Mums and Pretty Pumpkins

I’ve been itching to get a post from the Chicago Green City farmers market and now thanks to Sharon Steed we finally have one!

Sharon is a writer from Chicago. She loves health and fitness, cooking, and Twitter (@sharonsteed). She also has a blog where she writes about writing, social media, the internet and how those three things relate to the current season of the Real Housewives (and her favorite of the moment is Lisa from Beverly Hills).

Farmers Market Update: Chicago

by Sharon Steed

You never really know what kind of weather you’ll have in Chicago – especially on the second-to-last day of October. Just a few days earlier, a lot of the city was in t-shirts and flip flops. So when I ventured out to Green City Farmers Market’s last outdoor day of the year in gorgeous Lincoln Park, I only know one thing for certain: it would be windy.

Green City is the only year-round farmers market in the Chicagoland area. From mid-May through October, the market is outdoors right next to Lake Michigan and a short walk south of Lincoln Park Zoo. From November to just before Christmas, it heads indoors to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum right across Clark Street.

This particular day was pretty special; it was the last outdoor day of the season, and it was the day before Halloween. I got a huge dose of the chilly lake-effect winds, young families and their furry companions, and adorable princesses and “little monsters” running around everywhere. Sun and blue skies (in October!) made for a truly beautiful fall day in the city.

Bok choy and Celeriac

Kale

I love green leafy vegetables. And I usually try to start my day with some sort of green smoothie. Kale, chard and spinach are three of my favorite. Walking around the market, I saw a lot of barrels and bags filled with greens and root vegetables. Of course, I took a few bags of spinach home.

Looks Like Fall

I love summer. But foods like these make me happy to live in such a beautiful city where I can see the seasons change and taste delicious, flavorful fall foods. And I never get tired of colorful flowers, especially when the temperature drops below fifty degrees.

Onions

Kohlrabi

The kohlrabi and onions were right next to each other in the middle of the market. After a talking with a local market goer, I found out that kohlrabi is a part of the cabbage family that can be green (as shown) or purple. I had a taste of one at the market; it’s similar to a broccoli stem but not as tart and slightly sweeter.

Honey and Apple Butter

Fresh Cranberries

I’ll admit it; I willingly give anything with “butter” or “honey” as an ingredient a try. I munch on almonds and cashews all day, and I prefer honey or agave nectar as a sweetener to sugar. So when I happened upon this table with Amish apple butter and honey, I was all in. The cranberries were just so vibrant looking that I couldn’t walk by without at least taking a picture. And they remind me of Thanksgiving: my favorite holiday.

Gourds and Pumpkins

Bee On Apple

I found this little bee shivering on some pretty delicious looking apples right as I walked into the market. I guess no one gave him the memo that Indian summer was over!

What I bought:

• five golden delicious apples
• Homemade Amish apple butter
• one bag of baby spinach
• one bag of savoy spinach
• two red sweet potatoes
• two sun gold red tomatoes

A few tips:

• Parking in Lincoln Park is insane, especially on a good-weather Saturday morning. So instead of paying $9 to park in the lot, ditch the car and take public transportation. The Lincoln Park trolley runs every Saturday down Stockton Drive, and it’s free. Or, take the red line, get off on Clark and Division, and walk a few blocks north to the market. There’s also the 22 Clark, 36 Broadway, 73 Armitage and 151 Sheridan buses that all stop nearby.
• Layer up, especially during a month not named July or August. Chicago weather is terribly unpredictable. And since the market is literally in Lincoln Park’s namesake and a few steps from Lake Michigan, brisk winds are always a strong possibility.
• Green City is a twice-a-week market: Saturday and Wednesday mornings from 7am to 1pm from May to October, and 8am to 1pm from November to the end of the year. And the indoor market is right across Clark Street from the outdoor market. They share a  parking lot ($9 after validating), and public transportation is the same.
• One of the best things about the location of Green City is that it’s right in the middle of one of the best parks in Chicago. Lincoln Park Zoo is a few steps north, walking/jogging paths weave throughout the expansive green space and North Avenue beach is a short walk east. There’s also plenty of space for a post-market picnic, baseball or just a nice walk with your family.