Green City Market
Last November I had the good fortune to meet Melissa Flynn, Executive Director of Green City Market, and hear about “Chicago’s only truly “green” farmers market”.
It was interesting to learn that Abby Mandel’s (founder of Green City Market) vision for an urban farmer’s market was considered “out of the box” and revolutionary in 1998.
That surprised me, which I think tells us two things: 1) that farmer’s markets are now accessible enough that we forget that 20 years ago you didn’t have a lot of options for fresh, locally sourced food; and 2) that my experiences with food may not be the norm.
As a child I grew up in a home where locally sourced food (such as it was in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s) was a given. My mother shopped at a small local grocery or drove to an organic market not too far from our home to procure fresh food. And I can still picture Frank, our milkman, coming to our house each week.
Then I married a man who grew up on a family farm in Iowa. Someone who grew up with a big garden and would get excited when we found something like kohlrabi at a market. The early visits to the farm were especially fun, as I got to see the garden full of tomatoes, potatoes, corn, squash, flowers, dill and strawberries through all the seasons of growth and harvest (and also climb on huge hay bales, and into hay mows and silos).
So it is quite an honor that Jane and I have been offered a spot in Green City Market’s coveted Chef Demonstration series. We will share our Maple French Toast Casserole recipe and tips for successful slow cooking at the market on Saturday February 20th from 10:30-11:30. To help prepare for our talk we went to the market, which, during the winter, is located in the Peggy Notebaert Museum on Saturday mornings. We watched chef Greg Mosko, from Nomi Kitchen, give a fabulous presentation on how to make a seasonal Gingerbread Cremeaux. Then we walked the whole market chatting with all of the local farmers and hearing about their farms, sampling Gayle’s delicious grilled cheese sandwiches (best in Chicago) and taking my first taste of black garlic.
With that in mind, and our desire to shine a light on this local treasure, I asked Melissa for some background on the market:
1. Can you share a little information about Green City Market Founder, Abby Mandel?
Abby Mandel founded Green City Market in an alley next to the Chicago Theater in 1998 with a handful of farmers and only a few more shoppers. Over the next decade she nurtured the organization, driving it forward with her determination, humor and clear-sighted vision. She made the Market what it is today.
After visiting European sustainable farmer’s markets in 1998, Abby Mandel, chef, author, and entrepreneur, returned to Chicago determined to create a similar market in her own city. Green City Market was her brainchild and began as a small startup with nine local farmers in the crosswalk next to the Chicago Theatre. The Market quickly outgrew the location and moved to the south end of Lincoln Park where it currently operates May – October. Four years ago, the Market continued to remain open November – December, first in the Lincoln Park Zoo and later moving to The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Now it is open in the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum November – April making it a year round market.
2. Why was starting an urban market was so important to her?
Green City Market was so important to Abby because she saw Chicago as a world-class city and wanted the people to have access to quality food. She also had a great desire to educate consumers on the need for local/sustainable food in Chicago as well as why it is so important to understand where food comes from.
3. How many farmers do you have in the market during the summer and winter months?
In the summer, we have over 50 vendors on Saturdays and over 35 on Wednesdays. During our Indoor market season we average around 30 vendors throughout the season.
4. Can you share the educational opportunities you are offering for children living in the inner city?
We have two programs geared specifically towards children, our Club Sprouts program and The Edible Gardens. We encourage young people to try new, locally grown foods through our Club Sprouts program. At each market we offer a tasting as well as specific activities to teach kids about food. The Edible Gardens are designed to engage children with hands-on growing, weeding, compost making and harvesting. It also serves as an introduction to the ‘farm to table’ idea. The programs are available free of charge and open as field trips throughout the season.
Throughout February, Jane will focus on shopping at Green City Market and highlighting some of their amazing local farmers to inspire you to eat fresh foods even in the heart of winter.
Enjoy!
Author’s Note:
If you find yourself near Chicago with an open spot on your calendar for Saturday, February 20th from 10:30-11:30 a.m., remember to join Jane and I as we cook up our Maple French Toast Casserole at the Green City Market – we’ll make sure we have plenty of samples to share!
