If you're not a fan of Trump, don't worry - you don't have to go inside the glittering tower of wealth, power and over-priced cocktails to get to the market. more ›

Anyone who went to Green City Market (as we did) on Saturday saw a strange thing. About a block to the south, there was a grid of unoccupied paths laid out, like a ghost farmers market was taking place at the same time. Now we know why - Green City Market announced today that it was moving (slightly) starting this Wednesday. more ›

On Friday, we took on Da Mare's impact on the city's music and arts - today, it's time to turn to restaurants. How has the mayor's tenure affected the city's food scene? As with most of the mayor's legacy, it's a mixed bag: genuine improvements and admirable goals mixed with inefficiency, graft and lost opportunities. more ›

Calling all locavores, market shoppers, friends of farmers and lovers of fine food! Green City Market, the city's premier organic farmer's market, opens for the season on Wednesday. We've enjoyed Green City's fall and winter offerings at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, but there's nothing like getting into the park again. We'll be attending the opening day and taking pictures, so if you can't get down there, you can be worked up for the Saturday market. From here on out, Green City is every Wednesday and Saturday from 7 AM to 1PM. Green City isn't the only market that's about to start up - a schedule of May openings is after the jump. more ›

Green bean season is quickly approaching - peak months are May through October. Here's a quick and simple recipe for those beautiful greenies we know you'll be picking up at markets over the spring and summer. more ›

Tribune reporter Monica Eng looks at the increase in farmers markets that will be able to accept LINK Cards this summer. City officials said a couple of years back that it would be too hard to make this happen in official city farmers markets. Then the Woodlawn-based non-profit organization the Experimental Station, which runs the 61st Street farmers market, said "really?" and helped set up five markets with the capability to accept LINK cards. more ›

A couple of weeks ago, while perusing the Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, we had a chance to sit down with Lyle Allen, the director of the market. We asked him about the future of the market, how they set their policies on local food and what it takes to run a sustainable local market. more ›

Travel and Leisure Magazine has just put out their yearly "America's Favorite Cities" issue. The new survey ranks cities in tons of different categories and, interestingly enough, splits the results into "visitors" and "residents." We're statistics nerds, so it was interesting to see the differences between how we see ourselves and how others see us. On the food side, the results were interesting and a little surprising. more ›

If you're a frequent visitor to the weekly Pilsen Community Market — and judging from the crowd yesterday you probably aren't — you might have already tried some of Donna Oppolo's honey, made from her five hives in Pilsen. Oppolo, a longtime Pilsen resident and beekeeper, tends to two hives in her backyard and another three at the Growing Station Community Garden at 21st and Sangamon, each hive populated by 50,000 bees. Of her apiary charges, Oppolo said, "It's like having nearly a quarter million pets." more ›

Sweet corn has finally begun to appear at markets and we are eating our fill. Sweet corn is one of those foods that only tastes right when it's very fresh - preferably picked that day - because as soon as it is picked, the sweetness begins to turn starchy. After a few days, it just tastes like cardboard. We won't even try to eat grocery store corn out of season. more ›

Gov. Quinn signed into law Saturday two new pieces of legislation aimed at making it easier for low income families and schools to obtain local food. The Farmers' Market Technology Improvement Act will help facilitate farmers markets and alternative models of distribution such as roadside farm stands, mobile farmers markets, farm-fresh food kiosks, home delivery, and urban farm stands across Illinois to accept food stamp benefits disbursed under the Illinois LINK program. The Farm-to-School database will be a database created by the Illinois Department of Agriculture which will connect local farmers with school districts looking to add fresh produce to their school lunch programs. more ›

After last Sunday, we have a new favorite farmers market. The Glenwood Sunday Market, in Rogers Park just steps from the Morse L stop, is a spot we've been meaning to check out all season. We're glad we made the time to take the trek up north. This market has a distinctly "neighborly" feel, with volunteers, educators and local residents everywhere you look. None of the huge growers that attend most of the large city markets were present and a small group of local (read: 10 feet away) businesses participate, opening their doors and offering specials and prizes. more ›

We bought a pint of black cherries from Mick Klug Farms at Green City Market last weekend. Cherries are a fleeting presence at farmers markets and preserving them for later use is a great way of extending their seasonality. Some folks dehydrate cherries for use in desserts, breads and entrées; some make jams and jellies out of them. more ›

After a few weeks of roaming the markets of the city, we finally made it to to Green City Market for the first time this past Saturday. If you haven't gotten a chance to go yet this summer, check it out - things have changed! The market seems much bigger, the stalls have been re-arranged and there are plenty of new things to see. We'll profile a few of those new things over the summer (Ed. Note: Actually, we've already started. — C.S.), but on Saturday we were more focused on getting as many veggies as possible. more ›

Every Friday all summer, Uncommon Ground on Devon will be presenting "Farmer Friday Farmer's Markets." Held in the Uncommon Ground parking lot, this event includes farmers, local artisans and business owners, spirit companies, brewers and more. Live bluegrass music, played by a rotating series of acts, will accompany you as you browse through the stalls. You can also tour their rooftop garden while the market is open. more ›

