Home of the Blues
The big news from my Tuesday morning visit to SOAR Farmers Market in downtown Chicago is staring you right in the face: blueberries have arrived. They are not at all fruit stands, but Lyons Fruit Farm of Fennville, Michigan had plenty.
We’re in the midst of our first overlap part of the season. There is still asparagus at many stands, strawberries seem to still be going strong, and rhubarb is available. But blueberries have joined red raspberries in the summer berry parade. And…
The summer squash-a-thon appears to be full under way. Smits Farms (Chicago Heights, Illinois) had piles of zucchini and yellow squash.
I already had a pretty full fridge, so here’s my relatively small haul. Clockwise from those blueberries: baby carrots from Lane’s End Farm (Lowell, Indiana); zucchini from Smits Farm; asparagus from Ellis Family Farms (Benton Harbor, Michigan); peanut tofu salads from Phoenix Bean (Chicago); four-year-old cheddar from Stamper Cheese (Chicago); cremini mushrooms from River Valley Ranch (Burlington, Wisconsin); and soft pretzels from Bennison’s Bakery (Evanston, Illinois).
Enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. And getcha some yummy berries.
Interesting: Strawberries are $8/pint in Brooklyn, NY, as are cherries. Sugar snaps are $8/lb, also twice as much as last year.
Wow, we are seeing nothing like that kind of price inflation on local food. I just today stumbled on a photo of red raspberries for $5 a half-pint last year, and they are the same this year. Strawberries are generally going $8-10 a quart. Summer squash are still a dollar each.