Several committee members of the Morton Grove Farmers’ Market met yesterday at the parking lot at 8930 Waukegan road to visualize how the Market would be set up starting May 29. At first, we had planned to park the trucks and the stands in rows to kind of guide shoppers down the aisle. The endcap of each aisle would be a community table with some sort of entertainment or educational focus. As we gauged the space, though, it made more sense to park the trucks in a large square, with the stands on the inside. More like an Italian piazza, we felt this arrangement would offer more of a sense of community. Shoppers can spot each other across the square, the musical entertainment can be heard by everybody, and, once inside the Market square, the interior space would be well defined. It would also be more spacious and protect patrons from drivers in the parking lot better.
Although there was still snow on the ground covering up some of the parking spaces we will soon occupy, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of the logistics and anticipate what issues might arise. With the snow still there, however, opening day still seems safely in the future. I know that’s just part denial/part illusion. In truth, there are still many decisions that need to be made in advance of the Grand Opening at 10 a.m. on May 29.
Still, one happy milestone is that our first vendor video has been posted. To demonstrate to our patrons that all our vendors either grow or process their food on their property, we plan to make a short video of each vendor at their farm, factory or bakery showing that they do indeed do what they say they do where they say they do it.
We’re looking for ways to make our market unique and set us apart from the surrounding suburbs, many of whom already host excellent markets. Posting the videos is one way we hope to entice visitors. The other way is by offering a drawing every week for a basket filled with either a local business gift certificate or fresh produce from the vendors. We’ve already received a number of drawing slips from patrons of Kappy’s, a restaurant at Harlem and Dempster in Morton Grove, who has generously offered to donate 10 percent of their patrons’ bills each Wednesday night in March if the patron mentions the Market to the cashier. Again, the level of generosity by Morton Grove businesses in these tough economic times has been heartwarming and encouraging. All of us on the committee have been motivated by the level of cooperation we’ve received from civic and private organizations.
If you manage a market or want to start one, come early, come often to the FamilyFarmed EXPO! On Friday, March 12, as part of the Food Policy Summit, I’ll be joining experienced market managers Dennis Ryan (61st Street Market) and Karen Stark (Geneva Green Market) for a 10am to 11:30pm breakout session titled, Food Access/Farmers Markets: Best Practices for Growing Community Markets, and billed as:
An interactive conversation covering all aspects of a successful farmers market, from the initial planning phase to a sustainable market place, which benefits your community, and the farmers and food artisans who sell at the market. Topics will include:
Dennis, Karen, and I come from different farmers market models and hope to have some insights to share with you. But consider the enumerated topics a starting point—the real agenda will be driven by you, so come with your questions, your own best practices to share, and an open mind.
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On Saturday, March 13, from 1pm to 4pm there will be a Farmers Market Forum, an opportunity for market managers and farmers/producers/vendors to learn some of the nuts and bolts about farmers markets. This is being sponsored by an ad hoc group of market managers and others interested in creating a statewide farmers market association in Illinois, and will cover:
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From 10am to 5pm on Saturday, March 13, the EXPO will include a Local Food Festival complete with chef demos, kids’ activities, and over 100 farmer, producer, and artisan exhibitors offering information, samples, purchase opportunities, and CSA applications. But any self-respecting market manager or wannabee will surely recognize it as a chance to engage in their favorite pastime–trolling for vendors. So come armed with your market brochures, business cards, and community’s demographics, and hope to catch the attention of those on hand.
More about all of these opportunities at FamilyFarmed EXPO. See you there!
The first ever Tweet And Taste was held last night. Tweet And Taste is a virtual wine tasting, in which wine lovers from all over can taste selected Michigan wines at a designated time and simultaneously share their thoughts on Twitter with others tasting the same wines. Last night’s program was dedicated to three wines from Black Star Farms: 2007 Arcturos Pinot Noir, 2007 Arcturos Barrel Aged Chardonnay, and 2008 Arcturos Dry Riesling. All three wines were made from grapes grown on either the Leelanau or Old Mission peninsulas in Michigan.
By the end of the night, the statistics were staggering: Tweet And Taste attracted a whopping 66 participants from many places, including Michigan, Chicagoland, and Savannah, Georgia. The participants included a master sommelier, the winemaker for Black Star Farms, and numerous wine bloggers. In all, more than 800 tweets were exchanged.
