That’s Week 4 of our Tomato Mountain CSA*

Attempt at artistry aside, notice much difference in Week 5?

Last weekend I saw Robin Schirmer of Tomato Mountain Farm. I told her how great the vegetables have been all Spring, but seasonal as I am, I was getting a bit shy of seeing more green in the box.

“Swiss chard”

Swiss chard? According to Robin, the spread of green had been interrupted by Swiss chard in our boxes for weeks 4 and five. Now, did Tomato Mountain really give me something not green?

Actually, they have. In the form of white Chinese cabbage that my wife cooked up to great success with bacon and canned beans–recipe and pictures hopefully for a future post. They’re been white Japanese turnips and white, with a wisp of red, Japanese long radishes. It was my desire to capture some of the non-green as well as my desire to be my most Tamar Adler-thrifty, that I decided to do something.

All those greens with the radishes seemed too good to waste, even if they were green.

As they say in Portland. Pickle it.

That’s my batch brewing.  It’s supposed to be ready in 3 days.  I essentially used the recipe for Middle-Eastern style pickles from Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby’s Quick Pickles.  My pickles in process stem from chard stems, radish leaves and a few hidden away salad onions from last summer.   As with most pickles, it’s not so much a recipe but a ratio to create enough brine to cover the vegetables you have.

3 Cups – Red wine vinegar

3 Cups – Water

1 and 1/2 tablespoons salt

1 long dried local red pepper, crumbled

Combine the water and vinegar, dissolve the salt, and add the pepper.  Pour over the vegetables in a non-reactive bowl.  Let sit in a cool place for three days; then put in a jar and refrigerate.  They say it should last around a month.  I have a feeling we’ll have eaten them by then.

*My wife works for Tomato Mountain.  She’ll be selling stuff at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market this Saturday.  Come and buy!

If you have a favorite event or farm dinner that isn’t listed, we thought we scoured the universe, but maybe not, let us know in the comments section below!

Now on to the summer calendar!!

June 2

Chicago – Templeton Rye Label Photo Party Fizz Bar & Grill 3220 N. Lincoln Ave. 4pm – 8pm First ever consumer label party. Food and a cash bar, there will be a photographer at the event with the Templeton Label shot staged along with costumes. Groups of five can reserve their space at Killmer@templetonrye.com and get their picture taken in the Templeton label set.

New!!! Oak Park - Uncork Illinois Wine Tasting 1-9pm Marion St. Between Lake St. and North Blvd.  Downtown Oak Park’s first Illinois wine festival featuring tastings and purchases of more than 150 Illinois wines. Food pairings provided by local artisans and restaurants.

June 3

Chicago - The Logan Square Farmer’s Market opens for the summer Logan Boulevard

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.

New!! Chicago – The Glenwood Sunday Outdoor Market opens!!!!!! 9am – 2pm Glenwood Avenue on the west side of the CTA Red Line between Morse and Lunt Avenues in Rogers Park from June 3 – October 28, 2012

New!! Fairbury - Spring Supper at Spence Farm – 4-7pm 2959 N. 2100 E. Rd. Farm tour, enjoy local food & listen to guest speaker Terra Brockman. This is a fundraiser for the Spence Farm Foundation’s Community Garden Program. Call Carolynne at 815-992-3296 for further information.

June 7

Chicago – CROP (Chicago Rarities Orchard Project) Lecture Series featuring Greg Hall of Virtue Cider 6pm All lectures are free and open to the public and take place at Haas Park Fieldhouse, 2404 North Washtenaw Avenue (entrance on Fullerton), Chicago. More information available here.

June 9

FD!! Champaign – Prairie Fruit Farms Dinner “Early Season Vegetables Unite” – 4410 N. Lincoln Ave,.(Champaign, not Chicago) Go to the link for more information  $85 per person

Chicago - Carnivale University Join Carnivale Chef David Dworshak on a guided tour of the Green City Market 10:00 – 12pm $25

New!! 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.

