Turns Out That Shopping Mall Indoor Farmers Market is a Great Idea
South Loop Farmers Market's Satellite Location Is Drawing Big Crowds
Every novel marketing idea runs the risk of being greeted by a yawn. So there was no guarantee that the indoor farmers market partnership between South Loop Farmer's Market and downtown Chicago's Water Tower Place shopping mall would work.
But work it has. This market, open weekly on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. through March 30, is bustling. So much that has expanded to all the corridors of the mall's 4th floor.
Read on the Local Food Forum website about Chicago’s latest local food phenomenon, with namecheck to Daly's Donuts, Laconic Foods, Fook Hing Hot Chili Oil(say it out loud), Bennett Farms (and their beautiful eggs), Hebron Farms, and Zeitlin's Delicatessen.
Black Farmers Need Your Business — Here's Black Farmers Index, a Tool to Find Them
I make every effort to keep up with all of the great organizations that are working to build a better food system. Quite often, I learn of a new one that I think is very much worth sharing.
This morning, a friend shared a link to Black Farmers Index. It describes itself as "the largest, FREE, most comprehensive directory of Black Farmers, which connects you to traditional and non-traditional growers."
While February is Black History Month, that's not the reason I'm sharing, because I believe strongly that we need to buy from and support small farmers, in all their glorious diversity, all year long. (Yes, many of us DO believe that diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of American society.)
This article on the Local Food Forum website shares more info (including some Chicago region farms listed in the Index), which a link to access the site. The article is pinned to the website for easy access.
And there's a contact button on the Index site if you are a Black farmer who is not listed and wants to be.
Bob’s World, and Welcome to It
Sunset sky show, February 1, 2025
