Food is wealth

This week, much good news about food here in the Alligator Bioregion (or as author Gary Nabhan calls it in his new book "Renewing American Food Traditions"-Gumbo Nation). Not only is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving one of the very best days of the year at the farmers market, but many farmers have told me that they have had an excellent month at our markets, and think our staff is the best we have every had.
*Also ran into food forager extraordinaire Jay Martin who was kind enough to talk about persimmons, bees and other free wild foods with me, and then to call my neighbor V and talk some more with her on the same subject. His expertise has energized M&V even more, who are doing a great job with their ongoing food growing life lesson. Sometimes I just sit in the farm in the early am looking around, feeling better about the city and its future by seeing those okra plants and blueberry bushes...
*Had some great sweet potatoes from the Hagan Farm tonight (just cook them with onions and garlic and black beans in a skillet), and look forward to clipping some green onions tomorrow over there for my catfish this week.
*Our CCFM hothouse cuke and tomato farmer Barry and Marsha Barilleaux are back with some GREAT bread and butter pickles on their table; they are so happy to be at market again this season. I promised to look for money to get them to Milwaukee to see Will Allen's place...
*Made some spaghetti saucewith dried mushrooms brought back from Tuscany tonight too and ate on my new French Quarter courtyard (more on that move next week).
*Marilyn told me she had a great lettuce crop from her urban farm at Cortez; selling 50 bags to her list of buyers.
Last but not least, satsumas and grapefruit from L'Hoste Organic citrus farm every day.

alive and quite well in the Alligator-Pontchartrain Basin...