When we visited Green City Market a few weeks ago, we stopped at the administration table. Usually we breeze on by, eager to get to the produce, but a sign caught our eye: Become a Member of the Market! We're a sucker for memberships - museums, dining clubs, wine clubs, CSAs, you name it. Maybe it's the feeling of being part of something, of having some sort of access. Maybe it's the discounts, as memberships almost always seem to be worth what you pay. more ›

The worlds of farmers markets, indie rock and cheap beer collide when the Empty Bottle hosts its inaugural farmers market on December 19 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Twelve local vendors will be selling everything from homemade preserves, handspun wool and organic herbs, while Bottle staff spin tunes and pour drinks. Among the participating vendors are Videnovich farms, Tomato Mountain Farm and Earth First Farms. more ›

Two years ago, we bought our first local turkey to serve for Thanksgiving. At the time, it was mostly an ethical decision - after reading far too much about turkeys that are too breast-heavy to walk and too stupid to mate on their own, we didn’t want any part of the turkey empire that is Butterball. We visited a farm near our parents' home in Iowa, picked out a turkey that seemed lively and drove home with it that very day. After brining and roasting, the turkey was presented to family and friends, and we realized the other reason to buy local - it tastes better. Much better. more ›

This time of year is probably the most bountiful for our farmers markets, with a litany of in season fruits and vegetables available for purchase before the weather truly turns. With pumpkins and other gourds ripening, apples and pears available by the bushel, and root vegetables ready for the spotlight it's also an exciting time for home cooks. more ›

Sad news for Soul Food fans this morning: Helen Maybell Anglin, who founded South Side staple Soul Queen, passed away yesterday at the age of 80. Take a pilgrimage to 90th and Stony Island this weekend in Ms. Anglin's honor. [Sun-Times] more ›

We’ve already raved about the tasty chocolates and caramels made by Katherine Anne Confections, and we buy them most weeks at her stand at the Daley Plaza Farmer’s Market. A few weeks ago, while biting into a chocolate-covered caramel, we realized that we had no idea how fancy chocolates were made. We thought it had something to do with milk and sugar and dipping, but the actual process (aside from what we glimpsed in the movie Chocolat) was a complete mystery. Katherine graciously allowed us into her kitchen to clear things up, and we have returned with photos. more ›

Walmart will be hosting a “Fresh Farmer’s Market” Saturday at the site of their proposed store in Chatham, at 83rd and Stewart. Press releases were sent to local news outlets, and the Tribune’s story on the market remained on their site’s front page all day yesterday. Could it be true? Could Walmart actually be getting involved with the community and promoting products grown here, rather than in China or Mexico? Or is this just another shot in the ongoing battle between Walmart and the City Council? (Ed. Note: A Sun-Times op-ed today weighs in favor of a Walmart in Chatham. — CS) more ›

As promised, we got up very very early to hit the Daley Plaza Farmer's Market as soon as it opened on Thursday morning. In future entries, we'll be visiting a varieties of farmer's markets around the city, but for the first day of the season, we returned to our old standby. more ›

The weather Saturday was more akin to late March than early May, but it didn't keep people from venturing to the southern tip of Lincoln Park for the first outdoor weekend of Green City Market. We loaded up on microgreens, Piedmontese beef tri-tip roasts from Heartland Meats and ground elk from Hawks Hill Elk Ranch, and ate a cheeseburger worthy of Kevin Pang's attention from the fine folks at Sunday Dinner. more ›

This Thursday, May 14, the Daley Plaza Farmer's Market opens for the season! Don't let the enthusiasm for the wonderful Green City Market blind you to all the other great farmer's markets in the city, especially this one. Drop in on your way to work - it's centrally located, full of everything from flowers to baked goods to produce, and a great spot to grab a quick breakfast snack or meals for a week! We'll be there early, and we'll post pictures of the first selections of spring produce. 7AM-3PM, 50 W. Washington. more ›

The farmers markets are heading indoors with the coming of winter. The Family Farmed EXPO 2008, held this weekend at the Cultural Center, is an annual event featuring an indoor farmers market, seminars on the food to table movement, exhibitions and cooking demonstrations. more ›

It's turning out to be a picture perfect autumn morning, don't you think? Here are some events over the next seven days to tie you over while we fill our flask with some Bulleit bourbon. more ›

A couple weeks back we attended the Green City Market farmer's dinner at Goose Island's Clybourn brewpub. That was the one that featured dishes from a host of chefs including Dean Zanella of 312 Chicago; Brian Huston of Paul Kahan's the Publican (opening in mid-autumn); Elissa Narow of Custom House and Paul Virant of Vie in Western Springs. Virant's dish was easily the most ambitious of the courses, utilizing lamb in unexpected ways. Virant sourced the lamb from Mint Creek Farm in downstate Stelle. more ›

Lots of festivals, tastings and food-related events this week, people. more ›

One of the great things about shopping at farmers markets is having the luxury to grab a quick bite while looking for deals. Green City Market has Hoosier Mama pies, fresh crepes, organic baked goods from Bleeding Heart Bakery, fresh juices and smoothies, among noshables. more ›