In-Spear-Ation: Spring Asparagus Ritual Renewed in Lincoln Square
Buying Mick Klug Farm Asparagus Has Verified Spring for More Than a Decade
Before the popularity surge in ramps — the early-arriving wild onions — the arrival of asparagus at the Mick Klug Farm stand at Chicago markets was my high sign that spring had in fact set in. (Did you know that Michigan is the leading asparagus-producing state?) And every year, I have bought my first asparagus from the farm, and photographed the ritual.
I missed my first opportunity at Chicago's Green City Market last Saturday (April 26) because I was on a field trip to Michigan, of all places. But I caught up with Mick Klug Farm yesterday (May 1) at the season opener for the Thursday afternoon Lincoln Square Farmers Market.
This Local Food Forum article shows how I re-enacted an admittedly food-geeky tradition, with photos of other things in stock as we start turning the corner toward peak local season.
May Brings First Big Tranche of Chicagoland Outdoor Markets
Find This Guide Through November on the Local Food Forum Website Homepage
Just a reminder to check out Local Food Forum’s Chicago region farmers market schedule to find a weekend market near you that is open for the season.
This weekend features new openings in Evanston, Kankakee, Palatine, Park Forest and Woodstock, as well as Chicago’s El Paseo, 95th Street and Wicker Park markets. Click the button below to get the details, and a sneak preview of new market openings over the next week.
Advocate Wants to Turn Peotone Airport Site Into Regenerative Center
Bob Heuer Explains His Concept in This Contributed Article
[Note: This is a repeat of an article posted in the May 1 newsletter. But the interest in the story has been extraordinary, so I decided to give it another nudge. The response highlights that this is an issue we should all know about…. Bob]
Bob Heuer is a longtime advocate of a better, more local food system. His HNA Networks, based in Evanston just outside Chicago, helps agri-food, nutrition & conservation organizations find success in America's regional economies.
An opponent of a long-stymied but persistent proposal to build a third Chicago-area airport in Peotone, a farm community about 40 miles south of downtown Chicago, Bob is launching a campaign to block the plan — and replace it with a Regenerative Agriculture Research and Development Center.
He contributed this article about his concept to Local Food Forum, in which he explains why the airport plan should be dumped and why Peotone is a great location for the research center — and he invites you to join a May 8 webinar on the topic.