Here at Local Beet HQ, a bad flu bug ravished the staff, and output this week went down the root cellar. We expect to be up and running soon. Even from the depth of illness, however, we want to encourage your local eating. Thus, we have mildly updated last week’s edition of the Local Calendar to serve as this week’s version.
A good deal of markets take their opening day around June1, and a visit to our searchable, sortable, Market Locator will give you an idea of these markets. And now that you can shop away, don’t forget our farmer’s market shopping tips.
WHAT TO BUY NOW
Its still very much asparagus and rhubarb season. Asparagus recipe ideas? Both Melissa Graham, the Sustainable Cook, and Chef Pat Sheerin, from the Signature Room, offer suggestions. Still, may we suggest that you expand your produce vocabulary this week. Mo’s hot on Spring turnips, and we’ve been right behind here, mostly using them raw in salads. You cannot use Swiss chard raw (except for really baby chard), but it does not take much to cook up chard leaves. Don’t forget to use the stems too.
Along with the fresh spring items, take advantage of good supplies of old potatoes. Believe us, you will still find them plenty delicious. Again, going back to Mo, those old potatoes combine well with the delicious early season turnips.
WHAT TO BUY SOON (OR LOOK FOR KEENLY)
Strawberries, peas (sugar snaps, snow peas, shell peas)
WHERE TO FIND LOCAL FOODS
These stores specialize in local foods:
City Provisions Deli in Ravenswood, Chicago
Downtown Farmstand in the Loop, Chicago
Green Grocer in West Town, Chicago
Dill Pickle Coop in Logan Square, Chicago
Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park
Butcher and Larder in Noble Square, Chicago
We saw Michigan asparagus at Whole Foods this week.
WHAT TO DO NOW
June 4 – Planting Day at the preSERVE Garden – 12th Place and Central Park Ave., Chicago – 10 – 1230 – Water will be provided. Bring a sack lunch and work gloves if you have them. Spaces are limited, please RSVP to slowfoodpreserve {at} gmail(.)com (Rain date will be Sunday, June 5th)
June 7 – Taste the Great Lakes Dinner – Freshwater fish dinner at Dirk’s Fish with Slow Food Chicago.
June 23 – 4-Course Slow Food Dinner and Goose Island Pairing Event Featuring Goose Island Beer Company Brew Master, Brett Porter – UnCommon Ground – 1401 W. Devon, Chicago
June 24 – Slow Food Chicago Summer Solstice Potluck – At the Chicago Honey Co-op. – Additional details here.
June 25 – City Provisions Farm Dinner with Dietzler Farms and Half Acre Beer – Bus leaves City Provisions Deli @ 1 PM
August 3 — Outstanding in the Field with Paul Virant of Vie and Bare Knuckle Farm, Northport, MI. There are a lot of great farm dinners with local farms this summer with Outstanding in the Field, but join The Local Beet in making the trek north for this one, as it promises to be special as anyone who has tasted Bare Knuckle’s pork belly from Duroc Cross hogs can attest. More information here.
Turnips. Oh I can just see your face, all scrunched in distaste at the mere mention of the word ‘turnip’. Now don’t be hatin’, what did the poor turnip ever do to you? Always getting a bad wrap…well time for the turnip to get a ‘redo’.
Admittedly the turnip hasn’t exactly been my ‘goto’ veg of choice. Periodic appearances in soups, and, and well, not much else (assuming this stems from bad memories of severely overcooked, overcellared turnips). But with the appearance of the beautiful baby turnips at the Farmers Markets this spring, all that is a changin’.
This humble root veggie, and member of the cabbage family, is not only tasty but is a pow-pow-powerhouse of health: the root is low in calories, high in fiber and vitamins C and the leafy green tops are packed with vitamins A, C and K, folate, calcium and lutein (a big preventer of cataracts and cardiovascular disease). Tender with a nice crunch (the older and larger versions tend toward a spongy texture) the baby turnips are sweeter and have a less pungent bite — I would liken more to a radish and mild enough to enjoy raw in salads or as part of a crudite platter. And the greens, long a favorite in southern kitchens, are similar to mustards: bite you in their raw state, but mellow when cooked.
In the Fall turnips are large and recognized by their purple topped white root. This spring look for baby turnips that are no larger than 3” in diameter, smooth skinned and firm and in an array of colors: white, yellow, orange, pink and red. This past week I found both white and pink baby turnips with perfectly unblemished tender green tops, a plus since I wanted to cook both the root and the greens. I didn’t not expect a big taste difference but definitely taste the different varieties — the white was mellow and sweet the pink had a radishy bite.
I played around with an array of preparations and found the tiny spring turnips to be terrific:
-raw as a crudite (yummy paired with sliced fennel)
-Sauteed in butter alone or w/sugar snap peas, carrots and radishes
-a simple salad: paper thin slices of turnips tossed with warm rice wine vinegar, a bit of honey, pinch of salt, and a dash of red pepper.
-roasted with olive oil, butter, and some red wine vinegar
-pureed w/milk, butter and thyme.
And since the weather is still feeling more March than May, last nite I opted for comfort sides to my roasted chicken: turnips mashed with potatoes, and greens sauteed with bacon.
Smashed Turnips & Potatoes
1 lb baby turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2” pcs
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2” pcs (I used Butterballs from Nichols Farm – yum)
3 T butter
2 T sour cream or yoghurt
1 cup chicken broth or cooking water
salt/pepper to taste
Cook the potatoes and turnips in a large pot of water til tender. Drain the veg, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water (if not opting for chicken broth). Put the drained veg back into the cooking pot. Add the butter, sour cream, broth (or water) and start mashing to your likeness — some of us prefer a chunky mash and others a smoother mash — your cooking so it is your call. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Eat seasonal food. In season now, rhubarb. Eat rhubarb. The first fruit available at the markets. Unfortunately, obviously, you cannot just gnaw on a rhubarb stalk. Rhubarb needs mellowing. Cooking mellows rhubarb. Cooking mellows rhubarb only so much. Rhubarb needs sweeteners. Rhubarb needs shakey-shakey. Rhubarb tastes good with shakey-shakey.
Every year about this time of year, I start riding my wife to serve me some rhubarb with shakey-shakey. Rhubarb with shakey-shakey like I ate so often, so many years ago when spending graduate time in Cardiff, Wales. During my Cardiff time, I had a relationship with a lovely Celtic girl. Her family fed me often, lending extra specialness to our brief fling. These days I think less of Sian and more of the shakey-shakey. Welsh women may not be know for their fine fare, but the Welsh women in this family knew how to enhance a lot of things eaten. Shakey-shakey. It went on pie. It rescued the incredibly awful coffee they served. It went on rhubarb, which we seemed to have often. Many a Sunday lunch ended with cooked rhubarb drenched in shakey-shakey. That Sian, a lovely woman in many ways, had a some hip. In fact, if you know the singer Adele, you’d know about the look of Sian. A lot. And I cannot say at all how Adele gets her womanly figure, but I could probably guess that Sian’s figure owed more than a some to her ample use of shakey-shakey.
