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Evanston Farmers Market

Evanston Farmers Market
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  • Post #271 - June 6th, 2020, 10:03 am
    Post #271 - June 6th, 2020, 10:03 am Post #271 - June 6th, 2020, 10:03 am
    I was dead wrong about shutting down University Pl. causing dysfunction. It was weird that the optimal parking spots in the alley that leads to University were as available as any point in memory.

    The problem was that the first week with fruit ended up being somewhat of a bait and switch since the strawberries were sold out at the 2 vendors (MI farm outside the square on University, and strawberry specialists on the east side in the square) by 9.05am. Probably because so much is on the outside, there was no line to get in. I let the employee pick 2 bunches of lettuce at Henry's, and 1 head of Boston and 1 of Red Romaine for $3/per was a good deal. Smit's had a nice selection of herbs, of which I got cilantro in its first appearance of the season. Lots of rhubarb was being offered. Otherwise mostly the same spring offerings.
  • Post #272 - June 6th, 2020, 2:06 pm
    Post #272 - June 6th, 2020, 2:06 pm Post #272 - June 6th, 2020, 2:06 pm
    Hi- I had to go to the walkup teller at Byline Bank on Emerson first to deposit a check and get some small bills. I asked them when the Davis Street location lobby was going to be open, and he said it was open now, but it was not open on Tuesday while I was walking home from my dentist.

    By the time I went to the bank and walked over there there were not a lot of crowds at all. I got two bunches of asparagus at Jon First's, and I got two bunches of spinach and two heads of lettuce at Henry's. By the time I got there it was 11:00, and Henry had all of his spinach and lettuce 2/$5. Both heads of lettuce he gave me were romaine, and so I was happy. Normally I get mesclum, but they did not have any today.

    I was not going to go into the square, but when I saw there was no line, I decided to go in there and see what Nichols had. I was looking for snow peas, and I am not sure if he had any or not. Henry was out of them. Henry had lots of spinach left. I am not sure how much lettuce he had. Next week there should be a lot of strawberries. Jon First should have some as well as Linda Koeningshof, Nichols, Morlocks, Lyons, Stovers. and the other people from Berrien Springs that I assumed had them today but ran out. They had peonies and asparagus left when I got there. Everything is late this year. They also had a frost the beginning of May in Michigan, and part of my sister's farm got down to 24. She has plenty of apples, but she has only half a crop of cherries and peaches, and most of her apricots got wiped out. Jon First told me today though, that he hit it lucky, and he is actually going to have to thin some of his peach trees. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #273 - June 11th, 2020, 4:47 pm
    Post #273 - June 11th, 2020, 4:47 pm Post #273 - June 11th, 2020, 4:47 pm
    Hi- I just wanted to let people know that if they want to preorder for this Saturday, they should do it now. I noticed that 1ST Orchards now has a website where they allow preordering, but if you preorder 2 bunches of asparagus, you will get charged $8. If you wait until you get to market to purchase it, you can get 2 bunches of asparagus for $7. They do have strawberries listed for this week for $7 a quart, but I am sure that they will be cheaper at the market if you buy more than one quart. Last week though when I got there at 11:00, they were out of basil plants, but I noticed that you can preorder them for this week. If you go to the Friends of the Evanston Farmer's market website, they have a list of all of the farmers that do preorders, and they give a link to their website.

    As far as I know Henry and Nichols do not do preorder. I just got an email from Talking Farm though, and they are going to be at the Evanston market on 6/13, and they are only doing preorder. All they are bringing to the market this Saturday though is romaine, kale mesclun, and some other kind of lettuce. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #274 - June 12th, 2020, 7:43 am
    Post #274 - June 12th, 2020, 7:43 am Post #274 - June 12th, 2020, 7:43 am
    I got an email from Lyons Fruit Farm. They are offering home delivery as well as preordering for the Evanston market.

    https://www.lyonsfruitfarm.com/
    -Mary
  • Post #275 - June 12th, 2020, 8:05 am
    Post #275 - June 12th, 2020, 8:05 am Post #275 - June 12th, 2020, 8:05 am
    Hi- Here is the link for Talking Farm if you want to preorder anything for tomorrow at the Evanston market.

    https://the-talking-farm.myshopify.com/ ... eid=612309

    They are only taking preorders now until noon today, and they will not do sales tomorrow. There is a minimum $10 purchase. They are selling kale, mesclun, romaine and leaf lettuce. This year all of there transactions at the Skokie and Evanston farmers market will be preorder only.
  • Post #276 - June 12th, 2020, 8:44 am
    Post #276 - June 12th, 2020, 8:44 am Post #276 - June 12th, 2020, 8:44 am
    NFriday wrote:Here is the link for Talking Farm if you want to preorder anything for tomorrow at the Evanston market.
    ...
    They are only taking preorders now until noon today, and they will not do sales tomorrow. There is a minimum $10 purchase. ... This year all of there transactions at the Skokie and Evanston farmers market will be preorder only.
    They're only at the market every other Saturday. The menu for pre-order opens on Thursday and closes at noon on Friday.

