Eat local Louisiana Challenge-local foods make economic sense

August 4, 10:32 PMNew Orleans Food ExaminerGia Scott

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Picking vegetables at the farm can be educational and fun too!

Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., is challenging Louisiana to eat local for one week.

"I'm issuing the Eat Local Louisiana Challenge to everyone," Strain said. "I'm asking everyone, including the governor and officials across the state, to only eat food that is grown within Louisiana for one week."

The Eat Local Louisiana Challenge will coincide with the National Farmers Market Week of August 2 through 8.

“We’ve got more than a hundred local farmers markets and fruit stands across the state,” Strain said. “Think of the possibilities: peaches from Ruston, watermelons from Franklinton, blueberries from the Felicianas, crawfish from the Atchafalaya and pork and beef from your local meat markets and rice and gravy.”

Here in New Orleans, we have many local foods available, and if we expand “local” to mean from the Gulf Coast region, we have an incredible variety of foods to choose from, as well as venues to make our purchases from.  We have numerous local farmers and seafood markets, in addition to local groceries that often feature Louisiana grown foods as part of their advertisements.

East or West bank, it makes little difference, as everything is easily accessible, despite our seemingly continual bridge construction.  Crossing the Mississippi or Lake Ponchartrain is easily done to access things such as Westwego Shrimp Lot, Westwego Farmer & Fisheries Market, German Coast Farmers Market whether it is in Luling or Destrehan, Covington Farmers Market or Crescent City Market.  All of these have been featured in articles recently, but there is also the Camellia City Farmers Market in Slidell which will appear soon.

Eat what is in season, and what is in season can also be canned or frozen for use in the off season.  Ponchatoula’s famous strawberries make delicious jams, and the blueberries from the North Shore were absolutely gorgeous this year, whether canned, frozen or dehydrated.  Peaches are just coming in, and watermelons have been everywhere.  Even though watermelon is not inclined for year-round storage, it does make an absolutely gorgeous jelly to bring a bit of summer on a cold gray winter’s day.  It also makes a much appreciated gift!  Watermelon also makes the prized watermelon pickles, which are highly prized because of the amount of work that goes into producing a very small amount of pickled product.

Cantaloupe also makes a pickle or preserve, also tasty.  They are readily available at the markets, and one of my favorite ways is to slice a small one in half, remove the seeds, then put in a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  It is delicious!  Spices can also be used with cantaloupe, I know several people who sprinkle it with pepper, and cinnamon is also an excellent compliment to cantaloupe.

Squashes, both summer and winter, are at the markets as well.  These can become many dishes, from cakes and breads and pies to stuffed squashes.  Winter squashes are excellent when simply baked in a campfire, wrapped in foil after removing the seeds and stringy portions.

Eggplant is another vegetable that is well represented at the markets.  Once again, this is a versatile vegetable with a wide variety of recipes to serve it, all the way from plain fried to garnished with sauces and cheese.  I’ve had excellent casseroles made with eggplant, and even had “vegetarian caviar” that was a wonderful spread on toasts.

The peppers available in the market can be stuffed or roasted, used to spice up other dishes, or served on their own as side dishes.  They come in an amazing array of colors, and sliced bell peppers can also be eaten as a finger food with a ranch dip (or plain.)  The hotter peppers can be grilled and served as a side with burgers or steak—the skins are easily peeled after being roasted on the grill, and the smoky flavor is an additional bonus.

Eating local Louisiana isn’t hard, it’s a gastronomical joy to explore our locally produced vegetables, seafood, and meats.  It makes economic sense as well, it helps our neighbors’ businesses thrive, it saves us money, and it reduces our state’s carbon footprint.  What more can we ask for?