Most participants rated the pear-forward, green apple tartness of the Dry Riesling as the best of the group, with the fruity Pinot Noir coming in a close second. The lightly oaky Chardonnay was well-received, although many in the group expressed that they were not Chardonnay fans in general.
Why is local wine relevant? Because it expresses the place from where it came. Last night’s Pinot Noir, in particular, demonstrated its origins, as people commented that, although the wine was undoubtedly an expression of the pinot noir grape, it did not taste like any pinot noir anyone had ever tasted: “Not Burgundian, but not high octane like a lot of California Pinots. More New Zealand-ish, maybe?” “[T]his [Pinot Noir] expresses the flavors of the region, our vineyards [are] young but fruit is bright and sensual . . .” “I don’t quite get rich enough fruit for it to be N[ew] Z[ealand]. I do get a feeling of fall in the level of fruit though.” Taking the comments together, it was the general consensus of the group that the wine, which was lighter and more ruby in color than most pinot noirs, was an expression of the shorter ripening season in upper Michigan. It’s an unique wine that proudly and unapologetically expresses its Midwest origins.
The full transcript of last night’s discussion can be found here. If you didn’t participate in the tasting, but still would like to try Black Star Farm’s wine, you can visit their website for ordering information. Plans are in the works for more Tweet And Tastes in the future.
Did you participate in last night’s virtual tasting, or have had Black Star Farms’ wines? If so, let us know here what you think.
It’s a busy time for us eat local livers. We need to finish our stored foods. We got the FamilyFarmed Expo this weekend. Do you know that the following week, GreenTown 2010 also looks at local food systems in Lake County? There are farmer’s markets this weekend in Chicago, Geneva and Park Ridge.
UPDATE: The ink was barely dry on this week’s Local Calendar when we started updating. Look for our New! items below.
See your complete Local Calendar below to live the local life.
WHAT TO BUY NOW
Very limited supplies of local food left to purchase this time of year. Look, and you will find apples and potatoes. There are sightings of local carrots, cabbage, squash and rutabaga. Maybe Cassie has some local rocket. There will always be sprouts and mushrooms. – UPDATE: A recent visit ot Angelo Caputo’s in Elmwood Park confirmed that local apples still exist.
Think instead for dried and frozen fruits. Tomato Mountain and River Valley Ranch offer canned local goods.
And remember, just because there is barely any local produce, it does not mean that there are not lots of other local foods to get from all our great cheeses, to meats, grains, beans, nuts, milk, eggs, etc. There’s even local tofu at some markets.
Let us know what other local goods you are still seeing for sale.
WHERE TO FIND LOCAL FOODS
These stores specialize in local foods:
As noted above, local apples and potatoes can be had for excellent prices. Look soon for an update on what’s local at the French Market at Metra Market. Until then here’s our previous report.
WHAT TO DO
MARKETS AND EVENTS THIS WEEK
Wednesday - March 10
Check out the Hideout for Soup and Bread – 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago – 530 – 8 PM
Two friends of the Local Beet, Chef Rick Gresh and rare tea sourcer Rodrick Markus are teaming up for a meal combining their two talents. David Burke’s Primehouse may be a steakhouse to you, but to us it is also a place very much in line with our eat local ethos. If you like good food and rare teas, this is a great event to try both.
