Green City Market Newbie

Hi everyone,

I haven't posted in quite some time.

I have convinced my husband to go to the Green City Market for the first time this weekend because it happens to be my birthday. We have never gone, though we have been to many of the other city farmer's markets. Oddly, I think because of its popularity, I am finding this to be somewhat intimidating and am full of questions:

- When is the best time to arrive? (Do I really need to get there when they open? If so I will.)
- Is driving a foolish choice? We live in Ukie Village so CTA to the park can be annoying but will do so if parking is going to be even more annoying.
- What to buy? It sounds like there are so many stands of both fresh items and prepared foods that I won't know where to begin! We eat everything!!

Thank you in advance for your help!

Parking is possible, but annoying - if you expect to park right next to the market you may be disappointed. Remember, it's not just the market, it's a summer Saturday near the lake There is a small parking lot next to the market. WARNING - people act like idiots around there - drivers, walkers, cyclists, whatever. Drive carefully!

The earlier you go the better - less crowded, more parking available, things less likely to sell out.

Buy whatever looks good Ask the farmer's what is peaking, what is just coming in, what's about to be gone. Unless you fall in love with something, and it's the only one left, don't buy the first one you see. Walk around, come back, you might see whatever it is that looks better, is cheaper, has a friendlier face selling it

Have fun!

Park for free on Lincoln around 1900, 2000 north. You nearly always can.

Read Fruitslinger.

You don't have to be there dead early. 9-10 is good, some places will be out of a few rarities (say, the last strawberries, or eggs) but not much.

Floriole Bakery, mmm.

Try lots of cheese.

Buy black raspberry honey from the guy who has honeys and some baked goods.

I love the NY strip steaks from Heartland Meats.

Jen

The scones from Hoosier Mama Pie are fantastic.

I always get there between 6:45 and 7:15AM, mainly because that's when you get to walk around with so many of the city's best chef's and see what they're buying, and hear what questions they ask the farmers. At that hour it's also much less crowded, parking's easier, and Mint Creek hasn't run out of what are the best eggs at the market. I'm also not a big fan of how Blue Marble displays the milk at the market (basically out in the summer heat of open air with a few ice cubes spread around, as if that does anything), so I prefer to get there early before the milk has even had a chance to come out of the coolers.

Thank you for the very helpful tips. I am excited and the weather is looking good so far!
I am guessing we will take our chances and drive.
I want to get there as early as possible.

I am having a GREAT eating birthday weekend.
Friday- Urban Belly
Saturday- GCM and Mixteco dinner
Sunday- Sola brunch and then a Cubs game

THANKS again!

Chloe54 wrote:Thank you for the very helpful tips. I am excited and the weather is looking good so far!
I am guessing we will take our chances and drive.
I want to get there as early as possible.

I am having a GREAT eating birthday weekend.
Friday- Urban Belly
Saturday- GCM and Mixteco dinner
Sunday- Sola brunch and then a Cubs game

THANKS again!

Enjoy, sounds like a terrific selection. I like Sola, but I did find brunch to be a big disappointment. One of the worst things I ate all year was something they call matzoh brei, which consisted of a rubbery, overcooked, underseasoned mass that was cooked and plated in some sort of circular mold as big as a frisbee. It resembled a frisbee's texture, too. I also saw the manager walking in with a big bag of Jewel-bought corn tortillas, so I stayed away from the chilaquiles. I got the general sense that they view brunch as a way to make a little extra cash, and don't give a rat's behind about the food they serve to what they hope will be people who don't know any better.

Hmmm that is a definite concern, KennyZ.

I am going specifically to have their burger because I have heard it is so good and burgers are my favorite food.

Okay -- this is a non food related comment about the Green City Market -- but it's one of my favorite things about going -- everyone has such great dogs! I love to grab my stuff, go to Floriole and get something delicious to eat or perhaps the apple cider donuts and then sit down and watch the dog parade.

Then get up and get some more!

if you like cider -- go to Seedlings and get some of their incomparable apple cider. It's the best I've ever tasted.

earthlydesire wrote:Okay -- this is a non food related comment about the Green City Market -- but it's one of my favorite things about going -- everyone has such great dogs! I love to grab my stuff, go to Floriole and get something delicious to eat or perhaps the apple cider donuts and then sit down and watch the dog parade.