    Nobody can accuse them of making things too easy.
  • Post #277 - June 12th, 2020, 9:00 am
    Post #277 - June 12th, 2020, 9:00 am Post #277 - June 12th, 2020, 9:00 am
    That is how Talking Farm has been handling their pick your own basket that they have been having at their farm for the past month. You have to preorder and buy at least $10, and they sell out within hours. I might have been interested in some kale, but that means that I would have to purchase something else to bring it up to $10.

    Here is the link to the Facebook page that Myra just did telling people what is coming to the market tomorrow.

    https://www.facebook.com/EvanstonMarket ... __tn__=K-R
  • Post #278 - June 13th, 2020, 10:49 am
    Post #278 - June 13th, 2020, 10:49 am Post #278 - June 13th, 2020, 10:49 am
    NFriday wrote:Here is the link for Talking Farm if you want to preorder anything for tomorrow at the Evanston market.

    They are only taking preorders now until noon today, and they will not do sales tomorrow. There is a minimum $10 purchase. They are selling kale, mesclun, romaine and leaf lettuce. This year all of there transactions at the Skokie and Evanston farmers market will be preorder only.
    Not blaming Nancy since my recollection from the link yesterday was that it confirmed online preorder as the only means of buying Talking Farm, but it ended up being incorrect. They were selling greens for cash $3 or 2 for $5 today. They're on the outside, NW corner of whole plot. When I saw them selling like a normal vendor, I said I thought they were preorder only. The 2 guys working the stand said they heard that was put out online, but didn't know why. No direct reason not to believe the every-other-week schedule, but they aren't preorder-only.

    No line to get in 9.20am today. Strawberries were available at 3-4 places, all were $7/qt. I purchased at 1st Orchards. Decently sized lines for Nichols and River Valley, I only waited in the latter. Henry had 2 for $5 lettuce, which I bought. I was split between him and Talking Farm.
  • Post #279 - June 13th, 2020, 11:37 am
    Post #279 - June 13th, 2020, 11:37 am Post #279 - June 13th, 2020, 11:37 am
    Hi- I noticed that Talking Farm was doing sales today too. They still had a lot left to sell when I got there at 11:30, but they were out of kale. I ended up getting a head of lettuce from Henry though and a bag of spinach too. I also got some snow peas for $3. I was going to get some sugar snaps from Nichols, but they were only selling them in one pound bags, and it was $9. They used to sell them by the pound. Nichol's strawberries which I love, were 3 pints for $12, which was more money than Jon First, and so I got two quarts of his, and they are okay, but they should be better next week. He had lots of strawberries and asparagus left when I bought them at 11:45. I was hoping K & K farms would be there with strawberries, but when I did not see them, I asked and they did not come to the market today. They should be there next week. They have wonderful raspberries. They raise 50 acres of raspberries, and they should have some in maybe three weeks. There was no line again to get into the market. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #280 - June 26th, 2020, 9:14 pm
    Post #280 - June 26th, 2020, 9:14 pm Post #280 - June 26th, 2020, 9:14 pm
    Hi- Starting next week, since we are now in stage 4, people will be able to buy prepared food including coffee. Right now the Mexican restaurant that always has a long line is already selling prepared food. Also in two weeks the market will get rid of the square, and will return back to rows. It will be configured the way it has been in previous years. I assume that means that they will not limit the number of people at the market. I don't know if this means that the tables and chairs will return so people can eat what they buy at the market, and people will be allowed to pick out their own produce. So far the not being able to pick out my own produce has not been that bad. The only problem I experienced was when I wanted to purchase some sugar snap peas from Nichols, and I passed because I was forced to be a whole pound of them. If the virus rates get worse though, we could be forced to revert back to stage 3 in which case the market will go back to the way it was at the beginning of the season.

