For the 4th year in a row, Slow Food Chicago will procure several locally raised hogs, get them to a few area chefs who traffic in locavore dining, and build a party around it. This forthcoming Pig Roast at Goose Island Beer Company raises money to send farmers to Terra Madre this fall in Italy where Slow Foodies from all over the world will convene “support sustainable agriculture, fishing, and breeding with the goal of preserving taste and biodiversity.” Enjoy the tastes of sustainable and biodiversity, Sunday, June 10, 2-5 PM. Tickets can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets.
Goose Island Beer, with the help of Slow Food Board members, including Beetniks Wendy Aeschlimann and Jeannie Boutelle, lined up a great and interesting set of restaurants for this year’s Pig Roast. The line-up includes Top Chef-testant, Heather Terhune and Sable Kitchen and Bar; underground caterers set to go public, X-Marx/Flour and Bones; great friends of Beet, Mark and Liz Mendez with Vera; vegetable specialists, Green Zebra handling the non-pig portion, and Uncommon Ground, where the Local Family just celebrated a daughter’s birthday, rounding out the savory items. La Boulangerie will provide dessert, and it’s not just Goose beers to wash it all down. There will be cocktails by Templeton and coffee from Intelligentsia. As we always say, the best way to encourage good eating is through good eating (and drinking).
Slow Food Chicago primarily raises its funds through its annual Pig Roast. We expect you’ll want to go because of the line-up of food and beverages, but you should really want to go to support the important work Slow Food Chicago does for our food community. Part of their mission involves meeting with like-minded folks around the world, learning and sharing, and that’s why it is critical to have funds to send our farmers along. Yet, other parts of their mission stand much closer to home. Slow Food Chicago helps cultivate a community garden on Chicago’s West Side. They run workshops on topics like canning, and they are working to put together resources to help us all slow down in the way we approach our food. Show your support for Slow Food Chicago on June 10th.
Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Spring in Chicago means you never know what the weather is going to do. Inevitably, it rains while you are trying to shop, which it did this past weekend. Besides a market bag, another farmer’s market must is an umbrella. I couldn’t help myself from taking another picture of the swiss chard from Genesis Farms, it should be called rainbow chard for all the colors that it had. I didn’t get by Growing Homes table at The Green City Market but their swiss chard that I saw in some of the shopping bags was enormous. The other very cool bounty this time of year are wild ferns which I picked up at Green Acres booth. The ferns have a very nutty, earthy flavor and all I do is saute them up in a pan for a few minutes and they are good to go. You can read what Mo does with the nettles she picked up from Green Acres here. Our full ideas of what’s in season now can be found here.
Another new development that occured is that the Green City Market went live with their third party certification requirement this past weekend. The GCM accepts the American Grassfed Association, Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Naturally Grown, American Humane Certified, Certified Humane Raised and Handled, Food Alliance Certified, The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program and the USDA Certified Organic. Go to the links to find out the detailed information about each program. Whether you believe in labels or not, these certifications are one way to be assured how the vegetables are grown and the animals are raised without having to do the farm due diligence yourself. Bravo, Green City Market! Now on to the weeks ahead!! A quick heads up that there is a great fermentation workshop on the board for May 25 at the Chicago Cultural Center at 12:15pm.
We’ve listed below some of the markets around now as well as other great eat local events. For a bigger listing of Chicago area farmer’s markets use our 2012 Market Locator.
Make the most of your market experience with our tip sheet.
WHERE TO FIND LOCAL FOODS
These stores specialize in local foods:
Butcher and Larder 1026 North Milwaukee in Noble Square, Chicago
City Provisions Deli 1818 West Wilson in Ravenswood, Chicago
Dill Pickle Food Co-op – 3039 West Fullerton, Chicago
Downtown Farmstand 66 East Randolph in the Loop, Chicago
Green Grocer 1402 West Grand Ave in West Town, Chicago GG has weekly wine and beer tastings check their website or twitter for details.
Marion Street Cheese Market 100 South Marion St. Oak Park
Provenance Food & Wine - 2 locations Logan Square 2528 N. California Lincoln Square 2312 W. Leland Ave. Provenance has weekly free tastings of food and wine products, check their website for details.
Publican Quality Meats – 835 W. Fulton, Chicago
Southport Grocery and Cafe 3552 N. Southport, Chicago
WHAT TO DO NOW
Ongoing through June 10th Chicago – Feast:Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art Smart Museum University of Chicago Go here for all the projects associated with it.
****The last day to register for Seven Generations Ahead “Fresh From The Farm” Educator Training workshops is May 16th.
May 16
Chicago - Green City Market 7am – 1pm Lincoln Park across from the Farm at the Zoo. Chef demonstration will be Heather Terhune of Sable, 10:30 – 11:30am.
Chicago – Floriole Monthly Dinner with Guest Chef Nathan Sears of Vie. Floriole Cafe and Bakery 1220 West Webster $75 5 Courses excludes beverage, tax and gratuity. Reserve a space here.
Chicago – Worm Composting 101 – Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum 6-7pm Learn the basics of worm composting, you’ll leave with a completed starter bin. 10$ members $15 non-members register here.
May 17
Chicago – Ladybug Bash Stars and Cars at Grossinger Autoplex to benefit Chicago’s Ladybug Chapter which works on easing the struggles of childhood cancer. 1530 N. Dayton 7pm to 11pm
Chicago – Food Truck A Go Go starts for the summer at 694 Wine and Spirits. 694 North Milwaukee 6-9pm Each week a different lineup of food trucks will park outside the store. Go to the link to see which trucks are showing up this week.
May 19
Chicago – Green City Market – The featured chef will be Meg Colleran Sahs of Terzo Piano. The hours are longer 7am to 1pm and the market moves further south in Lincoln Park, right across from the Farm in the Zoo.
Chicago – Edible Gardens Workshop – Planning For Summer Transplanting Warm Weather Crops This is a FREE Monthly Hands-on Gardening Workshop Series in The Edible Gardens with Jeanne Pinsof Nolan, founder of The Organic Gardener, Ltd. Workshops will be held from 9:30am-10:15am. Respond to RSVP@greencitymarket.org to reserve a spot.
Chicago – 61st Market sponsored by Experimental Station – This market which is becoming “the” market on the south side, opens today, go to their website for further details. New vendors will be there like Penny Pastries, look for him.
RESCHEDULED for Saturday June 9th (Issues due to road closings from NATO conference) Chicago – The Plant Spring Open House -1400 W. 46th St. 12pm – 5pm Come on out for free food and and a home-brewing beer contest! They will ,also, be giving tours of the building every half-hour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for $5 (half off the regular price!). Come see their progress, including a huge step forward on the renewable energy system, a new growing bed in the basement, and tons of work done in the kitchen spaces! More info here.
Chicago - Craft Day Afternoon Fizz Bar and Grill – 1-5pm 3220 N. Lincoln Ave. A joint venture between Fizz and The Map Room in honor of craft beer week. For $60, taste 45 craft beers, food, and a commemorative glass. Make a reservation here. Proceeds benefit the Hamilton School.
Evanston – The Downtown Evanston Farmers Market opens for the season and will be open today, May 5th through November 3rd. The market is celebrating its 37th year and will be open from 7:30am to 1pm at University Place and Oak Ave.(just east of Railroad Ave.) behind the Hilton Garden Inn. Free parking is at the adjacent 1500 Maple garage.
Evanston – Evanston Garden Fair (5/19, 5/20) – 9am – 4pm Central Street 2 blocks west of Green Bay Road Organic and locally grown seedling sales The Talking Farm will be selling their organic and locally grown herb plants (such as cilantro, dill, oregano, and parsley), bok choi, spinach, kale, and many varieties of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. They will also have perennials and berry plants. Expert gardening advice, too!
Geneva - Geneva Green Market – 27 N. Bennett (Geneva Place) – 9 AM – 1 PM – Read a report from Beetnik Melissa Owens who finds, among other things, basil, at this market here.
Grayslake – The Grayslake Farmer’s Market Centennial Park and Center St. 10:00 Am – 2pm
La Fox – Heritage Prairie Farmers Market – 9-1 pm. 2N308 Brundage Road, La Fox, IL
Morton Grove – Morton Grove Spring Farmer’s Market – 8am – 12noon 6210 Dempster St.
New!! Oak Park – Opening Day of Oak Park Farmers Market – 460 Lake St just one block west of Ridgeland Ave. 7am – 1pm The Market is much more than a farmers’ market. It is an Oak Park tradition, a Saturday gastronomic event (the donuts have a devoted following), a concert site, a social event and a great place to pick up super-fresh produce, traditional and unusual plants, fresh cheeses, honey, flowers, vinegars, herbs, and much more. The Oak Park Farmers’ Market also features unique items for sale at the commissioners’ table, including items you can’t find anywhere else, such as reasonably priced T-shirts, one-of-a-kind items and bags, all offering a beautiful, functional way to support the market. Today is the start of Oak Park Green Days and will include Slow Food Chicago.
