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Writer's pictureBob Benenson

Chicago Urban Farming Leader is New Guest for Our Community Gardens Webinar

Plus, the Chicago region farmers market schedule



Photo by Bob Benenson


A quick issue of Local Food Forum, because I’m in Dearborn, Michigan for a conference on regenerative agriculture presented by The Henry Ford non-profit and the Clinton Global Initiative. The event is on the grounds of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, which (as you can see in the photo) is just lovely.


I’ll have a lot of great content coming your way over the next few days.

 


Urban Farming Dynamo Natasha Nicholes Joins Lineup for Our Next Webinar


Many leaders seeking to revitalize Chicago's underserved and under-resourced communities are promoting the development, by people of color, of community gardens and urban farms.


These small growing projects are helping restore hope, jobs and opportunity to challenged communities, while helping residents who face food insecurity to feed themselves — as Chicago manifests what has become a powerful national movement under the banner of food sovereignty.


This is the topic of Local Food Forum's next "Better" Dialogues webinar, "Gardens in a City: Cultivating Hope in Chicago, which takes place on Monday (June 17) at 7 p.m. central time. The title references Chicago's official motto, Urbs in Horto, which translates from Latin as "city in a garden."


And we are thrilled to share that Natasha Nicholes, a dynamic change-maker as founder and executive director of the We Sow. We Grow. urban farm in the West Pullman neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, is joining our already amazing lineup of guests.


The program will focus on the work of Community Food Navigator, a Chicago non-profit launched in 2020. Its focus is on providing tools and resources to help people of color in underserved areas produce food for themselves and their communities — the core of the concept known as food sovereignty.


Our featured guest is Nick Davis, managing director of Community Food Navigator. As Nick told Local Food Forum for an article published earlier this year, “The purpose of the Community Food Navigator is really to build power amongst growers of color, build connections and relationships in our food system, and coordinate our food system a little bit better."


He continued, “It's important that the community has a sense of how other people, block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood and then the region, define that for themselves, and how we can start to organize and convene people and tighten up our relational networks so that we can actually move towards those definitions of visions of food sovereignty.”


Nick also said he wants to make it clear that Community Food Navigator is powered and informed by the community of growers, food educators, food mobilizers and organizers who have been doing incredible work for years. “We just co-design and implement strategies to address issues they raise,” he added.


Nick will be joined by Natasha and by Angela Taylor, whose work focuses on bringing the benefits of hyper-locally produced food to the underserved Garfield Park communities on Chicago's West Side. She serves as wellness coordinator for the Garfield Park Community Council, focusing on the Garfield Park Garden Network, the seasonal Neighborhood Market (an outdoor farmers market), youth interns, and integrated wellness activities.


Other leaders in the urban growing community who are aligned with Community Food Navigator's work may join us for the webinar.


Join co-hosts Bob Benenson of Local Food Forum and Chef Sarah Stegner of suburban Chicago's Prairie Grass Cafe for this free program. There will be Q&A, so bring your questions.

 

Chicago Region Farmers Market Schedule

Asterisk (*) means season opening market


Friday, June 14

Lake Bluff Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., 40 E. Center Ave.
Lake Zurich Farmers Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 200 S. Rand Rd.
St. Charles Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Baker Memorial Church
Schaumburg Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 190 S. Roselle Rd.