    When corn becomes available too, it will help if I don't have to buy a whole dozen ears. Henry is bringing more lettuce, even though he said last week was the last of the lettuce until this fall. The lettuce will be $3 or 2/$5. Raspberries will be available for the first time this season too, but get there early if you want some. There should still be lots of strawberries too. Asparagus is winding down though. I passed on asparagus last week, because by the time I got there, there was only one farmer that still had it. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #281 - June 27th, 2020, 12:18 pm
    Post #281 - June 27th, 2020, 12:18 pm Post #281 - June 27th, 2020, 12:18 pm
    First Orchards had a good deal on their huge basil plants today for $10. I just bought one. I would have bought two, but I am running out of pots to transplant it into. It seemed like there were more people there today. All of the farmers I bought from were outside the square. When I got there at 11:30, most of the farmers were out of strawberries, and when I checked Nichols they were out too, and so I backtracked and went back to K & K which only had a few left. I passed on them earlier because they were small. Jewel had strawberries for $.99 last week, and they are $2.50 this week. I did get some asparagus this week, but I only got one bunch, because I am not sure how long ago they were picked.

    Nichols had the last of their spinach for $5. I was tempted, but I already bought two heads of lettuce, some sugar snap peas, and some swiss chard from Henry, and the asparagus. Nichols's bags were not a really good deal though either.

    When the market reverts back to their usual format in two weeks, I hope that it does not get too crowded. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #282 - July 4th, 2020, 1:44 am
    Post #282 - July 4th, 2020, 1:44 am Post #282 - July 4th, 2020, 1:44 am
    Hi- Sorry for posting so late. I just found out that the strawberries are essentially over for the year. The hot weather did them in. If you get to the market early, you might be able to get a few.

    The Michigan cherry crop is small this year because it got down to 24 degrees on May 9th, and so there are not as many cherries and peaches this year. My sister only had 25% of a cherry crop and upicked them all in two days. She has 50 % of a peach crop, but she has no apricots this year. She is not going to upick peaches this summer, but she is going to have them at her fruit stand, and she is going to upick apples. She has more apples this year than anything else. I suspect that there are not going to be a lot of cherries at the market this week, but there are going to be some raspberries and the first of the blueberries.

    Henry is bringing supposedly the last of his lettuce this week, but he said that two weeks ago, and he also said the same thing last week. He is also bringing carrots, beets, the last of the snow and sugar snap peas, swiss chard, lots of fennel and onions, and cauliflower and broccoli and a few herbs and purslane, lambs quarters and a few other edible weeds. This is supposed to be the last week for the current configuration of the market, and starting next week they will go back to the rows. I am not sure how people are going to social distance if they do that. This week they will have prepared foods too for the first time this season, but they will not have the tables and chairs set up. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #283 - July 4th, 2020, 11:17 am
    Post #283 - July 4th, 2020, 11:17 am Post #283 - July 4th, 2020, 11:17 am
    Hi- I got there about 10:30, and two growers still had strawberries. I was surprised. I got two quarts of strawberries from K & K, and then I got a pint of Queen Anne cherries from the farmer next door who is from Berrien Springs. I had to pay $6 for a pint of cherries, but this will probably be the only Michigan cherries I have this summer.

    I then went to Henry and his intern waited on me, and there was a language barrier. I told him I wanted two heads of lettuce, and a small box of sugar snap peas. I noticed on the sign that they were out of cauliflower, but I asked anyway, and he said they were out, and so I said I would take some broccoli instead, and I got one stalk of broccoli for $4. He then said he just found a head of cauliflower, and asked me if I wanted it, and I said yes. It was really small, and I thought he was giving it to me. I almost did not recognize it as being cauliflower. I then put my card in, and I asked him if it went through, and I thought he said yes, and I took it out, but then I was told I had to put my card in again, and I realized that he never entered in my order. When he said it went through, he told me it was $19. I said that was a mistake, and it should be only $12. After going back and forth with him, he mentioned the cauliflower. I got charged $7 for the cauliflower that I thought he was giving to me. I decided to let it go, but like I said there was a language barrier. Next time I will let somebody else wait on me. That is the problem with Henry that he does not put the prices for everything on his sign, and in normal years I could just see how much it was, and pick out my own. I loved the lettuce I got from Henry last week though.

