The following post comes courtesy of the Central Louisiana Regional Food Digest, written by John Dean of the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance (CLEDA). The Central Louisiana Local Foods Initiative is a Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana grant supported program.
By John Dean
Do you have extra produce in your garden? Are you a small-scale farmer looking for another opportunity to sell your produce? You have plenty of options in Central Louisiana!
Available in Natchitoches, Alexandria, and soon Leesville, community tables act as small co-ops, offering the opportunity for growers to sell their extra produce to the local community without the hassles and costs for vendors normally associated with selling at farmers markets. For example, the Natchitoches Community Table pays one vendor fee each Saturday, allowing for the table’s small growers to save on their weekly individual fees.
The Alexandria Museum of Art’s Second Saturday Market offers a community table where anyone from the region may sell their produce. This Saturday, July 12th, is the next opportunity. Contact the Museum at (318) 443-3458 if you are interested in participating in the table.
Contact Carol Chin at carol.nihc@gmail.com for more information about longstanding Natchitoches Community Table which is available each Saturday at Natchitoches’ Cane River Green Market. And keep on the lookout for the region’s next community table in Leesville! Contact Anne Champney for more information about Leesville’s progress at candcminifarm@gmail.com.