Welcome to Summer: What’s Coming and Going
It’s the first day of summer. OK, technically, we’ll have the first hour and a half of summer, as the solstice occurs at 10:31 p.m. Nonetheless, we are already into one of the great overlap period of the annual growing season.
My Saturday haul from Green City Market, in the photo above, provides examples of the comings and goings. Our long asparagus season — this is from Star Farm Chicago — is winding down, so grab some while you still can. The garlic scapes in the front (from Froggy Meadow Farm in Beloit, Wisconsin) have a short season between the tender stalks of green garlic and the hard bulbs of mature garlic cloves; also grab them if you can.
We are having a great strawberry season (these are also from Star Farm Chicago) and there are still plenty in most markets, but they too will cycle out soon as sweet cherries (new in season) have their day and blueberries, raspberries and other berries follow suit.
Carrots, such as these from Bushel and Peck’s in Beloit, are just coming into season, where they’ll remain into the fall. Turnips (Growing Home) also have a long run into fall.
We’ve noted before that the quality of local hothouse-grown tomatoes has improved greatly in recent years; these are from Nichols Farm and Orchard in Marengo, Illinois.
The non-season-dependent items are sourdough bread and awesome soft pretzels from Chicago’s pHlour Bakery; a pork steak from Jake’s Country Meats of Cassopolis, Michigan; and eggs from Ellis Family Farms in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Soon all the summer crops will be pouring into our region’s markets and they will look like the rainbow that we’re all supposed to eat (the different colors in produce represent different phytonutrients that are vital to your health). Check out the growing season chart produced by University of Illinois Extension and first published in the April 27 issue of Local Food Forum.
End notes:
Growing Home, located at 5814 S. Wood St. in West Englewood, and Star Farm Chicago, 944 W. 50th Place in Back of the Yards, are urban farming operations located in under-resourced communities on Chicago’s South Side. One of the principles on which Local Food Forum is grounded is that increasing jobs, hope and opportunity is essential to addressing the needs of these communities, and urban agriculture is playing a big role in this. Please support them and others doing this important work.
Notice that the carrots and turnips have their greens attached. Don’t toss them out! They are delicious, packed with nutrition, and stretch your food budget dollars. We’ll have an article on the topic later this week.
Now, without further adieu, this week’s farmers market schedule in Chicago’s outer suburbs and exurbs.
Can't wait for the article on carrots/tops. Yesterday, I enjoyed listening to a few shoppers chatting about what to do with carrot tops while waiting in line to choose their own produce for the first time in over a year! My only advice was procedural, but I don't want to be a spoiler.