    I then got a pint of blueberries from Jon First and decided I spent enough money. I noticed that Nichol's had all of there small basil plants for $1, which was a really good deal, but I don't need another basil plant.
  • Post #284 - July 10th, 2020, 5:48 pm
    Post #284 - July 10th, 2020, 5:48 pm Post #284 - July 10th, 2020, 5:48 pm
    Hi- I got Henry's email earlier today. Henry had too much rain in April, but since then he has not gotten enough rain. I think the whole month of June he got less than an inch of rain, and he does not have irrigation for his crops. He tried planting seeds in May and June, but he did not get enough rain for them to germinate. A few weeks ago he seeded again, but this time he finally laid down drip hoses to give the seeds some much needed water, and they did germinate. This means though that Henry will not have as much stuff to sell for the next few weeks. He will have no lettuce, but he will have lots of fresh herbs, some nettle, purslane, and a few other edible weeds as well as onions, beets and carrots.

    Myra the manager of the market did her weekly post on the market's Facebook page, and she said that Gast's had pineapple last week. By the time I got there it was all gone. Did anybody see it there? I am sure it was not cheap. He is going to have some more tomorrow. If you want to buy any pineapple, Gast's only take cash unless they have changed things since the first week.

    We were supposed to rearrange the market again this week so it looks similar to what it used to. Myra did not mention anything about it though today. I don't know if that means we will not have to social distance any more or not. If we go back to rows, I don't know how people can safely social distance. She said the market has been averaging 3,000 people per week this season, and so it is probably down a little bit from previous years. Maybe once we get peaches, apples, and corn, and we get a lot more tomatoes , the crowd will increase. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #285 - July 18th, 2020, 8:20 am
    Post #285 - July 18th, 2020, 8:20 am Post #285 - July 18th, 2020, 8:20 am
    Hi- There should be some corn today, but there won't be a lot, and you won't be able to pick out your own. Gast's did not bring any pineapple last week. They brought a pineapple plant, which they sold for $50.

    There should be some Northern Michigan cherries at the market this week. They had a much larger crop than the farmers in SW Michigan did this year. K & K farms is supposed to have some really good cherries they picked up from Traverse City a few days ago. My Sister is selling the same batch of cherries at her fruit stand in Michigan right now. They were going to try to get some apricots from Traverse too, but I am not sure if Linda Keoningshof's husband was able to. Most of the apricots in SW Michigan got wiped out by the frost they had on May 9th. Hope this helps, Nancy

    Henry is going to have a lot of greens today. Henry got 6 inches of rain in three hours Wednesday, and then the creek near his farm started flooding, and it burst on Thursday morning. As his field got filled with water, Henry and his helpers tried to salvage as many veggies as he could. He was able to pick a lot of greens, and he has lots of amaranth today as well as chard, kale and a few other greens. Henry has his first tomatoes today, but he does not have a lot, and they are $8 a quart if he picks them out, or $10 a quart if you only want specific tomato varieties in your quart.

    I just checked my email, and on top of all of the rain he got Wednesday, he got a flat tire on his way to market today. He is asking people to arrive later. At 10:00 the lines should be shorter. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #286 - July 18th, 2020, 10:31 am
    Post #286 - July 18th, 2020, 10:31 am Post #286 - July 18th, 2020, 10:31 am
    Apologies to Nancy, but Ive been going to the Evanston Farmers Market for years and this new setup sucks all the joy out of it for me and after three Saturdays trying to enjoy it, I give up. Im not waiting in line behind about 35 people to get into the Nichols Farm tent and then waiting in another maybe 15 people line to get into Henry's or Green Acres. It stinks to wear a mask. They have curtailed the bike parking. Its a big hot patch of asphalt. Im done with it. Looking forward to back to normal in 2021.
  • Post #287 - July 18th, 2020, 10:59 am
    Post #287 - July 18th, 2020, 10:59 am Post #287 - July 18th, 2020, 10:59 am
    champs2005 wrote:It stinks to wear a mask.

