This Weekend at the Market

Don't forget that we have moved! The Camellia City Market is now located in the city parking lot at Robert and Front Streets in Olde Towne Slidell. We will remain at our new location until the construction of the new Slidell Auditorium has been completed.

This Saturday, we are very happy and excited to have the talented music students from Live Oak Middle School perform at the market. Come out and support our budding musicians!

And we have returned to our spring/summer hours. That means that we will be opened from 8am - 12pm. Be sure to come early for the best pickin's.

We've Moved!

WE'VE MOVED!!

Due to the construction of the new Slidell Auditorium, we have requested and were granted permission by the city of Slidell to temporarily move our location to the city parking lot at the corner of Robert and Front St. in Olde Towne. We are very excited about this because our new location will afford us all plenty of space and parking. We will be making the move on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26.

Turkey, turkey everywhere and way too much to eat...

Is this your annual dilemma? Well, we challenge you to put on your chef hats and come up with a creative turkey casserole dish to turn the standard Thanksgiving leftover into something delicious. Or maybe you already have a favorite leftover turkey casserole recipe. This year, the Camellia City Market is holding its first ever Turkey Day Leftover Casserole Contest.

Interested? Well, here is the what you need to know. Participants are asked to create a casserole recipe to use up their anticipated leftovers from Thanksgiving with turkey as the anchor of the dish. Recipes should then be submitted by email to Danny Blackburn, our Market Coordinator, at ccmdirector@yahoo.com no later than 3pm on November 22 (the Monday BEFORE Thanksgiving). Or recipes can be hand delivered to Danny Blackburn at the Camellia City Market on Saturday, November 20.

Eight finalists will be selected by a group of celebrity chefs and notified by email on November 23. On Saturday, November 27th (the Saturday following Thanksgiving), the eight finalists will deliver their potential winning dish, ready to eat, by 11am to the Camellia City Market for tasting and judging. Samples will also be given away to market-goers.

We think that we have the most creative market-goers around and we can't wait to taste all of your delicious culinary treats. After all, we are going to have leftovers, too, but we're not nearly as creative as you!

Camellia City Market Artist Row

This Saturday is the second Saturday of the month and you know what that means - the Camellia City Market Artist Row. Come down to the market and browse the wares of our talented local artists as well as the goodies from our local farmers, bakers and cooks.

Blueberries - Possibly the World's Most Powerful Fruit

I have always loved blueberries. In fact, I don't know many people who don't. And it seems that I have always known they were good for me, but, until recently, I didn't know just HOW good they are for me.

Did you know that they are good for heart, eyes and brain? They help with digestion, lower your cholesterol, promote a healthy urinary tract and offer protection against colon and ovarian cancer. Whew. That's a lot for a little, bitty berry.

So, add more blueberries to your diet and live healthier. And remember, blueberries are not just for breakfast or dessert. Here is a popular recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Blueberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, torn
1 (4 ounce) package blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Directions
In a jar with tight-fitting lid, combine the first five ingredients and shake well. In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach, blue cheese, blueberries and pecans. Add dressing and toss gently; serve immediately.

Hattip: Suite101.com and Allrecipes.com

It's finally here!

After many frustrating hours, I can finally, proudly announce that our new, updated website is here. Some of the new features:

• -Easier to navigate and read
• -Menu link to photo album
• -Menu link to blog
• -Easy to change and update (this probably only pertains to me, but I'm really excited about it)
• -Calendar of events
• -and more

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Weeds, weeds, everywhere and oh so much to eat?

Every summer, my husband and I are faced with the same problems with our yard. It's a nasty problem that seems to start small and literally grows out of control. Our problem? Weeds! We have tried everything, or so I thought. It seems that we overlooked a very interesting, very simple and not to mention, tasty, solution. We can eat them!

Weeds offer the palate a delight of flavours that can be rarely imitated by conventional greens. So rather than looking upon an entire field of cheerful yellow as a testing ground for mass annihilation, why not consider it a garden replete with salad greens free for the taking?

Dandelion is indeed tasty, but it is also bitter, an acquired taste that is either immediately refused or becomes an addiction. Usually, the larger the leaf, the more bitter the taste and the more cooking it requires to temper the flavour. Dandelion leaves are at their best until the plant flowers.

A classic recipe is to serve dandelion with bacon. A modern take replaces the bacon fat with extra virgin olive oil and is instead sprinkled with bacon crumbles.

Sauté a clove of garlic that has been sliced in some olive oil until it begins to golden.
Add a handful of washed, tender, young dandelion leaves that are still a little wet to the pan and cover for a couple of minutes to steam.
Check frequently. When the leaves are wilted, transfer everything to a bowl.
Top with crumbled cooked bacon, parmesan or feta cheese and a little lemon juice, salt and pepper.

