Market Scene: Summer Bounty in Logan Square Market, Chicago
I was honestly a tad underwhelmed with the Logan Square Farmers' Market last year. There were too many pre-made food vendors, and not enough whole vegetables for me to buy and take home. I went back this weekend to see if I had caught the market too late in the season last year, or just on an off week. And luckily, I had. The Logan Square market was bursting from its seams with fresh vegetables, mounds of lettuce, and interesting stalls. It was a glorious Sunday.
My first stop was at Videnovich Farms from Bridgman, Michigan. The nice woman I met there was snacking on her on leaves as we went up, saying, "They are so sweet, I just can't help myself." There were loads of beautiful radishes and even a bowl of garlic scapes.
I was sold on the broccoli rabe.
The Lyon's Fruit Farm from South Haven, Michigan, had a huge table lined with strawberries.
I get really agitated with many of the cheeses that are passed off at farmers' markets. Much of the selection is just bland and uninteresting. But Provence Food and Wine Shop in Logan Square uses the market as a platform to showcase the Upper Midwest's incredible cheeses. I was particularly smitten with the Buttermilk Blue, a raw blue from Wisconsin. This is real cheese.
Meat from these markets can get expensive quickly, so I tend to gravitate towards neglected cuts that I can still get for a bargain. I picked up some lamb shanks from Mint Creek Farm from Stelle, Illinois, which I'm using in this Moroccan braise recipe I found on Saveur. The farm has a a very interesting About Us page—fascinating, if you are curious about where your meat comes from.
In Season
Lettuce
Kale
Swiss Chard
Scallions
Bok Choy
Strawberries
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
4 Comments:
All of the produce I've gotten from my CSA with Tempel Farms so far has been beautiful. This week we got collards, kohlrabi, turnips, arugula, and lettuces.
And the first weekend it opened, I bought pork steaks from Jake's Country Meats, as well as kielbasa. Both were fantastic.
Very much missing Farmer Rob this year, though.
anysuchname at 2:29PM on 06/22/09
It drives me crazy how our farmers' markets are so expensive. I used to shop there all the time and just can't afford it any more. $3/pint of strawberries? I just paid $3 for 2 POUNDS at Stanleys. It's such a shame, because I really want to support the local farms, but just can't.
happyscrappy at 5:12PM on 06/22/09
@happyscrappy - i know what you're saying but at the same time these farmers can't afford to compete with agri-business. the 2 lbs you bought from stanley's - are they as fresh and nice as you would have gotten at the market? the truth is that farmer's and other food crafters have to make a living. not get rich, mind you. we're so spoiled by cheap food in this country. and it's tempting to spend less on lesser quality and ultimately everyone shops their purse.....
it's very unfortunate that good quality food IS so expensive in this country... it's terrible that we don't have access to unadulterated, fresh food.
at the same time, local, fress strawberries are indeed precious bites that should be savored..... it's a personal choice, i guess.
pooch at 5:35PM on 06/22/09
My favorite find at the Logan Square Market this weekend was asparagus for $2. That beats Stanley's prices for most weeks! I definitely buy much more at Stanley's than the farmers' markets, due to budget constraints. It is nice to shop the markets occasionally, though.
July at 9:30PM on 06/22/09