Walnut Nectar Gets a Congressional Hearing
I promised more video in Local Food Forum Year 2. And having recently upgraded from an iPhone 7 to an iPhone 13 — and yes, the hype about its photo and video capability is justified — it’s going to be a pretty easy promise to keep.
The above video shows a genial conversation between Jerry Boone of Froggy Meadow Farm (Beloit, Wisconsin) and Illinois U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, who was getting a tour of Green City Market from Executive Director Mandy Moody. Jerry was stocking a bin with a new product, Walnut Nectar (unprocessed walnut tree sap), and the congressman asked him what that was all about.
You may have to turn up the volume, since the audio quality isn’t as good as the beautiful video quality (not the camera’s fault, there was a lot of ambient noise; guess I’m going to have to see what I can do about a directional mic). But you should get the gist, which is that tree tappers have always known that raw sap is sort of a natural energy drink, and only recently have started selling it to the world.
1st Market Opening Sked: The Best is Yet to Come
Almost as soon as I started Local Food Forum last April, I started sharing the upcoming opening dates for the year’s farmers markets. One quick trip around the sun, and here we go again.
Today we present the schedule for the farmers markets with opening dates set for April. All three of them.
As you know if this isn’t your first Local Food Forum rodeo, Green City Market’s Lincoln Park flagship location jumped the line by moving its opening to April 2, a month earlier than usual. Green City gets some distant company this Saturday (April 16) when the Grayslake Farmers Market in Lake County opens its outdoor season. Woodstock Farmers Market in McHenry County follows suit on Saturday, April 23.
It won’t be long before the list starts filling out quickly though. The first big tranche will be in the first week of May, and it includes local stalwarts such as the Lincoln Square Tuesday and Thursday markets, Green City Market’s Wednesday market in Lincoln Park and Saturday market in West Loop, Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, the Division Street Chicago City Market, and the Logan Square Farmers Market.
Here’s what we know so far in April:
Open: Green City Market Lincoln Park, Chicago, Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1817 N. Clark
4/16: Grayslake Farmers Market, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 201 Center St.
4/23: Woodstock Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m, Historic Woodstock Square
If you are aware of any market in the Chicago metro area that we’re missing, please let me know at bob@localfoodforum.com.