So, I no longer dread the first appearance of the weeds that have plagued my lawn. Now, I eagerly await their appearance with a fork in my hand, a smile on my face and a growl in my stomach. Bon appetit!

Be sure to read the whole article before preparing.

hattip: suite101.com

What's in Season?

I'm sure you all have heard the advice to eat seasonally, that is, eat fruits and vegetables that are ripe and ready to eat during the current season. But visiting the modern grocery store makes that really difficult since they are able to get most fruits and vegetables year round. Of course, even though you can get them year round doesn't always mean that they taste the best or are at their healthiest. For the best tasting, most nutritious produce, you should strive to get the them at the peak of their natural, local growing season.

To help you figure that out, here is a general list:

Winter: Carrots, chicories, chard, oranges/citrus, turnips, greens (kale, turnip, mustard and collard)

Spring: Carrots, cauliflower, greens (kale, turnip, mustard and collard), lettuces, radishes, rhubarb, strawberries, turnips

Summer: Asparagus, basil, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, figs, beans, lettuce, peaches, summer squash, corn

Fall: Basil, carrots, chicories, chard, greens (kale, turnip, mustard and collard), green beans

This is by no means a complete list, however, it is a good general list. Make friends with the produce manager at you local grocery store, or even better, make friends with your local farmers. They will be able to tell you when and where your produce was picked. Your taste buds and body will thank you!

Here Comes the Produce!

As we all remember, it was a long and very cold winter. Remember, too, how it affected us? Well, it affected our area produce, too. Our farmers found that their fruits and vegetables are taking a lot longer to ripen this year. Consequently, they haven't had any produce to sell at our market... until now. Starting this weekend, our farmers are starting to come back to the market with delicious, RIPE produce.

So, if you don't see your favorite vegetable this weekend, be patient and don't give up on us. We are trying to bring you the best produce that we can, but we want it to be local. I guess we could ship in fruits and vegetables from around the world, but that would defeat our purpose. Believe us when we say, we are doing everything we can to bring in every local farmers we can find to provide you with the best, freshest produce in town.

Thanks for understanding and for your patience. Unlike the grocery store, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Happy Birthday to Us!

Come out this weekend to the Camellia City Market and help us celebrate our 2nd birthday! We are very excited that not only is Cajun Chef John Folse coming out to celebrate with us, but we also are welcoming back several produce vendors selling mushrooms, peaches, honey, etc. And even more produce will be coming to the market over the next few weeks (fruits and veggies have been very slow growing this year due to the long, cold winter).

It should be a lot of fun this weekend, but it won't be the same without you. Make plans now to visit us on Saturday!

Welcome Back

The Latino Farmers Cooperative of Louisiana will be back at the market this Saturday with all kinds of fresh veggies. According to Kathia Duran, the Executive Director, We will have everything but the kitchen sink. We have lettuces coming out our ears!

Come on out to the Camellia City Market, Slidell's first and only true farmer's market, and become a locavore.

Don't Miss the Brown Bag Concert Series at the Market

This Saturday, May 15

Those Oliviers

Busy Weekend at the Market!

Wow! What a busy weekend we have, both at the market and around Slidell. This weekend, we are having the 2nd annual Slidell Memorial Health Fair at the Camellia City Market and that coincides with the Olde Towne Antique Street Fair. Luckily, it is going to be a gorgeous weekend to be outside!

So, what is this health fair, you might ask? Well, I'll tell ya. It's from 8:30-Noon in Griffith Park. Slidell Memorial Hospital will have respresentatives there from the Imaging & Cancer Services, the Sleep Disorder Center, the Maternal Child & Parenting Center, Nutrition & Diabetes Education as well as others. They will be performing all kinds of tests such as a grip strength test, body mass index screening, blood pressure screening and cholestoral screening. Of course, if you want to test your cholestoral, make sure you don't eat anything for 8 hours! We want to make sure it's accurate, right.

And once you find out how healthy you are, you can continue to stroll around the market or through all of Olde Towne and enjoy all of the goodies, including fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade baked goods and of course, antiques at the street fair.

If you are still looking for something to do after all of that, you can enjoy Slidell's annual Crawfish Cook-off at Fritchie Park.

Whew, that's a lot! But don't worry, with some careful planning, you can do it ALL!!

Why Should You Grow Your Own Garden?

April is National Garden Month so I decided to use this time to encourage you to grow your own vegetable garden. Why, you might ask? My, oh my there are so many reasons why…

1. Flavor. There is nothing like the taste of a fresh from the ground vegetable. Carrots, for example, will never taste as sweet as when they are first plucked from the ground. I’ll never forget how delicious my grandmother’s eggplant tasted straight from her garden. I’ve never been able to match it with store bought eggplant. The longer the time from the ground to your mouth, the less flavor it will have.

