What’s fresh at Baton Rouge farmers markets in March

Southern Louisiana will soon welcome steady warm weather, and with that comes some big changes in fresh local fruits and veggies.

Baton Rouge farmers markets will become more colorful in March and succeeding months, full of dark leafy greens, bright orange sweet potatoes and deep red strawberries.

Here’s a look at what’s fresh at the markets this month:

New produce

March doesn’t bring too much in the way of new produce native to Louisiana, but if we’re lucky, a few bundles of crisp asparagus and artichokes will make their way into the markets. 

Midseason produce

Vitamin-rich, crispy greens are still around this month. Spinach, kale, collard greens and mustard greens are in the prime of their seasons, as are cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower and broccoli. Root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and radishes are more vibrant than ever in early spring, so make sure to pick some up and make something like this sweet potato chickpea curry. And don’t forget about Louisiana strawberries—farmers from the strawberry haven of Ponchatoula regularly bring juicy berries to the Baton Rouge markets in the spring. Want to impress guests with your savvy strawberry skills? Try this strawberry salsa instead of basic salsa for an outdoor party this spring.

End-season produce

Some citrus favorites are phasing out this month. They’ll still be available, but satsumas, oranges, mandarins and lemons will appear at market stalls less and less as March goes on.

The selections at local markets will continue to increase throughout March and into the beginning of April, at the peak of the spring harvest.

This Saturday, March 5, chef Anderson Foster of Bin 77 will present a cooking demonstration inside Main Street Market. Because it’s also the first Saturday of the month, the Baton Rouge Arts Market will join the farmers market vendors with more than 60 local artisans.

The Red Stick Farmers Market sets up shop every Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, on the corner of Main and Fifth streets, and every Thursday, 8 a.m.-noon, at Pennington Biomedical Research Center on Perkins Road.

See the full list of vendors at this Saturday’s market here. The list is updated weekly.