Me, I’m on a bit of a fitness-yoga kick of late, hoping to reduce my girth. Still, a bit of shakey-shakey can be handled. Can’t it. We have the rhubarb. We have the shakey-shakey. Or do we. See, oh so many years later. when memories of a Welsh gal merged into images of a popular young singer, I cannot quite remember what is shakey-shakey.
I know what it could be. It could be evaporated milk. Or it could be condensed milk. They both come in a sealed can, traditionally opened with a pointed church key. They are both shaken (I think). They re both poured. They are both sweet. Yet, I cannot remember which is the shakey-shakey. I fear if I use the wrong one, it will be all wrong. It will be like Adele singing a Journey song.
I want to eat seasonal food. I want to eat my seasonal rhubarb. I want to eat my seasonal rhubarb with shakey-shakey. I just don’t know what.
Help appreciated. Especially help from anyone who knew me in Cardiff ca. 1986.
Rhubarb Oat Bars, recipe to follow
Although usually associated with desserts, rhubarb is actually a vegetable – one related to sorrel, a tangy green that I wrote about here. I love to watch rhubarb melt from hard fibrous chunks to velvety, pink-tinged mush. I also appreciate its ability to pair with both sweet and savory dishes whether as tart counterpoint to pork or duck, or as an accompaniment to its fairer and fruitier spring partner, the strawberry.
Given its versatility, be sure to put some up before it disappears. I preserve my rhubarb in two ways: in the freezer and as marmalade. At the start of this series, I talked about my Rhubarb-Grapefruit Marmalade, click here for the recipe.
1. Trim and cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Pack in airtight bags or containers and freeze.
2. Trim and cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Cook with granulated sugar (4 stalks to 1/4 cup sugar) until soft. Cool and then pack in airtight bags or containers and freeze.
3. You can also freeze rhubarb after cooking sous vide, a process I described here. Seal it and cook at 140 F degrees for 45 minutes or until soft. Cool and freeze in the sealed bag.
You can use frozen rhubarb to sweeten up your winter in custards, pies, ice creams, and beverages (I love a mint-rhubarb cooler).
Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, mix together flours, cornstarch, wheat germ, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar for about 1 minute. Add vanilla extract and mix for 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Press the dough into the pan. Score lightly into 1-inch by 2 ¼-inch fingers. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until crust is firm to the touch. Cool slightly.
While the crust is baking, make the rhubarb filling. Pour the orange juice over the rhubarb in a medium saucepan. Scoop in honey and add rosemary. Cook until the rhubarb has broken down and the mixture has thickened, approximately 15 minutes. Remove the cheesecloth bundle.
When the crust has cooled slightly, spread the rhubarb over it.
In a small bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter using your fingers, until the mixture just holds together. Sprinkle it over the rhubarb. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden about 15-20 minutes.
Let cool. Using the edges of the parchment, remove from the pan to a cutting board and cut into slices.
This was a delicious accompaniment to sole coated in a pecan-flour breading. I bet it would also pretty great on roast pork or duck.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
3 rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and rhubarb and cook for a few minutes. Pour vinegar, maple syrup, and red wine over the rhubarb and add grated ginger. Cook until the rhubarb is softened and the liquid is reduced, approximately 15 minutes. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and whisk in 1 one piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper.
My co-volunteer on the Morton Grove Farmers’ Market committee wrote a personal essay about our pre-opening Mother’s Day Market. I don’t think I could have better summed up the spirit of why we put our time and energy towards helping our community buy and eat local. The following was written by Mary Longe.
It wasn’t cold; it wasn’t sunny; there weren’t fruits and vegetables. But it was the Mother’s Day preview of the upcoming Morton Grove Farmers’ Market and the elements of summer were falling into place. People were out in Midwest high fashion. A pleasant mix of Ugs and shorts, flip flops and ski parkas: the hopes and reality of May in Morton Grove, IL.
For me, desperation for the market set in on Thursday, when I’d parsed out the last of the honey I’d bought last fall from the beekeeper from downstate. Greek yogurt and walnuts are truly foods of the gods when combined with his seasonal honeys.
Seeing the vendors and community organizations from last year felt like seeing old friends. And seeing the new farms and sellers created a whole new market. I left with tomato, basil and rosemary plants in anticipation of fresh, home grown bruschetta in 63 growing days. I’ll pick up the mozzarella from the Cheese People and bread from the bakery when the tomatoes mature.
As I visited the stalls and hung out at the Welcome Booth, the words of three separate conversations help me convey what the market means for me beyond restocking my honey stores and preparing for meals in a couple months.
First was a chat with a young mom who told me her Mother’s Day tomorrow would be spent at a friend’s farm outside Racine, WI. She and her friends celebrate a twenty-first century version of Beltane – the ancient ritual of the druids to welcome the new growth of spring. “It’s about honoring the earth—about the beauty of nature,” she told me. “And, the market is part of that, too. That’s why it’s important to me.”
A table alongside the Welcome tent held the supplies for face painters and a Henna artist. A hugely talented artist named Asma, whose age is no indication of her stunning artistry, created designs on hand after hand. She told me she was named artist of the month at her middle school. (Seriously, have her Henna a Wind-Wish wheel for something small, or a full back-of-hand design to experience the fragrance of the Henna herbs and her artistry.) At the other end of the table a little younger child sat painting a design with face paints on his own leg.
“My name’s Mary, what’s yours?” I asked him.
He kept his focus on the fire-engine red creature emerging from his paint brush. “Ethan,” he admitted.
“So, Ethan, you about… seventeen?”
He finally looked at me, incredulously, but straight eye-to-eye. (It always works.) “Nine. I’m nine.” He said as seriously as my statement to him.
“Not nineteen, then? Are you sure? And then he smiled a huge smile with big shining brown eyes. He recognized my teasing.
“What do you do with your summers, Ethan?”
“I go to a bunch of camps.”
“What kind of camps? Do you learn how to fix air conditioners?” He looked directly at me again.
“No, I go to nature camps.”
“How come nature camp, Ethan?”
“I love nature. I love the animals and I love the trees and plants and Earth. I like all the activities with the other kids there. I like it here.”
And, there it was. Ethan, the nine-year-old, gesturing at the Farmers’ Market, told me with conviction, he connected the market to nature.