New Location!! St. Charles – The Saturday Farm Fresh Food Stuffs market has moved and is now at Trellis Family Farm 8-4pm 2N492 Kirk Rd.
Woodstock – Woodstock Farmers Market 8am – 1pm at historic Woodstock Square There will be a pie-eating contest!
May 20
Chicago – Glenwood Sunday Market – The Glenwood Bar Glenwood Ave at Morse 9am – 2pm
Chicago – Food Sanitation Class Logan Square Kitchen – 9:30am – 12:30pm -2333 North Milwaukee Get certified with the Chicago Health Department required for all food vendors at a farmers market, special event, street fair. $35 Go here for registration and more information.
Evanston – Evanston Garden Fair continues 9am – 4pm
Frankfort – Frankfort Country Market Downtown Frankfort – 10-2 – Might find paella.
May 21
New!! Chicago – City Provisions Finch’s Beer Dinner 6pm -1818 West Wilson – Join them for the release of Cleetus’s new collaboration, Toasted Summer, a kolsch style ale brewed with pan toasted hops and applewood. They will also be featuring Cleetus’ Slackjawed Dunkel and other specialties from Finch. 95$ Please call 773-293-2489 for reservations, only 16 seats are available each night.
May 22
Chicago – Brown Trout Farmer’s Market 5-8pm 4111 North Lincoln Ave. In North Center, near the Irving Park Brown Line stop, this new “micro” farmer’s market sponsored by “Ground Up Chicago” .
Chicago – Lincoln Square - C & D Family Farms selling their all natural free range meats from 7 to 11 am in the parking lot at Lincoln & Leland.
Chicago – Chicago Rare Orchards Project (CROP) – Inaugural lecture series by leaders of crop diversity and sustainable development. 6pm Haas Park Fieldhouse 2404 Washtenaw Ave. (entrance on Fullerton) The speakers tonight will be Melissa Tobias and Dan Schnitzer Sustainability Educators, The Academy for Global Citizenship. This event is free and open to the public.
New!!! Chicago – Women in Green monthly meeting – Hosted by Shannon Downey of Pivotal Productions at The Greenhouse Loft in The Green Exchange 2545 W. Diversey Ave. 5:30 pm Interested in attending or learning more? Contact Wig.Chicago@gmail.com
Chicago - Food Sanitation Class Logan Square Kitchen – 5-8pm 2333 North Milwaukee Get certified with the Chicago health Department required for all food vendors at a farmers market, special event, street fair. $35 Go here for registration and more information.
Woodstock - Woodstock Farmers Market at historic Woodstock Square 8am – 1pm
SAVE THE DATE!!!!
May 23
New!!!! Chicago - Spring Slow Food Chicago Dinner featuring Harvest Moon Farms, Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm & FEW Spirits at Uncommon Ground Devon 1401 W. Devon Ave. $65 includes tax, gratuity and a donation to Slow Food Chicago’s Terra Madre campaign. For reservations please call 773-465-9801.
Chicago – Red Meat Market “Meat-Up” – Goose Island Brewery 6-9pm $62.50 GETS YOU, $100.00 of local, sustainable, all natural Grass-Fed Beef. Save 38% and meet other 100% all natural meat lovers and make it social! Upon arrival with a purchase of a ticket, you will receive seven pounds of delicious Grass-Fed Angus Beef direct from Black Earth Meats and the lush green pastures of southwestern Wisconsin.
Chicago – City Provisions Dinner with Greenbush Brewing Company from Sawyer, MI. 1818 West Wilson 6pm Featuring Terminator X and Loud Mouth Soup, Cleetus’s two collaboration beers. Greenbush will also be launching the “yet-to-be-released-outside-of-the-tap-room” Lagniappe, a toasted pecan ale. 95$ Please call 773-293-2489 for reservations, only 16 seats are available each night.
Chicago – Castilla La Mancha -Experience the wines of Don Quixote’s Spain in Chicago The Hotel Palomar 505 N. State St. 10:30am – 4:00pm Reserve spot here
Countryside – “Introductions to Chickens…Urban Style!“. The workshop runs from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at their offices in Countryside (near the intersection of I-55 & I-294). The cost is $10.00 for non-members, and free for members.
May 24
Chicago – The Daley Plaza Farmers Market Opening Day - 7am – 3pm Country Financial will have a booth and will be giving away my absolute favorite market bag!! The design on the Country Financial bag is the student winner of their design contest. I cannot wait to see it!!
Chicago - Edible Chicago and Brooklyn Brewery present ”A Celebration of Beer, Food, and Stories” Beer Bistro 1061 W. Madison 5-7pm Event is free, RSVP to events@ediblechicago.com Pick up an Edible Chicago, taste Brooklyn Brewery’s latest release beer and enjoy food by local purveyors. The Second Quarterly Carousal party will be held at Beer Bistro.
New!! Chicago – Cooking With Grayson – Logan Square Kitchen 2333 N. Milwaukee 7-11pm 5 Rabbit Cerveseria teams with Chef Grayson Schmitz (Top Chef Texas: Season 9) As guests will prepare the family dinner with Chef Schmitz paired with 5 Rabbit Beers $125
May 25
Chicago – Kedzie Brewery Grand Opening Party – Revolution Brewing celebrates the opening of its new brewery at 3340 N. Kedzie. 5-10pm $15 Tickets go on sale April 27th.
New!! Chicago – The Art of Fermentation – Chicago Cultural Center – 78 E. Washington 12:15 – 1:30pm Sandor Katz presents his new book about fermentation, culture, and community. Come share kraut, meet Sandor, hear about his new book, get a copy inscribed to you, and ask questions.
May 26
New!! Chicago – Taste of Fresh Moves to celebrate the one year anniversary of Fresh Moves, Mobile Produce Market 1-5pm 3750 W. Ogden 4th floor The event is designed to highlight the many talents of theit customers and supporters in the Westside communities that they serve. This celebration will feature live food demonstrations and tastings from local celebrity chefs, performances by Young Chicago Authors featured poets, a student art competition and judging, food games for the young and young at heart, a screening room for food documentaries, acro-yoga demonstrations, raffles and prizes, music and more. All are welcome and it is free but RSVP by May 21st to thetasteoffreshmoves@gmail.com.
FD!! Champaign – Prairie Fruits Farm starts their dinner season – “A Dinner of Spring” 4410 N. Lincoln Ave – H2Vino, Caveny Farms Lamb 5 courses, $10
New!! Hinsdale – Terra Brockman speaks at Wellness House, “Changing the World One Meal at a Time” 10:00am – 11:30am 131 N. County Line Rd. Terra Brockman, Author of The Seasons on Henry’s Farm and Founder of The Land Connection will discuss her brother’s organic vegetable farm, her sister’s organic fruit farm, and the ripple effects of our food choices–including the health, economic, and environmental benefits of supporting local farmers.
May 27
Chicago – Premier of the documentary “Bitter Seeds” at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival sponsored by The Jane Addams Hull House. 3:15pm 164 N. State St. The film is focused on the farmer suicides surrounding their use of genetically modified seeds and the effects on their crops. Purchase tickets here.
For the summer schedule including Farm Dinners please go to our Farm Dinner calendar, it is time to make reservations for your summer farm dinners now!!!
I told you April was the time to join me as a local family. Then, I spent most of the rest of the month arguing just why you should be a local family. Advice. There was some, like get a CSA. Mostly, it was talk of the pleasures of a year in the eat local life. I figure, commit to eating local, and the rest will follow. And buy the book.
There are a lot of great books out there to help you with your quest to be a local family. (Believe me, this Local Family has about all of them.) We did not have the one my Mother was reading a few weeks ago on her Kindle. And when she started telling us about it–put an egg on it; make a crust; yesterday’s pasta is today’s pancake; pickle it–it sounded not like an episode of Portlandia, but like all the Local Family posts I had been meaning to write. After all, we say in this Local Family, about Mom, she can take any batch of leftovers, fry and egg, and call it dinner. She was saying it too. What was such book, filled with wisdom. An Everlasting Meal, by Tamar Adler, my Mother told us. Soon we had our own copy.
Not since I read Mama Meichulim had I read a book more apt for the locavore life. Unlike the growing library of eat local tomes, Ms. Adler’s book contains not one picture of rolling farm fields or happy content animals. There are no arrays of farmer’s markets produce; no shots of grizzled farmers; not one close-up of dirty fingernails. There are, hard to believe in this day, no pictures at all. There are few recipes either, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Adler makes the case for eating local without once ever going there. At best, I could find this passage:
By the end of the week you will have eaten vegetables a dozen ways a dozen times, having began with good raw materials only once. You will also have a number of satisfying conversations. You have eaten a raw bite of kale stem and wondered whether next time it should be pickled. You will have tasted a particular soft, cold vinegary beet, and realized you wanted to make beet soup again and serve it cold. You will have been silently practicing that ancient conversation in which cooks and their materials used to converse, feeling out unfamiliar conjunctions, brushing up.
