Sunny Days, It's Great to Buy Food This Way
A true spring beauty for one of our earliest outdoor market days
T-Minus 2 for Our Webinar Liftoff
As We Dig Deep on Regenerative Agriculture
Just two days until Local Food Forum’s “Better” Dialogues — our brand-new webinar series — debuts. Click below to register for free, and join us on Monday (April 15) at 7 p.m. central.
The title of Episode 1 is The Pros of Regenerative Agriculture, co-hosted by me and Chef Sarah Stegner of Northbrook’s Prairie Grass Cafe. The name is kind of a double entendre.
It’s about the immense benefits of farming practices that promote soil health, combat climate change, and in many cases incorporate the pasture raising and humane treatment of farm animals.
And the all-star panel we’re presenting is indeed made up of four leaders who are professionals at the art of regenerative food production.
• Paul Lightfoot is general manager of Patagonia Provisions — the food and beverage division of Patagonia — which brings to market foods to fight the environmental crisis. He also is Board chair for the Regenerative Organic Alliance, which administers the Regenerative Organic Certified® standard.
• Marty Travis, a longtime sustainable farming advocate who owns Spence Farm and leads the Down at the Farms farming collaborative, both in Fairbury, Illinois.
• Greg Wade, head baker at Chicago's Publican Quality Bread and managing partner of the legendary One Off Hospitality restaurant group, who is a longtime customer of Spence Farm's flours. Greg was honored in 2019 with the James Beard Foundation Award as the nation’s best baker, and he and Marty were featured in the 2016 farming documentary Sustainable.
• Tim Brown, who gave up a tech career a decade ago to start growing produce and chickens organically at his Broadview Farm & Gardens in Marengo, Illinois.
We are grateful to Mariano’s, Prairie Grass Cafe, Chicago Chefs Cook, and Landmark Pest Management for their support of “Better” Dialogues.
Isn’t It Lovely?
That’s a who-knows-how-old-tree leafing out and looming over the second Saturday of Green City Market’s outdoor season in Lincoln Park. Yeah, April weather can be a roll of the dice, but this happens to be one of the most beautiful days we’ll have all year.
Local food lovers continue to turn out in droves, filling the walkways even though peak season is a few weeks away.
There is always some seasonal overlap in products, and Ellis Family Farms — one of the original vendors when Green City Market opened 25 years ago — has storage apples and apple cider sitting right next to the ramps that make up the year’s first major crop.
Friend Samantha Demichael making a delicious breakfast treat at her Flock & Forage stand.
So what did Bob bring home this week? From left, lettuce from Wholesome Harvest (Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin); radishes from Jacobson Family Farms (Antioch, Illinois); ham steak and chicken wings from Finn’s Ranch (Buchanan, Michigan); ramps from Mick Klug Farms (St. Joseph, Michigan); cremini mushrooms from River Valley Ranch (Burlington, Wisconsin); and honey oatmeal bread from Bennison’s Bakery (Evanston, Illinois).
I had a long wait for the bus home so I took off walking through the park and got some pretty photos of our blossoming spring. Enjoy this beautiful weather outside.