Later, I took the opportunity to shop the stalls and talked to the farmer from whom I bought the tomato plants. “My family and I do nine markets a week,” he told me. “I take a couple; my wife and older son each take a couple too. Then we take Sunday off.”
“When do you have time to farm?” I asked.
“We have 27 acres. Three grow the produce we bring here. The others have hay and pasture for the cattle. We all work hard and we get the work done.”
“So, do you take Sunday off to rest after all that or for religious reasons?”
“Well except for picking a few zucchini and cucumbers when they insist on being picked, which we don’t clean ‘til Monday, we figure God had a good reason for setting aside a day to rest each week. We gather with other people on Sunday. We gather our family and make time to enjoy each other on Sunday. Imagine,” he said wistfully, “if everyone with all their busy lives did that. Imagine how we’d be less frantic and have better relationships. The world would be a better place; people would be happier.” He went on to tell me how he went to school and worked in the Chicago, then decided to go back to the country where he could see storms roll in and smell fresh air.
I was struck by the idea that this man loves his job and the life it provides his family. He takes a day from the fields or the other markets every week to spend a different kind of time with his family and his community. His day of rest allows him to come back to our market renewed. His love of the land and his self awareness of what it means to him and his family affected me.
And so a summer full of markets begins. Listening to the mom, the nine-year-old and the farmer, I got a better understanding of what brings me back, too. A common thread with nature, relationships to people and the food wove through each conversation. Now, I realize that’s what brings me back, too. That’s why I volunteer—for the regular reminder that our food comes from the hard work of people who live just down the interstate, for the people of all ages whom I’ve met and who share an interest in nature, and for the food I take home. The Morton Grove Farmers Market will be open again June 4th. I’m optimistic it will be warm and sunny and truly summer. See you there!
The Zuni bread salad enhanced roast chicken is surely one of the most beloved of foodie enterprises, like all 100 pages or so of the cookbook. I have nothing much to say about the recipe besides I love it too. That, and no one platter dish uses more dishes in its prep. To gild the lily, we added some River Valley Kitchen asparagus.
I don’t plan on an eat local weekend nearly as exhausting as the last one. No cooking cholent for 100 (from twenty pounds of plate and twenty pounds of grass fed beef from Butcher and Larder); no buying parsnips and nettles at Green City Market waiting for my wife, no racing to McCormick Place, no time on Mike Nowak’s show on WCPT/820 AM. No just a nice long walk with Molly the Eat Local Dog, and the Local Kid, who spoils me with her company to the Oak Park Farmer’s Market as soon as the dog wakes up. In other words, early. Come meet me for a donut.
When I spoke at Green Festival last week, I confessed that donuts enabled me to reach my potential as a locavore. When I moved to Oak Park, neighbors directed me to the market. Yet, honestly, back then, back in the beginning, the market did not do much for me. Of course, these days, the early season crop, with season extension hoop houses and all looks a lot different, but back then, I came away hardly wowed. Those first market seemed so bare. Why shop. I returned, however, because I love donuts. What the market could not offer me in Spring produce, it could offer me in fat and sugar.
I love the donuts at the Oak Park Market. They are not, I will also confess, the best donuts. Not even the best donuts along Lake Street, as Dunk Donuts, several miles west in Melrose Park exceeds the Market donuts. With donuts, second best hardly matters. These are fresh, simple, wholesome, and carrying the flavors of all the flowers, spring greens, local cheeses, duck eggs, and everything other aroma wafting through the market. I will most likely have two.
Then, I will purchase some asparagus, probably some goat’s milk cheese, and even more probably, some radishes. I may have come for the donuts, but I stick around now for the local food.
The Oak Park Farmer’s Market is at Piligrim Church, on Lake St. just west of Ridgeland. The market opens at 7.
A few more markets roll out this weekend, including my hometown market in Oak Park; French Markets in the far South Suburbs (New Lenox and Homewood) and way on the other end of the spectrum, the Kenosha HarborMarket moves to its outdoor location. Of course, in between, within Chicago, markets are happening in Lincoln Park, and Division Street. You should not have to travel too far to find local food. To find the market right for you, use our searchable, sortable, Market Locator.
As the outdoor markets roll out, the most stalwart of indoor markets holds its last session this Saturday. The Community Winter Market in Geneva shines on each weekend, each week, all winter, allowing for local food all the time. We rarely (if ever) can make it to Geneva, but boy do we love that they are there. The market always features a mix of available produce, meat vendors with humanely raised chicken, pork and beef, and eggs as well as the outstanding selection of cheeses from Curds & Whey Cheese Company. The market is in the Inglenook Pantry building at 11 N 5th Ave in Geneva.
Bring our set of market shopping tips with you.
WHAT TO BUY NOW
The novelty of spring greens may be wearing off, and in fact some of that earliest plants, like ramps, are probably gone. Still, we feel you should capitalize on the short season of foraged crops like watercress, nettles, garlic mustard, wild ferns. Grab these now.
We saw over-wintered parsnips last week at Growing Power. See if you can still find them. Also, old but still very good look for potatoes and apples.
Spring! asparagus and rhubarb.
WHAT TO BUY SOON (OR LOOK FOR KEENLY)
Strawberries
WHERE TO FIND LOCAL FOODS
These stores specialize in local foods:
City Provisions Deli in Ravenswood, Chicago
Downtown Farmstand in the Loop, Chicago
Green Grocer in West Town, Chicago
Dill Pickle Coop in Logan Square, Chicago
Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park
Butcher and Larder in Noble Square, Chicago
An Indiana farm growing lettuces, basil and rocket (a/k/a arugula) indoors called Eden Farms sells mostly now in Indiana, but they also sell to the Sunset Foods stores on the North Shore.
We are still seeing Michigan apples and Wisconsin potatoes here and there.
WHAT TO DO NOW
Other Eat Local Activities
May 19 – May 25 – Chicago Craft Beer Week – Tom tells you what he thinks here.
May 22 - Our friend Jim Javenkoski throws his next Locavore Dinner, which includes a screening of the new documentary, Ingredients, at Kitchen Chicago. The dinner will include a 4-course dinner menu designed by Chef Derrick Wcislak of Pure Kitchen Catering. More details and tickets ($65/$75) are available here.
May 25 – Savor the Seasons Tasting Festivals: Lettuce, Green City Market, Chicago, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
May 26 – Swing into Spring, a fundraiser for the Peterson Garden Project – 7 – 11 PM
May 29 – Slow Food Chicago Book Club – Epitaph for a Peach by David Mas Masumoto – First Slice Cafe (4401 N. Ravenswood)
- 2 – 3 PM – RSVP to sfchicagoevents {at} gmail(.)com , if you plan to attend.