If that does not describe a CSA subscriber or farmer’s market devotee, it will surely drive you to be one.
An Everlasting Meal will drive you to cook and eat and want to be a locavore to have those dozen vegetables to boil and roast and make into good salads. Ms. Adler only gives you the occasional recipe for making your local food. She teaches that it is not recipes, however, that make for good eating. It is an understanding of the meal. That a wedge of good cheese, which you can have from your farmer’s market, will provide as good a dinner as anything, especially if you open up a good bottle, beer wine or cider (which I’m not sure she mentioned). That there should be bread and ample supplies of rice or polenta or some other base, perhaps even home cooked sauerkraut. It is how to approach things. Mostly that the best approaches are usually the simplest and the ones we might not even think about any more. Boil your meat and vegetables is the first thing she teaches. I’ll come back to the much good advice inside Everlasting Meal in subsequent posts. I’m telling you today, you’ve committed to being a local family. Buy the book.
Running around, playing in the woods as a kid, nettles were something you tried to avoid at all cost. Nothing like killing the rest of your day (cue obbsessive scratching) cuz you ran bare-legged thru a patch of nettles.
So while at the market this morning, I found myself drawn to a mound of nettles (thank you Green Acres Farm). Hum, never thought to cook with. I mean why would I want to bite something that thinks nothing of biting back? Wondering what they taste like I forgot all that I knew, broke off a leaf and proceeded with tasting…did you know that the little stingers on the nettle are at the base of the leaf? Yep, my bottom lip now knows. Witnesses (certain farmer who shall remain nameless) to this and no one stopped me? Clearly I provide a bit of entertainment at the market at 6:30am. Hey, someone’s got to.
After lots of chatting up of fellow-market goers, and recalling all the natural asthma and allergy remedies I have been reading about lately, I make the plunge and purchase a bunch of the nutricious stingers. Something good about it being a cold blustery day, my gloves were on.
Throughout Russia and most Nordic countries, after long cold winters, and nearing the end of wintered-over produce, some of the first signs of green and good for you came in the form of nettles. High in iron, antioxidants, and vitamins nettles are a true super-food. Steeped in boiling water nettle ‘tea’ (tisane) makes for a great overall health tonic. Heck, just steeped some and already feel healthier. Who needs ‘The Master Cleanse’?
Pesto, pasta, risotto, sauteed, and a variety of soups are some of the preparations I have found. ALL, can’t stress enough, ALL preparations entail cooking (in boiling water at the very least) the nettles. Or did you forget my experience already? I haven’t, my lip is still stinging. Wait a sec’, maybe I am onto the next ‘lip plumper’…save that for health and beauty blog..
Since I have been on a pasta and rice tear the past couple weeks, and because the weather is back to feeling wet and chill, soup is the order of the day for the nettles. This version I concocted, came about from wanting to combine a number of other early Spring herbs and greens (remember the sorrel?).
So easy. So fast to assemble. So tasty. And sans a scant amount of butter and olive oil, low cal and healthy. Thinking who needs that afore mentioned fancy detox diet, I am just gonna keep making and eatting nettle soup.
Mo’s Nettle Soup (sans sting)
2 T green garlic, chopped fine
3 T green onion or leek, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 T olive oil
3 cups nettles (mostly leaves), packed*
1 quart plus 1 cup chicken broth
3 cups Italian spinach, chopped & packed (yeah any fresh spinach will do)
4 small potatoes, diced
1/2 – 1 cup sorrel, chopped
1 T (plus more for garnish) snipped chives
1 T lemon juice
zest of a whole lemon
salt & pepper to taste
nutmeg to garnish
yoghurt or sour cream to garnish
Heat butter and olive oil in the bottom of soup pot. Add green garlic and onion and saute til tender. Add the nettles*, cover with chicken broth.
Begin to warm over medium heat. Add potatoes, and spinach and cook until all veg are tender. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest & juice, sorrel, salt and pepper. With the aid of a ‘boat motor’ (aka handheld blender) puree. Serve in bowl with a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream, or better yet, creme fraiche, and a sprinkle of chive. Springtime in a bowl.
*always handle raw nettles with gloves on.
Editor’s Note: In this latest installment by Jody & Beth Osmund, farmers for Cedar Valley, Beth shows us how easy it is to plan a series of pre-made slow-cooker meals, prepared with whole foods. -WA
A couple of weeks ago I saw an idea going around Pinterest that looked interesting, make ahead crock pot meals. I liked it! I love using the crock pot, it’s almost like someone else made dinner. I often cook things like spaghetti sauce and soup in big batches to put some in the freezer. So I decided to give it a go.
First stop, gather the ingredients. I started with recipes from a couple of different sites (although I never follow recipes exactly, these are pretty close to what I did).
I made a total of 5 different recipes from these two sites:
http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html
http://mamaandbabylove.com/2011/04/05/freezer-cooking-with-slow-cooker-recipes/
I made Teriyaki Chicken, Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken, Peppers & Sausage, Beef Fajita, and Cilantro Lime Chicken. (These all link to the blogs where the recipes are, you’ll have to scroll down each page to the right spot.)
Next it was time to do the prep. This is the step that makes this worthwhile. It took me about an hour and a half to wash, peel and chop everything, which is quite a while, but now I don’t have to do that each time I want to start a meal in the slow cooker.
It took about another hour to make sauce and assemble the bags. Regardless of the recipes (told you I didn’t follow them exactly!) I did not add any of the meat. I just put in the veggies, sauces and seasonings for each meal into a ziplock freezer bag and labeled each.
I use our meat, of course, so that means no boneless, tasteless chicken breasts, but the recipes work great with whole or half chickens in the crock pot. It just means that when you serve them you’re pulling the meat off the bones. (We usually just do it as we eat, but you could bone the chicken and put the meat back in the pot before you serve.)
Finally, the clean up. It looked bad, but really only took about half an hour. All together I prepared 10 meals in about 3 hours. That works out to about 18 minutes per home-made, veggie-filled, processed-food-free meal! It takes just a few minutes to put the meal in the slow cooker and dinner time clean up is easy too, just one pot.
This is definitely an experiment I’ll repeat!
Beth Osmund
www.cedarvalleysustainable.com
For the first time in our eat local memories, farmer’s markets ran all winter in the Chicago area. Both Green City Market and Evanston pretty much never quit marketing, and our friends at Faith in Place put out their regular string of roving winter locavore bazaars. And there were plenty of other options too. Beet Reporter Jeannie Boutelle did an outstanding job tracking them down all season. This is the time, however, when we cannot list all the area markets in one weekly calendar. This is the time when farmer’s markets are in season.
We love farmer’s markets. We love tracking the seasons, watching the colors change from early green, to summer’s burst of ripe red to the fall’s waning browns. We love how it pleases the senses. We love the anticipation of meals based on what we see. We love talking to farmers and learning of life away from the city. We love partaking in the full bounty of our local agriculture. We love the artisans who offer us interesting and better foodstuffs. We love farmer’s markets.
To share our love of farmer’s markets, the Local Beet has put together a Market Locator to help you find one. You can search it by city, time of day and day of the week, to find one that fits your need. We have also compiled our biggest list yet of tips for maximizing your market experience. We’re here to help.
In addition to our Market Locator and Shopping Guide, we will be publishing all sorts of materials showing our love and devotion to farmer’s markets. Beet Reporters will be checking in from various markets (and it’s never too late to volunteer for a Beet beat). We’ll have recipes, guides to seasonal produce, and advice on making your seasonal bounty last. We love farmer’s markets.
Do enjoy what’s in season.
A couple weeks ago, I posted a fairly bleak report on Michigan tree fruit after two early-April freezes caused a great deal of damage to the crops. At the time, the damage was still being assessed.
Although time will ultimately tell, the forecast now seems bleaker. In Southwest Michigan, which provides the Chicago-area with most of its local fruit, there was another hard freeze on April 27th — the fourth hard freeze in April. In Northwest Michigan, several nights dipped down into the 20s, although some cloud cover helped to protect plants and trees. With each freeze, more crop was potentially reduced. All tree fruits have been affected by the freezes, and many farmers say they no longer have the potential for a commercial crop.