    Irrespective of the EFM, you should probably get used to it. And if you can't deal with it, best to stay home.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #288 - July 18th, 2020, 12:31 pm
    Post #288 - July 18th, 2020, 12:31 pm Post #288 - July 18th, 2020, 12:31 pm
    champs2005 wrote:Apologies to Nancy, but Ive been going to the Evanston Farmers Market for years and this new setup sucks all the joy out of it for me and after three Saturdays trying to enjoy it, I give up. Im not waiting in line behind about 35 people to get into the Nichols Farm tent and then waiting in another maybe 15 people line to get into Henry's or Green Acres. It stinks to wear a mask. They have curtailed the bike parking. Its a big hot patch of asphalt. Im done with it. Looking forward to back to normal in 2021.
    I agree with you pretty much entirely. There's no joy or pleasure, and minimal utility, in going to this year's market. I've gone every week this season only because I agreed to get items for neighbors, who may be more vulnerable to the virus, but also so they wouldn't have to put up with this crap. The mask is uncomfortable as hell when it's so hot and muggy out and you're wearing it for an extended period while also going from place to place. The line at Nichols is absurd week in, week out. You're not able to do things nearly as quickly. A woman 2 spots ahead of me in line at Geneva Lakes (NE corner, in the square) filled up an entire crate with one of 2 employees having to select each small box for her. She has every right to buy what she wants, but the line grew halfway to the entrance. Just an example of how this setup/operation is more of a hassle than it's worth. River Valley and Green Acres have been the least irritating to purchase from, so kudos to them.
  • Post #289 - July 18th, 2020, 1:45 pm
    Post #289 - July 18th, 2020, 1:45 pm Post #289 - July 18th, 2020, 1:45 pm
    I've been going to the Evanston Farmers' Market for years. Yes, this year's market isn't as convenient or as much a fun, social gathering as it had been in the past, but that's what you get with a pandemic. When it first opened this year, lines could be pretty long — maybe because it was one of the first few to open May 2. As the weeks have gone on, lines have generally become shorter, maybe because other markets have opened — at least that's been the case early, when I usually get there. This morning there was no wait to pick up my CSA share from Henry's, and then I went over to the non-CSA part of Henry's, and there were only two ahead of me. To save time, I frequently skip the inner square, unless I need mushrooms. The outside-the-square vendors usually have enough variety to meet my needs.

    I'll keep going. The quality of the produce certainly beats any grocery, it's handled less than grocery produce, and even if my mask fogs up my glasses a bit, that's not big deal ... again, especially considering I'm trying to avoid contracting or spreading Covid 19.
  • Post #290 - July 18th, 2020, 2:30 pm
    Post #290 - July 18th, 2020, 2:30 pm Post #290 - July 18th, 2020, 2:30 pm
    Hi- I normally love Nichols, but this year at least half the time I have not even gone into the square to see what they have. The thing I don't like about Nichols besides the line, is that you cannot tell what they have until you get in line.

    I have mostly been going to the farmers outside the square, and the ones I go to the most are First Orchards, K & K Farms and Henry because they always have nice stuff, and Jon First is often the cheapest. I did not have to wait in line for Henry today, although he was out of a lot of his stuff, and all I bought was cabbage.

    You have to wear a mask when you go to the grocery store, and the produce at the market is way better than anything you will get at Jewel. I know people that will not go to the farmer's market this year because they do not consider it safe

    I don't enjoy the market as much this year, but I enjoy the produce I bring home with me, and the object of the market this year is to get what you want, and don't spend time socializing, and then get out of there ASAP. The farmers are dealing with the market this year because the grocery stores don't want to buy from them, and this is they only way they can sell their produce, and so if people don't come to the market, then they go home with a lot of stuff they can not sell elsewhere.

