Happy Weekend, Everyone!

Or, I guess I should have titled it "I had a happy weekend, everyone!"  Because spring is in the air and summer is getting just thiiis much closer, and all this weekend I found myself surrounded by Au Naturale goodness wherever I went.

Number one?  The Evanston (suburb of Chicago) summer Farmer's Market began this Saturday! I got up early (for me) in order to hit it up.  There's not a huge amount of selection and all the farmer's weren't there yet, but it's a start.  Seasonality filled the air.  I had my pick of a variety of asparagus, spinach, green onion, plants, and more.  Most excitedly, the hand-rolled butter from last summer was available again- I snapped that one up quick.  About 30 minutes and a full bag later, I had 2 bunches of just-picked asparagus, 2 bags of organic spinach, eggs, butter, mozarella, and mushrooms.  Hmm, what shall I cook tonight?

Later in the day I was running errands when I passed a new local and organic small grocery store in my neighborhood.  I quickly commandeered a parking spot and ran in for a look.  It seems that Real Naked Food Chicago just opened, as many of their shelves were moderately empty, but I'm happy to welcome them to the 'hood and wish them tons of success.  Both a grocery store specializing in local and unprocessed goods as well as a deli and juice bar, they join the ranks of Green Grocer Chicago and Dill Pickle Food Co-op in the local and organic grocery store concept.  They are also the first of their kind to be within walking distance, so if I ever need a last-minute staple it's good to know they're there.

After all my running around, I came home to enjoy the Spring edition of Edible Chicago that landed in my mailbox this week.  Remember Edible Chicago from an earlier blog post, oh loyal 3 or 4 readers?  I didn't yet finish it, but I'm excited to see what's happening in the local Au Naturale universe and find the articles and recipes to be incredibly motivating.  I hope you have subscribed to and are supporting your local Edible Community magazine, too.

I finished up the day by having dinner with a good friend who is in town for a bit.  One of my loyal 3 or 4 readers, she brilliantly recommended Taxim, a new-ish Greek restaurant in town that uses seasonal ingredients from local farms such as Nichols Farm, Iron Creek, Mint Creek and more.  They also make all of their marinades, breads, charcuterie, yogurt, and more in-house.  The meal was spectacular (except the fried zuccinni- you can skip that one).  If you are a local Chicagoan I highly recommend you check this place out.

I truly look forward to seeing what else will pop up in the next few weeks.  Loyal readers: what have you seen in your cities, neighborhoods, regions, etc. that tells you the best of the growing season is upon us?  What have you taken advantage of? What are you most looking forward to?