Saturday, June 15

Auburn Gresham Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1341 W. 79th St., Chicago
Aurora Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., 65 S. Water St.
Batavia Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., North River St. between Wilson and Spring Sts.
Brookfield Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 8820 Brookfield Ave.
Deerfield Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Park Ave. betw Jewett Park & Hazel
Division Street Market, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., 100 W. Division St., Chicago
Downers Grove Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Main St. Train Station Parking Lot
* Downtown Crystal Lake Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Depot Park
Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oak St. and University Pl.
* Glenview Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1510 Wagner Rd.
Green City Saturday Market Lincoln Park, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.,1817 N. Clark St., Chicago
Green City Saturday Market West Loop, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 115 S. Sangamon St., Chicago
Homewood Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Martin Square
Horner Park Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2741 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago
Huntley Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Town Square
Kankakee Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., S. Schuyler Ave. and Merchant St.
Mercado de Colores, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 4345 W. 26th St., Chicago
* Mundelein Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Park St. betw Lake and Seymour
Naperville Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., 200 E. 5th Ave.
Oak Park Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 460 Lake St.
Palatine Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Palatine Train Station
Park Forest Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m, 152 Main St.
Park Ridge Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 15 Prairie Ave.
* Plant Chicago Farmers Market, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 4430 S. Marshfield Ave., Chicago
61st Street Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 6100 S. Blackstone Ave., Chicago
South Chicago Farm Stand, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 9000 S. Mackinaw, Chicago
South Loop Farmers Market Printers Row, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m, 632 S. Dearborn, Chicago
Streator Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., S.W. Corner of Streator City Park
The Lincoln Park Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2001 N. Orchard St.
Tinley Park Farmers Market, 17375 S. Oak Park Ave., 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Winnetka Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 754 Elm St.
Woodstock Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Historic Woodstock Square

Sunday, June 16

* Buffalo Grove Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 951 McHenry Rd.
Frankfort Country Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Breidert Green
Glenwood Sunday Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Glenwood Ave. betw. Morse and Lunt, Chicago
Hyde Park Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1516 E. 54th St., Chicago
Logan Square Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kedzie from Logan to Fullerton, Chicago
Mount Prospect Lions Club Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., West Metra Station Parking Lot
North Park Community Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5510 N. Christiana Ave., Chicago
Portage Park Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4100 N. Long Ave., Chicago
95th Street Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1835 W. 95th St., Chicago
* Roscoe Village Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3035 N. Hoyne, Chicago
Skokie Farmers Market, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 5127 Oakton St.
The Dole Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 401 Country Club Rd., Crystal Lake
Wicker Park Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1425 N. Damen, Chicago

Monday, June 17

Edgewater Monday Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 5917 N. Broadway, Chicago
Hinsdale Farmers Market, 30 E. Chicago Ave., 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tuesday, June 18

Lincoln Square Tuesday Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., 4513 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Lombard Farmers Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., South Park Ave.
Low-Line Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 3410 N. Southport, Chicago
The Farmer at The Green, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 320 S. Canal St., Chicago
SOAR Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 226 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago
Woodstock Tuesday Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Historic Woodstock Square

Wednesday, June 19

Andersonville Farmers Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 1500 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago
Elmhurst Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., York Rd. and Valette
Garfield Ridge Farmers Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Archer & Naragansett,Chicago
Grayslake Farmers Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 201 Center St.
Green City Wednesday Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1817 N. Clark St., Chicago
* Hey, Neighbor! Farmer’s Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7000 S. Jeffrey Blvd., Chicago
* Northbrook Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cherry Lane & Meadow Rd.
Palos Heights Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 12217 S. Harlem
Ravenswood Community Farmers Market, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 4900 N. Damen, Chicago
Ravinia Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Jens Jensen Park, Highland Park
Riverside Farmers Market, 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Riverside Water Tower
Uptown Farmers Market, 2:30 to 7 p.m., Sunnyside Mall between Magnolia and Beacon

Thursday, June 20

Austin Town Hall Farmers Market, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., 5610 W. Lake St., Chicago
Barrington Farmers Market, 4 p.m. to dusk, Station St. betw. Grove and Cook
College of Lake County Grayslake Campus Farm Stand, 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., H Bldg. lawn
Daley Plaza Market, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 50 W. Washington, Chicago
Growing Home’s Englewood Farm Stand, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1844 W. 59th St., Chicago
La Grange Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 53 S. La Grange Rd.
Libertyville Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cook Park
Lincoln Square Thursday Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 4513 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
* South Chicago Farm Stand, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., 9000 S. Mackinaw, Chicago
South Loop Night Farmers Market, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 150 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago
 

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