Thursday - March 11
Family Farmed Expo – Financing Farm to Fork Conference - UIC Forum, Chicago
Melissa Graham at the Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 12-2 PM
Friday - March 12
Family Farmed Expo – Trade Conference – UIC Forum, Chicago
Localious Party with FamilyFarmed – UIC Forum, Chicag0 – 7 – 10PM
Chicago Food Policy Summit - UIC Forum, Chicago
Saturday – March 13
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is “Greens, Eggs and Ham”
Family Farmed Expo – Consumer Day – UIC Forum, Chicago
Sunday – March 14
Winter Farmer’s Market, Park Ridge Community Church, 100 Courtland, Park Ridge – 930 AM - 130 PM
Pig Butchering class at Mado – 1230 PM – 1647 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
New! Maple Syrup Time – Fullersburg Woods, 3609 Spring Rd., Oak Brook – 1 PM
MARKETS AND EVENTS COMING
Tuesday - March 16
City Provisions Supper Club with August Hill Winery at Logan Square Kitchen – 2333 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
Wednesday – March 17
Wisconsin vs. the World – Cheese Contest - Monona Terrace – Madison, Wisconsin 6-8 PM
Crawford Farm dinner at Vie – 4471 Lawn Ave, Western Springs, IL
Meet the folks behind Harvest Moon Farms and learn about their CSA – Lush Wine and Spirits (Roscoe Village) – 2232 W. , Chicago – 6 – 8 PM
New! Green Acres Cook Off and Bell’s Brewery Tasting – Green Grocer Chicago – Green Acres Farm is coming upstate to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with Bell’s Brewery! Self-titled Mid-Life-Farm-Wife, Donna O’Shaugnessey, will be leaving her hormone-free, pasture raised friends in Frankfurt for the night to pan sear some sliders and stir fry some pork. Pair all of that with a dark glass of porter or stout, and your eyes will be smiling Irish heritage or not! Never in all the four counties has eating ethically tasted so good! Slainte! Whet your appetite, and check out Donna’s blog. – 1402 W. Grand, Chicago – 5 PM
Thursday - March 18
Melissa Graham at the Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 12-2 PM
GreenTown: The Future of Community Main Conference – College of Lake County – 19351 W. Washington St., Building C – Lower Level, Grayslake, IL – 7 AM to 6 PM – See here for details
Saturday – March 20
Ebenezer Luthern Church – 1650, W. Foster, Chicago – 9 AM – 1 PM
Purple Asparagus Family Dinner – at Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen, from 2:30-5:00 PM
New! – Celebrate National Corndog Day with Gus at Weiner and Still Champion - 802 Demptster, Evanston
New! – Maple Syrup Festival – North Park Village Nature Center. 5801 N Pulaski Rd (between Bryn Mawr and Peterson Aves)
Sunday – March 21
Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin – 39W830 Highland, Elgin – 1 – 3 PM
New! – Maple Syrup Festival – North Park Village Nature Center. 5801 N Pulaski Rd (between Bryn Mawr and Peterson Aves)
Monday - March 22
Pig Butchering class at Mado – 1230 PM – 1647 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
Tuesday - March 23
New! Farm Forum sponsor by the Geneva Green Market – First Congregational Church of Geneva, 321 Hamilton Street Geneva, IL – 830 AM – 1 PM
Wednesday - March 24
Culinary Conversations with Food Women – In celebration of Women’s History Month, Judith Dunbar-Hines will lead a lively conversation with five women who own and operate Chicago area food businesses to learn about their journey in establishing, operating and marketing their successful local food businesses. Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand will remain open until 8pm to accommodate post-event shoppers! Scheduled participants include: Nicole Bergere, Nicole’s Crackers; Jessica Volpe, Pasta Puttana; Jenny Yang, Phoenix Tofu; Meg Dhamer, Pigtales Twist; and Elizabeth Madden, Rare Bird. – Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 6 – 8 PM - Call 312.742.TIXS (8497) for reservations or click here to register online.
Thursday - March 25
Melissa Graham at the Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 12-2 PM
Friday - March 26
Tiny Mahler Orchestra performs La Bonne Chanson” at 73o in Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston on the Northwestern University campus. Expect some neat food.
Saturday – March 27
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is still Greens, Eggs, and Ham (we think).
Portage Park – Irving Park and Central, Chicago - 10 – 2 PM
Sunday - March 28
New! – Winter Farmers Market at North Shore Unitarian Church, Deerfield - 21oo Half Day Road, Deerfield, IL – 10 AM – 2 PM
Choucroute Garnie Alscatian stuffing at Mado – 1647 N. Milwaukee, Chicago – 6 PM
Tiny Mahler Orchestra performs La Bonne Chanson” at 7:30 pm at the Heaven Gallery, 1550 North Milwaukee Avenue, 2nd floor. Expect some neat food.
Saturday - April 10
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is Cheese
Winter Farmer’s Market, Chicago/Beverly – Beverly Unitarian Church (the Castle) – 10244 S Longwood Ave, Chicago – 9 AM – 1 PM
BaconFest Chicago – Chef’s participating here – Ticket info here.
