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?
Showing posts with label Dill Pickle Food Co-op. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dill Pickle Food Co-op. Show all posts
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Green Grocer Chicago
My last trip to the winter Farmer's Market was about a month ago, right after the Family Farmed Expo. I noticed that the market was much busier than usual, and I wondered if fellow Expo attendees had learned of it's existence there and decided to start patronizing it. I made a mental note to myself to arrive earlier the next week so I would be able to get some eggs before they ran out.
Little did I know that the busy-ness was probably because that day's market was actually the last of the season. D'oh! No wonder it was so busy. I fretted and lamented: the summer farmer's market wasn't to open for another few months. Where could I get the truly local and Au Naturale foodstuffs that only a farmer's market could provide? I preferred to get my eggs, milk and meat there because I could talk to the farmers directly about how they raised their animals, as well as know that I was supporting local farmers directly. And those wheat berry tortillas... I only had one left! Sigh.
Around the same time I had a chance to chat with a former co-worker who now lives downstate in Champaign. She is doing a masters thesis that is focused on sustainable farming/organics/reducing meat consumption (and I know that I'm not getting her thesis exactly right, but you get the idea). I mentioned during our convesation how nice it must be for her to be downstate, amongst all the farmers, and able to practice what she preaches so much easier than it is for me up in the big city. To my surprise, she assumed that it must be easier for me- they don't have much in the way of winter markets down there, really nothing in the way of Whole Foods, and there are some co-ops but she really thought I had more options by being in a metropolis.
How interesting it is to look at something from the outside, right? The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that I can indeed shop and eat Au Naturally despite being hundreds of miles away from the farms. After all, just down the street from my office is Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, which I first mentioned in a very early post. All of their items come from within 250 miles of Chicago. This weekend, I took a quick loop around Green Grocer Chicago, a small organic farmstand very close to my house that I just keep forgetting about. They carry organic, local, and sustainable foodstuffs in a small storefront that's only a short drive further than my local grocery store. Could you cross off your entire shopping list there? Not often. But I could find a variety of chicken, duck, and sausages from farms I recognize, such as Mint Creek Farm, and I walked out with a fresh carton of eggs. Further north in the Logan Square neighborhood you can find Dill Pickle Food Co-op. And don't forget about the Friday Amish storefront with the magic donut holes and other goods.
So I challenge you, oh loyal 3 or 4 readers, to reach out and find your own neighborhood propriators of local and organic products. And share them here! There is no reason that we have to wait for summer markets and CSAs to eat locally and Au Naturale. After all, I've proven to myself that you don't have to look very hard to find a wealth of options under your nose.
Little did I know that the busy-ness was probably because that day's market was actually the last of the season. D'oh! No wonder it was so busy. I fretted and lamented: the summer farmer's market wasn't to open for another few months. Where could I get the truly local and Au Naturale foodstuffs that only a farmer's market could provide? I preferred to get my eggs, milk and meat there because I could talk to the farmers directly about how they raised their animals, as well as know that I was supporting local farmers directly. And those wheat berry tortillas... I only had one left! Sigh.
Around the same time I had a chance to chat with a former co-worker who now lives downstate in Champaign. She is doing a masters thesis that is focused on sustainable farming/organics/reducing meat consumption (and I know that I'm not getting her thesis exactly right, but you get the idea). I mentioned during our convesation how nice it must be for her to be downstate, amongst all the farmers, and able to practice what she preaches so much easier than it is for me up in the big city. To my surprise, she assumed that it must be easier for me- they don't have much in the way of winter markets down there, really nothing in the way of Whole Foods, and there are some co-ops but she really thought I had more options by being in a metropolis.
How interesting it is to look at something from the outside, right? The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that I can indeed shop and eat Au Naturally despite being hundreds of miles away from the farms. After all, just down the street from my office is Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, which I first mentioned in a very early post. All of their items come from within 250 miles of Chicago. This weekend, I took a quick loop around Green Grocer Chicago, a small organic farmstand very close to my house that I just keep forgetting about. They carry organic, local, and sustainable foodstuffs in a small storefront that's only a short drive further than my local grocery store. Could you cross off your entire shopping list there? Not often. But I could find a variety of chicken, duck, and sausages from farms I recognize, such as Mint Creek Farm, and I walked out with a fresh carton of eggs. Further north in the Logan Square neighborhood you can find Dill Pickle Food Co-op. And don't forget about the Friday Amish storefront with the magic donut holes and other goods.
So I challenge you, oh loyal 3 or 4 readers, to reach out and find your own neighborhood propriators of local and organic products. And share them here! There is no reason that we have to wait for summer markets and CSAs to eat locally and Au Naturale. After all, I've proven to myself that you don't have to look very hard to find a wealth of options under your nose.
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