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I Liked the Market, But It's a Long Haul for Tomatoes
Since Barb and I went carless more than six years ago, there have been stretches when I've left the city limits of Chicago so seldom that some people might have thought I was under house arrest (seriously, I wasn't).
Giving up car ownership (and saving a lot of money, as it's expensive to keep a car in the city) was made easy by our location in Lakeview, which makes it simple to get to most places in town via mass transit or on foot. That is not true, however, in getting to places in most suburbs and exurbs, and renting Zipcars can get to be an expensive habit.
I do it, nonetheless, when there's a good reason, and I had a good reason for hauling off on Friday to visit the farmers market in Schaumburg, located about 30 miles northwest of our apartment in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. I was meeting Bianca Bautista of University of Illinois Extension Cook County, who provides Local Food Forum with excellent contributed content on food and health related matters. Although we've worked closely for some time, this was our first meeting in person.
I didn't know what to expect from the market, located on the grounds of the Trickster Cultural Center, a non-profit Native American and community arts center that also serves Native American veterans and their needs. I was concerned about whether parking would be easy to find, but quickly discovered on arrival that the market is tucked right behind a shopping center with acres of parking lot.
The market is quite impressive, with more than 40 vendor stands and a live music tent. It is big enough to attract some of the highest-profile regional farms, such as Nichols Farm and Orchard, located not too far away in Marengo, Illinois; River Valley Ranch mushrooms of Burlington, Wisconsin; and Jake's Country Meats of Cassapolis, Michigan. Most of the vendors are smaller operations, though.
The big what's in season news was at Nichols, which had the first field tomatoes that I've season this summer.
Some of them came home with me, naturally.
I enjoyed getting to spend about an hour walking and chatting with Bianca. Getting there and home wasn't half the fun, though. On weekends and nights, you can get from here to there in maybe 45 to 50 minutes. Not so on a weekday: It took me about an hour and a half each way. So my verdict is that Schaumburg Farmers Market is definitely worth a visit — if you already live in the area.
My Schaumburg market haul: field tomatoes, cabbage, a jalapeño and garlic from Nichols Farm & Orchard; Italian sausage and eggs from Jake's Country Meats; peaches and cherries from R & B Miller Farms in Coloma, Michigan; and cremini mushrooms from River Valley Ranch. Oh, and two apple cider doughnuts. We don't eat many sweets but those I can't resist.
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