Eat Seasonal Food with the Local Calendar – UPDATED
You can do a few things this week to eat local. You can market outside this week, in Grayslake. You can start cooking from fresh produce (see our Spring recipe collection for ideas). On the other hand, you cannot go to the Logan Square Farmer’s Market, which is now on hiatus.
WHAT TO BUY NOW
Hey! New local foods to use. We are seeing the earliest Spring produce in our area including sorrel, green garlic, and onion shoots. From the warming hoophouses come lettuces (often stretched with other greens), spinach, chard, and rocket as well as micro-greens. If you are fortunate, you may find a farmer who over-wintered carrots or parsnips–do not fear mondo sized veg either, these may be the sweetest you will encounter. There are the wild edibles, like watercress and nettles, that start to show now too.
There is also, that very last of last year. We still see apples and potatoes. We have also seen cabbage, beets and sunchokes.
Continue to use quality preserved items. Tomato Mountain and River Valley Ranch are good sources for canned goods, and Freshpicks has frozen fruits and vegetables from Michigan. You might find dried fruits.
Local foods also include our great cheeses, meats, grains, beans, nuts, milk, eggs, etc. There’s even local tofu at some markets.
Need ideas for your Spring produce, check our our seasonal recipe collection.
Let us know what other local goods you are still seeing for sale.
WHERE TO FIND LOCAL FOODS
These stores specialize in local foods:
WHAT TO DO
MARKETS AND EVENTS THIS WEEK
Wednesday – March 31
Head to your Hideout for Soup and Bread – 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago – 530 – 8 PM
Thursday - April 1
New! - Beer dinner including Metropolitan, Goose Island, Dark Horse, Two Brothers and Lakefront at Vie – 4471 Lawn Ave., Western Springs – 630 PM
Saturday - April 3
Community Winter Market – 11 North 5th Street, Geneva 9 AM – 1 PM
New! – Grayslake Farmer’s Market – Downtown Grayslake; Vendors are located on Center Street and Centennial Park – 10 AM – 2 PM
Wednesday – April 7
New! – Whole Foods River Forest – Healthy Foods Seminar with Seventh Generation Ahead + Shop to benefit SGA – 7245 Lake, River Forest – 630 – 730 PM (you can shop for the benefit of SGA all Wednesday)
New! – Whole Foods Evanston (1640 Chicago Ave. & 1111 Chicago Ave) – Shop for the benefit of SAGE (Schools Actively Gardening in Evanston/Skokie)
MARKETS AND EVENTS COMING
Saturday - April 10
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is Cheese
Winter Farmer’s Market, Chicago/Beverly – Beverly Unitarian Church (the Castle) – 10244 S Longwood Ave, Chicago – 9 AM – 1 PM
SOLD OUT! – BaconFest Chicago – Chef’s participating here – Ticket info here.
Community Winter Market – 11 North 5th Street, Geneva 9 AM – 1 PM
New! – Grayslake Farmer’s Market – Downtown Grayslake; Vendors are located on Center Street and Centennial Park – 10 AM – 2 PM
New! – Adapting our Gardens to Climate Change – Evanston Ecology Center - Co-sponsored by The Garden Club of Evanston, Citizens for a Greener Evanston, the Ecology Center and ISEN, The Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern. The plants and trees in our gardens can help reduce the impacts of climate change that are now projected for this area. But warming temperatures and changes in precipitation will stress many of the species now growing here. This program will explore choices of plants, trees and water management techniques that will help our gardens adapt to changing conditions. No fee, but please pre-register at 847-448-8256.
Tuesday - April 13
Geneva Green Market, NFP Green Chatter Matters – Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan – Inglenook Pantry, 11 North Fifth St, Geneva IL – 7 pm
Sunday – April 18
New! – Let’s Retake Our Plates – Whole Food Earth Month Film Series – No Impact Man - Entrance donation is $10 and all proceeds will be donated to The Talking Farm. Location: Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark St., 2nd Floor, Chicago. In celebration of Earth Month, join Whole Foods Market for two award-winning documentaries paired with locally produced food and beverages, green goodie bags, and an expert panel discussion following each film, including those from The Talking Farm. Click here to buy tickets or get them at the Whole Foods Market Sauganash.
Monday - April 19
New! – Three Course Earth Day Menu – Vie – 4471 Lawn Ave., Western Springs
Tuesday – April 20
City Provisions Supper Club – Earth Day Dinner
Wednesday- April 21
New! – Three Course Earth Day Menu – Vie – 4471 Lawn Ave., Western Springs
Thursday- April 22
Go Green Day Management Earth Day – Flair Tower – 720 N. Franklin, Chicago
New! - Three Course Earth Day Menu – Vie – 4471 Lawn Ave., Western Springs
Saturday – April 24
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is Cheese.
Portage Park – Irving Park and Central, Chicago - 10 – 2 PM
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