    Since they put farmers on University, the square is not as crowded, and I think a lot of people like me do not even go into the square, and so there is never a line to get in there.
  • Post #291 - July 18th, 2020, 4:26 pm
    Post #291 - July 18th, 2020, 4:26 pm Post #291 - July 18th, 2020, 4:26 pm
    Nichols always has by far the longest line, but it’s never taken more than 15-20 minutes. I get that on a day like today even a 5-minute wait can be excruciating, but it’s usually not that bad, especially if you get there early. No other vendor seems to have lines of any significant length around 9am.
  • Post #292 - July 18th, 2020, 5:13 pm
    Post #292 - July 18th, 2020, 5:13 pm Post #292 - July 18th, 2020, 5:13 pm
    NFriday wrote:The thing I don't like about Nichols besides the line, is that you cannot tell what they have until you get in line.
    Just FYI, they've put a sign up similar to Henry's, that lists what's available on a given day. And you can actually look at half the produce (2nd half of lineup) since you're able to walk up and look at the section that doesn't have the line setup in front of it. Still no cure for the line, which as mentioned isn't so bad time-wise (just 10 minutes last Saturday, when I had to get something from them), it's just demeaning to be reduced to waiting in it masked in high heat and humidity, only to be implicitly rushed to pick items once you make it to the front.
  • Post #293 - July 18th, 2020, 6:00 pm
    Post #293 - July 18th, 2020, 6:00 pm Post #293 - July 18th, 2020, 6:00 pm
    Nichols usually have a sign up, but I did not see one today, but because I did not get to the market until 11:30, and did not make it into the square until 12:00, there was only one couple ahead of me. Part of the problem with them is they have so much stuff, that it takes forever to go down the line of stuff, and then last week after I told the person helping me that I was done, and they handed me my bag so I could pay, I realized that they had some sugar snap peas which I might have considered. Once Jon First starts bringing corn and melons, I won't have any need to visit Nichols. Last year he had really good huge muskmelon for $2, and his corn is usually cheaper than Nichols. Those are the only two people that have really good corn at the market. Hopefully Jon will have corn next week. I admit that the market was hot and uncomfortable today. Hopefully next week it won't be as bad. At least it has not rained yet this season. They were talking about reverting back to rows soon, but I don't know if they will since the virus count in the state has gone up again. Even if they do, I am sure they will still require people to wear masks. If Pritzer reverts back to stage 3 again, I can't see the rows appearing this summer
  • Post #294 - July 19th, 2020, 8:30 am
    Post #294 - July 19th, 2020, 8:30 am Post #294 - July 19th, 2020, 8:30 am
    For any finding waiting in line at EFM unpleasant, I've been getting my fresh vegetable supply from The Talking Farm at McCormick and Howard in Skokie. https://www.thetalkingfarm.org/

    There are several ways to buy from them; I've been purchasing from them online Tuesdays and picking up my order from the farm Thursdays. No lines. No people even. Been very satisfied with the quality of the product.

    Giovanna
    =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

    "Enjoy every sandwich."

    -Warren Zevon
  • Post #295 - July 24th, 2020, 11:27 pm
    Post #295 - July 24th, 2020, 11:27 pm Post #295 - July 24th, 2020, 11:27 pm
    There should be some early peaches this week, and there might be some apricots. They should have the last of the Traverse City cherries tomorrow. The ones I bought from K & K Farms last Saturday were really good. The tropical melon I got from Nichols last week was really good.

    It is supposed to be really hot again this week. As I mentioned last week, Henry got 6 inches or rain in three hours last week, and then the creek down the road from him got breached the next day, and flooded his fields. Henry now says that all of his beans got wiped out, and he going to have few if any melons this year, and he will only have 1/3rd to 1/2 of a tomato crop.

    Jewel has blueberries on sale right now for $1.49 a pint that are supposed to be from Michigan. I bought a pint of them yesterday, and they are from British Columbia, and they are nowhere near as good as the blueberries I bought at the market last Saturday. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #296 - July 25th, 2020, 12:38 pm
    Post #296 - July 25th, 2020, 12:38 pm Post #296 - July 25th, 2020, 12:38 pm
    Hi- I had to go to the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield this morning to pick up my Senior Farmer's Market coupons for this year. Last year I just had to go to the Levy Center. This year there were only two people ahead of me, and the only other place I could have gone to is out in Des Plaines. On my way there I stopped at the Wilmette market, and after I got my coupons I stopped in at the Winnetka farmer's market. I ended up not buying anything at either one, but I wish I would have gotten some peaches, because by the time I got to the Evanston market they were out of them.

    The people that were complaining last week about waiting in line at the Evanston market might enjoy the Wilmette market better. I thought the Wilmette market was the most disorganized out of all of the three that I visited today. They only had one long line, with farmer's on both sides. The line was supposed to be one way, but nobody was policing it, and I suspect that if you came in without a mask nobody would be there to pick you out. Most of the farmer's also let you touch the produce. There was one sign there asking people to not strip the corn. That market is one of those French markets that is too commercial for me.

    After I picked up my coupons I stopped in at the Winnetka market which had two lanes, and the entrance and exit were clearly marked. That market I believe is run by the Winnetka/Northfield chamber of commerce. The location where they have it is not very large. When they had it in Northfield, they had a much larger location. There you are not allowed to touch the produce. They did not have anybody stationed at either the entrance or exit to make sure people were wearing masks and were going the right direction. This did seem to be a better thought out market though than the Wilmette market. Both Wilmette and Winnetka had plenty of peaches.