June 4 – Planting Day at the preSERVE Garden – 12th Place and Central Park Ave., Chicago – 10 – 1230 - Water will be provided. Bring a sack lunch and work gloves if you have them. Spaces are limited, please RSVP to slowfoodpreserve {at} gmail(.)com (Rain date will be Sunday, June 5th)
June 7 – Taste the Great Lakes Dinner – Freshwater fish dinner at Dirk’s Fish with Slow Food Chicago.
June 24 – Slow Food Chicago Summer Solstice Potluck – At the Chicago Honey Co-op. – Details forthcoming.
August 3 — Outstanding in the Field with Paul Virant of Vie and Bare Knuckle Farm, Northport, MI. There are a lot of great farm dinners with local farms this summer with Outstanding in the Field, but join The Local Beet in making the trek north for this one, as it promises to be special as anyone who has tasted Bare Knuckle’s pork belly from Duroc Cross hogs can attest. More information here.
Editor’s note: with asparagus filling up the market tables, you may be tempted to buy more than you can use. You may consider freezing the surplus. Local Beet c0-founder, Michael Morowitz, put away some asparagus and then wrote up what he learned. We think the lessons remain invaluable.
One year ago, fresh off the purchase of my new chest freezer and Foodsaver(tm) vacuum sealer, I found myself anxious to take home a springtime haul from the farmers market and get it into the deep freeze for winter local eating. I thought that it made the most sense to buy a large quantity of something I really liked. Buying in bulk helped me bargain for a better price (making my haul very competitive with supermarket prices) and gave me some economies of scale during the labor of blanching, chilling, tray freezing, packing and sealing.
So, about eight pounds of asparagus came home with me and found their way to the chest freezer.
This past winter, I started breaking out these packages and quickly learned that thawed asparagus (one of my favorite vegetables) isn’t good for much. It gets very stringy and doesn’t maintain much good structure. I decided that my mountain of frozen stalks would only be useful as a puree. Sadly, my stick blender wasn’t up to the task (it yielded a mucus-like texture). The full-size blender had to be used to make a smooth, even puree.
So, what to do with 8lbs. of asparagus puree? A lot of soup. Homemade chicken stock with asparagus puree and a little milk or cream makes a nice soup. Paired with a winter salad and some hearty bread, it made many nice winter meals. A couple other options I came up with: mash and mix with cheese for a ravioli filling, stir into risotto, or sneak it into the toddlers’ beloved smoothies.
I suppose a little googling would have quickly revealed that asparagus didn’t make a good freezing vegetable, but some lessons it’s good to learn on your own. I would have much preferred ten jars of pickled asparagus than ten packages of the frozen stuff.
Will I freeze any this year? I might freeze a package or two of puree for soup or risotto next winter, but not too much. I’m going to direct my freezing energies in a different directions this spring.
The Chicago Lights Urban Farm has teamed up with Groupon in order to raise money for their Mobile Market Program. This program seeks to make available to the (former?) Cabrini-Green neighborhood fresh, nutritious, and local produce from the Chicago Lights Urban Farm. With the proceeds from these donations, $1,500 will go towards hiring a few teenagers and providing them bicycles and safety gear so that they can to deliver market baskets to customers. Additional funds will be used to setup mobile kiosk that will offer produce from the farm to those in and around the neighborhood.
Donations can be made in $10, $25, or $50 increments. Anyone donating $50 will receive the Urban Farm’s cookbook and a coupon worth 10% of the amount donated, redeemable for purchase of fresh produce the Farm Stand (open Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., June through October). All donations will be matched up to $5,000 by an anonymous donor.
Visit the Groupon page to donate! The deadline to donate through Groupon ends at midnight on Thursday, May 19.
UPDATE 10.27.11: We have updated our Locator for certain markets that continue through the end of the year. We have not included dates for markets in 2012. Also note, our Locator does not include one-off markets such as the markets run by Faith Place. For a compendium of winter markets see this post.
Our primary mission at the Local Beet is to provide a “Practical Approach to Local Eating.” One of the main ways we do that is by providing you the resources you need to eat local. What do you need to eat local? A farmer’s market. We put together a new market locator to help you find farmer’s markets. The Locator includes Chicago area markets as well as select markets in places you may find yourself on day trips or roadtrips.
The Locator is fully searchable. It is also sortable by its columns. Use those columns to see if your market has opened (or closed) for the season or look for a market in your city.
Please let us know via comments or email if you know a market not included in our Locator.
Farmer's Market Locator
Find Farmer's Markets in your area by entering your neighborhood, town, or nearby towns in the search box.
Name/Occurrence
Web SiteCity, ST Address Day Time Start Date End Date
61st Street Farmers Market (Experimental Station) /Weekly
http://www.experimentalstation.org/farmers-marketChicago, IL 6100 S Blackstone Ave
Saturday 9 - 2 05/14/11 12/17/11
Andersonville/Weekly
http://www.andersonville.org/Chicago, IL 1500 W BERWYN AVE
Wednesday 3 - 8 06/22/11 10/19/11
Aurora Farmers Market ATC/Weekly
Aurora, IL 233 N BROADWAY
Saturday 730 - 12 06/11/11 10/22/11
