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Sparkling Summer Weekend for These Chicago Farmers Markets
- Bob Benenson
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
After a Lot of Crappy Summer Weather, A Gem
I lived in Washington, D.C. for 30 years, and experienced practically unrelenting heat and humidity from May to November in many of those years. Having traveled frequently to Chicago with my wife, a Chicago region native, and being a lifelong weather junkie, I was well aware even before we moved here in 2011 that almost every year, the summer's heat would be broken by a blast of refreshing Canadian air.
And here we are in late August 2026. We deserve a break after weeks of summer conditions that were too hot, too humid, too rainy and/or too smoky. And the dreams of farmers market fans across the region came true over this past weekend (August 22 and 23). These are the days that will remind us, during the inevitable cold winter to come, as why we live in Chicago.
It was so lovely Saturday morning that I did one of my doubleheaders in the city's Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Los Rodriguez Farm is an anchor vendor at The Lincoln Park Farmers Market, located on the grounds of Lincoln Park High School.
This multi-generation family farm in Eau Claire, Michigan has drawn a following at this and several other regional markets because they are prolific producers of many varieties of both vegetables and fruit. As the above photo shows, their peak season produce displays go on and on.
A closer look at the veggie end...
... and the fruit stands.
I also made a stop with my new friends at Lefty's Righteous Bagels. While their Montreal-style bagels are their trademark products, they also have these beautiful bialys, a flat Jewish-style roll with no hole and a filling. The traditional onion and poppy seed bialy is on the far right, but they also get a bit adventures with veggie, sausage and peach toppings.
I then sauntered the three-quarters of a mile east to Green City Market in the actual Lincoln Park. As you can see in the top photo, GCM continues to be a phenomenon, drawing huge crowds every Saturday. The biggest new-in-season news is the summer apples have arrived.
Also, a reminder that Green City Market's annual Chef BBQ is coming up on Thursday evening, September 10 (less than three weeks away). It is a spectacle, the biggest chef-driven outdoor tasting event in the Chicago region. It is an unmatched opportunity to sample creations by many of the city's best chefs and restaurants, all of which source ingredients for their recipes from our region's small farms.
And my market(s) haul (from left): veggie and peach bialys from Lefty's; an irresistible blueberry streusel doughnut from Daly's Donuts, located across the street from The Lincoln Park Farmers Market; and from Green City, dill pickles from Bushel & Peck (Beloit, Wisconsin); chicken wings and eggs from Finn's Ranch (Buchanan, Michigan); State Fair apples from Nichols Farm, Roma tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes from Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois); and cremini mushrooms from River Valley Ranch (Burlington, Wisconsin).
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