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Eater
4 days ago
- General
- Eater
The Chefs' Guide to Chicago's Farmers Markets
It's springtime in Chicago. Not only have we survived the cold, but farmers market season is in full swing. Many neighborhoods have weekday and weekend markets highlighting the work of independent farmers and culinary artisans, whose vegetable, meat, dairy, and seafood quality can outstrip what you can find at a big grocery store. The difference is partly seasonality. If it's not in season, small farms aren't going to force it; there's no need for winter tomatoes in Chicago. The farmers market is a visual education for urbanites into what the seasons look like and the food each season yields. Ramp and chive blossom season in early spring brings opportunities for cooking pastas and light soups with bright alliums, tomato season in summer is best enjoyed with thick slices of heirlooms and flaky salt. Sweet cherries are eaten whole in summer's hottest peak; the spit-out pits should always be composted or replanted, of course. The frantic dog days of summer bring us the gifts of okra: fried, stewed, sauteed with South Asian spices. And fall, when the chill begins to set in, brings the luxury of figs and pomegranate with baked desserts, along with the heartiness of root vegetables and hardy greens like kale, collards, and mustard greens. The temporality of farmers markets is what makes them so beloved by the city's best chefs, who frequent them — and sometimes have stalls there, like Daisies and Verzenay — to find superior products for their customers. Quality comes at a higher price than convenience, but farmers markets are also working on making themselves more accessible and convenient; many, including Green City Market in Lincoln Park, take SNAP/Link cards and triple-match credit so customers can stretch their dollar, and some farms have delivery services if rolling out of bed at 7 a.m. on a Saturday isn't your jam. Markets in the South Side, like 61st Street Market, the El Paseo Community Market, Hyde Park Farmers Market, and Plant Chicago's Mercado De Intercambio are also expanding access to fresh, quality produce to under-served communities. We spoke to chefs around Chicago about their most beloved farmers market items and what they cook with them, and farmers whose work they love: Mick Klüg, Nichols Farm, and Froggy Meadows are classics, while Oriana's (Asian pears, pawpaws, and quince), Joe's Blues (blueberries), and Seedling are known for more specialty items. Latinx-owned Los Rodriguez Farms, Black-owned Growing Home, and Willowbrook Farms are also opportunities to support farmers of color, who are underrepresented. Lamar Moore of Etc. Farmers Market Move: Apples from Growing Home Right now, I'm looking for apples. I love apples in the fall. I used to grow up just eating apples. My grandmother was selling them all the time. In Illinois, we're so close to Michigan, so you get a lot of those farmers that are bringing up those amazing apples, from Pink Lady apples down to the Fujis. We have duck ravioli on the menu, and I do pickled apples on there and apple sorrel ... It gives the ravioli this citrus flavor. I'll make apple compote for our biscuits too. Obviously, Green City has everything. But I try to stick close to South Loop Market because I do find a lot of Black-owned farms that are coming through that way. And 61st Street Market is another good one for that. Justin Lerias of Del Sur Farmers Market Move: Baby corn from Nichols Farm Every summer, Nichols has these tiny little baby corns that I just love to use and bake. It's so soft and you can just eat it with the cob. I think it's more subtle than regular corn, and it's the perfect canvas. Baby corn is so easy to saute and grill to make something exciting. Nichols has lots of miniature versions of vegetables so they have like a baby vegetable art show. I also love their baby eggplants and baby artichokes. Ryan Fakih of Beity Farmers Market Move: Ramps and garlic from Mick Klüg and Froggy Meadows Farm, blueberries and fresh blueberry juice from Joe's Blues I'm excited to start seeing the different colors come out. I'm excited to see life come back from winter to summer. Especially with Lebanese and Arab cuisine, it relies heavily on summer-y produce. That can get difficult because how do you make muhammara, a red pepper dish, if you want it outside of pepper season? Right now, ramps are almost over, but I've been enjoying them. I get mine