Aurora Farmers Market East/Weekly
Aurora, IL 3500 McCoy Drive
Tuesday 10 - 2 06/12/11 09/30/11
Aurora Farmers Market West/Weekly
Aurora, IL 1901 W. Galena Blvd
Wednesday 2 - 6 07/06/11 08/31/11
Avondale - Sprouting Out - Wednesday/Weekly
Chicago, IL 3300 N. Whipple Wednesday 3 - 6 06/15/11 10/19/11
Avondale - Sprouting Out - Saturday/Weekly
Chicago, IL 3300 N. Whipple Saturday 3 - 6 06/18/11 10/22/11
Barnharts Stone Corner Organic Farm Market/Daily
Oregon, IL 2169 E HONEY CREEK RD
06/01/11 11/01/11
Barrington Farmer's Market/Weekly
http://www.barringtonfarmersmarket.org/Barrington, IL 100 S COOK ST
Thursday 2 - 7 06/16/11 10/20/11
Bartlett Farmer's Market/Weekly
http://www.village.bartlett.il.us/fmarket.htmlBartlett, IL 228 S. Main St Friday 2 - 6 06/03/11 09/09/11
Beverly/Weekly
Chicago, IL 95th & Longwood
Sunday 7 - 1 05/15/11 10/23/11
Big Star Wicker Park Market/Weekly Chicago, IL 1531 N. Damen Sunday 10-4 5/2/11 6/1/11
Bolingbrook/Weekly Bolingbrook, IL E Boughton Road (West of 355) Thursday 4-8 6/2/11 10/13/11
Bridgeport/Weekly Chicago, IL 35th & Wallace (In parking lot)
Saturday 7 - 1 06/18/11 09/17/11
Bronzeville Community Market/Weekly Chicago, IL 4400 S. Cottage Grove
Saturday 8 - 1 06/11/11 10/29/11
Buffalo Grove/Weekly Buffalo Grove, IL 951 McHenry Road. Sunday 8-12:30 6/19/11 10/16/11
Burr Ridge/Weekly Burr Ridge, IL Burr Ridge Parkway & McClintock Drive Thursday 10-2 6/16/11 9/1/11
Chesterton’s European Market/Weekly
http://www.chestertonseuropeanmarket.com/Chesterton, IN Broadway and Third Saturday 8 - 2 05/07/11 10/29/11
City Farm Market Stand/Tuesday - Friday
Chicago, IL 1204 N. Clybourn
3 - 630 07/12/11 09/30/11
City Hall Farmers' Market Racine, WI 730 Washington Saturday 12 - 4 06/01/11 09/30/11
City of Zion/Weekly Zion, IL Shiloh Blvd. & Sheridan Rd. Thursday 2-7 6/23/11 9/29/11
Crystal Lake/Weekly Crystal Lake, IL 70 E. Woodstock Saturday 8-1 6/4/11 10/15/11
Daley Plaza/Weekly
Chicago, IL Washington & Dearborn
Thursday 7 - 3 05/12/11 10/20/11
Dane County - Outdoor - Saturday/Weekly
http://www.dcfm.org/Madison, WI Capital Square Saturday 6 - 2 04/16/11 11/05/11
Dane County - Outdoor - Wednesday/Weekly
http://www.dcfm.org/Madison, WI 200 blk of MLK, Jr. Blvd. Wednesday 830 - 2 04/20/11 11/02/11
Deerfield/Weekly Deerfield, IL NW Corner of Robert York Ave. & Deerfield Rd. Saturday 7-12:30 6/18/11 10/15/11
Division Street/Weekly
Chicago, IL Divison & Dearborn (On Division btwn. State & Clark)
Saturday 7 - 1 05/14/11 10/29/11
Downtown Bloomington/Weekly Bloomington, IL N. Main, E. Jefferson & W. Center streets Saturday 7:30-12 5/14/11 10/29/11
Downtown Elgin/Weekly Elgin, IL 200 N. Grove Ave. Thursday 10-4 6/02/11 9/29/11
Downtown Racine Farmer's Market/Weekly Racine, IL State and Erie St Saturday 8 - 12 05/08/11 10/30/11
Downers Grove Farmer's Market - Saturday/Weekly Downers Grove, IL Main St. Metro Station, Lot B
1000 Burlington Ave.Saturday 7 -12:30 5/7/2011 10/15/2011
East Side Green Market/Weekly
http://www.theeastside.org/categories/10-green-marketMilwaukee, WI 1901 E. North Ave Saturday 10 - 2 06/18/11 10/08/11
East Town Market - Saturday/Weekly
http://www.easttown.com/categories/6-easttownmarketMilwaukee, WI Corner of Kilbourn & Jefferson (Cathedral Square Park)
Saturday 9 - 1 06/04/11 10/29/11
East Town Market - Tuesday/Weekly
http://www.easttown.com/categories/6-easttownmarketMilwaukee, WI Corner of Kilbourn & Jefferson (Cathedral Square Park)
Tuesday 3 - 7 07/07/11 09/27/11
Eden Place Farmers Market/Weekly
Chicago, IL 4330 S. Shields Saturday 8 - 3 06/11/11 10/21/11
Eli's Cheesecake/Wright College/Weekly
Chicago, IL 6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr.
Thursday 7 - 1 06/16/11 10/17/11
Elk Grove Village/Weekly Elk Grove Village, IL 1000 Wellington Ave. Wednesday 7-1 6/01/11 8/31/11
Erie Street /Weekly
Chicago, IL 500 W. Erie St.
Sunday 8 - 1 06/12/11 10/23/11
Evanston/Weekly
http://www.cityofevanston.org/evanston-life/farmers-market/Evanston Intersection of University Place and East Railroad Ave.
Saturday 730 - 1 05/07/11 11/05/11
Evergreen Park/Weekly Evergreen Park, IL 9001 S Kedzie Thursday 7-1 6/2/11 10/27/11
Federal Plaza/Weekly Chicago, IL Adams & Dearborn Tuesday 7 - 3 05/17/11 10/25/11
Forest Park/Weekly Forest Park, IL 7824 Madison Friday 3:30-7:30 6/10/11 10/14/11
Frankfort Country Market/Weekly Frankfort, IL Downtown Frankfort at Breidert Green Oak & Kansas St. Sunday 10-2 5/01/11 10/30/11
Galena Territory/Weekly Galena, IL 2000 Territory Drive (The Galena Territory Owners Club) Sunday 7:30-12:30 5/29/11 10/9/11
Geneva Green Market/Weekly Geneva, IL 75 North River Lane Thursday 7-1 6/02/11 09/29/11
Glenview/Weekly Glenview, IL 1510 Wagner Road Saturday 8-12 06/25/11 10/08/11
Glenwood Sunday Market/Weekly Chicago, IL 6950 N. Glenwood Sunday 9 - 2 06/05/11 10/02/11
Grayslake - Spring/Weekly
http://www.grayslakefarmersmarket.com/Grayslake, IL 149 CENTER ST
Saturday 10 - 2 04/02/11 05/28/11
Grayslake - Summer/Weekly
http://www.grayslakefarmersmarket.com/Grayslake, IL 149 CENTER ST
Wednesday 3 - 7 06/08/11 10/05/11
Green City Market - Wednesday/Weekly Chicago, IL 1750 N. Clark St. at the South End of Lincoln Park btwn. Clark and Stockton Dr Wednesday 7 - 1 05/04/11 12/21/11
Green City Market - Saturday/Weekly Chicago, IL 1750 N. Clark St. at the South End of Lincoln Park btwn. Clark and Stockton Dr Saturday 7 - 1 05/07/11 12/17/11
Green Youth Farm's North Chicago Stand/Twice Weekly North Chicago, IL 1215 North Green Bay Road (Greenbelt Forest Preserve) Wednesday 9-1 07/9/11 10/05/11
Green Youth Farm's North Chicago Stand - Saturday/Weekly North Chicago, IL 1215 North Green Bay Road (Greenbelt Forest Preserve) Saturday 9 - 1 07/12/11 10/08/11
Harvard/Weekly
Harvard, IL 19 N. Ayer St.