Sweet/tart Cherries. In both Southwest and Northwest Michigan, farmers have predicted that sweet and tart cherry crops have been almost completely decimated. In Southwest Michigan, most tart cherries are chocolate brown, which means that the flesh of the cherry was frozen to a brown color, and will never grow to be plump and juicy. Many cherry farmers in both areas are now only managing the health of the trees for next year’s crop. In Northwest Michigan, generally known as the heart of Michigan’s cherry crop and where the National Cherry Festival occurs annually in Traverse City, tart cherries continued to decline with each new freeze event. Sweet cherries were not making it out of the shuck stage. As a result, the cherry industry has worked with Michigan State University, the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as Sygenta, to obtain a 24(c) special local need registration for clearance to legally use chlorothalonil beyond shuck split due to unusual crop concerns this year. However, with the 24 (c), growers must follow a series of restrictions in order to use this product legally throughout the growing season to ensure that post-shuck split applications of chlorothalonil do not result in illegal residues.
Brown tart cherries. The flesh of these cherries has been frozen, and will never be plump and juicy. Image: Mark Longstroth, MSU Extension
Peaches/Nectarines/Apricots. In Southwest Michigan, apricots are scarce, and most were wiped out by the April 27th freeze. Nectarines have pulled through so far a little better than peaches, and peaches might have some crop.
Apples/Plums/Pears. In Southwest Michigan, apples have undergone severe damage. Plums are scarce. The pear crop has suffered widespread loss. In Northwest Michigan, apples might have pulled through enough to produce a decent crop.
Juice/Eating grapes: Some good news for Concord and Niagara grapes – some places in Southwest Michigan have reported new growth on vines that were previously damaged by frost.
Berries. Another bright spot. In Southwest Michigan, blueberries have generally escaped damage due to their later blooming and growth. Many farmers have been irrigating fields for frost protection. Some good news: Strawberries are blooming, and are expected to arrive early, possibly in 1-2 weeks.
Wine Grapes. In Southwest Michigan, wine grapes on the whole are faring better, as they are late(r) bloomers, and did not progress as much during the March warm-up. Damage is not as widespread, though some early varieties, such as Chardonnay and Riesling suffered more than others. In Northwest Michigan, Chardonnay and Riesling are showing bud burst now, but are faring unevenly block to block. Overall, though, bud survival has been very good.
Pest control. In both Southwest and Northwest Michigan, farmers are adjusting pest control in light of recent weather events to manage fruit that may be more vulnerable to infestation or infection.
What does this mean?
Certainly, farmers will continue to monitor the situation. I’m told by some that if there is a tree fruit crop, it will be very small, and priced accordingly. What to do if you’re a locavore? Focus on strawberries, which will be here early in approximately 1-2 weeks. Eat blueberries, raspberries and melons. Like the Cubs, wait ’til next year. Support your local farmers’ markets even more vigorously — especially the fruit farmers who bring alternative crops to market.
Primary source: MSU Extension Reports
I’m sure this won’t come as a shock to anyone, but I can’t get enough asparagus right now. And I’m OK with that. Because I wait 11 months every year to eat the best asparagus of all time. I have been participating in The Food Matters Project for several months now and it has really impacted the way I cook because I have decided that I want to incorporate as many local ingredients as possible into the meals as well as add my own twist to it. As a brief overview, The Food Matters Project is a weekly blog post following a schedule of recipes from Mark Bittman’s Food Matters cookbook. This week the recipe was for Roasted Asparagus and White Bean soup and it did not disappoint.
I started by chopping two leeks from the farmers market and sauteing them in oil for a couple of minutes with 1 tablespoon of garlic and 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary. I decided to use a ham hock from Meadow Haven Farm in my soup so the night before I boiled it in water for about an hour. This soup doesn’t take very long to cook so I wanted to give the ham hock a head start. I added 6 cups of vegetable stock, peeled and diced 2 potatoes, drained 1 can of white beans and added it all to the pot along with the ham hock, brought it to a boil and allowed it to simmer for about 30 minutes until the potatoes were very tender.
Meanwhile, I roasted the asparagus on 450 for about 5 minutes until it was tender. I sprinkled with some salt and chopped it roughly so it added a nice texture to the soup. When I added the asparagus to the soup, I also added another drained can of white beans. I removed the ham hock and tore it apart. It was a very surreal experience… being elbow deep in pig grease, but it was delicious. Once everything was heated through, I shaved some thick slices of Parmesan overtop to add just a little extra oomph. This soup is delicious. And it’s more local than not, so we’re making progress! The little local additions to your meals really do add up and they can make a tremendous difference to the farmers and/or vendors you choose to support. Take a chance and buy something (like a ham hock) that you have no idea how to use and then just go for it. I bet it will end up a great success.
Kelly Hewitt cooks her way through life forcing herself to try new things. Her obsessions include canning and learning how to grow her own vegetables this summer! Kelly loves cooking fairly minimally and buying food from people that she actually knows. Catch up with Kelly’s blogging at eatatkellys.blogspot.com
Editor’s Note: Do you know who stores winter squash under her bed to have local food in the winter? Do you know who’s growing sprouts, under lamps in her basement for more local food? Someone who loves to talk about four season eating. There’s a good chance you’ve run across Vicki Nowicki. She’s been a key player in the Good Food Festivals put on by FamilyFarmed. She’s involved with Slow Food City’s Edge. She’s an award winning gardener. She recently offered some great preservation recipes to us in our comments. We asked if she could give us a bit more, for a blog post, and she agreed. We hope to have more soon from Vicki. Enjoy these three recipes for Spring produce she’s putting away.
1 Quart fresh, bright dandelion flowers
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
5 ½ cups sugar
Snip off stems and green collar of sepals under blossoms. Be sure you have picked in an area free of spraying and animal traffic and I feel you can simply hand swipe each blossom to clean off. Once you wash the blossoms they become very difficult to handle so I try to avoid doing that. In an enameled or stainless steel saucepan boil the petals in 2 quarts water for 3 minutes. Cool all the way down even if it takes several hours. This will impart the maximum color to the liquid. Strain through a coffee filter. Measure 3 cups dandelion liquid. Add lemon juice and pectin. You need pectin and acid for jelly to set. Bring mixture to a boil using a large jelly kettle. Add sugar all at once and stir constantly and boil at a high rolling boil for 2 ½ minutes. Turn off heat and when bubbles subside, quickly skim off any gunk from surface with metal spoon. Using wide funnel, pour into small, sterile jars(boiled for 10 minutes). Use toothpick to pierce any airholes in the jelly. Hot water bath 10 minutes.
Makes 5 or 6 jars
1 pint violet flowers
juice of ½ lemon
2 cups of sugar PER cup of juice
3 ounces liquid pectin
Collect enough violet flowers to fill a pint jar. Stuff the jar with as many flowers as possible. Cover the blossoms with boiling water and cover. Keep out of the bright sunshine for 24 hours. Color will appear aqua at first.
Strain the infusion through a coffee filter, removing blossoms and debris. Place the juice in a heavy saucepan. Add the lemon juice, mix thoroughly and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Add sugar and pectin. Bring to a hard boil and hold for 1 minute. Turn off heat, skim surface.
Pour into hot, sterile jelly jars and seal. Hot water bath 10 minutes. Makes 4 ½ pint jars.
2 cups packed sorrel, washed and stems removed
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chicken stock, if needed to thin
Combine all ingredients in a food processor, except chicken stock. If the pesto appears too dry, add the stock.
I hate superlatives in food.
When I see a restaurant touting “the best [fill in the blank],” I turn on my heels and look for another.
“Best” in a subjective realm like food is a matter of taste. My best chocolate chip cookie is super thin, with crispy edges and soft chocolate chips. Yours may be soft and chewy with the addition of chopped nuts.
That being said, after dinner tonight, I need to share with you the best steak sauce ever or at least the best steak sauce I’ve ever made.
I’d been hesitant in the past to share this recipe because it has a secret ingredient. I’m not keeping it a secret, it’s simply one that you likely won’t have readily at your disposal. However, given that the raw material for this secret ingredient is now in season, I thought I’d share with you with my best steak sauce ever.
Strip Steaks with Special Steak Sauce
Serves 2-3
2 strip steaks
2 teaspoons grapeseed or vegetable oil
¼ cup red wine
2/3 cup chicken or beef stock
1 teaspoon balsamic
1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 pickled ramps (recipe available from a previous post of mine)
1 teaspoon sour cream
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat until smoking. Sear seasoned steaks on each side. Reduce the heat to medium heat and cook until 120° F about 7 to 10 minutes total.
Remove the steaks to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Pour in the red wine and reduce slightly. Add stock and reduce until there’s only about 3 tablespoons of sauce in the pan. Add balsamic, mustard, and finely chopped ramps. Cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk in sour cream and any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Serve the steaks drenched with sauce.
The vegetables keep coming! I have to admit, I am a vegetable addict. Something about the look of freshly harvested vegetables, like the radishes above, embody such vibrance and freshness, that I love just walking around the market looking at all the vegetables. The radishes, from Growing Home, were the standout vegetable, of the Green City Market last week. The smell of greenness that hits your nose when you walk into a farmer’s, brings an urban person like me back to the scents of a farm and the land!
