The Buzz Goes on at Farmers Markets
Yesterday was the first Saturday in three weeks that I’ve visited Green City Market in Lincoln Parki (though I’ve been a Wednesday regular). And I can report that local food love is alive and well.
Walkways are packed with shoppers (and their babies and their dogs). The vendors who waited for the growing season to get more fully under way are in place and they now ring the market place instead of going just halfway around, the case at the start of the season.
The asparagus for which we waited so anxiously through the chilly early spring is now ubiquitous, and rhubarb is making its seasonal appearance. There is a rumor of strawberries coming very soon.
And while it will be a little longer until the bulk of our annual outdoor crops come flooding in, many vendors’ tables are filling up with hoophouse-grown heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers and greens and lettuce and root vegetables and other tasty treats.
My Green City haul (clockwise from left): Bacchus radishes (with greens) from Froggy Meadow Farm (Beloit, Wisconsin); spinach and kale from Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois); more kale from Flatwater Farms (Buchanan, Michigan); asparagus from Mick Klug Farm (St. Joseph, Michigan); white mushrooms from River Valley Ranch (Burlington, Wisconsin); bratwurst and Italian sausage from Jake’s Country Meats (Cassopolis, Michigan); and pastries from Verzênay Patisserie of Chicago.
I also popped into Chicago City Market’s Division Street market, where I had the pleasure of re-connecting with Thad Smith, founder/owner/head beekeeper of Chicago-based Westside Bee Boyz, who I’ve known since early in my FamilyFarmed days.
My small market haul from Division Street included two jars of Thad’s excellent honey (one goldenrod and the other orange blossom) and two types of Wisconsin cheese from Stamper Cheese of Chicago: a 4-year-old cheddar and a chive horseradish havarti.
I’m For The Birds
Let’s also round out Saturday’s urban wildlife safari, which included my first visit with Pilipili, Chicago’s new lion cub (featured in Saturday’s Local Food Forum). I’d noted early last week that I was concerned that I’d only seen a small handful of goslings, which typically are growing the flock at North Pond in big numbers by early to mid May. Thanks to a tip from friend Kevin Healy, I went back on Saturday and finally found a couple of good-sized broods. Not as many as usual, but nature has its reasons.
There was also this unusual duck with colorful plumage. I’m not an expert birder but I believe this is a teal. If you know better, please let me know.
[Note: North Pond, which has been my brain-break refuge since we moved to Chicago 11 years ago, is undergoing a major rehabilitation project aimed at preserving this jewel for generations. In the interim, it’s a bit torn up, but it’s still a lovely spot. Plus goslings and ducklings.]
Finally, if you are near Lincoln Park Zoo, make sure to look up the trees near the front entrance. It’s nesting season for our black-crested night herons, and there’s a whole bunch of them in those trees. It’s quite a sight (and sound, as these birds can be pretty noisy).
Luv the birds!