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Had to Get Up Very Early To Beat The Heat to the Farmers Market
- Bob Benenson
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Getting to Chicago's SOAR Market at 7 Provided a Friendly Surprise
I had already planned to get to downtown Chicago's SOAR Farmers Market by 7 a.m. on Tuesday (June 30) to give a tour to Joan McGloin, my Naturally Chicago colleague. The heat wave conditions that have settled over the city this week would have made an early dash imperative anyway.
But my market kickstart resulted in some serendipity: I had a rare opportunity for a conversation with two of my longtime favorite people in the local food community (both of whom have received multiple mentions in Local Food Forum).
The two friends in the above photo are:
Steve Freeman, also known as Steve the Market Guy, who manages several of the market stands for Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois), the region's biggest diversified produce farm. Steve has become a recognized figure because of his friendly, helpful approach (and his eye for designing colorful produce displays).
Tracey Vowell of Three Sisters Garden (Kankakee, Illinois), one of the few region farms that sells only through home delivery of online orders. In her earlier career, she was the executive chef who shepherded Chef Rick Bayless' pioneering efforts to revive sourcing from local farmers. This helped prompt Tracey to become a farmer herself, and she was a longtime fixture at Chicago's Green City Market until COVID prompted what became a permanent switch to e-commerce sales.
Both have been at it for more than 20 years, starting before the consumer market for fresh, healthy, sustainably produced local food was as robust as it has become. It was great to see them together.
I'm always on the lookout this time of year for first-in-season crop arrivals. Tuesday's visit featured the first tart cherries of the summer at the stand of Ellis Family Farms (Benton Harbor, Michigan)...
... and the first new potatoes (or should I call them new new potatoes) at the Nichols stand.
The Ellis stand still had spring favorites asparagus and strawberries, which have had very long (and delicious) seasons. But not for much longer, as the oppressive heat that has hit the area almost certainly means curtains for these early-season crops.
My market haul, from right: three-year-old Hook's Cheddar (Mineral Point, Wisconsin) purchased from Stamper Cheese (Chicago); blueberries, sweet cherries and plums from Ellis; and zucchini, hothouse heirloom tomatoes, English shelling peas, zucchini and fresh shallots from Nichols (maybe the only farm in the region that sells fresh shallots and garlic at farmers markets).
Bonus photo: SOAR Market is located just one long block away from the venerable Water Tower, one of the few buildings in downtown that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.