Wednesday in the Park Isn’t Saturday in the Park
I’ve written quite a bit about the record crowds flocking on Saturdays to Green City Market’s flagship Lincoln Park location, with thousands of shoppers and visitors making it the region’s premier destination market.
Green City’s Wednesday market is a whole different picture. A steady flow of shoppers, yes, but not the cast of thousands seen on Saturdays. The Wednesday market has a much more neighborhood feel, and a number of the Saturday vendors take a pass on the Wednesday opening.
The Wednesday market is great for those who just need to pick up a few things and want to enjoy the beautiful park without navigating a people jam.
I’m still working down my inventory from serial market visits, so Wednesday’s was a small haul. That’s sweet Italian sausage from Finn’s Ranch (Buchanan, Michigan); green onions from Jacobson Family Farms (Antioch, Illinois); and a mapo tofu salad from Phoenix Bean (Chicago).
Village Farmstand is Now Farmer Owned
Village Farmstand — a delivery and pickup service for locally farmed food based in suburban Evanston — launched in 2020 out of necessity, connecting farmers who overnight had lost contract sales with shuttered restaurants to consumers whose access to the food they needed was limited by COVID-era restrictions and supply chain breakdowns.
Over the past three years, co-owners Matt Wechsler and Susan Stenander, working in concert with downstate sustainable farming innovator Marty Travis of Spence Farm, built a loyal clientele for their e-commerce store by featuring top-flight products from a number of our region’s best farms.
Now Matt (a documentary filmmaker by trade and creator of the beautiful 2016 farming documentary Sustainable) and Susan are ready to step aside, and have sold the operation to a couple who make this even more of a virtual farmstand… because they are actual farmers.
The new owners are Rachael & Jesse Smedberg of Tulip Tree Gardens in Beecher, an east-central Illinois community about 60 miles south of the Evanston storefront.
“Under this new ownership we want to assure you that our values and mission remain the same. We will continue to support our local farm community, regenerative practices and brands that prioritize caring for the earth. Rest assured that you still can count on us to provide superior and sustainable products. In addition, this partnership presents an opportunity for Village Farmstand to expand its offerings through Tulip Tree Gardens,” reads the press release announcing the news, which is republished in full below.
Local Food Forum looks forward to meeting the Smedbergs and wishes them great success in moving Village Farmstand forward, and congratulations Matt and Susan on providing a much-needed service during a critical time and building it into the fabric of our local food community.
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We are thrilled and humbled to announce that Village Farmstand has new owners. Rachael & Jesse Smedberg of Tulip Tree Gardens (Beecher, IL) are proud to be Evanston's farmer owned grocer.
This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to work towards our mission of creating a more sustainable and equitable food system. We want to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the farmers, customers and partners who have supported Village Farmstand along the way. Specifically, to Matt Wechsler and Susan Stenander who have built Village Farmstand and created a model that is fruitful from farmer to consumer.
Under this new ownership we want to assure you that our values and mission remain the same. We will continue to support our local farm community, regenerative practices and brands that prioritize caring for the earth. Rest assured that you still can count on us to provide superior and sustainable products. In addition, this partnership presents an opportunity for Village Farmstand to expand its offerings through Tulip Tree Gardens.
At Tulip Tree Gardens our mission is "To restore the health & wellness of our locality, the earth & its inhabitants". Our farm, located in Beecher, Illinois just an hour south of Evanston, spans 120 acres of regenerative agriculture. From industrial hemp to produce, to livestock, floral and even weekly farmers markets we take pride in being a modern family farm that offers a variety of products grown in harmony with the environment. We are grateful for the opportunity to join the community that Matt, Susan, and the Village Farmstand team have built and look forward to contributing to Village Farmstand's offerings.
Stay tuned for updates and exciting projects we will be working on. Let's create a brighter future, together!
-Rachael
Flowers and Bees Go Together in Latest Buy Fresh Buy Local Article
I’m happy to share a link to the latest article I produced for the Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois Directory. There was a popular song in the 1960s that starts “Let me tell you ‘bout the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees…”. Well, it’s finally spring, so Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois wants to tell you about two great businesses, one that is focused on flowers and the other that’s focused on bees.
Get to know Clara Joyce Flowers, located in northwest Illinois, and THE HIVE by Maple Street Garden in east-central Illinois. Click the button below to view the story, and then spend some time perusing the Buy Fresh Buy Local Directory and its long list of sources of locally and sustainably produced food and other natural products.
Butterfly Lovers: Keep an Eye Out for Early Eggs
Our friend Gerry grows a beautiful garden at his home in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood that includes milkweed, a plant that attracts butterflies. While tending his garden, he noticed two tiny white dots on a milkweed leaf — butterfly caterpillar eggs.
Gerry asked Local Food Forum to spread the word to fellow gardeners because it is unusually early for these eggs to appear. Make sure to keep an eye out to protect them if they appear in your garden. The butterfly you save may be your own.
There are many places in Chicagoland to learn about butterflies, including the amazing Judy Istock Butterfly Haven at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park and through the Urban Monarch Conservation project run by the Field Museum.