Elburn – Red, White and Blue Grass Festival Heritage Prairie Farm 2N308 Brundige Road 3pm to 10pm Sponsored by the Farmer Veteran Coalition The event is for all ages, go to the link above for more information.

FD!! Fairbury – Slagel Family Farm Dinner- 23601 E. 600 North Rd.  Slagel Family Farm kicks off their 2012 Farm Tour & DInner Event Series with Chef Paul Kahan and Brian Huston of The Publican. Farm tour, buthcering demo, and family style meal included. Bus transportation provided. Kids welcome 2:30 pm – 9pm BYOB Lemonade and water will be provided $125 including transportation to purchase tickets go here.

June 10

Chicago – Slow Food Chicago Pig Roast – 2-5pm Goose Island Brewery 1800 West Fulton St. $60 per person Three Aces, Green Zebra, Xmarx and more. Further details to be announced soon. The annual fundraiser for Slow Food Chicago is back. Make your reservations here.

June 11

Chicago – 6th Annual Taste of Columbia - Columbia Yacht Club’s 6th Annual Fundraiser in support of the Legacy Foundation which allows inner city youth to attend sailing classes at the club. 6:30pm – 9:30pm Probably one of the most scenic venues in Chicago for an event, stay tuned for more details!

June 19

Chicago – CROP (Chicago Rarities Orchard Project) Lecture Series featuring Dan Bussey, Apple Historian, Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah, Iowa 6pm All lectures are free and open to the public and take place at Haas Park Fieldhouse, 2404 North Washtenaw Avenue (entrance on Fullerton), Chicago. More information available here.

June 20

Chicago – Slow Food Pickling Workshop – 6-9pm Logan Square Kitchen – You will be pickling fennel and will take some home after the class is over. $35 for Slow Food members, $45 for non-members Only 15 spots available sign up here. 6-9pm

June 23

Chicago – Slow Food Chicago Sweet Summer Solstice Potluck – 2200 West Grand Ave.

June 30

Caledonia – Wind Ridge Herb Farm’s Fourth Annual Herb, Garden and Wellness Fair 9am – 6pm Quail Trap Road

July 14

FD!! Caledonia – Wind Ridge Herb Farm “Dinner in the Garden” 466 Quail Trap Road Local produce dinner with instruction of how to use herbs in cooking. Go to the link and contact the farm for more information.

FD!! Chicago – “A Day in the Country” A Celebration of locally grown cuisine, a bus tour to Indiana to visit the Vandermolen Blueberry Farm, stop at Sweet Corn Patch and tour the Belstra Milling Pork Farm. Sponsored by Chicagourmet

July 18

FD!! Glencoe - Chicago Botanic Garden Farm Dinner Series – 5-8pm Cocktail hour by Death’s Door Spirits Dinner by City Provisions, Finch’s Beer Company and Vinejoy $200 For reservations call the Chicago Botanic Garden (847) 835- 5540.

July 21

FD!! Chicago – City Provisions Farm Dinner – La Pryor Farms in Ottowa, Illinois with Greenbush Brewing Company & Koval Distillery For tickets, please call (773) 293.2489.  $275 This is a mini-vacation, all day affair typically running from 11am to midnight.

June 23

FD!! Champaign - Prairie Fruit Farms Dinner “Smoked” – 4410 N. Lincoln Ave. (Champaign, not Chicago) Chef Nathan Sears of Vie will be the guest chef.$100 BYOB Go to link for more information

July 7

FD!! Champaign – Prairie Fruits Farms Dinner “Texas in Illinois BBQ” 4410 N. Lincoln Ave. (Champaign, not Chicago) BYOB $85 per person, go to link for more information.

July 12

New!! Chicago - The Green City Market Chef’s BBQ Fundraiser 5:30 – 8pm Lincoln Park This annual fundraiser for the Green City Market brings out all the chefs in this incredible celebration of the abundance of summertime at the market. Pre-sale tickets for Green City Market members are on sale here.