from Mick Klüg and Four Star Mushroom. I'm excited for anything that comes out of Froggy Meadows; any mushrooms or shallots that Jerry gets, I love. I love Joe's Blues. They're a blueberry farm and they have freshly squeezed blueberry juice. Every visit, I get one. Before I even start the whole walk around the market, I go straight there and get a juice. It shoots up through your blood and wakes you up for the whole trip. For me, the most important part of the farmers market is making sure you're fermenting and pickling the ingredients so it lasts you throughout the year. In Lebanon, we call it mouneh, this fermenting and pickling of items for the winter so you make it through the winter. It's a means of survival and a way that we cherish our plants. In my world, it's beautiful to carry on that history. It's also very sustainable; you're saving food instead of buying more than you can cook and throwing it away. And if you buy garlic from the market, you can plop the bulbs in the soil to grow your own. If you have a garden, you better be gardening. Even when I was living in France and I was in my studio, I'd still grow a bunch of things out of windows and share them with everyone. When we know how to make things for ourselves and share it with others. I think it's a beautiful thing. Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya Antojeria Farmers Market Move: Melons from Geneva Lakes Produce We get ours from Geneva Lakes Produce — a lovely, hardworking family at Logan Square Farmers Market. We hosted them during the pandemic on our patio. And Los Rodriguez Farm is another lovely family. I also love Seedling and Nichols Farm at Green City. I put onions in everything, so I'd say I'm excited about the allium family. Chiles are also my favorites to get at the farmers market. But I think one of the special things that the Midwest has that doesn't get enough attention is melons. It's one of the only tropical-ish flavors that you can really have here. And I always get them all, but especially rare varietals. Pharaohs in Egypt loved melons, you know? They have pictures of melons, and I think that's so cool. I love watching people's faces when they have actual melons that are grown by small farmers because so much of the fruit that people get at the store is just complete bastards, you know what I mean? Like, some people didn't even know that melons are supposed to have seeds because they make these seedless melons for mass consumption, and that makes other melons have less and less seeds in general. I also buy heritage chicken from farmers markets because I can't stand bullshit chicken, where they rob them of the molecular part of their ingredients with all these chemicals and unnatural practices. But back to melons, once you take them home, you can make agua fresca. It's such a cultural thing for us back in Mexico, making a beautiful, fresh fruit water. You don't need to add sweetener, but you can. I don't really like regular sugar because it's not the best for you. You could use agave or honey. You could use sorghum, you could use beet sugar, you could use maple syrup if you want. The real stuff. And melon is also really good for ceviches. It has all this beautiful water content that lends itself really well to aguachiles. And whatever you get from the market, try pickling it. Erick Williams of Virtue Farmers Market Move: Sorrel, torpedo onions, and root vegetables from Nichols Farm, the South Shore Market, and Bronzeville Boxville Market I love sourcing from Nichols Farm. They consistently offer a wide variety of high-quality, seasonal produce. I also keep an eye out for small-batch growers at the South Shore Market and the Bronzeville Boxville Market, where you often find gems that reflect the flavor and soul of the South Side. Supporting South Side farmers markets is about equity and community investment. These markets not only bring fresh, nutritious food to neighborhoods that need it, but they also support local growers and food entrepreneurs who often don't have the same access to visibility or resources. The produce is just as beautiful, the stories behind the vendors are powerful, and the impact is deeper when we circulate our dollars locally. We need to uplift all of Chicago, not just the parts that already get attention. What I'm excited about … sorrel has this beautiful, bright citrusy flavor — try blending it into a pesto with sunflower seeds and olive oil, or stir it into scrambled eggs or warm grains like farro or