Lots and lots and lots of peaches!
It is hard to believe that we are over 1/3 done with the Farmer’s Market and nearly halfway through with our 20/20 challenge! Oh well, the good news is that there is still plenty of time to pick up yummy produce and to buy more great stuff in Andersonville (and with the Sidewalk Sale coming up next weekend, there will be lots of great stuff all over the place). So sit back, relax, and enjoy the staff recap from week 9.
Customers line up for delicious fruit from Hillside Orchards.
Laura, who we first met as an Andersonville Farmer’s Market volunteer, has been interning in our office for the past few weeks helping our busy staff prepare for the Sidewalk Sale and the Taste of Andersonville Dinner Crawl as well as continuing to assist with the market. Unfortunately this is her last week with us, but considering she has been working with Hillside Orchards selling their delicious fruit we thought it would be fun for her to write an account of what it is like to work a typical night at the market. After the jump, read what it is like to be behind the table!
Scoping out the Hillside Orchards display at the Andersonville Farmers Market.
The staff is finding that the Andersonville Farmers Market is quickly becoming the highlight of our week. We love scoping out all of the fresh produce and other yummy treats, talking with the farmers, and watching our community gather to celebrate the bounty of summer. Since it is 6 days until we get to go to the market again, we wanted to share some videos that Jason took at last night’s market to re-live the good times and introduce you to some of the farmers and their goods that make this market possible.
An abundance of berries
Well, we’re eating like kings here in Andersonville. The diversity, volume, and eye-popping freshness of the goods at last week’s farmers market was truly astonishing. Our staff has been happily munching on blueberries, raspberries, and cherries, and trading recipes that make use of the market’s array of fresh veggies, meats, and cheeses. You’ll find a few recipes direct from the farmers below. Read the rest of this entry »
The gals from Grassroots Farm
Wow! The inaugural Andersonville Farmers Market opened at 4PM on June 24 full of greens, broccoli, asparagus, herbs, raspberries, strawberries, beets, fresh baked bread, and much, much more . . . but by not much after 5PM, the pickins were already getting slim! The massive crowds who came to support the market were no surprise to us, but to the farmers who weren’t familiar with Andersonville, it was quite a shock! One vendor noted, “I did at least the volume I do at Green City. Next week I’m going to bring three times as much product!”
All of which is to say that if you arrived later last Wednesday and didn’t find all you wanted to buy, please come back! The farmers will be bringing much more goods. And we have some fabulous new vendors who will be joining us in the coming weeks, including: Read the rest of this entry »
As most of you know by now, the first day of the first ever Andersonville Farmer’s Market is tomorrow, Wednesday, June 24th from 4:00-8:00 pm on Berwyn between Clark & Ashland. Considering we are just starting we find it funny that according to the voters at Parents Connect we are the second best market in Chicago, but we certainly have been amazed by the enthusiasm and support from the neighborhood for this market. We look forward to seeing many of you out and about on Wednesday evenings.
For a complete list of vendors and our generous sponsors for 2009, please click here. For the schedule of entertainment and demonstrations for tomorrow’s market, and to find out how you can help keep the market free of new plastic bags, please follow me after the jump.
