What’s Fresh at Baton Rouge Farmers Markets in June

Summertime may signify a slow period for many Baton Rouge businesses, but the Red Stick Farmers Market is just getting started.

June kicks off the market’s annual Fresh Fest, a summer-long event complete with cooking demonstrations, live music, food sampling and children’s activities.

Every Saturday morning for the next 10 weeks, shoppers strolling downtown on Fifth and Main streets can get their favorite fresh fruits and veggies from more than 50 market vendors, grab a sample from one of the cooking demos inside Main Street Market and enjoy local music performances.

This weekend, visitors can taste samples of homemade ice cream from Feliciana’s Best Creamery as part of the fest’s Dairy Day theme.

Popular sweet fruits like blueberries, blackberries, nectarines, peaches and cantaloupes will return to the market this month. In addition to cherry and grape tomatoes, different varieties of heirloom tomatoes will be available, along with yellow, butternut and zucchini squash.

Like last month, you’ll come across collard and mustard greens, cucumbers, eggplant and bell peppers. Okra, sweet corn and sweet potatoes will also be in season. Watermelon will make its way to the market later in the month.

Besides fruits and vegetables, buyers can also expect to see handmade art from more than 50 makers at the Baton Rouge Arts Market, held in conjunction with the Red Stick Farmers Market on the first Saturday of each month.

Fresh from the Market cooking demonstration schedule for June:

June 3: “Dairy Day,” Chad Galiano from The Gregory

June 10:  “Blueberry Bash,” Alice Womble from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

June 17: “Tomato Me Crazy,” Peter Sclafani from Ruffino’s Restaurant

June 24: “Corn & Squash-Tastic,” Emilie Hebert and Gina Braud from Eat Fit

If you can’t make it on the weekends, the farmers market is also at the Main Library on Goodwood Boulevard on Tuesdays, 8 a.m.-noon; at Star Hill Church on Wednesdays, 9 a.m-noon; and on Thursdays at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 8 a.m.-noon, and the ExxonMobil YMCA, 9 a.m.-noon.