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I’ve been back in Baltimore less than 24 hours and have already caught myself humming I Wish I Was in New Orleans about a half dozen times. I mentioned last week that I was there, but we were on such a tight schedule that I didn’t have time to digest and blog about it. Destin is encountering a similar problem at the W.K Kellogg Foundation’s Food and Society Conference in Arizona (as is Kerry at Eating Liberally), so I’m guessing that most of you will understand.

What I didn’t mention last week is that this was my first ever visit to this gorgeous, other-worldly place. After a whirlwind eight days of po’ boys, gumbo, and music, I’m still at a loss for words. Everywhere you turn, some ridiculously decadent food thing is tempting you, and world famous musicians mingle and play all over the city, nearly 24 hours a day. To a tourist in town for Jazz Fest, the town presents an exotic abundance that kind of blew my originally-from-the-Northwest mind.

But New Orleans is also a study in contradiction. Outside the fair grounds where the festival is held and all around town, homes still show flood damage from Hurricane Katrina. Locals and outsiders alike speak about the town in terms of pre- and post-Katrina, but the town had serious problems even before that, and evidence of the poverty there, which seems so impossible in such a lush and beautiful place, juxtaposes with the indulgence of the (comparably) rich in a way that boggles the mind. As a person who is deeply concerned with social justice, I found myself troubled enough that even the powdered sugar-heaped beignets were a little bittersweet.

I had a feeling that a trip to the farmers market would help me make some sense of it all. So it was that after a late night of shows Friday, I pulled myself out of bed early to get to the Crescent City Farmers Market before its noontime closing. Since Katrina, the market is open on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but is working its way back to its previous rhythm of four days a week. Arriving late in the morning, it’s hard to believe that the space is really just a small parking lot, overflowing as it is with vendors offering fresh food and flowers.

Local caterer/coach/nutritionist Gary Granata of Perform Well was cooking up delicious and healthful seasonal food that day, and my cousin Carrie and I opted for the garlicky gazpacho (a welcome break from the incredibly rich regional fare) and the polenta and black beans, both of which were topped off with a spoonful of cilantro pesto from Paul’s Palate (who was offering samples at his stand, accompanied by Voo Dough bread). I was pleased to see the vendors supporting each other through such creative (and delicious) cross-marketing. We washed down our lunch with beet lemonade (which I can’t believe I never thought of before) from Amanda’s Juices. Turns out southern food doesn’t have to center on roux!

Also at the market was Warren Smith, who was selling his Smith Creamery non-homogenized dairy (their motto is “Where the cream rises to the top”) all from grass-fed cows. The Smith Creamery has been in the family for four generations and today, Warren and his wife Sandra drive delivery trucks, while son Travis runs the farm and daughter Michelle handles sales. We grabbed up some creole cream cheese and chocolate milk, both of which were outrageously creamy and tasty.

On our way out, we got to talking with Erin Laine and John Calhoune, who are among a team of local foodies working to build the New Orleans Food Coop , the first food coop in New Orleans since the 1970s. Erin was so enthusiastically explaining the benefits of a local coop to me that it took a few minutes for me to explain that I was in from out of town. Their infectious enthusiasm is helping them to build a tremendous momentum — as of last week, they’d exceeded their interim goal of 300 members, even though the coop isn’t slated to open until late 2009. They are shooting for an ambitious 1,000 members by opening day, so if you are a conscientious eater in New Orleans, you should sign up!

And so it turned out that my visit to the market (as it almost always does, no matter where I am) left me inspired and grounded, not to mention well-fed. These days, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all that is wrong in the world, but there are thousands of people out there who’re bravely engaged in work to make the world a better place, and simply supporting these people not only helps to ensure that they can continue their work, but can also pull you out of a funk and inspire you got get involved with great projects like the new coop. I left the market feeling hopeful and inspired by the strong local food movement in New Orleans. Against incredible odds, people are working together not just to rebuild and get back to where they were pre-Katrina, but to build a stronger, greener New Orleans.