The other picture I couldn’t resist, a picture of a market bag. To shop at a farmer’s market means having at least one market bag to put product in. The one above, stood out to me, but there are other amazing bags out there. Country Financial is currently running a contest among students for designing a reusable market bag, their bag from last year, was my personal favorite. If you donate to the Green City Market, you receive one of their market bags which are always well designed! If you have a favorite market bag, post the picture in the comments below or on our Facebook page. To shop well at the markets you need good bags!! Now on to the weekly calendar and remember that the Farm Dinners and the forward calendar, Memorial Day through Labor Day, are now on a separate calendar, happy shopping!
If you have a favorite market that we have not included, let us know in the comments below, we really appreciate all feedback!!!
WHERE TO FIND LOCAL FOODS
These stores specialize in local foods:
Butcher and Larder 1026 North Milwaukee in Noble Square, Chicago
City Provisions Deli 1818 West Wilson in Ravenswood, Chicago
Dill Pickle Food Co-op – 3039 West Fullerton, Chicago
Downtown Farmstand 66 East Randolph in the Loop, Chicago
Green Grocer 1402 West Grand Ave in West Town, Chicago GG has weekly wine and beer tastings check their website or twitter for details.
Marion Street Cheese Market 100 South Marion St. Oak Park
Provenance Food & Wine - 2 locations Logan Square 2528 N. California Lincoln Square 2312 W. Leland Ave. Provenance has weekly free tastings of food and wine products, check their website for details.
Publican Quality Meats – 835 W. Fulton, Chicago
Southport Grocery and Cafe 3552 N. Southport, Chicago
WHAT TO DO NOW
Ongoing through June 10th Chicago – Feast:Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art Smart Museum University of Chicago Go here for all the projects associated with it.
April 18
Chicago - Growing Home hosts a free screening of the acclaimed documentary “The Interrupters” at their Wood Street Urban Farm. 4pm. 5814 S. Wood St. The movie tells the story of three “violence interrupters” in Chicago, all of whom are former gang members working to protect their communities by breaking the cycle of violence. From 1-4pm, Growing Home will give farm tours, garden workshops and a chance to shop at their organic farmstand and after the movie, violence interrupters, Li’l Mikey and Hot Rod will lead a community discussion.
April 19
Chicago – Chicagourmet Hosts a Dinner at Les Nomades in honor of Anne Willan – 222 E. Ontario 6 pm, Champagne reception. 6:30 pm, book signing and dinner. Anne Willan has over 50 years experience as a teacher, cookbook author, and food columnist. She is the founder of the French Cooking School La Varenne, and has received numerous awards. Her long awaited book, “The Cookbook Library: Four Centuries of the Cooks, Writers and Recipes that Made the Modern Cookbook,” will be published in April 2012. This will be a unique opportunity to meet an iconic name in French cooking, and have an amazing meal with Chef Roland Liccioni in the kitchen and Owner Mary Beth Liccioni in the front of the house. $159. Go here for reservations.
Chicago - Farm Fresh Food Stuffs at Weiss Memorial Hospital 7am – 1pm Weiss is just north of the intersection of Wilson and Marine Drive.
April 20
Chicago – Great Lakes Brewing Earth Day Beer Dinner at Uncommon Ground Devon – 6pm 1401 West Devon $55 per person exlcudes taxes and gratuities
April 21
Chicago – The Green City Market Held at the Peggy Notebaert Museum 2430 N. Cannon Drive 8am – 1pm The chef demonstration from 10:30am to 11:30am and this week will be jeremy Billings from Scoozi.
Chicago – Edible Gardens workshop sponsored by Green City Market -9:30am – 10:15am. Join them for their FREE Monthly Hands-on Gardening Workshop Series with Jeanne Pinsof Nolan, founder of The Organic Gardener, Ltd. Spring Start: Soil Preparation and Planting Cool Weather Crops. The key to a successful organic garden starts with proper soil preparation. Learn the techniques of good soil stewardship including soil aeration and the beneficial use of compost, soil amendments, and organic fertilizers. They will also discuss how to successfully direct seed cool weather crops such as peas, spinach, chard, and radishes.
New!! Chicago – Pasta Puttana’s Chef Table Series – Conservas Seafood – 1407 West Grand Ave. 7pm – 9pm This month they bow to conservas seafood: gourmet imported seafood preserved in olive oil, brine, or its own juices. New to conservas? Your first bite of salty white anchovies, sweet king crab, or succulnet razor clams will make you a conservas convert, they swear! Their Chef’s Table dinners are intimate gatherings set right in the Pasta Puttana production space. The meal is prepared before your eyes and served on our custom-made pasta table. Ingredients are sourced locally and sustainably. $85 per person including tax and gratuity, BYOB Please contact Jessica at 773-439-9623 or jvolpe@pastaputtana.com to reserve a seat.
Evanston – Evanston Indoor Farmer’s Market, at the Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd at Bridge St., (there is a large parking lot across the street), thrown by the Friends of the Evanston Market – Expect many of the vendors found at the summer Evanston markets, see here for a list of vendors and other information on the market – 2024 McCormick – 9 AM – 1 PM — Read a report from the market from Beetnik Peg Wolfe here.
Geneva - Geneva Green Market – 27 N. Bennett (Geneva Place) – 9 AM – 1 PM – Read a report from Beetnik Melissa Owens who finds, among other things, basil, at this market here.
Grayslake – The Grayslake Farmer’s Market Opens for Spring!! Centennial Park and Center St. 10:00 Am – 2pm
La Fox – Heritage Prairie Farmers Market – 9-1 pm. 2N308 Brundage Road, La Fox, IL
New Location!! St. Charles – The Saturday Farm Fresh Food Stuffs market has moved and is now at Trellis Family Farm 8-4pm 2N492 Kirk Rd.
April 22
Happy Earth Day!!! How are you going to celebrate/
Chicago – Andersonville Farmers Market – 11:30 – 3:30pm Ebenezer Lutheran Church 1650 W. Foster
Chicago – The Pasta Puttana Chef’s Table Series continues tonight, see above for the info. 7-9pm. 1407 West Grand
Chicago - Clandestino Supper Club – Pop-Up- “WTF” with guest chefs Ben Roche(Moto) and Thomas Bowman (Moto and ING) along with Chef Efrain Cuevas. 7pm $75 BYOB and taxs, tips not included. Once reservation is made, location will be given 48 hours before event. Reserve a spot here.
Crystal Lake – Duke’s Alehouse in Crystal Lake is having an Eco-Friendly Food and Beer Tasting. 2-5pm 110 N. Main St. $35 per person includes 1 raffle tickets and a donation to the McHenry County Environmental Defenders. Make a reservation here.
April 24
Chicago – Re-Thinking Soup – Hull House Kitchen – Jane Addams Hull House 800 South Halsted St – 12pm – 1pm Check website for the current speaker
New! !!! Chicago – Taste of the Great Lakes – Local and Invasive Species Dinner- Dirks Fish & Gourmet Shop 2070 N. Clybourn 7:30pm – 9:30pm Join acclaimed fishmonger, Dirk Fucik, and his wife Terry, in celebrating our Great Lakes region and the distinctive seafood it provides us – including the controversial Asian carp you’ve heard about in the news!This family-style dinner includes eight of Dirk & Terry’s original recipes, plank-smoked Lake Trout, Tempura Perch, smoke rainbow trout wraps and more. It will feature local & invasive fish that were caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Special guest include the folks from the Shedd Aquarium. $65 per person, BYOB Part of the proceeds go to Slow Food Chicago and there “Send A Farmer to Terra Madre” program. Go here to reserve a spot!!
Chicago – Chicago Rare Orchards Project (CROP) – Inaugural lecture series by leaders of crop diversity and sustainable development. 6pm Haas Park Fieldhouse 2404 Washtenaw Ave. (entrance on Fullerton) Speaker Jennifer Jordan Associate Professor of Sociology & Urban Studies University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Event is free and open to the public.
Chicago – Lincoln Square - C & D Family Farms selling their all natural free range meats from 7 to 11 am in the parking lot at Lincoln & Leland.
Chicago – Andersonville – C & D Family Farms selling their all natural free range meats from 4pm to 7pm on Ashland at Berywn in front of the First Evangelical Free Church
SAVE THE DATE!!!!
