"You know it's October when the pumpkins outnumber the tomatoes." [Photographs: Nick Kindelsperger] I arrived at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park on a truly miserable morning. The infamous winds of Chicago were howling off the lake and biting me through my terribly thin hoodie. With my arms folded over, I made my way through the market, wishing I had worn a coat. The first person I talked to about vegetables just broke into laughter. She would have felt sorry for me, she explained, if I wasn't so irresponsible. How did it end so quickly? Though Green City Market runs all year-round, after October it retreats in to an indoor location. I don't blame them. Though they can still...
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Note: Meet Your Farmers is a weekly series where we profile the farmers that mean so much to serious eaters everywhere. This week we catch up with Joe Nicholson of Red Jacket Orchards, one of our favorite juice suppliers. [Photographs: Red Jacket Orchards] Previously Lisa and Ali Moussalli of Frog Bottom Farm, Virginia » Ron Binaghi of Stokes Farm, New Jersey » John Lee of Allandale Farm, Massachusetts » Name: Joe Nicholson Jr. Farm: Red Jacket Orchards How many acres? 600 acres Your crew: A seasonal crew of up to 75 people. That number is obviously highest during the harvest, starting in June. They are great people, hard-working, and really a community within the community of Geneva. There are a...
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Note: Meet Your Farmers is a weekly series where we profile the farmers that mean so much to serious eaters everywhere. This week we catch up with our pal Ron Binaghi. [Photographs: Erin Zimmer] Name: Ron Binaghi Farm: Stokes Farm How many acres? 17 Your crew: Four full-time and three part-time at the farm Hours: We work about 60 to 85 hours between Monday and Saturday, and rest on Sunday. What you grow: Tomatoes (nine kinds of heirloom), eggplant (eight kinds), peppers (mostly Hungarian yellow), Persian cukes, kirbies, zucchini (round zucchini, yellow long zucchini, and others), lettuce, asparagus, strawberries, onions, basil (five kinds), radish, cilantro, potato, and assorted herbs (five acres full)....
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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....
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It's been a couple weeks since I've attended a local farmers' market, which always unsettles me a bit. Even when I don't have much to buy, I enjoy checking out markets in the area because they help me remember where we are in the season and feel more connected to the time of year. After being away for several days, I stepped away from work for a few minutes to attend last Tuesday's Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market. Most of the customers at this market are business people from nearby offices picking up fruit and vegetables on their lunch hour. It's crowded, but doesn't have the crush of people attending the Saturday market. For the next week or two, San...
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Farmer's markets all over the place--at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco, in the Twin Cities, at the Greenmarket in New York City, and at Borough Market in London--are suffering from wintertime blues. Yeah, January's not the best time to be a locavore! But at the Ethicurean, Spanky Horowitz manages to have himself a good time at the market in Montreal anyway....
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