Size Matters (Hush, I'm Talking About Food)
More on a great way to increase your food-dollar value, plus nonprofit news
Size Matters
We still have some work to do on what’s left of that 22-pound watermelon we got last week from Three Sisters Garden in Kankakee, but we needed a cantaloupe reload. And my friend Tracey outdid herself with the 9-1/2 pounder here — more than two pounds bigger than last week’s.
That brought the price for the $10 melon down to about $1 a pound, driving home the point that you get great value for the best-quality products when you buy local at the peak of their growing seasons. (The rest of Wednesday’s small haul consisted of those two unusually pretty heads of cauliflower and more of Tracey’s famous sweet corn. I actually got six ears but really, you’ve seen big piles of corn before).
These (partially) red peppers I bought from Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois) at Tuesday’s SOAR Farmers Market uphold two principles of how to save money buying local. These were priced at $2 each but three for $5, so I saved a buck right there. Then I noticed that some of the peppers were kind of humongous (even the smaller one in front is on the large side of normal). So I’m going to get some mileage out of this trio.
News From Our Good Food Nonprofits
Gardeneers — a Chicago nonprofit that builds and maintains school gardens on the city’s South and West sides — is hosting a celebration and fundraising event on Sunday, September 10. The event will be held at Hangout Lighting, 450 N. Leavitt St., in the West Town neighborhood, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50.
Click the first button below to purchase tickets, and the second button to read Gardeneers’ annual report for more information on the organization.
Chef Lineup for Green City Chef BBQ is Amazing
Green City Market’s annual Chef BBQ fundraiser — being held this year on Thursday, September 8 — has long been Chicago’s most anticipated food and beverage tasting event.
The big gathering was sidelined by the pandemic in 2020 and somewhat smaller scale than usual in 2021 as restaurants struggled with the repercussions of a year of shutdowns. But it is coming back BIG this year. Click the button below to check out the over-the-top list of top restaurants (and their celebrated chefs) who are lined up to feed (and feed and feed) you at the Chef BBQ.
According to Green City Market, “Your attendance benefits Green City Market’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit mission to secure the future of food by deepening support for sustainable farmers, educating our community about where food comes from and why it matters, and expanding access to locally grown food.”
Two-Part Series Will Address Racism and Inequity
I am sharing information about an important and timely two-part series of virtual discussions on addressing the history of racism and inequity in our food system.
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The Illinois Public Health Institute is excited to present a two-part, virtual discussion series to explore how racism, oppression, and colonialism have shaped American food access and nutrition culture and what providers can do to challenge these systems. Register HERE, and please feel free to share this information with anyone who might be interested.
The first session, “One Bad Apple: How the Lack of Knowledge about Black and Indigenous Food Histories Informs our Nutrition Work,” will be presented by Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson on Thursday, September 15th from 10:00 – 11:00 am central time.
The second session, “Eating with Our Neighbors: How to Identify Injustices and Create Change in Food and Nutrition Programs,” will be moderated by Dr. Angela Odoms-Young with a panel discussion by Jennifer Falck, Dr. Saria Lofton, and Sandra Botello, and includes time for action-planning. This session will take place on Tuesday, September 27th from 10:00 – 11:30 am central.
More information, including the speaker biographies, can be found below.
The series is supported by the Building Resilient Inclusive Communities (BRIC) Program with funding from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.