April 26
Chicago - Green City Market Spring Fling – A New Leaf 1820 N. Wells 6:30pm -9:30pm Join Green City Market chefs, farmers, and supporters for an evening of cocktails, small bites, music and a unique auction experience as they raise funds to support their market education programs.Ticket information and prices here
Chicago - GoodGreens.org meeting -10:00- 12:00 USDA offices in the loop If you are a veteran “good food” person or a newbie, this meeting is a great one to go to, to develop contacts in the “good food” world in Chicago and to get valuable information, it is always worth your time. It is sponsored by the USDA and is a meeting of meetings and welcomes people from all aspects, neighborhoods, organizations, public, non-profit, private, entrepreneurs, anyone interested in a better and more sustainable food system in the Midwest area. The website is a treasure trove of information and Alan Shannon of the USDA is the one to contact if you plan to attend, go to the website for details.
April 27
Chicago – Starts today Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance Presents “Road Food – Exploring The Midwest One Bite At A Time” – Kendall College This 3 day symposium is about what it says, exploring the midwest and all its nooks and crannys when it comes to eating. Here is the jam packed program that covers all three days.
Chicago – Graze Magazine releases inaugural issue at Smart Museum of Art The graze // issue one reception will take place at the Smart Museum of Art at 5550 S. Greenwoood Ave. on Friday, April 27, from 8-11pm. For just $10 guests will gain entry to a night of guerilla gastronomica, hand-crafted cocktails, folk music, and a free copy of Graze, Chicago’s premier food-oriented literary magazine-all set to the backdrop of Feast:Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art, the current exhibition at the Smart Museum of Art.
April 28
Chicago – Highly recommended!2nd Annual Pastoral Artisan Producer Festival at the Chicago French Market 11-3pm This year’s line-up features more than 70 producers,in addition to tastings and demonstrations from a wide variety of your favorite French Market vendors. In addition to cheese-makers and mongers from around the world, there will also be producers of beer, wine, and accoutrements in attendance as well as the vendors in the Chicago French Market. From confectioners and beer and spirit makers right here in Chicago to vintners from Bordeaux, this year the festival includes artisan producers from around your neighborhood and around the world!
Chicago – Another great idea! Green and Growing Fair - Sponsored by the Advocates for Urban Agriculture and GreenNet Chicago. Garfield Park Conservatory 11am – 4pm 300 North Central Park Ave. Free Meet the folks from One Seed Chicago and pick up a packet of the winning seed, buy the unique KochTerri pepper, a new varietal, bred by Garfield Park Horticulturists and many more vendors and workshops. Go to the link for further details.
April 29
New!!! Chicago – It’s back for the 4th year Cochon 555 – It is a traveling, culinary competition and tasting event. 5 chefs, 5 pigs, 5 winemakers to promote sustainable farming of heritage breeed pigs. The chefs this year include : Carlos Gaytan of Mexique, Danny Grant of Balsan/Ria, Stephanie Izard of Girl and The Goat, Michael Sheerin of The Trenchermen, and Jason Vincent of Nightwood. The event this year will be held at The Four Seasons hotel 120 East Delaware and starts at 5pm. Tickets start at $125 and can be purchased here. Besides the main event of the contest and eating a lot of mighty tasty pig there will be Pastoral Cheese, Rob Levitt of The Butcher and the Larder giving a butchering demo and lots more!
Chicago – The Rice Table at Vincent presents a Rijstaffel Dinner – 1475 West Balmoral 6-9pm This is a Dutch Indonesian grand feast. Go here to reserve a spot. $50
Winnetka – Pop-Up Wine Tasting and Dinner – Sponsored by Chicagourmets. Kamp Gallery 996 Green Bay Road. Meet Jens Baerle, the founder ofGourmetdestinations, that puts together Farm to Table trips in Italy. The event will feature an olive oil tasting with appetizers and prosecco reception followed by an Italian Wine pairing dinner. Check Chicagogourmets for further details on this.
May 1
New! Chicago -Happy Birthday!!!!! Growing Home’s 10th Birthday – Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum 6-10pm Keynote by Steve James, Director of The Interrupters and Hoop Dreams. Buy tickets here and more information.
May 3
Chicago – Meet the Market – At Balena - 1633 N. Halsted 6-8pm The popular series sponsored by the Green City Market Junior Board is back! Meet the crew from Ellis Family Farms, Chef Chris Pandel, pastries by Amanda Rockman and beverages by mixologist Debbi Peek. All I can say, it’s back!! Go to the links for further details.
May 4
Elgin- Elgins’ Green Expo- 1-8pm at the center of Elgin and is the biggest green event in the Fox Valley. This family-friendly event will include a Green Car Show showcasing some of the latest hybrids; a Farmer’s Market with artisan breads, cheeses and wines; the Garden Area to purchase native trees & plantings; an Eco-Bazaar where visitors can get the latest recycled goods; a Wellness Center with eco-friendly products & chair massages; plus food & drinks from the Locavore Cafe/EcoBar and much more!! Thanks to Melissa Owens for pointing this out!!!
Ottawa, IL - Morel University – This is part of Morel Mania. LEARN FROM EXPERTS – SHARE THE MORELS! Tom Nauman of Morel Mania, Inc. and other morel hunting experts will be your instructors for Morel University. The class is for beginners or anyone who wants to learn the finer points of shrooming: morel habitat, tree identification, correct harvesting techniques, and tricks of the trade. Morel-gathering will last approximately two hours.
May 5
Chicago – Opening Day the Green City Market – The featured chef will Sarah Grueneberg of Spiaggia. The hours are longer 7am to 1pm and the market moves further south in Lincoln Park, right across from the Children’s Farm.
Elgin- The Green Expo in Elgin continues.
May 8
Chicago - Chicago Rare Orchards Project (CROP) – Inaugural lecture series by leaders of crop diversity and sustainable development. 6pm Haas Park Fieldhouse 2404 Washtenaw Ave. (entrance on Fullerton) Josh Ellis Program Director Metropolitan Planning Council Event is free and open to the public.
May 12
Chicago – Opening Day for 61st Market sponsored by Experimental Station – This market which is becoming “the” market on the south side opens today, go to their website for further details.
May 16
Chicago – Floriole Monthly Dinner with Guest Chef Nathan Sears of Vie. Floriole Cafe and Bakery 1220 West Webster $75 5 Courses exlcudes beverage, tax and gratuity. Reserve a space here.
May 22
Chicago – Chicago Rare Orchards Project (CROP) – Inaugural lecture series by leaders of crop diversity and sustainable development. 6pm Haas Park Fieldhouse 2404 Washtenaw Ave. (entrance on Fullerton) The speakers tonight will be Melissa Tobias and Dan Schnitzer Sustainability Educators, The Academy for Global Citizenship. This event is free and open to the pubic.
May 25
Chicago – Kedzie Brewery Grand Opening Party – Revolution Brewing celebrates the opening of its new brewery at 3340 N. Kedzie. 5-10pm $15 Tickets go on sale April 27th.
May 26
FD!! Champaign – Prairie Fruits Farm starts their dinner season – “A Dinner of Spring” 4410 N. Lincoln Ave – H2Vino, Caveny Farms Lamb 5 courses, $100
For the summer schedule including Farm Dinners please go to our Farm Dinner calendar, it is time to make reservations for your summer farm dinners now!!!
Editor’s Note: Beet Farmer Blogger Jody Osmund decided to work his way thought the alphabet, highlighting people, places and things important to his operation, Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm. Of course, he skipped A. B was for butcher Scott Bittner, and C was, naturally, Jody’s application to be a delegate to Slow Food’s Terra Madre event–which was inspired by C as in Chicago Honey Co-op. Today, we get to Duncan, not as on some of our minds, Duncan Keith, but Jody’s son, Duncan.
An A-Z blog theme on our farm’s community needs to include some mention of family. Today, I’m going to introduce you to Duncan. He is our farm’s naturalist and the one who always up for a walk in the woods or explore the creek. This week, he was hanging out/helping me trouble-shoot a shorted out electric fence.
As I worked, he climbed trees and explored. Walking along the pasture’s edge, I told him that the best place to find night crawlers was under old cow pies. So, we started to turn some of them over. Not only did we discover worms in the well rotted manure but many other living things from fungi to grubs to a sprouted honey locust seed (the cows eat the pods in the fall and deposit the undigested seeds all around the pasture – a perfect seed starter medium).
Yesterday, we ate a salad that Duncan had foraged with Beth and his little brother, Jack. The salad included water cress that grow along one of the many natural springs on farm, and sorrel a perrenial that is great as a cooked green (scrambled eggs and sorrel is favorite of our friend John Breslin) but works in a salad when the tender leaves are picked. It’s so gratifying to have our kids so connected to our farm way of living.
Look forward to the rest of my alphabet soon.
Jody Osmund grew up on a diversified grain & livestock farm just miles from where he farms now. However, he did not follow a straight line into farming. Jody graduated from high school in the late eighties (during the farm crisis that gave us Farm Aid); and, like many other bright young farm kids, he went off to college in search of another career. Fast forward 15 years. Jody moved back to family land and started (with his wife Beth) the first Community Supported Agriculture vegetable farm in LaSalle county. Livestock were added; and, five years later, Cedar Valley Sustainable farm was again first introducing CSA meat to Illinois and Chicago. As of 2012, CVSF delivers monthly meat shares to Evanston, Edgewater, Lincoln Square, Lakeview, Logan Square, Oak Park, Naperville, Frankfort, and Ottawa. From June through October, you can find Jody delivering shares and selling his wares at the Logan Square Farmers market two Sundays a month.