Saturday 9 - 1 05/07/11 10/29/11
Hinsdale Farmers Market/Weekly
Hinsdale, IL 30 E Chicago Ave
Monday 7 - 1 06/06/11 10/10/11
Homer Glen/Weekly
http://www.homerglenil.org/CurrentEvents/FarmersMarket.aspxHomer Glen, IL 15833 S. Bell Road Saturday 9 - 1 05/07/11 10/15/11
Homewood French Market/Weekly Homewood, IL 2020 Chestnut Road Saturday 8 - 12 05/21/11 10/22/11
Huntley Farmers Market/Weekly
Huntley, IL 11704 E. Coral Saturday 8 - 1 05/28/11 10/08/11
Hyde Park/Weekly Chicago, IL 52nd Place & Harper
Thursday 7 - 1 06/02/11 10/27/11
Independence Park/2nd & 4th Sundays of the month
Chicago, IL 3945 N. Springfield
Sunday 9 - 1 06/12/11 10/09/11
Kenosha HarborMarket - Harbor Market Location/Weekly
http://www.kenoshaharbormarketplace.com/Kenosha, WI 2nd Avenue between 55th and 56th Street (Temporary) Saturday 9 - 1 05/21/11 10/15/11
La Grange Farmer's Market/Weekly La Grange, IL Parking lot south of Village Hall, Downtown Thursday 7 - 1 5/5/2011 10/27/2011
Lake Bluff Farmer's Market/Weekly Lake Bluff, IL 40 E Center Ave
Friday 7 - 12 06/10/11 10/14/11
Lake Forest Market on the Square/Weekly
Lake Forest, IL 220 Deerpath Road
Saturday 7 - 12 06/18/11 09/24/11
Lan-Oak Park District Farmers Market/Weekly
Lansing, IL Park Plaza (Ridge & Grant) Wednesday 4 - 8 06/01/11 09/28/11
Lawndale Market/Weekly
Chicago, IL 3555 W. Ogden Ave. Wednesday 3 - 6 07/06/11 10/05/11
Lemont Farmers Market/Weekly
Lemont, IL 435 Talcott Avenue
Tuesday 8 - 1 06/07/11 10/25/11
Lincoln Farmer's Market/Weekly
http://www.lincolnfarmersmarket.org/Lincoln, IL 316 S. Kickapoo St. Saturday 7 - 12 4/30/11 10/15/11
Lincoln Farmer's Market/Weekly
http://www.lincolnfarmersmarket.org/Lincoln, IL 316 S. Kickapoo St. Wednesday 3 - 6 5/04/11 10/12/11
Lincoln Park/Weekly Chicago, IL Armitage & Orchard
Saturday 7 - 1 05/14/11 10/29/11
Lincoln Square/Weekly Chicago, IL Lincoln/Leland/Western (City Parking Lot adjacent to Brown Line Station)
Tuesday 7 - 1 06/07/11 11/22/11
Lincoln Square - Evening/Weekly
Chicago, IL Lincoln/Leland/Western (City Parking Lot adjacent to Brown Line Station)
Thursday 4 - 8 06/16/11 10/27/11
Lincolnwood Farmers Market/Weekly
Lincolnwood, IL 4707 W Pratt Ave
Thursday 8 - 1 06/02/11 10/13/11
Lisle French Market/Weekly
http://www.villageoflisle.org/home/index.asp?page=386Lisle 925 Burlington Avenue Saturday 8 - 1 04/30/11 10/30/11
Logan Square/Weekly
Chicago, IL 3107 W. Logan Blvd
Sunday 10 - 3 06/05/11 12/17/11
Loyola/Weekly Chicago, IL 6542 N. Sheridan Rd. Monday 3:30 - 6 06/6/11 10/17/11
Main Street Farmer's Market Downtown Aledo/Weekly Aledo, IL S. College Ave. (Downtown Aledo) Thursday 4-6 6/9/2011 10/13/2011
Main Street Farmer's Market of Olney/Weekly Olney, IL 202 E Main Street Saturday 7-11 5/7/2011 11/19/2011
Marengo Friday Farmers Market/Weekly
Marengo, IL Washington and Ann Streets
Friday 12 - 6 06/03/11 10/12/11
Midtown Farmers Market/Weekly
Rockford, IL 1132 2ND AVE
Friday 3 - 7 05/27/11 10/14/11
Miller Beach Farmer's Market/First & Third Sundays Gary, IN 215 N. Grand Blvd.
Sunday 11:30 - 330 06/05/11 10/23/11
Mokena French Market/Weekly
http://www.mokena.org/index.aspx?nid=57Mokena, IL Front Street Metra Lot (Front Street & Wolf Road)
Saturday 8 - 1 05/07/11 10/29/11
Morton Grove Farmer's Market/Weekly
http://mgfarmersmarket.com/Morton Grove, IL Waukegan and Greenwood Saturday 8 - 1 06/04/11 10/15/11
Mount Prospect Farmer's Market/Weekly Mount Prospect, IL NW Highway & Rte. 83 (SW Corner) Sunday 8-1 6/12/2011 10/23/2011
Mundelein Farmer's Market/Weekly
http://www.mundelein.org/farmers_marketMundelein, IL Park and Seymour Friday 3 - 7 06/03/11 10/14/11
Murphysboro Farmer's Market/Weekly Murphysboro, IL 1101 Walnut Street (City parking lot at 11th & Chestnut St.) Tuesday 3-7 5/3/2011 10/25/2011
Museum of Contemporary Art/Streeterville/Weekly
Chicago, IL Chicago & Mies van der Rohe Way (On MCA Plaza)
Tuesday 7 - 3 06/07/11 10/25/11
Naperville Farmer's Market/Weekly Naperville, IL Fifth Avenue Station parking lot Saturday 7 - 12 6/4/2011 10/29/2011
New Lenox French Market/Weekly New Lenox, IL 1 Veterans Pky
Saturday 8 - 1 05/21/11 10/15/11
Northbrook Farmer's Market/Weekly Northbrook, IL 3700 Dundee Road Wednesday 7-1 6/22/2011 10/12/2011
Northcenter/Weekly Chicago, IL Belle Plaine/Damen/Lincoln
Saturday 7 - 1 06/18/11 10/29/11
Northfield Farmers' Market/Weekly
http://www.northfieldchamber.org/Northfield, IL 6 Happ Road Saturday 730 - 1230 05/28/11 10/15/11
Oak Park/Weekly
