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Farmers Market Reporter Rambles: South Side to Southwest Suburbs
- Bob Benenson
- May 21
- 2 min read
Veteran Marketeer Ed Kugler Travels Far and Wide, Camera in Hand
When Ed Kugler is not busy managing the Ravinia Farmers Market in the north Chicago suburb of Highland Park, he dons his Farmers Market Reporter superhero identity to visit other markets around metro Chicago. Local Food Forum is happy to carry his photojournalism, as it fills a major gap: Much as I try to get to a lot of different markets over the outdoor season, my range is limited by the fact that Barb and I have not owned a car since 2018.
This past Saturday, Ed's adventures took him from the 61st Street Farmers Market in the heart of the city of Chicago to Batavia in the city's southwest suburbs.
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The 61st Street Farmers Market is located on Chicago's South Side in the Woodlawn neighborhood, just a couple of blocks south of neighboring Hyde Park and the University of Chicago campus. It is not only the largest farmers market on the South Side, but one of the region's most mission driven.
The market is run by Experimental Station, which is committed to building a better food system and combating food insecurity. It was one of the region's first farmers markets that accepted food assistance benefits for purchases, and it runs the Link Up Illinois program, which provides financing for farmers market programs that double the value of food assistance benefits.
Here's Ed doing his usie thing with Emily Cross, the 61st Street Farmers Market manager.
61st Street Farmers Market is located at 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. It is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through October 25.
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Ed then traveled outside the city limits to attend the season opener for the outdoor Batavia Farmers Market.
Batavia, located about 35 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, is a suburb that boomed from fewer than 6,000 residents in 1950 to more than 26,000 today. Known as a windmill and covered wagon manufacturing center in the 19th century, Batavia is now home to the U.S. headquarters of the German-owned ALDI supermarket chain; many of its residents work at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, located just outside the city limits.
Batavia's farmers market, which has both outdoor and indoor seasons, is well-respected; as you'll see in Ed's photos, some of the region's most popular farmers market vendors are represented, along with smaller and more local producers.
First, here's Ed with Batavia Farmers Market Manager Kathy Kuchta.
Batavia Farmers Market is open twice weekly through the outdoor season. The Saturday market, located on N. River Street between Wilson and Spring Streets, runs from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. through October 18. The Wednesday market, located on N. River Street between Wilson and State Streets, will be open 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. from June 4 through August 27.
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