Know Your Farmers Market: Pilsen Community Market

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jul 27, 2012 9:35PM

(Today we continue our series where we visit a different farmers market in the city as part of raising awareness of the farmers market network across Chicago, their locations and how they work to bring the freshest produce and foodstuffs to the communities they serve.)

The parking lot of Chicago Community Bank at 18th and Halsted becomes an open air market every Sunday for fresh produce, meats, music, housewares and fresh prepared foods. The Pilsen Community Market has applied for 501(c)3 non-profit status and, as with most of the farmers markets we’ve visited in this series, accepts LINK cards to make it easier for families on SNAP assistance to access fresh, healthy food.

The market’s vendors are small but varied in what they offer to guests. In addition to fresh produce the Meat Goat offers pasture raised beef, poultry, pork and lamb, all of it USDA certified organic. Granor Farm, an organic certified farm in Three Oaks, Mich., brings the bounty of their harvest to Pilsen. Buy fresh honey, fresh baked breads and grab a bite with tamales, horchata and aqua frescas from Yvolina’s tamales and Cuban-style sandwiches from Get Off the Couch Catering and eat at a leisurely pace under the trees. Browse or buy vintage clothing and used books, or decorate your home with vintage furnishings from Modern Cooperative. There’s something for everyone here.

The Pilsen Community Market is located in the parking lot of Chicago Community Bank (1800 S. Halsted) and runs Sundays from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. through Oct. 28.