couscous to bring some acidity and freshness. With torpedo onions, I love grilling them whole until tender, then drizzling with olive oil and vinegar for a simple side. They also make a fantastic onion jam when slow-cooked — a great addition to burgers, sandwiches, or even a roasted veggie plate. Beets, turnips, and rutabagas are staples for us. Beets can be roasted with a bit of honey and thyme, or shaved raw into salads for texture. Turnips, especially the small Hakurei variety, can be sautéed with garlic and finished with lemon zest. And rutabagas are underrated; mash them like potatoes with butter and herbs, or cut them into wedges and roast until crisp. They're hearty and grounding, perfect for both comfort food and creative dishes. Paul Virant of Gaijin , Vistro Prime , and Petite Vie Farmers Market Move: Endive from Nichols Farm and Mick Klüg For me, it's pretty easy. I'm always most excited about the things you can't get at the grocery store. In the springtime, it's ramps and other spring alliums that are hard to find in the store. As you move into the summertime, it's really hard to find really good fruit in the grocery store. And the fruit that we do see comes from pretty far away, but there's a cost to that. Strawberries are picked under-ripe, and they turn red on their travels out to Chicago. I also love shelling beans, like cranberry beans, lima beans, or fresh black-eyed peas. Even regular kinds of lettuce, arugula, spinach — all that stuff is just more beautiful at the farmers market. If you're buying heartier greens in the fall from some of the local farmers, like spinach or kale, because they can handle the colder weather, that's the stuff that's been nipped by a frost, so it gets better and gets sweeter. Some of those greens, they've kept them in the ground, and they get sweeter as the nights get colder. Then they have interesting greens, like all the radicchios and the endives, the treviso — the bitter greens. Surprisingly, they have a kind of sweetness to them as well, so they're nice raw in a salad. I also like endives quickly charred in a hot pan, maybe with some garlic. I like them slowly braised in the oven with some orange halves and zest, maybe a little wine. If you have dandelion greens or kale, I like doing a conserva-style where you're slowly cooking them with garlic and anchovies in olive oil, maybe some chile flakes, and then finish them with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. And they'll keep longer because of all the oil. And at Gaijin, we do a lot of Japanese-inspired pickles, and one is like a quick kind of ferment of mustard greens or chrysanthemum greens. The farms that have been pretty consistent in my world would be the Nichols Farm, Mick Klüg Farm, Ellis Family Farms, Iron Creek Farm, and there are a lot of others too. I like River Valley Ranch's mushrooms, Finn's Ranch for meat and eggs (they have duck eggs too). I love Jake's Country Meats. When they're at the market, I make sure to bring my Yeti strap cooler and buy a whole chicken, get some pork, good stuff I can make at home. Oliver Poilevey of Mariscos San Pedro , Le Bouchon , Obelix , and Taqueria Chingon Farmers Market Move: Summer tomatoes from Froggy Meadows I'm most excited for the summer tomatoes. I'll put them on everything. The really good ones are only here for a little while, and I don't really use the other ones that much. Nothing ruins a February sandwich more than a hard tomato. My friend Jerry at Green City Farmers Market in Lincoln Park, from Froggy Meadows, he's the tomato whisperer. Put tomatoes in everything you can think of, but definitely salads. And make sauces and salsas with them. You can also just slice them and eat them with salt and pepper. Leigh Omilinsky of Daisies Farmers Market Move: Strawberries, sweet black cherries, and sugar cube melons from Mick Klüg Farms, Quince from Oriana Orchard and Nursery We wait six months or however long for strawberries. Those are always the best. They're always the highlight for me. Because I have my strawberry items planned in my head in March, when I'm actually ready for them. But we don't get them until the first week of June. We get the majority of our fruit from Mick Klüg. I love them. I've worked with them for more than 15 years. I watched Abby's kids grow up. So it's cool to go and see how they've expanded. But I always look forward to the first strawberries. Then everything happens in rapid succession. All of a sudden, everything is here, at least