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We had business in the Loop, so we dropped by the Daley Plaza Market opening
Who Cares What It Is? Best Market Art Ever
Barb and I had an errand to run in the Loop, so we timed it so we could drop in on the season opener of the venerable Daley Plaza Market and visit our very tall old friend. The towering metal sculpture looming over the plaza was created by famed artist Pablo Picasso and unveiled with great fanfare in 1967.
It was not uncontroversial then, facing questions like, “What is this thing supposed to be, and does it belong in the middle of Chicago’s civic center?” And it still raises some questions today like, “We still don’t know what the heck this is supposed to be!” Nonetheless, it is a beloved landmark for many locals and visitors, and I’d venture that there are few if any farmers markets anywhere that share space with such a globally significant art installation.
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We didn’t need to buy much — I just visited Green City Market on Wednesday — so just did a quick stroll to check what’s it. As you can see, the heirloom hothouse tomatoes at the stand of Nichols Farm & Orchard (Marengo, Illinois) are coming in heavy (and big).
Herbs are a specialty for Smits Farms (Chicago Heights, Illinois), and their red checkerboard table cloths are getting filled up with these tasty and healthful flavor enhancers.
My friends at Chicago-based Daly’s Donuts produce baked treats that are both delicious and lighter than your average doughnut. And they are really spreading their wings. After starting out on a pilot basis at The Lincoln Park Farmers Market late in the 2023 outdoor season, they are now selling their better-for-you doughnuts there and at several other Chicago markets; I’ve already run into them at three.
Working at the Daley Plaza Market table is Alejandra Peña, who spent years perfecting her recipe and still does almost all of the baking herself. She and fiancé Conor Daly founded and own the company together.
Please note that the city-owned farmers market network, of which Daley Plaza is the flagship, has tweaked its name. Long known as Chicago City Markets, they are now branded as Chicago Farmers Markets.
The small market haul: thyme and dill from Smits Farm; trail mix and strawberries from Stover’s Farm (Berrien Springs, Michigan ); tomatoes from Nichols; and doughnuts (one already spoken for) from Daly’s.
Hmmm… Daly’s Donuts at Daley Plaza. Nice symmetry.
The regional farmers market schedule for the next week is below, after this important message.
Co-host Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe and I invite you to join our conversation with leading experts at our next Local Food Forum “Better” Dialogues webinar, Can Sustainable Seafood Catch Up?
Millions of consumers and advocates for a better food system are demanding greater availability of sustainably caught fish and other aquatic life. It is common today to find ocean fish, freshwater fish and shellfish bearing sustainability certifications and descriptors such as "wild caught" and "line caught."
But the efforts to greatly expand sustainable practices aren’t quite going swimmingly. Most fish that people eat is not produced sustainably, and mass fishing practices create risks to ecologic balance and even the survival of species. What can we, as concerned individuals, advocates, chefs and consumers do to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices?
Our webinar on the topic will be presented on Zoom on Monday, June 3 at 7 p.m. central time.
We will engage in conversation with two leaders who preach and practice sustainability in our world's waterways. Both of the guest experts have been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, which will hold its annual awards ceremony in Chicago on June 10.
CHEF HAJIME SATO's Sozai restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Clawson is a little off the beaten path, but his reputation as a founder of the sustainable sushi category has led the James Beard Foundation to his door. A nominee for the nation's Outstanding Chef in 2023, he is up this year for Best Chef: Great Lakes.
Hajime’s sense of adventure led him to leave Japan for a year as an exchange student in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He later relocated to Seattle, Washington where he opened his award-winning restaurant Mashiko in 1994. In 2009, Hajime became one of the first sushi chefs to commit to using only sustainable seafood. When Hajime decided in 2019 to move to Michigan, where he opened Sozai, several of his former employees took over the Seattle restaurant. He is excited to share his experience and passion for sustainable seafood at Sozai.