http://www.oak-park.us/farmersmarket/Oak Park, IL 460 Lake Saturday 7 - 1 05/21/11 10/29/11
Old Dundee Farmers' Market/ Weekly
http://www.dundeedepot.com/East Dundee, IL 319 N. River Street
Saturday 8 - 2 05/07/11 10/29/11
Old Capitol Farmers Market - Wednesday/Weekly
http://www.downtownspringfield.org/market.htmSpringfield, IL 500 E. Adams Wednesday 8 - 1230 05/18/11 10/26/11
Old Capitol Farmers Market - Saturday/Weekly
http://www.downtownspringfield.org/market.htmSpringfield, IL 500 E. Adams Saturday 8 - 1230 05/21/11 10/29/11
Olde Schaumburg Centre Farmers Market/Weekly
http://www.ci.schaumburg.il.us/HFun/Fun1/Pages/FarmersMarket.aspx
Schaumburg, IL 190 S. Roselle Friday 7 - 1 06/10/11 10/28/11
Oneida Farmer's Market/Weekly Oneida, IL 221 US-34 (Across from DT Sales) Thursday 3-6 6/30/2011 9/30/2011
Orangeville Farmer's Market/Weekly Orangeville, IL Ewing St @ W. High Road (Richland Creek Trailhead) Saturday 8-12 7/2/2011 10/8/2011
Orland Park/Weekly
http://www.orland-park.il.us/CurrentEvents.aspx?EID=1331Orland Park, IL 14700 South Ravinia Avenue Friday 730 - 1 06/03/11 10/07/11
Oswego Country Market/Weekly Oswego, IL 5 North Main Street Sunday 9-1 6/5/2011 9/25/2011
Park Forest/Weekly
http://pfhealth.net/index.php?src=gendocs&link=fmarkethome&category=Farmers Market&PHPSESSID=7b373854a01d556cfa713b112d57b459Park Forest, IL 271 Lakewood
Saturday 7 - 12 05/07/11 10/29/11
Park Ridge Farmers' Market/Weekly
http://www.parkridge.us/farmers_market/
Park Ridge, IL 15 Prairie Ave Saturday 7 - 1 05/28/11 10/29/11
Pawnee Farmer's Market/Weekly Pawnee, IL Village Square Tuesday 4-6 5/24/2011 10/4/2011
Peoria RiverFront Market/Weekly Peoria, IL 330 SW Water Street (Liberty Park) Saturday 8-12 6/4/2011 9/24/2011
Pilsen Community Market/Weekly
Chicago, IL 1800 S. Halsted
Sunday 9 - 3 06/05/11 10/30/11
Plaza 300/Weekly Chicago, IL 300 N. LaSalle
Tuesday 7 - 2 07/05/11 09/27/11
Polish Triangle Marketplace/Weekly Chicago, IL Milwaukee/Ashland/Division intersection (Wicker Park) Thursday 2-8 6/30/2011 9/29/2011
Portage Park Farmers Market/Weekly
Chicago, IL 4100 N. Long Sunday 10 - 2 06/05/11 10/02/11
Printers Row/Weekly Chicago, IL Dearborn & Polk (Printers Row Park)
Saturday 7 - 1 06/11/11 10/08/11
Pritzker Park/Weekly
Chicago, IL 344 S. State St.
Tuesday 7 - 3 06/14/11 09/27/11
Pullman/Weekly
Chicago, IL 111th & Cottage Grove (In Arcade Park)
Wednesday 7 - 12 07/06/11 10/05/11
Quincy Farmer's Market - Tuesday/Weekly Quincy, IL 128 N. 5th (Washington Park) Tuesday 7-1 5/14/2011 10/29/2011
Quincy Farmer's Market - Saturday/Weekly Quincy, IL 128 N. 5th (Washington Park) Saturday 7-1 5/14/2011 10/29/2011
Ravinia Farmers Market/Weekly
Highland Park, IL 678 Judson Avenue
Wednesday 7 - 1 06/08/11 10/26/11
Ridgeville Park District Farmers Market/Weekly
Chicago, IL 908 Seward St
Wednesday 330 - 7 06/01/11 10/12/11
Riverside Farmer's Market/Weekly Riverside, IL 27 Riverside Road (parking lot between the Village office and the library) Wednesday 2:30-7 6/29/2011 10/26/2011
Saturday Produce Market/Weekly Decatur, IL One College Park (Richmond Community College) Saturday 8-12 6/4/2011 10/14/2011
Seaway Bank Farmers Market /Weekly
Chicago, IL 645 E. 87th Street
Wednesday 9 - 2 07/13/11 09/28/11
Skokie Farmer's Market/Weekly
http://www.skokie.org/FarmersMarket.cfmSkokie, IL 5127 Oakton Street
Sunday 730 - 1245 06/26/11 10/28/11
South Shore/Weekly
Chicago, IL 70th & Jeffery Blvd. (ShoreBank Parking Lot)
Wednesday 7 - 1 06/18/11 10/19/11
Southport Market/Weekly Chicago, IL 1420 W. Grace
Saturday 8 - 2 06/25/11 09/10/11
Sugar Grove French Market/Weekly Sugar Grove, IL Sugar Grove Municipal Parking LOt Saturday 8 - 1 06/05/11 10/15/11
Summit Park District Farmer's Market/Weekly Summit, IL 5700 S. Archer Rd Wednesday 2-7 6/15/2011 10/19/2011
Swansea Farmer's Market/Weekly Swansea, IL 2801 N. Illinois Thursday 2-6 5/5/2011 10/27/2011
Tinley Park Farmers Market/Weekly
Tinley Park, IL 17116 S. Oak Park, Ave Saturday 7 - 12 06/04/11 10/15/11
Trinity 7th Street Moline Farmer's Market/Weekly Moline, IL 500 John Deere Road Saturday 8-12 5/7/2011 10/29/2011
Trump Tower Bridges-to-Bridges Market/Weekly Chicago, IL 401 N. Wabash (River North, along the Riverwalk) Thursday 11 - 7 6/30/2011 9/29/2011
Twin City Farmer's Market/Weekly Sterling, IL 106 Avenue A Saturday 8-12 1/8/2011 12/17/2011
Two North Riverside/Weekly
Chicago, IL 2 N. Riverside
Wednesday 11 - 7 07/06/11 09/28/11
Uptown Farmers Market at Weiss/Weekly
Chicago, IL 4646 N. Marine Dr.
