By all accounts and my own admission, I am not someone who particulary focuses on eating Organic foods. However, I do support the slow food movement and the idea of knowing where your food is coming from. In addition, I think supporting local farmers is a completely valid and valuable cause.
So, with all that said, let’s talk about Chicago’s Green City Market.
Which, in addition to being a complete joy, hits all of the points I mentioned above.
Held on the south end of Lincoln Park on a twice-weekly basis from May to October, it’s the area’s only year-round farmers market. (In winter months, it moves indoors to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.) Farmers from around the Midwest come to peddle their goods, which range from flowers to cheese to meat to homemade pies. (Pies seem to be a big hit. By the time we got to the Hoosier Mama Pie booth, they were already sold out.)
Eric and I took a jaunt down to Saturday’s market, and wound up coming home with strawberries, snap peas, asparagus, radishes, and peonies from local Midwestern farmers. We also bought steaks from the Heartland Meats people to cook for Memorial Day.
The vendors are all incredibly knowledgeable about their products, being the ones who actually grow/produce them, and the produce is all positively beautiful.
I mean, check out these radishes (which I totally wound up buying.)
The atmosphere is very chill and relaxed, and there doesn’t seem to be much (if any) elbowing people out of the way to get at the merchandise. Visitors to the market seem to be largely young couples with babies and strollers and people with dogs. It’s also a dreamland for foodies; There are samples of everything from cheeses to rhubarb popsicles.
If you’re lucky – like we are – you’ll get to make a new friend. (LOVE this dog.)
It’s a nice way to spend an afternoon. You should go.
