Saturday Was First Day at School for The Lincoln Park Farmers Market
One of Chicago's Oldest Farmers Markets is in the Lincoln Park High School Lot
Saturday (April 26) was opening day for The Lincoln Park Farmers Market — one of my favorite neighborhood markets in the city and also one of the closest markets to home for me.
Market manager Elsa Jacobson (photo above) is the biggest reason why I'm a fan of this market. Elsa and I had a passing acquaintance during my tenure with the FamilyFarmed non-profit. We started working more closely after I launched Local Food Forum in April 2021.
I quickly learned that watching Elsa at work is a master class at community building and connecting with vendors and customers.
Learn about the market’s renaissance under her leadership and meet a couple of my favorite vendors in this Local Food Forum article… and get a hint about the arrival of the Chicago region’s favorite early spring crop.
In City and Suburb, Just Roots' June Farm Kick-Offs Sound Like Fun
Save the Dates of June 7 at Their Chicago Farm and June 14 in Sauk Village
I make no secret of the fact that I am a fan of the Just Roots Chicago non-profit and its small farms in the Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago's South Side and in the south suburban city of Sauk Village.
Their focus is on expanding access to healthy, delicious fresh food for underserved individuals and families who live near their farms. To financially support this mission, Just Roots has a CSA subscription program — which I have joined this year, with my first bi-weekly pickup on May 10.
Now, you will have the opportunity to meet and learn more about Just Roots at their Farm Kick-offs, to be held on consecutive Saturdays in June. Get all the details with links for free registration in this Local Food Forum article.
Show for a Hoedown with Northern Illinois Young Farmers May 24
According to its website, Northern Illinois Young Farmers Coalition is "an ecosystem of community leaders who are directly engaged with building a more just, equitable, and sustainable food system. Connection and the Collective are at the center of all the work we do. We aim to strengthen the ties between the farmers, ranchers, land stewards, earthworkers, and local food system allies of northern Illinois."
While the non-profit undertakes the serious business of helping young farmers across Northern Illinois with support, strength and community, it also provide opportunities for relaxation and fun. One of these is coming up on Saturday, May 24 with their Spring Potluck and Barn Dance.
Get the details, with a link to rsvp, in this Local Food Forum article.
Suddenly Spring: Slowed by Chilly Weather, the Season Blossoms
A Pretty Travelogue of a Walk Around the Block
As you'd expect from a publication called Local Food Forum, food is almost everything we write about. But my abiding love of nature is closely tied to my advocacy for sustainable/organic/regenerative farming, and since we moved to Chicago in 2011, I've become a pretty serious urban nature photographer.
Spring foliage got off to a bit of a slow start because of the persistent chilly temperatures. But it didn't take much of a warmup for the beauty of spring to start to pop.
Take a virtual walk around our very pretty block in this Local Food Forum article and enjoy the spring colors. A nice, gentle way to start the workweek.