Once September arrives, it’s safe to start throwing around the “f” word: fall.
Late August to September is traditionally a time of transition for farmers planting for the fall season, and the month brings a whole new crop of fresh local vegetables at the Red Stick Farmers Market.
While summer crops like peaches and blueberries are done for the season, the next few weeks will see a new crop of cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplant, mustard greens, turnip greens, okra and purple pole beans coming in.
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Local meat and dairy products will continue to be available with pasture-raised cuts of chicken, beef and pork, as well as Louisiana wild-caught seafood such as shrimp and fish. Local milk, half-and-half and creamery butter are on offer from Feliciana’s Best Creamery.
September is also a great time to plant fall gardens, and the market’s green nurseries will have a varied selection of vegetable seedlings and bedding plants available. The East Baton Rouge Parish Master Gardeners will also be on hand this first Saturday in September with tips on planting. With football season kicking off, the market also has ready-to-serve dips, including goat cheese and locally-sourced honey, and prepared meals perfect for tailgating.
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This Saturday will be particularly special as it is the first Saturday in September and will feature the Table Tops recognition event. All the custom, hand-painted tables inside Main Street Market are available for online auction until 10 p.m. tonight, Aug. 31. All proceeds benefit BREADA and its programs teaching children about healthy local food and farmers. The new tables will be unveiled on Saturday with a jazz parade led by the John Gray Jazz Trio at 9 a.m., followed by a recognition event by Mayor Kip Holden.
The Red Stick Farmers Market is held every Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, on the corner of Main and Fifth streets downtown, and every Thursday, 8 a.m.-noon, at Pennington Biomedical Research Center on Perkins Road.
See the full list of vendors at this Saturday’s market here. The list is updated weekly.