Edible Chicago

My lovely boyfriend borrowed a copy of the magazine Edible Chicago for me- what a sweetheart!  I was thrilled to find this read, since I actually had been pondering how to find like-minded organizations/publications/people in order to expand my Au Naturale knowledge and sources.

The publication is a quarterly one and includes articles with seasonal recipes, restaurant profiles, and information about how and where to eat local in the Chicagoland area.  "Eat local?" you may ask. "Duh, just go down the street and you can find an abundance of restaurants and stores, and you can just eat local there.  Idiot." you mumble to yourself.

Before you judge, though, let me clarify "local".  If you follow this blog with any regularity, you have probably read that part of my Au Naturale conversion is to not just eat organic and additive-free, but to eat locally and sustainably as much as possible.  When finding certain items in the dead of winter, however,  sometimes you have to compromise.  I admit that the pacific wild-caught salmon I had for dinner last night (btw- an "excellent" choice on the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch chart, which you can download here) was garnished with (among other things) organic grape tomatoes labeled "from Mexico".  That is about as non-local as you can get.

Truthfully, the actual writing in this publication is just okay.  But I was elated to see them visit and profile local farms and the organic and sustainable methods they use.  Even better, they include a list of Chicago-area stores where you can find the farm's products-- a boon to me, since I had been feeling like I've only had two to go to, and in an instant my store list tripled.  In the current issue Edible Chicago focuses on Iron Creek Farm in Indiana, who is not only certified organic, but is also experimenting with hydroponics in a greenhouse in order to grow greens and tomatoes in the dead of winter.  Tomatoes in February from Indiana instead of Mexico?  Sign me up!

But what I love even more is the reinforcement of the types of farms, products, and stores I want to patronize.  As you've seen, I do some online research on the farms that provide items like my eggs, cheese, and meat, but I'm always just a little suspicious. After all, there is a lot of scrutiny of the organic/cage-free/vegetarian-feed, etc. industry as it's not as tightly regulated as it should be, and I'm tempted to jump in my car and visit these farms.  (It'll never happen, though.)  When I see multiple sources such as this magazine or the Slow Food movement's Chicago chapter all visiting, profiling, and recommending the same farms, I feel more convinced that the food I am buying from those specific growers is truly the food I want to eat.  And you never know what you might learn- there is an article in this edition about NorthStar Bison, a bison ranch in Wisconsin.  Bison from Wisconsin!  Who knew!  Again, sign me up.

Are you a loyal reader who doesn't live in Chicago?  Fear not!  Visit www.ediblecommunities.com to find the magazine for your locale- they are everywhere, including multiple boroughs of New York.  Read online or subscribe through the mail.  Happy local eating!