fruit-wise. Sweet cherries are always fun for me because the season can be like two weeks. And then it's done, so I need to find something that really showcases them. Those sweet black cherries are so fleeting. And black raspberries, too, are so fleeting. I used to know in the city where there are some secret spots where you can pick them. I think generally speaking, with produce that is so special, we know our farmers, we know where they come from, we know what it takes to get there. The less we muck it up, the better. So we are jamming and preserving, and pickling all summer. Then, always like in August, the sugar cube melons I love. The little teeny yellow cantaloupe-looking ones. Those are great. I always make a sous vide out of those because, like it's two ingredients and that's it. And that's just perfect as is. Later into fall, I always want to do something with quince from Oriana. Bring a bag. Take your time. Talk to your farmers. These are the people that put everything they have into this. And for the most part, I can't think of a single one that's not willing to answer any questions. Ask them what's coming up next. Ask them what they're excited about. Ask them what they would do with it. They want to educate you. They want to have you enjoy their product as well. Jenner Tomaska of Esme and The Alston Farmers Market Move: Medlar and a strawberry smoothie from Seedling Fruit Peter from Seedling Fruit is amazing. He's been a long-time supporter of me, and he's an avid diner; he really stays in touch with the chef community. He's able to curate and plan for the following year if there's something special or unique you want to do. His stand at Green City Market also makes smoothies; my favorite is strawberry when they're in season. Right now, I'm looking forward to rhubarb. It's such a small season and small window, so we usually bulk up on it. But he also does medlar, which is just kind of an out-of-the-norm fruit that people don't really buy because it's kind of a pain in the ass to process. Medlar is a small brown fruit, like three times the size of a blueberry. It's dark in complexion, and when you press the innards out of it, it almost tastes already cooked and caramelized. It's almost like a roasted apple pawpaw flavor. It does have some of the slightest astringency to it. You can turn it into ice cream, adding it to a vinaigrette or dressing to make it slightly more savory. Esme is like a block away from Green City in Lincoln Park, so I usually go with my kid, and he goes up to Seedling Fruit, and he'll eat a flat of blackberries in like 30 seconds. Arshiya Farheen of Verzenay Farmers Market Move: Strawberries, gold and black raspberries, and Jupiter grapes from Mick Klüg and Ellis Family Farms, pawpaws from Oriana's Our booth is very close to Nichols Farm, and soon as the ramps get done, you start getting garlic scapes, which is very fun. They have different varieties of allium that you can never see in a grocery store. But we are a bakery and I really believe that strawberries from the Midwest, especially Michigan, are the best in the entire country. If you try Mick Klüg farms or Ellis Family Farms or any other farm from Michigan, their strawberries are a whole different level. It's red through and through, it tastes amazing. They're the closest I have seen to the gariguettes, these tiny French strawberries that grow around spring. The strong flavor profile that a strawberry should have, unfortunately, gets lost in other conventional farming. I also love getting the apples, the peaches, and the pawpaws from Oriana's. Jupiter grapes from Mick Klüg, they're a good alternative to Concord grapes, but they have a deep muscat flavor, and I love to make open-faced tarts with them. Ireland tomatoes from Nichols and sungold tomatoes from Jerry [Boone at Froggy Meadow]. Black raspberries and gold raspberries from Ellis; they are really fragile, so you have to get them right when they bring it out and eat them soon. Oriana's pawpaws and the Asian pears she has are so good. I didn't know what a pawpaw was 10 years ago before we started going to the market. They remind me of some of the fruits back in India; they have a custardy flavor profile, and you don't have to do anything but scoop it out and eat it with a spoon. You can also do something savory with strawberries if you want to try something new. Get the green strawberries and pickle them. These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. Sign up for our newsletter.