Tuesday - April 13
New! Geneva Green Market, NFP Green Chatter Matters – Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan – Inglenook Pantry, 11 North Fifth St, Geneva IL – 7 pm
Thursday- April 22
Go Green Day Management Earth Day – Flair Tower – 720 N. Franklin, Chicago
Saturday – April 24
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is Cheese.
Portage Park – Irving Park and Central, Chicago - 10 – 2 PM
It’s been a long time since we’ve reaped the bounty of eat local material around the Internet. In that long period several of our friends have been hard at work.
Local Beet contributor Monica Kass Rogers recently launched her lost recipes site. Tasty on the eyes too.
Martha Bayne’s working for Irv and Shelly.
MikeG gets the full kugelis tray.
Jen at the Eat Local Challenge Blog is blogging about her dark days, which compared to around here hardly seem dark.
Molly, the Virtual Farmgirl has been active.
Find yourself a hard copy of the latest edition of Edible Chicago, but in the meantime, you can read the articles online, including this piece on one of my favorite topics, local fish.
Eating local is a good habit, but our friend Dana Altman reminds us that most of us have too many bad habits when it comes to food.
Finally, if we’ve given you the usual round of suspects, how also pointing you to Foreign Policy for a little locavore love.
Please let us know any good eat local links we missed.
Jim Slama of FamilyFarmed Expo and Alicia Ontiveros of EcoChat are hosting a conversation Monday evening at 8 p.m. Brad Moldofsky (who is me) will be moderating, getting the audience warmed up and involved, like Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show, I imagine. Hey now!
The press release is below.
Organic Food Expert Talks Sustainability On EcoChat
Web show to discuss shopping tips and trends in farming Industry
March 4, 2010 – With Spring on the horizon and the organic food movement in full bloom, America’s farmers are gearing up for a prosperous summer season. But as new products gain visibility and distribution into larger markets, many consumers and industry leaders are wondering how agriculture will be affected in the long run.
Bringing clarity to this topic, organic food expert Jim Slama will join EcoChat Monday night for a discussion about sustainable food systems as he prepares to debut the fifth annual Family Farmed Expo in Chicago, a gathering of consumers, food producers, and trade buyers to support the growth of local, sustainable food systems happening March 11-13 at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
As the President and Founder of FamilyFarmed.org, Slama is no stranger to the sustainable farming community.
“When I began working on these issues over a decade ago, nobody was talking about it,” Jim says, “Most folks thought all their food came from local family farmers, rather than the large scale industrial farms that grow most of our food. It’s exciting for the buy-local movement to take off.”
In addition to discussing the future of American agriculture, the show will provide practical advice to consumers about how to engage in their local food communities, says Alicia Ontiveros, EcoChat host.
“We want to empower consumers by educating them about the value of different produce options and connecting them with food producers in our country,” says Ontiveros, “Yes, there are farmer’s markets, but there are also co-ops and other models of community supported agriculture that many people don’t know about.”
The show is powered by a new web event platform called Vokle. Viewers anywhere can simply watch the show online, or log in with a Twitter or Vokle account to chat in real time with other participants and submit video and text questions to guests. Vokle also offers the option for green content providers to embed the live program on their websites for free.
Viewers can tune-in on Monday, March 8th, at 8PM CST by visiting ecochicago.blogspot.com and keep track of additional shows by following @ecochat on Twitter.
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About Alicia Ontiveros:
With a background in network television production, Alicia Ontiveros founded EcoChicago in January of 2009 to connect local residents with new green resources in the Windy City. Since then, she’s produced dozens of web videos featuring green leaders and forged her own sustainable lifestyle.
Contact:
Alicia Ontiveros, Host, EcoChat
505-450-6585
www.ecochicago.blogspot.com
For anyone who read the story about bee gardener Anthony McKinney and his South Side hives, there was a real concern about whether the bees would survive their first Chicago winter.
Beekeeper McKinney is happy to report that, despite a few hundred bee corpses lying around the hives, the insects have taken advantage of the recent warm(ish) weather to sun themselves and see if any pollen is to be found. While Anthony is still cautiously optimistic that they’ll survive the potentially brutal weather of our early spring, he nonetheless refilled their feeding buckets and tucked the hives back into slumber with their insulation. So far, though, so good.
