It’s time for our 2018 Urban Farm Bike Ride! This is our 6th year of doing this collaboration with the Eat Local Challenge and NOLA Social Ride, and we are excited to announce that we will be rolling again.

We’ll be meeting up at Markey Park at 9 a.m., and leaving at 10. We will be ending at River Queen Greens (1020 Kentucky St.), and there will be a free light local lunch (sourced from the farms that we’ll be visiting) that pop-up BeetsNthyme will be preparing for us!

Here is a list of farms that we will be visiting:

Gloria’s Treme Garden
24 Carrot Garden NOLA
River Queen Greens

Here is the schedule for the day:

10:00 a.m.: Leave Markey Park
10:20 a.m.: Arrive at Gloria’s Treme Garden (814 S. Claiborne Ave.)
10:50 a.m.: Leave Gloria’s Treme Garden
11:10 a.m.: Arrive at 24 Carrot Garden (1341 Music St.)
11:40 a.m.: Leave 24 Carrot Garden
11:50 a.m.: Arrive for brief stop at River Queen Green’s farm stand (Solo Espresso, 1301 Poland Ave.)
12:00 p.m.: Leave farm stand
12:05 p.m.: Arrive at final stop, River Queen Greens Farm (1020 Kentucky St.)

The ride will be slow-paced and under 10 miles.

No tickets or signups are required, but please RSVP on the Facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/2057235157880344/) if you plan on coming so we can be prepared! This is a community bike ride organized by local volunteers, so you are responsible for yourself and your bicycle at all times!

Many of the farms will be selling produce, so please bring bags if you wish to purchase some – you can store your produce in a cooler inside of our SAG truck! Some of the farms may have refreshments available for donation – if you’d like to contribute, be sure to bring along some cash.

As always, we will be passing by and pointing out as many smaller gardens as we can. This event is free and open to the public. Please be prepared, and bring your own supplies! We will have someone driving a truck to carry supplies from stop to stop. Please make sure your bike is in working order, and bring basic repair items such as a tube, pump, wrenches, patch kit, etc in case of any mechanical issues. Please note that everyone is individually responsible for safe operation of their bicycles and for following all traffic laws at all times while on public streets. Ample time has been included in the schedule to ensure that everyone can travel at a comfortable pace. Personal safety equipment (helmets and lights) are encouraged. A live tracker will be posted for anyone that wants to catch up and join at any point! We look forward to exploring many pockets of local edible flora on our most sustainable, efficient method of travel available: Pedal Power!
Come discover a few of our many local urban gardens and farms!

While August is traditionally the month that many New Orleans residents go into hiding indoors to seek the comforts of their air conditioned homes, there are still lots of workshops and events happening in the gardening/eating local scene. Be sure to go out and support these organizations and businesses if you can!

Workshops: This month, Rosalie Apothecary has lots of workshops for participants to choose from. Rosalie kicks off two different kinds of class series, the Heart of Herbal Medicine, which happens every Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m., and the DIY Fermented Food Series, which occurs every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. Class subjects are comprehensive, and you can learn about how to make tinctures and syrups with local herbs, or how to make water kefir, kombucha, yogurt, and more. Check the calendar to view all of their class offerings, or go to their website.

On Saturday, August 12th, head over to City Park’s Botanical Garden at 10 a.m. to learn more about how to plant a fall vegetable garden. If you’re interested in learning about how to grow flowers year-round, head over to Hollygrove Farm & Market at 1 p.m. for Joanna Sese’s workshop, of Honey Pop Flowers.

At Longue Vue House and Gardens on August 26th, young children can learn about seed planting, dig for worms, and taste vegetables at the Kinder Garden event.

Parties: Also on Saturday the 12th, Grow On is hosting their first-ever Pepper Fest! Try samples of different pepper varieties, listen to some music, and grab some food and cocktails. Every Sunday, Hollygrove Farm & Market hosts a brunch in their garden from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring a different food pop-up vendor each week.

Markets: While the Wednesday Crescent City Farmers Market and the Creole Marche are on a summer break, you can still attend one of the Crescent City Farmers Markets on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, as well as the Refresh Farmers’ Market on Mondays, and Sankofa’s Fresh Stop Market on Saturday mornings.

Plant Sales: City Park will be hosting their monthly plant sale on August 5th, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

If you would like more information about these events, please check out our Community Events Calendar. We update it often, and it is where you can find all of the farming/gardening information for New Orleans events in one place! Please feel free to contact us at whynolafarms@gmail.com if you would like your local food event posted on the calendar!

It was a cloudy, dreary day outside when I stepped into the newly restored Dryades Public Market in Central City. I quickly forgot the state of the weather once I had a look around the space, however. The giant market has an open space concept, and everything is gleaming and new. The market is still slowly unveiling different sections, but they still offer an impressive array of items. From the fresh pasta bar and bakery, an oyster bar with beer on tap and a cocktail menu, a produce and deli section, and lots of friendly staff roaming about, the market has something for everyone, and lots of options for folks who love to support local Louisiana products and produce. The market intentionally focuses on providing affordable and local food options for nearby residents. I was overjoyed to discover local products I’d never seen, and was particularly excited about the squash and mushroom selection!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you like mushrooms? So far, Dryades Market has the largest selection of local mushrooms that I’ve seen in a grocery store!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These items were just some of the local food products they had. I look forward to discovering more local food at their market, as well as at other grocery stores in New Orleans!

Here in New Orleans, we are fortunate to have so many folks who are enthusiastic about urban farming and gardening projects. The only thing is, there are so many different organizations and farms that it is difficult to keep track of them of all! Not any more—our new calendar features all of the events we can find. Whether you’re looking to take a class, attend a plant sale, or go to a fundraiser, you can find it all here! And if you’re putting on an event, we would love to share it with the community! We welcome you to contact us at whynolafarms@gmail.com.

Click here to view the Community Events Calendar!