2. Nutrition. Not only will your vegetables taste better, but they will also healthier for you. According to GardenGuides.com:

Fresh vegetables from the garden will typically contain more vitamins and minerals than their counterparts sold at the supermarket. Commercially grown produce is usually harvested when it is still immature, especially when it is being transported from one state to another. Without fully maturing, the vegetables do not develop their full nutrition potential. Vegetables also begin to lose some of their nutrients immediately after picking. Frozen and canned foods tend to retain more of their nutrients than fresh vegetables sold in the store, because they are processed immediately after harvesting.

3. Healthy Living. If your vegetables taste better, guess what…you will want to eat more. And we all know we need to get more fruits and vegetables into our diets. This is especially true for our kids. Teaching our kids healthy eating habits when they are young will set them up for a lifetime of healthy eating.

4. Safety. When you purchase commercially grown fruits and vegetables, you have no idea what is being used to control garden pests. When you are the gardener, you get to decide what you use.

5. Saves Money. As fuel and other costs rise, so too do the price of fruits and vegetables. By growing your own, you are no longer a slave to the grocery store prices. You can enjoy your homegrown goodies year round (if you can or freeze your surplus) and knock down the cost of your grocery budget.

Convincing, right? So, why are you still sitting there? Go grab your shovel and start digging. Oh, and happy growing!

Of course, if you aren’t able to grow your own vegetables, visit the Camellia City Market every Saturday and buy your produce straight from our local farmers. Who knows, you could be buying your neighbor’s extra home grown vegetables.

Either way, your body and taste buds will thank you!

hattip:www.gardenguides.com

Show Off Your Most Creative Easter Eggs

Does your family have an Easter tradition of decorating Easter eggs? I know that we do and they are some of the most beautiful and creative works of art that my children have ever produced. Well, we at the market want to see YOUR works of art. Simply upload a picture on our Facebook page and show us your creativity. Not a member of facebook, well, email your pictures to us and we will post them on our blog and our Facebook fan page so that we can show the world what creative friends we have. We can't wait to see your pictures!

Here Come Peter Cottontail...

Calling all kids - Saturday, April 3rd, the Easter Bunny will be making a special appearance at the Camellia City Market to hide some Easter eggs for 2 very fun Easter egg hunts. At 10:00am, the hunt begins for the older kids and at 11:00am, the younger kids begin their hunt. So, bring your kids, your grandkids, your neighbor's kids and come to the Camellia City Market and celebrate Easter with us.

This Weekend at the Market - March 20

This weekend's cooking demonstration will be with Joyce and Darnell's Casual Dining. They will be cooking a shrimp and pasta dish. Yum!

Overboard is back at the market playing entertaining the folks with their toe-tapping, fun music. Always a crowd favorite. We've missed them during the cold winter.

Don't forget our Gardening Seminar from 9:00-10:00am taught by Mr. JB Anders with the LSU Ag Center. He will also be doing soil analysis for only $10.00, so make sure you bring a soil sample from your garden.

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Mary, Mary... How does your garden grow?

So, with spring right around the corner, now is the time to start planning your summer garden.

Don't know where to start? Well, come to the Market on March 20th at 9:00am and attend our 1 hour seminar on "How to Start a Garden" taught by JB Anders with the LSU Ag Center. You can also bring a soil sample from home and have it analyzed for only $10.00. Mr. Anders will be able to tell you the dirt on your dirt.

Dull, Dangerous Knives - BEWARE!

Your days of mayhem in the kitchen are numbered. HELP MY KNIFE will be at the Camellia City Market this Saturday (March 6th) putting an end to the blunt-edge reign of terror. Bring your dull knives to the heroes at HELP MY KNIFE and give your old knives a new lease on life by having them professionally sharpened. Your knives and your fingers will thank you!

Gardening in March

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner. And along with the return of warmer temperatures comes the time to plan for that summer garden. Imagine having fresh veggies all summer long. Imagine having delicious blueberries on top of homemade vanilla ice cream. Imagine sharing your ripe, juicy home grown tomatoes with your family and friends. Well, now is the time to start!

Don't know where to start? Well there are a ton of resources online. First start at the LSU Ag Center website. The experts there will be able to help you get the most out of you South Louisiana garden. Next, check out BackyardGardener.com for more advice regarding your backyard garden.

And, of course, the Camellia City Market is an excellent resource. Our wonderful farmers are always willing to help out a fellow locavore.

Now you have no excuses...so get planting. Well, ok, if you have a brown thumb, you can always get your fresh produce from the Camellia City Market. We always have the season's best!