Thank you very much. We had more pages viewed on our site yesterday than ever before. We owe a big thanks to our friends at Gaper’s Block and Chicagoist for the anniversary kudo’s. We’re also very proud of our recent material from Brad’s well reported cover of the forthcoming FamilyFarmed Financing Farm to Fork Conference to our more complete CSA materials. We are also proud to have just sicked on you Robin Schirmer’s Market Watch and the Case for Local Wine by Wendy Aeshlimann.
We want you to stick around and follow us. We fully admit that we have a few issues to work out to make our rich archives better accessible. You do know that if you go all the way to the bottom of the page there’s a search feature. It’s Google powered and works pretty darn good, so pour yourself some fair trade coffee and catch up. And to stay abreast going forward, do you know we put together a pretty complete “Follow” page. It tells you how to subscribe to all of our RSS feeds and shows how you can keep abreast of us on Twitter and Facebook.
Like I say, we know we have some flaws here and there. We are nothing if not open to suggestions and ideas. We’re glad you stopped by. We hope you’ll stick with us.
Because of my coordination of the Winter Farmers Markets, I am sometimes contacted on behalf of fledgling farmers markets by organizers who think I might have something to offer. My first question is usually, “Why do you want to create a farmers market?” Because of my initiation with farmers markets through Churches’ Center for Land and People, I’m in it for the farmers and the rural communities they represent. I get concerned when the purpose for creating a farmers market strays too far from benefitting the farmers, so I always want to know, Why? Who benefits? Some of the possible answers to this are:
The order of my list no doubt betrays my own biases. Because I come at farmers markets from the perspective of farmers, I’ve never quite understood the “food-only” or “food-first” focus of some markets. Before I start getting hate mail from the many fans of Green City Market, let me say that I love, love, love Green City . . . I sell there, I shop there, and there’s nothing like it! Although it’s not in their name, they certainly do identify as a “farmers market.” Their stated mission includes education about and accessibility to locally and sustainably grown food.
But that precludes, for example, a small, sustainable farmer who raises sheep, shears them, dyes their wool with dye from her farm-grown vegetables, and spins the wool into yarn—definitely a farmer by any definition, but not eligible to sell those yarns at the premier farmers market in Chicago because she doesn’t also sell meat from her flock. What do you think about that? Do you care? Should I care? I’m as concerned as the next person about a farmers market not becoming a craft fair or an eclectic French Market, but the requirements of Green City Market—not to mention their daunting application—should keep any slippery slope concerns in check.
All that said, a fledgling market is pretty far removed from such arcane distinctions; it’s hard enough to get those first few vendors—any vendors—that lend enough critical mass to a market to get it off the ground. And chances are they’ll receive applications for multiple bakers, kettle corn sellers, jewelry makers, and coffee grinders before the first vegetable or fruit vendor darkens their door. They’ll be hard-pressed to hold fast to their best intentions for locally- and sustainably-grown produce as the date for the first market nears, and may unknowingly succumb to accepting a produce wholesaler. But every market has to start somewhere, right? Or does it? Which brings us back to, Why?
I recently learned of the passing of Rose Gray, Chef at River Cafe in London. River Cafe post-dated my time spent living in the UK (not that I would have had the budget to eat there then anyways), but I’ve always held it dear. Actually what I hold dear are the several River Cafe books published by Rose Gray and her partner Ruth Rogers, a duo my wife and I came to call Roger Gray.
And you know, actually for books held dear, I rarely make the recipes within the books. To some extent that happens because the books do not have a lot of recipes as much as food combinations. For instance, one of the books features several pages of what you can do to snazz up fresh mozzarella. Yet, that is exactly why the books are so appealing and so precious for those eating local. Unlike many restaurant cookbooks that lead to towel-throwing-in (cf Mr. Keller), Roger Gray did the opposite. They inspire home cooking. Man does it look easy. Man can wonderful meals be created with a few items, especially if they are good local items. There are no better places to look for ideas once the CSA box arrives than the Roger Gray books. Of course it helps if that week rocket got included because more than half the time to add spice or contrast.
For this locavore, Rose Gray was a big hero.
The Local Beet’s Sustainable Cook, Melissa Graham, will be visiting Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand to showcase her delicious recipes and tips on green livin’. 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 12-2 PM.