    Even though there are more steps to go through at the Evanston market, I feel that the Evanston market is the safest and best thought out of the three markets, and even at the Winnetka market I saw stuff for sale that Evanston would not allow, and Wilmette always has tons of jewelry and other stuff that Evanston does not allow. I did not see any organic growers at either the Wilmette or Winnetka markets, and Evanston had three certified organic growers there. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #297 - July 25th, 2020, 12:59 pm
    Post #297 - July 25th, 2020, 12:59 pm Post #297 - July 25th, 2020, 12:59 pm
    I forgot that I was wondering why the line is so long for Geneva Lakes Produce? I never see that much that I am interested in buying, and they are not even remotely organic. Thanks, Nancy
  • Post #298 - August 7th, 2020, 10:39 pm
    Post #298 - August 7th, 2020, 10:39 pm Post #298 - August 7th, 2020, 10:39 pm
    Hi- I received an email from Henry. Henry is going to bring purslane, lambs quarters, amaranth and wild dock as well as kale. Henry is also going to bring some tomatoes, but not as many as he did last week. It has not been as hot this week. Henry is selling his heirloom tomatoes by the quart. Last week he let people tell him what varieties of tomatoes they wanted in their quart, but that held up the line. This week he is doing a Henry's choice quart of tomatoes, but if you only want one variety of tomatoes, he will supply you a quart of those said tomatoes, but he will charge you an extra $2 a quart to do that.

    Henry is bringing some melons too. Most of his melons were lost when a creek overflowed and part of his farm got flooded.

    Gene Siskel film center is showing the film the Seasons on Henry's Farm starting on 8/14. You can watch it online for $12. On 8/16 at 5:00pm, they are having a question and answer with Henry and the director of the film. You can watch it on Facebook. Henry's Sister Terra and the director of the documentary are going to be interviewed on the podcast Chewing starting this Sunday. This is available at WBEZ.

    There should be lots of decent corn and peaches as well as blueberries. A few growers might even have some red haven peaches tomorrow. Red Haven is the most commonly raised variety in Michigan, and it is the first free stone peach. I bought a watermelon from Nichols last week, and it was good. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #299 - August 14th, 2020, 10:30 pm
    Post #299 - August 14th, 2020, 10:30 pm Post #299 - August 14th, 2020, 10:30 pm
    Hi- It sounds like Henry is bringing a lot more stuff this week including lots of kale, some Arona berries, a few melons, lots of zucchini, some sweet corn, and lots of roma and cherry tomatoes, as well as beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes. He is also bringing some potatoes including peter wilcox, which I have bought before. It is loaded with vitamin C and carotinoids, and it tastes good.

    Gene Siskel Film center is showing the film Season's of Change on Henry's Farm right now. You can access it on their website, and on Sunday 8/16 at 5:00pm, they are hosting a live panel discussion with Henry and the producer. The film is $12 to rent, and once you rent it, you have 7 days to watch it, and once you start watching it, you have 24 hours to finish the film. You can find out more about the film on Gene Siskel's Film center website.https://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/season ... henrysfarm

    There are going to be lots of really good Michigan peaches this week too, including lots of red haven peaches. All of the peaches you buy this week should be freestone. BTW- Last week I bought a container of #2 peaches from K & K Farms for only $3 that were really good. As far as I know they are usually the only people who separate out their peaches and apples, and sell the #2's for less money.
  • Post #300 - August 15th, 2020, 8:54 pm
    Post #300 - August 15th, 2020, 8:54 pm Post #300 - August 15th, 2020, 8:54 pm
    Hi- I doubt anybody can help me, but because of the pandemic food is more expensive this year. I used tol get cheap tomatoes at the end of market from Jon First for cheap. Some weeks he would have them for $1 a pound, and sometimes he would mark them down to 3/$1. He used to also have a $5 a bag sale some weeks for anything he had left over such as fruit. A few years ago, he quit doing that most weeks, and instead donated the stuff left over at the end of the day to Hillside Church's food pantry.

    I then was able to get 1/2 price tomatoes at the end of the market from Kenninicick Farms. They were their #2's, but they were organic, and I normally got charged $1.50 per pound. They are not there this summer. For two weeks this summer, I was able to get some #2 slicing tomatoes from Henry for 1/2 price. I had to pay $8 a quart today for organic heirloom tomatoes today though. He was out of the slicers. Has anybody found any cheaper tomatoes so far this summer? Nichol's tomatoes are $5 a pound, and I refuse to spend that much money for tomatoes. Thanks, Nancy

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