.png)
Bugging Out: Bees and Butterflies Add to Beauty on Just Roots Farm
- Bob Benenson
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
Plus a Reminder About the Non-Profit's Great Annual Fundraising Dinner
My Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) produce subscription at Just Roots urban farm on Chicago's South Side has provided me with enormous amounts of delicious, healthy and sustainably grown produce. It has also enabled me to immerse myself every other Saturday in the beauty of vegetables as they grow — prompting me to create a series of articles on the Zen of local food.
My focus has mainly been on the plants themselves. But as the season has moved along, it has provided an increasing number of photo opps of butterflies and bees as they go about their pollinator business. So this photo essay from my August 30 visit begins with the bugs.
Of course, there was plenty of beautiful food-to-be to photograph as well. More pix below, but first a quick reminder that the Just Roots urban ag non-profit is holding its big annual fundraising dinner on the evening of Thursday, September 18.
Just Roots operates farms on Chicago's South Side (that's the one I visit for my CSA pickups) and in south suburban Sauk Village. Its mission is to reduce food insecurity and promote healthier eating.
Their Growing Together dinner, to be held at The Chicago Illuminating Company, is a great way for you to get to know Just Roots better and support its efforts to increase access to healthy, locally produced food — while enjoying a sumptuous dinner prepared by leading local chefs using produce grown on the farm.
In addition to all of the incredible farm fresh food, the event will include live music, an open bar, and a silent auction.
Click the button below for more information and get your tickets for this big event.
Now back to those pretty flora photos.
This is a hyacinth bean plant. Just Roots grows a couple of these big plants as ornamentals right by the farm entrance. My wife Barb, who came along on her first visit to the farm, just loved these plants.
And my two-week CSA haul: Front from left, rainbow carrots; field, plum and SunGold cherry tomatoes; and a melange of peppers, mostly sweet with a few hot ones. Back from left, chard; amaranth leaves; basil, chives and Italian parsley; and Sugar Cube melons (provided by Mick Klug Farms in St. Joseph, Michigan).
Finally, I also received this Saturday delivery from Three Sisters Garden in Kankakee, Illinois: five pounds of popcorn, a dozen ears of their amazing sweet corn, and two pounds of medium summer squash.