CBS News
25-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Chicago farmers market 2025 schedule, hours, locations
Chicago farmers markets are starting to open, with the vast majority set to start in May, bringing farm-fresh produce to communities across the city. Most Chicago farmer's markets accept Illinois SNAP benefits through the Link card. Markets that accept Link payments are noted below. Here is where and when to find a farmer's market near you. Monday Markets Edgewater Monday Market Broadway Armory Parking Lot 5917 N. Broadway June 2 – Sept. 29, 3 to 7 p.m. This market accepts Link Tuesday Markets Lincoln Square Farmer's Market 4513 N. Lincoln Ave. May 6 – Oct. 28, 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. This market accepts Link Pru Farmer's Market 130 E. Randolph Street May 13 – Oct. 28, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. The Farmer at The Green 434 W. Van Buren Street May 20 – Sept. 23, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Low-Line Market 3400 N. Southport Ave. June 3 – Oct. 7, 3-7 p.m. This market accepts Link Wednesday Markets Green City Market – Lincoln Park 1818 N. Clark Street May 7 – Oct. 29, 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. This market accepts Link Uptown Farmer's Market Sunnyside Mall, 1257-1320 W. Sunnyside Ave. May 7 – Nov. 5, 2:30 – 7 p.m. This market accepts Link Andersonville Farmer's Market 1500 W. Winona Ave. May 14 – Oct. 22, 3-7 p.m. This market accepts Link Ravenswood Community Farmer's Market 4900 N. Damen Ave. May 14 – Oct. 14, 4 – 8 p.m. Pullman Farmer's Market 11100 S. Cottage Grove Ave. July 9 – Oct. 29, 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. This market accepts Link Thursday Markets Lincoln Square Farmer's Market 4513 N. Lincoln Ave. May 1 - Oct. 30, 3-7 p.m. No market on May 29 or Sept. 4 This market accepts Link Growing Home Farmstand 1844 W. 59th Street May 15 – Oct. 30, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. This market accepts Link Daley Plaza Farmer's Market 50 W. Washington St. May 22 – Oct. 23, 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. No market on June 19 This market accepts Link Austin Town Hall Farmer's Market 5610 W. Lake St. June 5 – Oct. 30, 1-6 p.m. This market accepts Link Saturday Markets Green City Market – Lincoln Park 1817 N. Clark St. April 5 – Nov. 22, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. This market accepts Link The Lincoln Park Farmer's Market 724 W. Armitage Ave. April 26 – Nov. 22, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. Green City Market – West Loop 900 W. Monroe St. May 3 – Nov. 22, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. This market accepts Link UChicago Farmers Market 1100 E. 58th St. May 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. 61st St. Farmers Market 1400 E. 61st St. May 17-October 25, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. This market accepts Link Division Street Farmer's Market 30 W. Division St. May 17 – Oct. 25, 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. This market accepts Link Hegewisch Farmers Market 13323 S. Green Bay Ave. May 10 – Oct. 11, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. No market on Aug. 2 This market accepts Link North Park Community Market 4410 N. Christiana Ave. May 18, June 15, July 20, Aug. 17, Sept. 21, Oct. 19, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This market accepts Link Eckhart Park Farmers Market 1330 W. Chicago Ave June 7 – August 3, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. This market accepts Link Horner Park Farmers Market 2741 W. Montrose Ave. June 7 – Oct. 25, 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. Northcenter Farmers Market 4100 N. Damen Ave. June 21 – Oct. 25, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. No market Aug. 2 This market accepts Link North Branch Farmers Market 6525 N. Hiawatha Ave. July 5 – Sept. 27, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sunday Markets 95th Street Farmers Market 1835 W. 95th St. May 4 – Oct. 26, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Wicker Park Farmers Market 1425 N. Damen Ave. May 4 – Oct. 26, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. This market accepts Link El Paseo Market 944 W. 21st Street May 5 – Oct. 5, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Garfield Park Neighborhood Market 135 N. Kedzie Ave Second and Fourth Sundays May 10 – Oct. 25, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Logan Square Farmer's Market 2400 N. Kedzie Blvd. May 11 – Oct. 26, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. This market accepts Link Glenwood Sunday Market 6960 N. Glenwood Ave. June 1 – Oct. 26, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. No market June 29 and Aug. 17 This market accepts Link