A couple of weeks ago, I urged you to make the decision to become a local family now. I meant to start giving you tips and pointers on becoming a local family but instead got distracted by rotting food and an interesting forthcoming dinner at Dirk’s with Slow Food Chicago (where at least I invoked the need to eat local fish). Today, let’s get back to the process of becoming a local family, and where I want to start is tell you how it’ll end. I mean not end eating local. Don’t ever stop eating local. I mean once you start eating local in April, what will it be like eating local by next March? What does a year of eating local look like?
April – The tastes of Spring – This is a great year to start eating local in April, but ordinarily, around here, April brings a limited but sharp taste to the table. This year, we are seeing much asparagus already in April. Ordinarily, we get asparagus around here in May and even into June. Instead, April mostly brings the first onions, and their related kin like the ready for backlash, ramps, and leeks. With storage onions mostly gone by April, we cook now with leeks and scallions, and it gives Spring it’s characteristic, unique, taste. Your preservation goals for April: a lot of people love to pickle ramps to have them around for the rest of the year.
May – More farmer’s markets open in May around the Chicago area, and several CSA farms are in the middle of their early seasons. May brings two types of crops. First, you get an array of indoor grown, hoop-house, produce. Typical crops include rocket, lettuces, chard and spinach. In addition, a lot of the first to market will be the same things you’ve been eating in the winter, roots like beets and turnips. The other group of May crops are all those shoots and leaves and stems first leaping towards the warming sun. Usually, you’ll find asparagus now. You’ll also find plants only edible in this early stage like ferns and nettles. An example of an edible stem is a vegetable more thought of as a fruit, rhubarb. Your preservation goals for May: Your new set of roots will last several weeks in your fridge, so don’t feel the need to use them at once. On the other hand, asparagus needs to be eaten or put-away as soon as possible. They make a nice snack or accessory, pickled. Frozen, they work fine in dishes where texture does not matter like soups and pasta. As rhubarb is always eaten cooked, freezing hardly effects things, so put some away this month.
June – The calendar turns to summer in June, but the Local Calendar very much says “Spring” this time of year, or at least what we’ve been educated over the years to think of as Spring food. You should be able to find peas and sugar snaps a lot. You should also be able to find the first fruit to eat out of hand, strawberries. Your preservation goals for June: Peas, like asparagus, don’t wait around for you. Eat them soon or freeze them soon. Since the passing of my grandfather, no one likes canned peas. On the other hand, who does not like strawberry jam.
July – We eat cherry pie on the fourth of July because that’s the time of year we have cherries to eat, right. We are fortunate to be in a part of the country with access to excellent cherries. In fact, those cold months we detest lead to these cherries we love. At the farmer’s market you can find sweet cherries and the tart cherries pictured above. Enjoy. At the farmer’s market, because by July, all the Chicago area farmer’s markets will be open and ample. Enjoy. The locavore gets, in July, the last of Spring, still plenty of cool weather crops like a run of broccoli, and the first of summer as tomatoes, especially smaller tomatoes, will sneak in. Your preservation goals for the July: take advantage of the limited cherry season. Like rhubarb, tart cherries are always cooked, so freeze just fine. They make all sorts of fine canned goods too, and be like the French and put some away in brandy for your winter drinking needs.
August – Who is not a locavore now. The markets are awash with fruits and vegetables. It is also the era of accessible and affordable. You will find local food in many neighborhood grocery stores. Look to your weekly supplements for reports of local. Get it because nothing beats the taste of local, like the taste of real tomatoes. I’m pretty convinced nothing beats the taste of our local fruits like Michigan peaches either. You will find it all now, from cukes to zukes. In the peak of summer, you will also, start to see the later crops, but note that summer apples, summer (sweet) onions, and summer (newly grown) potatoes, are a treat special to market shoppers. Your preservation goals for August: Put away as much as you can! Pickle patty pan squash. Put extra corn away in your freezer. Yes, it’s another one of those eat now or get away things. Do not, however, think to root cellar anything yet. It’s not cool enough, and the summer crops are not right for storage. Summer apples do make great sauce.
September – It looks mostly like August, with so much to eat. Like, you saw some apples in August, you will see more varieties of apples in September. All those fruits of the summer sun, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, will be joined by the beginning of fall foods like roots, and the cabbage family. Your preservation goals for September: Continue to put away as you can. This time of year brings the best tomatoes for sauce and the best peaches for jam. I love to get as much fresh oregano as I can to dry. You can also start stocking up a bit, your cold storage with squash, onions, garlic, and potatoes for the long haul.
October – October usually brings a mix of brutal and pleasant weather in this area. It can snow! Still, the markets look a lot more like summer than some might think as tomatoes, sweet corn, and such will be in ample supplies. While we know many chefs who will start throwing all sorts of squash and Brussels sprouts and celery root on their menu, we strongly encourage you in October to revel in the eggplants, zucchini, etc. still around. Your preservation notes for October: Get your root cellar stocked. Apples, root veg like carrots, potatoes. Think especially the kinds of apples and potatoes you won’t find later. Also, think things like garlic that you need to last. You may have more tomatoes to put away.
November – By November, a lot of the Chicago area farmer’s markets have wrapped up. The markets open, however, will have plenty of cold weather crops. You may also find a round of hoop-house fare. The November markets usually bring the best deals of the year. We often find in November, heirloom squash for a $1 per. This time of year, gets you green tomatoes, the last picked before hard frost. They make great pickles, but they also make great dishes featuring their piquant flavor. We like them in pasta sauce. We put our harvest festival, Thanksgiving, pretty much after the harvest, yet you can make your dinner from what’s around. Thanksgiving, though, is also the time to start opening your pickles and preserves. Your preservation goals for November look a lot like the month before, but with the added bonus of the cheaper produce. Besides pickling green tomatoes, they make great additions to relishes for canning.
December – What’s left? At the markets open, you will find the last crops of the year. You will find apples and potatoes. If the weather cooperates, farmers can also bring in from their fields, leeks, spinach, kale. These frost kissed vegetables are at their best this time of year. Use as much as you can from the markets. Some CSAs will still be dropping off through December. You will, however, also be cooking from the stores. Your preservation goals for December: As long as you find stuff, you can store stuff. Overall, your root cellar should be net positive in December.
January – Here’s where your work will start paying off. There are winter markets, but you’ll never know what you’ll find. Maybe some hoop-house lettuce this week. Maybe a farmer has some surplus carrots next week. You can rely on all the materials in cold storage, in the freezer and in the canning room. In addition, the winter diet turns much more to meats, to beans. You don’t have to give in to the tyranny of the fresh because you know local products, put away with care are better than the flown in food out there for others. This is the time of year to get your CSA. Your preservation goals for January: We don’t expect you to be putting away. Use what you have and supplement from what you may find.
February – The taste of winter remains a mix of the spinach find and the storage box. Who knows what you’ll bring home from the winter market. At home, get rid of your least hardy stored crops. Find your cabbage recipes, your greens recipes. Those potatoes, apples, sunchokes, they’ll last a bit longer. You start to think of sprouts and mushrooms as delicious additions to meals. Your preservation goals for February are to manage what’s there. One bad apple does spoil the bunch, so watch for them.
March – Here’s where things get tricky. As you read about Alice Waters serving green things to her customers you will be scrounging for anything left. Onions become not just an accessory but an entree. This is truly the hungry season, but with good planning and a bit of diligence, you can make it. By the end of the month, it is typical for watercress to be growing! Your preservation goals for March will be a combination of getting to the end and cleaning up what did not make it. As the weather warms, you may need to re-figure your cold storage spots.
Throughout the year, you can compare your fate to this Local Family. I would not be surprised if you do some things better. And when things look a bit stale, we hope we can provide a bit of inspiration. Your resources for the year, they can come from all the pages of the Local Beet. Use our Local Calendar to find events, our Market Locator to know where to go. We’ll have recipes and tips all year long from how to freeze asparagus to making your own root cellar. We strongly believe that the reasons to eat local don’t go away when the markets close. We believe you can eat local each month of the year.
Have a great local year!
Okay, this week the weather is feeling a bit more season typical, but holy geez, was that March or August that we just experienced? And with that warm weather, plants started popping up WAY ahead of schedule. Seriously, when have we ever seen asparagus and lilacs this early? Not complaining just gonna miss ‘em when their typical turn comes round.
