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Green City Market in Lincoln Park is First of Four April Early Starters
We had a dose of springlike temperatures the past couple of days in Chicago. And this old man's thoughts turned to the start of the outdoor farmers market season... which is sooner than you may think.
Three Saturdays from now — on April 5 — Green City Market in Chicago's Lincoln Park kick-starts the season.
Three other early starters will get a jump on the crowd with April openings: Grayslake Farmers Market in Lake County on Saturday, April 12; The Lincoln Park Farmers Market (about 3/4 of a mile west of Green City Market) on Saturday, April 26; and Frankfort Country Market in Will County on Sunday, April 27.
There aren't a lot of new crops that early in the outdoor growing season, but you'll almost certainly see ramps, asparagus, green garlic and maybe a few other spring crops along with the remaining storage crops (such as winter squash and apples) and hothouse-grown greens.
Here is the list of April markets (please let me know if I've missed anyone). I'll be building out the schedule for the vast majority of markets that start in May or June.
Green City Market Lincoln Park, 1817 N. Clark St., Chicago
Dates: Saturdays beginning April 5
Times: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Grayslake Farmers Market, 201 Center St., Grayslake
Dates: Saturdays April 12 - May 31 [market shifts to Wednesdays in June]
Times: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Lincoln Park Farmers Market, 2001 N. Orchard St., Chicago
Dates: Saturdays beginning April 26
Times: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Frankfort Country Market, Breidert Green and 1 N. White St., Frankfort
Dates: Sundays beginning April 27
Times: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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