Thursday 730 - 1230 06/23/11 10/27/11
Uptown Normal Trailside Farmer's Market/Weekly Normal, IL 100 E. Beaufort Tuesday 3:30-6 6/7/2011 9/13/2011
Urbana, Market on the Square/Weekly
http://urbanaillinois.us/marketUrbana, IL Corner of Illinois & Vine Streets Saturday 7 - 12 05/07/11 11/05/11
Villa Park French Market /Weekly Villa Park, IL On Park Boulevard, West side of Ardmore Avenue
Sunday 8 - 1 05/01/11 10/30/11
Warrenville Farmer's Market/ Weekly
Warrenville, IL 3S200 Route 59
Wednesday 3 - 7 06/08/11 09/21/11
Watseka Farmer's Market/Weekly Watseka, IL 120 E. Walnut
First Trust & Savings Bank parking lotSaturday 7-12 6/4/2011 10/1/2011
Waukegan Farmers Market/Weekly Waukegan Grand Ave and West St
Wednesday 12 - 5 06/01/11 10/26/11
West Allis Farmer's Market - Saturday/Weekly
http://www.ci.west-allis.wi.us/health/health_farmers_market.htmWest Allis, WI 6501 W. National Ave
Saturday 1 - 6 05/07/11 11/26/11
West Allis Farmer's Market - Tuesday/Weekly
http://www.ci.west-allis.wi.us/health/health_farmers_market.htmWest Allis, WI 6501 W. National Ave
Tuesday 12 - 6 05/10/11 11/22/11
West Allis Farmer's Market - Thursday/Weekly
http://www.ci.west-allis.wi.us/health/health_farmers_market.htmWest Allis, WI 6501 W. National Ave
Thursday 12 - 6 05/12/11 11/17/11
West Humboldt Park Farmers Market & Bazaar/2nd Saturday a Month
Chicago, IL 3601 W. Chicago Saturday 10 - 2 06/04/11 10/08/11
Wicker Park & Bucktown/Weekly
Chicago, IL Wicker Park & Damen (In Wicker Park)
Sunday 8 - 2 06/05/11 10/30/11
Willis Tower Plaza/Weekly Chicago, IL 233 S. Wacker Dr.
Thursday 7 - 3 06/16/11 10/06/11
Woodstock - Tuesday/Weekly
http://www.woodstockfarmersmarket.org/ Woodstock, IL Woodstock Town Square
100 Johnson Street
Tuesday 8 - 1 05/03/11 10/22/11
Woodstock - Saturday/Weekly
http://www.woodstockfarmersmarket.org/ Woodstock, IL Woodstock Town Square
100 Johnson Street
Saturday 8 - 1 05/07/11 12/17/11
Yorktown Mall Farmers Market
Lombard, IL 203 Yorktown Rd
Wednesday 3 - 7 06/01/11 10/12/11
We’re getting closer and closer to the start of the CSA box season and starting to get a taste of what’s to come at the Farmer’s Markets that are now open. In anticipation of the boxes, I want to take this opportunity to review how to open and properly break down a CSA box. These workhorses can take a lot of wear and tear and, if properly cared for, can last the whole season – which saves the farms money and keeps the boxes out of landfills for as long as possible.
To see it in action, Angelic Organics produced this great video that walks you through step-by-step how to open and break down a CSA box.
A tip if you’re new to CSA boxes: part of the reason they hold up so well is a coating of wax on the inside AND outside of the box. So be careful if you’re wearing your favorite little black sundress or concert t-shirt – otherwise you can end up with a white smudge across the front of your clothes!
We got Oak Park Temple to smell like Manny’s. Of all the things we had and have to do for this weekend, that one did not appear on any David Allen approved lists, but as side effects go, a very good one. The aroma of Manny’s comes from pans of cholent simmering away, part of the “green” dinner my wife and I, along with the rest of our Chaverim are preparing tonight at the Synagogue. We will barely rest from there.
Well, I will rest slightly more than the other Cookbook Addict. She will be up before the crack of dawn to take her first market assignment of 2011 for Tomato Mountain Farm. She’ll be part of their team selling produce and canned materials at Saturday’s Green City Market. I won’t get too much more sleep, as I’ll have to take care of Molly the Eat Local Dog. Later, I’ll hang at Green City, making a meal of maple flavored butter and Brunkow cheeses. I’ll have to pick up the stinging nettles from Green Acres I verbally committed to the other day. We zip off from Green City to McCormick Place for the Green Festival.
Any spare time at Green Festival, I’ll hang with the crowd of CSA farmers and soap merchants at the mini FamilyFarmed Expo zone. Then, myself, Slama, Helen Cameron of UnCommon Ground, and Suzanne Keers of Local First Chicago will deliver the message that the biggest way to green your life is to green your diet. We’ll explain how people can live the local life all the time. Our panel is at 33o PM in the Sustainable Home and Garden Pavilion.
I plan on squeezing in a trip to Chinatown Saturday, where I doubt I will eat anything local, but the food miles of the hand pulled noodles will be pretty scant nonetheless. Somewhere, late Saturday or early Sunday, I have to pass off a gaggle of Slow Food Chicago material in my possession to the team selling tomato plants at the Empty Bottle Farmer’s Market on Sunday. I like to think I will be, in spirit, at least, at that market. Please stop by and buy a delicious tomato plant that will help support the activities of Slow Food Chicago.
I doubt I’ll be at Empty Bottle, but I will be at the Beverly Farmer’s Market way on the South side of Chicago, because that’s where my wife will be selling Tomato Mountain on Sunday. I’m going with her because I also need to be on the South side that morning to appear on Mike Nowak’s show on WCPT/820 AM. Expect me on about 1030 AM talking market locator and all the new Beetniks coming on board.
I’m thinking we’ll conclude the eat local weekend with locally raised goats, cooked in the traditional tatemada style at Birria Zaragoza.
And if you’re getting tired at this point, note that before we got to Manny’s aromas, we had to plan the meat with Rob Levitt of Butcher and the Larder (unlike Manny’s, we use grass fed, local beef); we had to pick up 35 pounds of Michigan asparagus from Mick Klug; and pickle a whole ton of Lake Superior whitefish. All in the name of eating local.
If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t posted in quite a while. Everyday life, work, having my first child…all of those took priority over the last few months.
During the last year I was also Chair of the Care of Creation Committee at Fourth Presbyterian Church. We are dedicated to environmental issues and have been involved with the Chicago Lights Urban Farm (who works in collaboration with Growing Power).
This Sunday, May 15 at 12:30 pm, our committee is hosting a special panel on ecojustice awareness. The event will be held on the 19th Floor of the Olympia Centre at 737 N Michigan Avenue (enter on Chicago Avenue). During this event a panel of speakers will speak about issues on ecojustice and then we will open up the floor for questions. Our panel of speakers are:
Local food production definitely has ecojustice implications. For example, the City Farm Chicago and Chicago Lights Urban Farm both provide opportunities for under-developed neighborhoods in the form of employment and access to cheap, nutritious food.
We hope that you can join us for this event!
As I’ve written before, it’s sometimes frustrating to be a locawino, because so many of the best wines from the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas in Michigan are unavailable here. The great wine bar in Lincoln Park, Webster’s, has organized a tasting of Leelanau Peninsula red wines this Sunday, including some wines that have been specially shipped in. $40, 7 pm.
More details: http://websterwinebar.com/events-tastings/tastings-classes-2/
Webster’s Wine Bar
1480 W. Webster, Chicago
(773) 868-0608
