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Next-to-Last Just Roots Visit Shows Signs The End (of Season) Is Near
- Bob Benenson
- Oct 12
- 2 min read
Still Lots of Beautiful Food, But Some Empty Rows
The photo above is a sign of the times, the times being nearly midway through October, as the Chicago region outdoor growing season has started to wane.
Taken during my next-to-last bi-weekly visit to pick up my CSA produce subscription at Just Roots urban farm, it shows a still-flourishing section of Swiss chard... next to an empty row.
Elsewhere on the half-acre farm in South Side Chicago's Bronzeville neigborhood, another empty row.
And dried-up stalks serve as a memory of the farm's small corn planting.
The season isn't quite over yet, though. There are still a number of green tomatoes waiting to ripen...
And the pickup table for CSA pickups (which also is used for the Saturday farm market) was full of beautiful goodies.
My haul included (from left) green beans, mint, scallions, Swiss chard, apples (from Mick Klug Farm of St. Joseph, Michigan), red bell peppers and mini sweet peppers, zucchini, lotsa lettuce and kale.
These visits to Just Roots' farm to document the progression of the growing season. CTA Green Line trains passing overhead every few minutes and high-rise apartment buildings just a couple of blocks away serve as reminders that this is very much an urban farm. But even this late in the season, it is easy to immerse yourself in the beauty of the plant life.
You have an opportunity to check it out for yourself and get to better know Just Roots — a non-profit that serves its surrounding community by providing greater access to healthy and sustainably produced food — by attending their 2025 Harvest Fest on Saturday, October 25 starting at 3:30 p.m.
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