Anniversaries
When you get a few years on you, there’s hardly a day when there’s not an anniversary of something memorable (good or bad). This week happens to have a clutch of notable anniversaries.
Monday, March 13 was the 2nd anniversary of the day that I started working at home… forever.
Worries about a deadly pandemic were growing fast on March 11, 2020. That morning, I got off a crowded city bus, on which no one was wearing a mask, and told my bosses at FamilyFarmed that I was becoming concerned about my safety.
That may have helped expedite what would have soon been inevitable. The next day, I took an Uber to and from our River North office and never returned except to pick up some personal items.
It’s not the way it was supposed to work. The original idea was to work at home until that March 31, and hopefully COVID would retreat enough for us to return to the old normal. It wasn’t and we didn’t. And as the crisis dragged on, FamilyFarmed moved out of that building, then I left the organization last March 31 (the anniversary of that’s coming right up) and launched Local Food Forum the next day.
I liked my work neighborhood; our office was right behind Merchandise Mart and a couple of blocks from the Riverwalk. But as I sit here writing while wearing an old Good Food Expo t-shirt, torn jeans and no shoes, looking out the window at Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, with Barb and Sami the cat nearby in the other room and a refrigerator full of fresh and home-cooked food in the kitchen, I can’t say I have any regrets.
The other two anniversaries were 10 years ago.
One has to do with the photo above. It was our first March after moving to Chicago, and during this week, the city was hit with an unprecedented heat wave. For a stretch of nine days, from March 14, 2012 to March 22, the high temperatures were in the 80s — at a time of year when the average highs are below 50.
I love this photo because it is so bizarrely out of sync. There is not a blossom on the tree in the foreground, while the guy in the background is shirtless and working on the earliest tan ever.
It turned out to be a harbinger of one of the region’s worst seasons for farming. Trees tricked into thinking it was an early spring were soon hit by a hard freeze, killing buds and blossoms and devastating the year’s fruit crops. Then came a hot drought. Nonetheless, I started making regular treks to Green City Market, developing relationships that have helped ever since in my second career as a Good Food advocate.
Which brings up the final anniversary, which was brought home to me by a Facebook reminder last Sunday. It was a post I made on March 13, 2012 (just before the heat wave), and it reflects my decision to put my first career as a political journalist firmly behind me:
“I've said for a number of years that my role model for who I want to be when I grow up is the late Johnny Apple, who after a long tenure as New York Times Washington bureau chief produced some of the most evocative writing about food and drink I've ever read. Today, I took a step in that direction by signing up for a Mediabistro online food writing course. Let face it, people have a free will choice about whether or not to care about politics, but everybody's gotta eat!”
Ten years later, the goal to be the next Johnny Apple is still aspirational but the whole food writing thing appears to be working out well. Nice to be able to look back and think that dreams really can come true.
Donate: Help Angelic Organics Center Buy a Tractor
One of the best things about having my own newsletter is that there are so many ways to help people in our community. Occasionally the need is global, such as the Chicago Chefs Cook for Ukraine fundraiser this past Wednesday, but much more often the issue is a very specific local need.
To wit, my friends at Angelic Organics Learning Center need their own tractor (explanation below). They’ve located one for sale that suits their needs… and they need to raise $8,500 by March 27 to seal the deal.
The note sent out by the Center is below, followed by buttons to donate and to learn more about Angelic Organics Learning Center.
_______________
Angelic Organics Learning Center needs our own tractor — for mowing pastures and hiking paths, moving hay, fixing fences, hauling fallen trees, and giving hayrides around our campus to friends like you. We found a great used one that has everything we need and nothing more, but we need your help to purchase it. The Learning Center is trying to raise $8,500 by March 27 in order to purchase a 1978 John Deere 2040 with front loader. Every dollar makes a difference.
Learn to Sell at Markets with Experimental Station
Experimental Station has a great opportunity for you if you are interested in getting a job selling at a farmers market. The nonprofit organization is staging a Farmers Market Training Program and is accepted applications through March 30 for the 15 slots in the program. You can even make a little money just for attending the class.
Experimental Station runs the 61st Street Farmers Market and the Link Up Illinois program that helps food assistance recipients buy more healthy local food. More info below.
_______________
Have you always wanted to sell at a farmers market? Each year, Experimental Station selects 15 candidates for our Farmers Market Seller Training Program. We will provide training and a basic understanding on how to sell at a farmers market.
Participants must commit to a two and a half hour class, once a week for four weeks. Priority will be given to participants between the ages of 18 - 24, but all are encouraged to apply.
Classes will take place weekly April 6, 13, 20 and 27 from 5:30pm - 8pm. Classes will be held online on April 6, 13 and 27, and will be held in person on April 20 at 6100 S. Blackstone Avenue.
Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a $150 stipend and free enrollment for the Summer Festival Sanitation Certificate Class. Applications will be accepted and reviewed through March 30. Potential candidates will be contacted on April 4 to confirm their spot. Click below for the application if you are interested.