It’s slam-bam for with our friends at BaconFest Chicago. Just the other day they announced the line-up of chefs participating. Quite a list of porcine masters. Having just whetted your appetite, they are ready to sell you tickets on Thursday, March 4. We think you should hop right on this if you want a chance to participate.
If you’re on Twitter, you should probably check out this event. Black Star Farms, a Michigan winery, is teaming up with @MichByTheBottle, for the first ever Tweet and Taste, a virtual tasting event to be held on this Monday, March 8th, at 7:00 pm CST. Join the winemaker, a master sommelier and several local wine bloggers as they explore a select group of wines from Black Star Farms and share their impressions on Twitter. If you’d like to participate in the tasting, you can order Black Star Farm’s wines (they are offering $0.01 shipping if you use the code TWEETNTASTE at checkout), and chime in with your impressions on Twitter with the other participants.
On Monday, log on to Twitter, and search for the term, #ttmi (the hashtag all participants will attach to their tweets discussing the wine). Full details are at http://TweetAndTasteMichigan.com. So far, there are 65 confirmed participants. It should be a fun and unique way to discuss local wine.
As an aside, Black Star Farms’ 2006 Arcturos Pinot Noir was part of a tasting that I recently held (and which will be written about soon on The Local Beet), and it performed above the pack of other local wines. So, even if you don’t plan to participate in the tasting, this would be a good opportunity to take advantage of Black Star Farm’s shipping special for Tweet and Taste, and try some of their wine.
Getting excited about the forthcoming FamilyFarmed Expo? You should be. It’s a little over a week away. The Expo covers local food from three different perspectives. As Brad captured on the Beet, day one focuses on the intersection of food and financing. Day one offers growth via various money options. Day two offers food businesses growth via process improvements. Day two also offers food businesses the chances to be more green, more local. Finally, day three offers the users of food, us eaters, a chance to participate and learn. Among the presenters at the Expo Food Fair are myself and Melissa Graham. A real treat on day three is the all-star lineup of chef demonstrations including Paul Kahn, Paul Virant and Rick Bayless.
Need more Expo info? FamilyFarmed President, Jim Slama, talks with the soup today for Hull House’s re-Thinking Soup Series. We caution you, however, that the soup’s not being served at the Hull House Dining Room today. Rather, you can find it at UIC’s Gallery 400, 400 S. Peoria. 12 noon.
The winter markets in and around Oak Park are always well attended. Come this Sunday.
UPDATES: Because I wanted to report on Jim Slama’s appearance at re-Thinking Soup on Tuesday, I rushed out the Local Calendar. There’s quite a few new things added below including our Sustainable Cook, Melissa Graham’s appearance at the Downtown Farmstand, BaconFest, cabbagefest at Mado and the Tiny Mahler Orchestra. Look for the New! label below to keep your Local Calendar filled.
Your complete Local Calendar is below.
WHAT TO BUY NOW
Local pickings are getting slim. You will still find some local apples and local potatoes. Otherwise, you might also find rocket, collards, sprouts, mushrooms and chard grown indoors. Root vegetables are less.
You can get fruits dried and frozen. Tomato Mountain and River Valley Ranch offer canned local goods.
Let us know what other local goods you are still seeing for sale.
WHERE TO FIND LOCAL FOODS
These stores specialize in local foods:
As noted above, local apples and potatoes can be had for excellent prices. Look soon for an update on what’s local at the French Market at Metra Market. Until then here’s our previous report.
WHAT TO DO
MARKETS AND EVENTS THIS WEEK
Tuesday - March 2
reThinking Soup at UICs Hull House – 12 noon – 800 S. Halsted, Chicago Update: Today’s event is at UIC’s Gallery 400 – 400 S. Peoria, Chicago.
Wednesday - March 3
Check out the Hideout for Soup and Bread – 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago – 530 – 8 PM
Thursday - March 4
Melissa Graham at the Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 12-2 PM
Friday March 5, 2010
New! – Meet the folks behind Harvest Moon Farms and learn about their CSA – Lush Wine and Spirits (West Town) – 1412 W. Chicago, Chicago – 6 – 8 PM
Saturday – March 6
Geneva Community Winter Market – 11 N. 5th Street, Geneva – 9 AM – 1 PM
Sunday – March 7
Winter Farmer’s Market, St. Giles Church – 1025 Colombian, Oak Park – 9 Am – 1 PM
Logan Square Farmers Market – 2135 N. Milwaukee, Chicago – 10 – 2 PM
MARKETS AND EVENTS COMING
Wednesday – March 10
Two friends of the Local Beet, Chef Rick Gresh and rare tea sourcer Rodrick Markus are teaming up for a meal combining their two talents. David Burke’s Primehouse may be a steakhouse to you, but to us it is also a place very much in line with our eat local ethos. If you like good food and rare teas, this is a great event to try both.