Then get up and get some more!

if you like cider -- go to Seedlings and get some of their incomparable apple cider. It's the best I've ever tasted.

We were there with our hungry Portie last Saturday. I agree on Seedlings Cider ( I really do need to get a big freezer for stuff like that), plus it is the home of Fruitslinger & he has such lovely tweets & blog that almost makes me want to start canning.

Thank you for all the helpful suggestions. We liked it so much that we are going back tomorrow!! I have a list of veggies/recipes ready to go.
Saturday was a perfect day! Thank you.
And the dogs were AWESOME! We met a lovely corgi named Winston and too many other dogs to list!

We shared---
Mixed berry crepe
Lamb hand-pie from Hoosier Mama
Twice cooked maple pecan croissant from Floriole (AMAZING)
Salted caramels from Floriole

We bought ----I don't remember the names of any of the farms! SHOOT! Sorry.
Goat cheese that was macerated in bourbon (from the stand next to the crepes)
Big Ed's Cheese (from another cheese stand)
Lamb & Pork Sausage
Ribeye steak
Collard greens
Garlic tops (sauteed them, YUM)
Carrots (braised them. YUM)

Clearly this is not the correct area to post the rest, but I feel postings would be redundant on their respective pages (which is why I post so infrequently) and also since I mentioned my plan here I thought maybe you would like to know how the rest of my food-focused weekend turned out.

Urban Belly- FABULOUS. That watermelon/shrimp/pork belly salad was awesome. So awesome that we ordered a second one.
Mixteco- Best fish tacos. Ever. We ordered a second order....a trend it seems.
Sola- REALLY REALLY REALLY disappointing. The burger was a mess, literally. I wish I had listened and gone somewhere else.....a good diner breakfast would have made me much happier. It was a flavorless dry patty (cooked Well, when I asked for Medium rare) on a pile of hasbrowns with eggs, bacon and cheese on top. BLAH. At $15 I was expecting something worth remembering...well I will remember it alright. Their homemade donut holes with the mango and raspberry dipping sauces were awesome though.
Every meal of my life can't all be fantastic I suppose.....

HI,

I plan to go to Green City Market tomorrow for the 9 AM lecture on Lincoln. Is there any seating for the demos and public programs?

Thanks!

Regards,

Some, not enough.

The GCM newsletter today reads "A record crowd joined us Saturday with the final count coming in at 8,214. Farmers were sold out by 1:00pm (many of them hours before the end of the day). What a testament to Abby Mandel and her vision."

Anyone know how they arrive at the 8,214 count? That seems awfully precise for what I imagine is an estimate.

Darren72 wrote:The GCM newsletter today reads "A record crowd joined us Saturday with the final count coming in at 8,214. Farmers were sold out by 1:00pm (many of them hours before the end of the day). What a testament to Abby Mandel and her vision."

Anyone know how they arrive at the 8,214 count? That seems awfully precise for what I imagine is an estimate.

The volunteers literally count people by hand.

My four year-old son counted 129 dogs in the 30 minutes or so we were there. He was very adamant about the specificity of the number, despite my questions as to the rigor of his method, which was limited to his field of vision and presumably included some double counts and some undercounts. While not suffering from the same magnitude of problems, I suspect that the GCM organizers' count was similarly deficient in certain respects.

I don't know -- i wouldn't doubt there were over 120 dogs in thirty minutes.

I love the doggies at the market -- it distracts me from cheese samples.

<Grin>

I've gotten two emails in the last few days from Mint Creek Farm that their money purse was stolen on Sunday, when they were at the Logan Square Market, and today, when they were at the Green City Market. The emails say that customers who purchased from them using a debit or credit card should contact their bank because their account information may be at risk.

earthlydesire wrote:... everyone has such great dogs! I love to grab my stuff, go to Floriole and get something delicious to eat or perhaps the apple cider donuts and then sit down and watch the dog parade....

Then get up and get some more!

if you like cider -- go to Seedlings and get some of their incomparable apple cider. It's the best I've ever tasted.

I do agree with you about the Seedlings cider, but the dogs-- well, not so much. One time I set some purchases down by the Heartland Meats booth (the owners are friends so they don't mind). When I came back, there was dog urine on my bags. That's why I love the Evanston farmers market-- easier parking, just as good of a selection, and NO DOGS. So, I leave the dogs to you with no regrets-- enjoy!

Jen