Video: Talking Weather and Asparagus
The latest What's Good About Local Food, plus a gardening contest for you to enter
Ick
It doesn’t happen that often, but there are mornings when I wake up, look out the window and immediately feel sorry for the folks whose farmers markets are scheduled for that day. Today is one of those days, with soggy season openers for the Tuesday markets at Chicago’s Lincoln Square and in exurban Woodstock.
If there is a silver lining, both of these are twice-a-week markets, so maybe there will be better weather luck on Thursday afternoon in Lincoln Square and Saturday morning in Woodstock. (Check yesterday’s Local Food Forum for all the scheduled Chicagoland farmers markets this week.)
Speaking of the weather, click below to watch the latest What’s Good About Local Food featuring Matt Tortora of WhatsGood and me. We discuss the cool and wet weather that has slowed the arrival of some of our cherished early spring crops, including asparagus, and what it means in the long run for this year’s outdoor growing season (hint: it’s actually good news).
Speaking of asparagus, we spoke a lot about asparagus. Michigan is the source of much of this cherished regional crop — do you know where the state ranks in terms of asparagus production? Matt talks about asparagus as an example of the importance of the freshness factor in local food in terms of taste and texture, and — awaiting the hoped-for first appearance in markets later this week — our favorite ways to prepare asparagus.
Watch What’s Good About Local Food
Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards Are Back
Friend Mike Nowak of The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki alerted me to the return of the in-person Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards after a two-year pandemic-related hiatus.
As Mike says, “The Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards (CEGA) will be heading out to the neighborhoods of Chicago to find the gardens that best represent our City's gardeners — their hard work, their enthusiasm, their creativity, and their commitment to their neighborhoods and to the health of the planet.”
Gardening had a big upswing during the pandemic as many people found themselves with a lot more time at home, so the competition for the awards will be even stiffer than before. And — very important — community and food gardens are eligible for awards.
Applications to participate are now open through July 1. Please check out the following press release to learn all the details.
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In-person Judging Returns to Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards
Enter Your Garden Online from May 1 to July 1
CHICAGO (May 1, 2022) – After a two-year hiatus, the Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards (CEGA) is back in 2022... once again free and in person! CEGA judges will visit city backyards, patios, school lots and more, looking for gardens that best exemplify our citizens’ efforts to make Chicago neighborhoods more beautiful and sustainable.
From 2017 to 2019, CEGA — Chicago’s only city-wide gardening awards program — honored more than 150 gardeners across 43 wards and 76 Chicago communities at its annual awards ceremonies. Then COVID-19 hit and the not-for-profit group created the 60-Second Garden Video Challenge, which allowed gardeners to compete safely online for two years. The pandemic isn’t over, but with the best science indicating that outdoor activities are relatively safe, CEGA will be once again visiting gardens in person, and has set a goal of reaching every Chicago ward, neighborhood and green corner of the city in 2022.
CEGA welcomes gardens of all shapes and sizes, including residential, community gardens, schools, churches, businesses and urban farms to enter its free and citywide competition. While beauty and neighborhood improvement are always criteria to be considered, CEGA judges also keep an eye out for native plants, wildlife habitat and sustainable elements in determining which gardens will receive awards. Go to https://chicagogardeningawards.org/ for more information.
“The past two years have seen an explosion in the number of American gardeners,” says Mike Nowak, awards founder. “That’s true in Chicago as well, and we’re eager to see what new and experienced gardeners can teach us about what they’ve learned during the pandemic. Gardening is more important than ever, not only to address food insecurity but even as a personal way of tackling species loss and climate change.”
CEGA is an Illinois not-for-profit organization that receives support from University of Illinois Extension: Cook County, Natural Awakenings Chicago Magazine, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Community Gardeners Association (CCGA), Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Bold Bison Communications and Consulting, and The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki.
Applications will be accepted online from May 1 through July 1, 2022. Judging will occur June through July. Recipients will be notified by late summer. The 2022 awards ceremony will take place in September at a venue to be announced. The contest is open to residents of the City of Chicago. Only one entry per garden will be accepted. There is no entry fee. There are no cash prizes, though award-winning entries receive certificates and permanent, all-weather signs that can be displayed year-round in the gardens. And all entrants will be entered in a raffle to win one of three rain barrels donated by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. To enter, go to https://chicagogardeningawards.org/entry-form/.
For gardener and garden profiles, information and much more, visit CEGA online at https://chicagogardeningawards.org. Follow the awards as the season progresses on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChicagoGardeningAwards/.