July 21

FD!! Champaign – Prairie Fruits Farm Dinner – “An Ode to Frances Mallman” 4410 N. Lincoln Ave. (Champaign, not Chicago) Chris Pandel of The Bristol and the recently opened Balena will be the guest chef. $100 BYOB Go to link for more information.

August 4

FD!! Champaign – Prairie Fruits Farm Dinner - “French Country Cooking” 4410 N. Lincoln Ave. (Champaign, not Chicago) Thad Morrow of Bacaro Restaurant in Champaign will be the guest chef and the guest farmers will Trent and Jackie Sparrow of Catalpa Farm in Dwight, IL. 5 course meal $100 BYOB

FD!! Fairbury – Slagel Family Farm Dinner – 2-9:30pm 23601 E. 600 North Rd. Chef Chris Pandel of The Bristol and Balena Chef Jason Vincent of Nightwood – A tour of the farm and animals, butchering demo and dinner, transportation included, BYOB Lemonade and water will be provided $125 To purchase tickets go here.

August 8

New!! Chicago – Taste of the Nation – Navy Pier Ballroom 6pm – 10pm An incredible gathering of chefs and mixologists to raise money for the incredible organiztion to fight childhood hunger, Share Our Strength. Buy tickets here.

August 12

FD!! Elkhorn, WI - Outstanding in the Field Farm Dinner - Dietzler Farm, Chef Dan Van Rite, Hinterland Erie Street GastroPub Milwaukee $200

August 13

FD!! Elkhorn, WI - Outstanding in the Field Farm Dinner - 4pm Dietzler Farm, Chef Jared Wentworth Longman & EagleChicago $200 This is going to be really good!!!!!!!!!!!!!

August 15

FD!! Caledonia, Il - Outstanding in the Field Farm Dinner - 4pm Kinnikinnick Farm – Chef Brian Huston, The Publican$200

FD!! Glencoe - Chicago Botanic Garden Farm Dinner Series – 5-8pm Cocktail hour by Death’s Door Spirits Dinner by City Provisions, Two Brothers Brewing & Illinois Sparkling Co/August Hill Winery $200 For reservations call Chicago Botanic Gardens (847) 835-5540.

August 16

FD!! Chicago - Outstanding in the Field Farm Dinner – 4pm City Farm Chicago Chef Jason Vincent Nightwood $220[SOLD OUT]

August 17

FD!! Caledonia - Wind Ridge Herb Farm “Dinner in the Garden” 466 Quail Trap Road Local produce dinner with instruction of how to use herbs in cooking. Go to the link and contact the farm for more information.

August 18

FD!! Champaign - Prairie Fruit Farms Dinner “Al Fresco Cucina Italiana” – 5pm 4410 N. Lincoln Ave. (Champaign, not Chicago) 3 course meal BYOB $60

FD!! Chicago - City Provisions Farm Dinner - Dietzler Farms in Elkhorn, Wisconsin with 5 Rabbit Cerveceria & Few SpiritsFor tickets, please call (773) 293.2489.  $275 This is a mini-vacation, all day affair typically running from 11am to midnight.

August 19

FD!! South Haven, MI – Outstanding in the Field Farm Dinner – 4pm Seedling Farm – Chefs Michael and Patrick Sheerin ofThe Trencherman $200

September 1

FD!! Champaign – Champaign - Prairie Fruits Farm Dinner -”Fish Fry”  4410 N. Lincoln Ave. (Champaign, not Chicago) Meal prepared by Sunday Dinner Chefs Joshua Kulp and Christine Cikowski out of Chicago, 4 course meal BYOB $65.

September 5

FD!! Glencoe - Chicago Botanic Garden Farm Dinner Series 5-8pm Cocktail Hour by Death’s Door, Dinner by City Provisions, Bell’s Brewery & Lynfred Winery

September 8

FD!! Chicago - City Provisions Farm Dinner - Heritage Prairie Farm & Apiary with Metropolitan Brewing & Templeton Rye$275 This is a mini-vacation, all day affair typically running from 11am to midnight.

