It’s easy to be a locavore here in Acadiana. With our 12-month growing season producing fruit, vegetables and nuts, locally raised meat, fish, eggs, cheeses, great bakeries, cane syrups and sugar, salt and pepper sauces, we have in our grasp nearly everything a good cook needs to produce a great meal, during Farmers Market Week, or every week.
Today I have a list of local farmers markets and some of the major producers in the area. Thanks to everyone who has posted or emailed me suggestions. Keep the comments coming.
FARMERS MARKETS
Acadiana Farmers Market, Lafayette
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 5 - 10 a.m.
Dulles Drive, behind Corner Pantry on Foreman Drive, near Lafayette High School
Consistently filled with locally raised vegetables and fruit, vegetable and herb plants and stone ground cornmeal, the Acadiana Farmers Market has been in the same location for 30 years.
City Garden Market, Lafayette
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 12 noon
Located in the Oil Center, across from Champagne’s Market
Organically grown vegetables and fruit, canned sauces, salsas, jams, jellies, small sweet dough and large pies, honey, eggs, fish, bread and dog biscuits.
Coteau Ridge Farmers Market, Arnaudville
Saturdays 7:30 a.m. - 12 noon
Located at 1506 Courtableau, on La. 93 just past Cypress City Antiques.
The market is currently closed, but will start up again in October
Call Jackie Alvarez at Acadiana Country Crafts, 754-7467 for more info.
Eunice Farmers Market and Market Days
Wednesdays and Saturdays, 3-5 p.m.
In front of the Liberty Theatre, corner of 2nd and Park streets.
Fresh vegetables, baked goods and plants
Call Eunice City Hall, 337-457-6502, for more info.
Jennings Farmers Market
Saturdays, 7-9:30 a.m.
Located in Founder’s Park, Main Street, Jennings
Fresh vegetables, fruit, homemade jellies and jams, pastries, pickles, crafts
Call Polly Henry, 337 821-5532, for more info.
New Iberia Farmers Market
Tuesdays, 2-6 p.m., Saturdays, 6-10 a.m.
Located in Bouligny Plaza between Main Street and Bayou Teche
Large and varied market, with vegetables and fruit, homemade jams and jellies, baked goods, hot sauce, eggs, rabbits (live and ready to cook), occasional seafood, soaps, plants and more.
Call David Frederick, 256-4972, or Mindy Frederick, 321-0246 for more info.
Opelousas Farmers Market
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 6-10 a.m.
Tuesdays and Fridays, 5-7 p.m.
Located in the pavilion by Mike’s Donuts, 828 E. Landry St.
LOCAL PRODUCERS
KLEINPETER FARMS DAIRY
A family farm since 1913, Kleinpeter Dairy produces milk, cream, ice cream, butter, sour cream, cottage cheese and seasonally, eggnog, at their creamery outside of Baton Rouge. Their products are in most stores in Lafayette these days. www.kleinpeterdairy.com
SMITH CREAMERY
Pasteurized, but not homogenized milk, cream, butter, Creole cream cheese, from grass fed cows raised on one of the few remaining family owned and operated dairies in Louisiana. Sold locally at Fresh Pickins, Kaliste Saloom. Call (985) 877-4445, 29184 Mt. Pisgah Road, Mt. Hermon. www.smithcreamery.com
BELLE ECORCE FARMS
Owner Wanda Barras makes natural, old-world style goat cheeses without the use of preservatives, additives, hormones, or antibiotics. She offers fresh, ripened and aged (raw and pasteurized milk) goat cheeses using French-Acadian artisinal methods. Sold locally at Joey’s Specialty Foods on Bertrand Drive. Contact Barras at 394-6683, 6939-G Main Hwy, St. Martinville
CHEF JOHN FOLSE’S BITTERSWEET PLANTATION DAIRY
European style yogurt and Creole cream cheese, aged cow and goat cheeses, made from Louisiana dairy farm milk. Sold locally at Champagne’s Market in the Oil Center and Rouses’s in Youngsville. Check out Folse’s Web site for more items and outlets outside of Lafayette. www.jfolse.com/bittersweet_dairy
CAJUN GRAIN
Kurt Unkel is raising pesticide-free brown rice out on the prairie in Kinder. What he doesn’t sell for human consumption goes to feed his free range pigs. Both the pork and grass-finished beef he sells are antibiotic and hormone free as well. Cajun Grain brown rice is available at Fresh Pickins on Kaliste Saloom in Lafayette. Contact Unkel at 337 207-0966 or [email protected] to buy his pork or beef.
