Serious Eats
Market Scene: Apples in Chicago's Wicker Park
I skipped this week's Green City Market in Chicago in favor of the much closer, and much smaller, farmers' market in nearby Wicker Park. I was a little worried about the findings, and whether it would be as inexpensive as Green City can be. A few weeks ago I visited the Logan Square farmers' market and was disappointed in the number of stands, the insanely high prices, and the lack of much actual produce to buy.
But Wicker Park Farmers' Market was a much better stop. And according to the signs, it was time for apple season. Nichol's Farm, which also operates at Green City, had dozens of varieties--my only worry was what exactly to buy. I settled on a Cox's Orange Pippin, a red Gala, and a Macoun. They were all eaters, so the wife and I devoured the trio when we walked back up to our apartment in Bucktown.
But these peppers and eggplants also caught my eye, or perhaps it was the heavenly light that was cast upon them.
I also found these beautiful, if very expensive, squash blossoms. I need to move on.
I ran into more fruit at the Seedling Fruit stand--some of the first melons I'd seen all year.
There were still loads of tomatoes, and I bought a couple Brandywine tomatoes, which were put to good use in a BLT sandwich.
All in all, a great little local Farmers' Market. Surely not as massive as Green City Market, but still nice to have around on a beautiful Sunday morning.
In Season
Tomatoes
Eggplants
peppers
melons
corn
Apples
Coming Soon
Pumpkins
Squashes
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. He sells wine for a living and lives in Columbus, Ohio.