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.

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.

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.

Although Eric Larson has left the building, the spirit is still there behind the cheese counter, at the registers and in the café. I’m sorry to see him go, but I’m very glad that the market and café looks like it will be around a while.

Eric Larson would often remind me that I was one of his first customers. I walked into the first location of Marion Street Cheese Market during the first week it was open, and I’ve always been a very enthusiastic supporter of what he’s done for local cheese and for Oak Park.

I thought then, as now, that Marion Street Cheese Market was one of the most exciting food resources in the community. A big part of that excitement was Larson himself, part owner and head Cheese Guy, who seemed always ready to chat about his product and bigger issues like sustainability, the artisanal food chain, and other not always specifically product-related topics. Like Bill Todd and his tea at Todd & Holland, Larson was always ready to talk about cheese for as long as you wanted to talk about cheese. His enthusiasm seem limitless, his cheese knowledge broad and deep, and his bonhomie authentic.

I did notice a few times that I hadn’t seen him on many recent visits, but I knew he’d had twins lately, and I figured those two young ones were probably what was keeping him at home more often. The “leaving-to-spend-time-with-the-family” rationale has been besmirched by politicians and other public figures who are forced to leave office due to some crime or misdemeanor. In Larson’s case, I have no doubt that the pull of spending more time with his new family members was exactly why he felt it was a good time to say goodbye to the cheese market he’d founded and built into one of the village’s most valuable food institutions.

Visiting the Marion Street Cheese Market and Café, I continue to be entertained and educated by folks like Lydia Burns, who knows more about cheese than anyone else I’ve ever meet, Leonard Hollander, perhaps Oak Park’s finest chef, and many others who seem to reflect the food philosophy of Larson and, I’m sure, his business partner Mary Jo Schuler.

So although Larson the Cheese Guy has left the building, the spirit is still there behind the cheese counter, at the registers and in the café. I’m sorry to see him go, but I’m very glad that the market/café he helped build looks like it’ll be around a while, doing what it’s always done, and serving up lots of deliciousness.

Good reasons to spend more time at home, Eric's young ones, courtesy David Hammond

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.

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

Alertnet is a free humanitarian news service sponsored by Thomson Reuters. They published a list of the top ten food trailblazers in the world.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a petition going to support vegetables and fruits in schools, you can sign it here. They are ,also, the sponsors of Food Day October 24, 2012.

Author, farmer, activist, Ben Hewitt out of Vermont always has something to say.

Serious Eats had a great introduction piece on Urban Gardening.

Reuters put out a report on “How Washington Went Soft on Childhood Obesity”

Nourishing The Planet pointed out that Carlo Petrini, the Slow Food International President, will address the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on Monday, May 14.

Eleanor Baron’s latest post on Nourishing Words is titled, “Eating for Earth“.

Iliana Regan, at Finding Foods, the woodland chef, has some pictures up of her latest finds and dishes that she made.

The Salt at NPR always has thoughtful commentary, this time on Jefferson’s garden and  The Salt, won the 2012 James Beard award for Group Food Blog.

Locally, here is Grant Kessler’s latest post on The 100MealProject.

A huge congrats and shout out to local blog, LottieandDoof ,who won the Saveur Magazine 2012 Best Cooking Blog award.

Poormansfeast won the 2012 James Beard award for individual food blog.

Quite frankly if you are trying to source, buy, cook, eat, local, I realize I write for The Beet but there are some darn good posts on cooking, sourcing local right here on The Local Beet be sure to check every post out!!

Happy reading, foraging, eating!!!!!!!!!!

There are always “after I hit the Publish button posts”, this week were 2 beer blogs, the first, Chitownontap and the second another beer blog, Goodbeerhunting. Cheers!

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