and attracts intense interest and surprise wherever seen.



Make a New Year's Resolution - Become a Locavore!


There is nothing better for your body or your tastebuds than locally grown, fresh foods.


Guidelines for Eating Well

If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic. This is one of the most readily available alternatives in the market and making this choice protects the environment and your body from harsh chemicals and hormones.

If not ORGANIC, then Family farm. When faced with Kraft or Cabot cheeses, Cabot, a dairy co-op in Vermont, is the better choice. Supporting family farms helps to keep food processing decisions out of the hands of corporate conglomeration.

If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business. Basics like coffee and bread make buying local difficult. Try a local coffee shop or bakery to keep your food dollar close to home.

If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Terroir, which means 'taste of the Earth'. Purchase foods famous for the region they are grown in and support the agriculture that produces your favorite non-local foods such as Brie cheese from Brie, France or parmesan cheese from Parma, Italy.

Hit the farmers' market before the supermarket. Plan your meal around local ingredients you find at the market.

Branch out. Maybe your usual food repertoire could use some fresh ideas. The farmers' market provides a perfect chance to try a new ingredient when it's in season, and lets you talk to its grower to find out the best way to prepare your new food. Flirt with your food producer!

Feed the freezer. Can't cook every night? Worried about your fresh produce going bad? It's easy. Make lasagna with local tomatoes or a soup packed with fresh veggies and freeze it! You can also make personal size meals for a brown bag lunch.

Go out! Many restaurants emphasize local foods in their dishes. Ask around, you might be surprised how many options you find that serve up local flavor.


hattip: Locavore.com