NIAZ DORRY has devoted the past 30 years of her life to elevating public consciousness about the need to protect the world's environmentally challenged fisheries. The coordinating director of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance since 2008, Niaz previous served with the Greenpeace organization's Fisheries and Oceans Campaign. In addition, Niaz is executive director of the National Family Farm Coalition.
Niaz will be recognized for this work when she receives the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for Policy Advocacy in June. According to the Foundation, Niaz "has played a pivotal role in steering federal legislation towards recognizing and supporting small-scale, traditional, and Indigenous fishing communities." It adds, "Her efforts to raise awareness about the critical role of small-scale, values-based fisheries in mitigating climate change and advancing gender and racial equity have inspired more sustainable practices within the restaurant industry."
Please join us for what is sure to be an engaging and enlightening discussion on this important topic. There will be a Q&A section, so bring your questions!
The co-hosts thank their supporters from Mariano's, Chicago Chefs Cook, Chicago Market —A Community Co-op, Community Food Navigator, Landmark Pest Management and Prairie Grass Cafe.
Regional Outdoor Farmers Market Schedule
The weekly farmers market schedule continues to grow. As you can see from the asterisks marking the season openers, there are six markets opening in the region this week.
Here’s your roadmap to supporting your local farmers!
* denotes that it is the market’s season opening day.
Saturday, May 25
* Auburn Gresham Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1341 W. 79th St., Chicago
Batavia Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., North River St. between Wilson and Spring Sts.
Division Street Market, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., 100 W. Division St., Chicago
Downers Grove Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Main St. Train Station Parking Lot
Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oak St. and University Pl.
Grayslake Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 201 Center St.
Green City Saturday Market Lincoln Park, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.,1817 N. Clark St., Chicago
Green City Saturday Market West Loop, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 115 S. Sangamon St., Chicago
* Homewood Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Martin Square
* Huntley Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Town Square
Kankakee Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., S. Schuyler Ave. and Merchant St.
Oak Park Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 460 Lake St.
Palatine Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Palatine Train Station
Park Forest Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m, 152 Main St.
* Park Ridge Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 15 Prairie Ave.
61st Street Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 6100 S. Blackstone Ave., Chicago
South Loop Farmers Market Printers Row, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m, 632 S. Dearborn, Chicago
The Lincoln Park Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2001 N. Orchard St.
Woodstock Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Historic Woodstock Square
Sunday, May 26
Frankfort Country Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Breidert Green
Logan Square Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kedzie from Logan to Fullerton, Chicago**
95th Street Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1835 W. 95th St., Chicago
* The Dole Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 401 Country Club Rd., Crystal Lake
Wicker Park Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1425 N. Damen, Chicago
** Note: New location for this year due to construction on Logan Square
Tuesday, May 28
Lincoln Square Tuesday Farmers Market, 4513 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago***
Lombard Farmers Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., South Park Ave.
The Farmer at The Green, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 320 S. Canal St., Chicago
Woodstock Tuesday Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Historic Woodstock Square
*** Note: New location for this year due to construction at Western Brown Line station
Wednesday, May 29
Andersonville Farmers Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 1500 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago
Green City Wednesday Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.,1817 N. Clark St., Chicago
Palos Heights Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 12217 S. Harlem
Ravenswood Community Farmers Market, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 4900 N. Damen, Chicago
Uptown Farmers Market, 2:30 to 7 p.m., Sunnyside Mall between Magnolia and Beacon
Thursday, May 30
Daley Plaza Market, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 50 W. Washington, Chicago
Growing Home’s Englewood Farm Stand, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1844 W. 59th St., Chicago
La Grange Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 53 S. La Grange Rd.
* Libertyville Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cook Park
Lincoln Square Thursday Market, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 4513 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago***
*** Note: New location for this year due to construction at Western Brown Line station
Hobbes’ World, and Welcome To It
So I’m sitting at the table banging away at this issue, much like every other day, when I look down and witness this. I can hardly even dream about what it must be like to be this chill.
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