Another early bird this season is that Spring darling the ramp. Unlike what seems like EVERYONE, I am not really on the OMG ramps, ramps, ramps I must have NOW bandwagon. Don’t get me wrong, I love their ushering in of Spring, love their oniony-garlicky flavor, but quite frankly they are so thirty-plus years ago for me. Been there, done that, all at the ripe ole age of nine. Oh so ahead my time.
After moving to the midwest in the early 70’s (Hinsdale, IL to be exact) I found myself a new BBF, Kim. Well, said BBF and I were playing outside (cuz yeah, back then that is what you did, no inside on the Wii or PC for us) in the woods behind her house (which was technically Oak Brook: tip off for you foragers out there, then again guessing development over the years has wiped out the ramps completely in that neck of the ‘burbs) we came upon an absolute SEA of ramps, or what our nine year old selves called wild onions (I mean who was on the ‘ramp’ trend back then?).
I have no idea what went off in ours heads that we both thought, hey we can sell these! Forget lemonade, that is so ‘done’, no one is selling wild onions. We furiously picked mounds of them (god we must of stunk to high hell), set up a stand at the end of the driveway. Bring on the buyers, we are so going to make our fortune. Genius! Smartest. Kids. On. The. Block. Well in the early 70’s? No. So. Much. Not one sale. We couldn’t understand it. Like I said, ahead of our time. If we had set up that same stand today we would be golden, buzzed about in the the food blogosphere or featured on the on Food Network as the youngest food entrepreneurs…
Now after all that ramp-reminiscing I am craving the stinky little weed. Do like them pickled, or roasted, but on a chilly day it’s in a cozy comfy pasta dish that I am a hankering for. I am hoping that the Pasta Puttana has her ramp pasta at Green City tomorrow (it is oh so good) but meanwhile I want some pasta today. And thanks to my friend Bernie (she who has provided the gorgeous pictures on this post – this gal can shoot food!) for turning me onto this quick ramp pasta recipe from epicurious.com.
Spaghetti with Ramps (serves 4)
▪ 1/2 pound ramps
▪ 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
▪ 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
▪ 1 pound spaghetti
▪ 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
Directions
Trim roots from ramps and slip off outer skin on bulbs if loose.
Blanch ramps in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, 2 to 3 seconds, and transfer to a cutting board with tongs.
Coarsely chop ramps and put in a blender with zest and oil.
Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook a few minutes, then ladle out 1/2 cup pasta water and add to blender.
Purée ramps until smooth and season with salt.
Continue to cook spaghetti until al dente, then ladle out about 1 cup additional pasta water before draining spaghetti in a colander.
Return pasta to pot with ramp purée and toss with parmesan over moderate heat 1 to 2 minutes, thinning sauce with a little pasta water as needed to coat pasta.
p.s. photo credit to Bernadine Rolnicki, food photographer extraordinaire
Editor’s Note: Last year, Melissa appeared on WGN TV to talk about sustainable egg dying, and she also wrote this related piece. Unless you have that episode on your DVR, you won’t be able to watch her give tips this year. Still, you can read what she wrote last year, as well read her always relevant information on the eggs out there.
With the impending arrival of a fuzzy, long eared creature, everyone seems to be talking about eggs this week. The always amazing Christina LeBeau gives her rundown of eggsperiments on Spoonfed. Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan just re-posted her how-to dye eggs naturally over the Kitchn (I love the suggestion of oiling the eggs to give them a high shine). Even bloggers of different faiths have gotten in on the game. Me, I’ll be dying lots of eggs since my Little Locavores kid and I will be appearing on WGN tomorrow at 11am to demonstrate natural egg dying.
I also wanted to share with you this entry that I wrote several years ago for The Local Beet, which talks not only about how to dye eggs naturally, but also how to buy eggs that are not only good for the body but also for the planet since that’s what Purple Asparagus is all about.
In pagan culture, the egg signified the rebirth of the earth during spring. Christians adopted this symbol for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, allegedly having occurred in early spring. Eastern Christianity has created several myths regarding the connection between the egg and the Easter story, including a claim that Mary Magdalene brought eggs to share at the tomb of Jesus, which turned bright red when she saw that Christ had risen.
With all of these associations with life and the earth, it only makes sense that the eggs that we dye for our baskets, egg hunts and rolls be good for the earth and respect life. To do this, we need to be educated consumers and understand the labeling on the cartons.
Sustainable Eggs
Three separate certifying systems have been created by egg producers.
Certified Organic: This is the only certification that is regulated by the government. To earn it, a farmer must pass an inspection showing that the eggs came from hens that eat an antibiotic-free, 100% organic diet, and are allowed access to the outdoors and sunlight. What it does not require is a certain barn or shed size or limit on the amount chickens housed inside such facilities. It also does not require that the chickens spend any time outdoors and specifically allows a farmer to temporarily confine his hens for a variety of reasons, with no definition of the term “temporarily.” It does, however, require certain humane limitations including that a bird must be anesthetized prior to de-beaking, a common practice in egg farming.
Certified Humane: This certification is regulated by Humane Farm Animal Care and is concerned less with what the birds eat than with how they are treated. Hens must eat a “wholesome” and “nutritious” diet, they may only receive antibiotics in the case of disease. The certification requires that the hens have “sufficient space, shelter and gentle handling to limit stress.” In Illinois, Phil’s Fresh Eggs has been named Certified Humane under this system. (They’re also white and great for taking on dye). To find other producers, visit Humane Farm Animal Care’s website. Organic Valley may not be “Certified Humane,” on its website, it states its promise to the consumer that its eggs have been:
“Produced on family farms in harmony with nature without antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides. Our hens are raised humanely and given certified organic feed—never any animal by-products—and range freely outdoors.”
A note on hormones: a hormone-free claim is a bit of a non-sequitur given that hormones are never given to hens being grown for laying eggs or during the egg-laying period unless sick.
The United Egg Producers Certification: This is quite a dodgy “certification.” According to Marion Nestle, the certification “merely attests that a company gives food and water to its caged hens.” Unsurprisingly, a large majority of industrial egg producers have received this certification. The website is chock full of double speak. On the home page, we see a wholesome young family on their bucolic farm. There is a large section called Myth v. Fact. My favorite myth v. fact is the first:
Myth: Farmers only care about profit.
Fact: U.S. egg farmers are committed to the humane and ethical treatment of animals. Many of the farms are family-owned and operated.
While I’m sure that majority of family farmers treat their hens humanely, having recently watched HBO’s “Death on a Family Farm,” family-owned and operated can not necessarily be equated with humane treatment.
A Note on De-beaking: It’s important to note that none of the certifications prohibit de-beaking, though the Certified Organic and Humane standards do require that the birds be anaesthetized during the procedure. Birds are de-beaked to prevent the aggressive behavior that is almost inevitable in close quarters. In the “The Ethics of What We Eat
Sustainable Egg Dyeing
Ever since my son was born 5 years ago, we’ve coloring our eggs naturally. What we’ve done is to use the by-products of our home cooking that would otherwise be destined for the garbage or the compost bin. For example, yellow onion skins create a lovely beige shade, red, a purplish one. I’ll blanch spinach, a traditional menu item on Maundy Thursday, for green. Boil some beets for red. Leftover coffee stains not your teeth for brown. The only virgin ingredients that I use are dried spices – really, how many of you are going to use up that entire jar or turmeric? I also have a huge jar of tomato powder that is past its prime (a donation from the very generous Spice House for a Purple Asparagus project) that when combined with vinegar turns up orange. When using spices, boil water to fill a bowl just large enough to hold an egg or two and add a tablespoon or more or the desired spice with a bit of vinegar. But my all time favorite natural egg dye? Red wine. Not only does it color the egg, but it gives it a sparkly sheen – I’ve always assumed that it’s the sulfites. The best part? When your egg is done, it’s cocktail time.
Pink
1 beet, quartered
cold water to cover
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Cover the beet with cold water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender. Pour off 3/4 cup of beet liquid into a small cup. Mix with vinegar. Reserve the beet for another purpose. Soak eggs for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.
Yellow
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Bring the water to a boil. Whisk in turmeric and white vinegar. Let the liquid cool. Soak eggs for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.
Blue
1/2 cup blueberry juice poured off from a bag of frozen blueberries, thawed
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Heat the blueberry juice and water to boiling. Add vinegar. Let the liquid cool. Soak eggs for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.
Purple
1 cup red wine
This is my favorite egg dye. Soak eggs for a few hours in the refrigerator. They will become a mottled, sparkly purple. The wine can be reserved for cooking
Green
This is a new color suggested by my friends over at Kiwi Magazine.
3/4 cup water
2 to 3 chlorophyll caplets (found in natural food stores)
1 teaspoon vinegar
Bring the water to a boil. Break open the caplets and pour the content and stir. Let the liquid cool. Soak eggs for 1/2 hour or longer.
