Hollygrove Market: A Sample of the Urban Farm Revolution
The New Orleans Examiner
August 24, 2009
Recently named one of the Top 10 Cities for Local Food, New Orleans offers an array options for locally grown produce. Although the Hollygrove Market is one of several farmers' market options in the city, this market is a near farm-to-table experience allowing you to see where much of the produce is grown and then buy it right next door.
After hearing much buzz about the boxes of seasonal, local produce for $25, I visited the Farm and Market next to the Carrollton Post Office last weekend. Shoppers can visit the market between 10am and 2pm on Saturdays to buy a box of about a dozen different types of produce. Everything in the box is either grown on the small farm just outside, by local micro-farmers, on community gardens, or rural farms across the southeast.
Part of the attraction is creating new recipes out of the wide variety of vegetables in the box. We were pleasantly surprised by the selection which included fresh Porcini mushrooms and Warden cooking pears. However, the customer isn't forced to pay for unwanted ingredients and can swap out fruits and veggies on the exchange table but those who arrive early get the best selection.
For those who don't want a hodge-podge of ingredients, the market also offers individual fruits and veggies, as well as local dairy and meat products. Customers can also enjoy some free samples from the Vintage Soup Kitchen and other local stores. The market even offers a small lending library on green culture, the food revolution, and sustainable farming.
Hollygove is the biggest and most visible example of urban agriculture in the city, and promotes the ideals of food security and accessibility of fresh, local produce for a reasonable price in inner city areas. The emphasis of urban agriculture is on energy efficient, sustainable methods tailored to the resources and needs of the city and the market promotes these ideals with events and classes.
Although the mission of the market is to "increase accessibility of fresh produce to underserved neighborhoods," the Uptown location is not as easily accessible to many New Orleans neighborhoods or shoppers without cars.
At the end of the day, Hollygrove is more than a market. It is an example and training center for organic urban farming. In partnership with the New Orleans Food and Farm Network, Hollygrove offers organic certification programs, and gardening training sessions to educate city-dwellers on sustainable garden techniques.
For More Info: Visit Hollygrove Market and Farm at 8301 Olive Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 and visit their website: http://hollygrovemarket.com/