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?

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!