Thursday - March 11
Family Farmed Expo – Financing Farm to Fork Conference - UIC Forum, Chicago
New! Melissa Graham at the Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 12-2 PM
Friday - March 12
Family Farmed Expo – Trade Conference – UIC Forum, Chicago
Localious Party with FamilyFarmed – UIC Forum, Chicag0 – 7 – 10PM
Chicago Food Policy Summit - UIC Forum, Chicago
Saturday – March 13
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is “Greens, Eggs and Ham”
Family Farmed Expo – Consumer Day – UIC Forum, Chicago
Sunday – March 14
Winter Farmer’s Market, Park Ridge Community Church, 100 Courtland, Park Ridge – 930 AM - 130 PM
Pig Butchering class at Mado – 1230 PM – 1647 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
Tuesday - March 16
City Provisions Supper Club with August Hill Winery at Logan Square Kitchen – 2333 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
Wednesday – March 17
Wisconsin vs. the World – Cheese Contest - Monona Terrace – Madison, Wisconsin 6-8 PM
Crawford Farm dinner at Vie – 4471 Lawn Ave, Western Springs, IL
New! – Meet the folks behind Harvest Moon Farms and learn about their CSA – Lush Wine and Spirits (Roscoe Village) – 2232 W. , Chicago – 6 – 8 PM
Thursday - March 18
New! Melissa Graham at the Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 12-2 PM
Saturday – March 20
Ebenezer Luthern Church – 1650, W. Foster, Chicago – 9 AM – 1 PM
Purple Asparagus Family Dinner – at Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen, from 2:30-5:00 PM
Sunday – March 21
Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin – 39W830 Highland, Elgin – 1 – 3 PM
Monday - March 22
Pig Butchering class at Mado – 1230 PM – 1647 N. Milwaukee, Chicago
Wednesday - March 24
New! – Culinary Conversations with Food Women – In celebration of Women’s History Month, Judith Dunbar-Hines will lead a lively conversation with five women who own and operate Chicago area food businesses to learn about their journey in establishing, operating and marketing their successful local food businesses. Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand will remain open until 8pm to accommodate post-event shoppers! Scheduled participants include: Nicole Bergere, Nicole’s Crackers; Jessica Volpe, Pasta Puttana; Jenny Yang, Phoenix Tofu; Meg Dhamer, Pigtales Twist; and Elizabeth Madden, Rare Bird. – Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 6 – 8 PM - Call 312.742.TIXS (8497) for reservations or click here to register online.
Thursday - March 25
New! Melissa Graham at the Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 12-2 PM
Friday - March 26
New! Tiny Mahler Orchestra performs La Bonne Chanson” at 73o in Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston on the Northwestern University campus. Expect some neat food.
Saturday – March 27
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is still Greens, Eggs, and Ham (we think).
Portage Park – Irving Park and Central, Chicago - 10 – 2 PM
Sunday - March 28
New! – Choucroute Garnie Alscatian stuffing at Mado – 1647 N. Milwaukee, Chicago – 6 PM
New! Tiny Mahler Orchestra performs La Bonne Chanson” at 7:30 pm at the Heaven Gallery, 1550 North Milwaukee Avenue, 2nd floor. Expect some neat food.
Saturday - April 10
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is Cheese
Winter Farmer’s Market, Chicago/Beverly – Beverly Unitarian Church (the Castle) – 10244 S Longwood Ave, Chicago – 9 AM – 1 PM
BaconFest Chicago – Chef’s participating here – Ticket info here.
Thursday- April 22
New! Go Green Day Management Earth Day – Flair Tower – 720 N. Franklin, Chicago
Saturday – April 24
Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is Cheese.
Portage Park – Irving Park and Central, Chicago - 10 – 2 PM