POUPART’S FRENCH BAKERY
Classic French baguettes, sourdough, buckwheat and whole grain loaves, hand made daily in the family run bakery. Call 232-7921, 1902 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette www.poupartsbakery.com
LEJEUNE’S BAKERY
Hand made french bread, ginger bread, individual fruit pies, in a historic bakery run by fifth-generation bakers. Sold locally at Winn Dixie stores. Contact Matt Lejeune at 276-5690, 1510 West Main St., Jeanerette. www.lejeunesbakery.com
STEENS SYRUP
The distinctive taste of Steen’s pure cane syrup has been sweetening biscuits, pain perdu and gateaux sirop for generations in Acadiana. The juice is pressed from local sugarcane, and boiled down to several grades of syrup including molasses and a bottom-of-the-barrel treat sticky treat called la cuite. The mill and gift shop is in Abbeville, Steen’s syrup in the bright yellow can is available in most grocery stores in Acadiana. www.steensyrup.com
GOTREAUX FAMILY FARMS
Organic vegetables, eggs, tilapia, sprouted cereal. Sold locally on Wednesdays, at the Gotreaux’ farm in Scott, Saturdays at the City Garden Market in the Oil Center, tilapia is also available at Champagne’s in the Oil Center, Sandra’s Health Food store, on Rena Drive, and Joey’s Speciality Foods on Bertrand, or contact Dawn Gotreaux at (337) 873-0383, 205 Facile Road, Scott. www.gofamilyfarms.com
MARKET BASKET
Charles Thompson, a former chef at City Club, grows organic vegetables, fruit, pecans and eggs at his farm in Youngsville. Some of his crops, like purple hull peas come shelled and ready to cook. His produce is on sale at the Oil Center Farmers Market or visit him on the farm. He’s open to planting suggestion if you’re looking for something special. 411 Simon Road, Youngsville, call 856-4296 or email orders to [email protected]
BROOKSHIRE FARM
Anne Blanchet doesn’t really raise cows and goats, she raises millet, crabgrass, clover, buttercups and goat weed. Her animals do the rest. Grass finished, dry aged beef, pastured veal and meat goats, hormone and antibiotic free, are available as they reach market weight. Contact Anne Blanchet at 893-5115, 8916 Brookshire Road, Abbeville. brookshirefarm.com
ROLLING R RANCH
Dr. Fred Rodosta raises Charolais and Angus cattle on his ranch outside Opelousas. Rolling R Ranch sells vacuum packed, frozen cuts of beef direct to the public. There are 26 cuts to choose from, you may buy as much or as little as you like. The ranch is located at 1961 La. 3043, off La. 190, in Opelousas, and is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Call 948-6511 for more info.
CHEZ FRANCOIS
Local seafood couldn’t be fresher at Chez Francois. Depending on the season there are crabs and shrimp (right now), oysters and crawfish right out of the waters of Acadiana. In the freezers find turtle meat and frog legs. Chez Francois sells seafood raw, or if you prefer, boiled to take home. 139 Tissington Street, right on the Evangeline Thruway, call 234-8001 for more info.
KEVIN GUIDRY PRODUCE
The family owned produce market buys directly from local farmers. While it also buys out-of-state items such as lettuce from California and apples from Washington, it has signs designating homegrown vegetables and fruit. Currently, Guidry’s sells local okra, squash, watermelons and muscadine grapes, at the same price they are offered at the Acadiana Farmer’s Market. Call 269-4726, 3619 Moss St., Lafayette
EDDIE ROMERO’S ORCHARD
Eddie grows fruit year round at his pick-your-own orchard. Right now there are figs, muscadine grapes and asian pears, but with fall just around the corner, persimmons, and his citrus crop should be coming in once it gets cool. It’s best to call after 5 or on weekends, when he’s off work and can joyously lope around the garden, offering tastes of his 20 different varieties of figs. His brother Daniel has another pick-your-own orchard right across the street. Call 364-3370, 5119 Freetown Road, Coteau, La. Daniel Romeo can be reached at 365-1690.