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Outdoors column: Ramps have risen, spring beauties are blooming
Once there's even a hint of spring in the air, such as longer days with more sunshine or the plaintive song of the black-capped chickadee, it's time to look for ephemeral wildflowers. In fact, by now in mid-April, if you haven't been out, you've already missed out on seeing some of the early bird ephemerals in full bloom. Spring ephemerals refer to plants that bloom before the leaves emerge from trees and hide the sunlight from the ground. A recent walk at a local forest preserve seemed devoid of ephemerals until we looked closer to discover blooming spring beauties, as well as a carpet of green leaves called ramps. We also found the last of the blooming skunk cabbage tucked in a swampy woods. Ramps, sometimes called wild garlic or spring onions, have two, flat, broad green leaves about 10 inches tall, beneath which are white stalks fastened to small light-colored bulbs under the soil. The odd name for this plant comes from an English onion-like plant called the ransom. Ramps growing in the wild in Europe and those growing wild in the United States are not the same species. But they are in the genus Allium, which includes many odiferous species including onions, leeks and garlic. Kneeling down next to some ramps, I noted a faint garlic smell. It was an odor noticed by Native Americans centuries ago. The city of Chicago was named after a large grouping of ramps seen growing near Lake Michigan in the 17th century. The plant was called chicagou by Native Americans. Ramps are among the first groupings of greenery I notice in early spring in the woods, but they don't flower until June, when they appear as snowball-like flower clusters resting upon a leafless stalk. Ramps are edible, but they cannot be picked at a forest preserve, and in fact they are endangered in Canada due to over-harvesting. Ramps are sometimes available at local markets that open early in the season, for example the Green City Market in Chicago. Occasionally in and among the ramps, we noticed low-lying, delicate, grass-like leaves and small whitish flowers with five white petals painted with dark pink veins. These were spring beauties reaching fewer than 12 inches above ground when flowering. They were nestled in fallen, dead oak leaves. This welcome addition to the forest floor in April grows from an underground tuber or corm, which looks like a very small potato. Native Americans gathered the tubers, cooked and ate them. Look closely at the spring beauties and you might see tiny bees seeking nectar and inadvertently transferring pollen to help the species thrive. A bee called a spring beauty miner specializes in pollinating this delicate bloom. The miner bee lives alone, nesting in the ground. Once the spring beauties stop blooming, sometime in May, the bee's life cycle is complete and it can no longer be found in the wild until next spring. This connection is an example of how native bees evolved with native plants, and if you want to see the plant being visited by bees, now is the time to look. Closer examination of the forest floor also produced looks at the tiny blooms of bloodroot as well as the emerging leaves of ephemerals soon to bloom, including trout lily. It's getting almost too late to see the flowers of the very early blooming skunk cabbage. They're not showy and they're difficult to see, but I was determined to find them this year. This early bloomer starts out as a thick, rubber-like 4-6-inch tall spathe of varying colors such as yellow, red and green. Inside the spathe is a 2-inch-long spadix upon which miniature button-like yellow flowers reside. After blooming, the spathe deteriorates leaving behind cabbage-like leaves that grow all summer. We found some small leaves that day, and then a spathe in which flowers were blooming. Like ramps, skunk cabbage emits an odor, although this one is much more foul-smelling to attract insects. Skunk cabbage can produce its own heat even with the ground is still frozen so that the flowers will bloom. As spring progresses, we will be seeking large stands of blooming trillium, wild geranium and Jack-in-the-pulpit. Watching the earlier ephemerals foreshadows more beauty to unfold in the next several weeks. Sheryl DeVore has worked as a full-time and freelance reporter, editor and photographer for the Chicago Tribune and its subsidiaries. She's the author of several books on nature and the environment. Send story ideas and thoughts to sheryldevorewriter@
