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  • Post #301 - August 16th, 2020, 4:05 am
    Post #301 - August 16th, 2020, 4:05 am Post #301 - August 16th, 2020, 4:05 am
    These don't sound close to the end-of-day deals First offered, but they are 3 options that I've identified as having the most affordable/best valued tomato prices.

    - Geneva Lakes (NE corner, in square): $2.50/lb regular, $3.50/lb heirloom. They're displayed in the small containers other vendors sell them by (same display as Nichols), but you tell them how many to grab. Visually, speaking of the regular variety, they're the least bright red and appealing (I buy for others, personally I like grape tomatoes).

    - Unknown Name (SW corner, in square): They didn't strike me as a stripped down version of someone who's been there for years, but I don't know that it's their first year. They sell regular, nicely colored at $6/box. The boxes avg just over 2 lbs per, containing 3 tomatoes if there's an extra large one in there, 4 if not. Very minimal line, you get a good look at the boxes and get to pick out which one you want. No deal for 2 boxes.

    - Berrien (University Pl. 2nd from the east): $3/lb displayed on their table, the best looking and uniformly sized of the 3 I list. You can try to tell them which ones you want, but it's unnecessary. The guy helping me today inspected each one for a second without my asking, and even put one down for a minor blemish. 3 large ones were 2 lbs.
  • Post #302 - August 20th, 2020, 11:17 pm
    Post #302 - August 20th, 2020, 11:17 pm Post #302 - August 20th, 2020, 11:17 pm
    Hi- I just want to remind people that the Season's on Henrys Farm is still available to view on Gene Siskel's website, but I am not sure how much longer it is going to be up. https://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/season ... henrysfarm When you go to the website, you can also click on their Facebook page, where you can access the Q & A session Henry did with the director last Sunday. It lasted about an hour.

    Somebody that posted on their last Sunday could not figure out why people would buy mediocre produce at the grocery store when they can get it from Henry. The problem is not everybody cooks, and lots of people do not know what to do with kale. Last week I noticed that there were a few large crowds of people in their 20's that were not social distancing. There used to be a lot more, but since they can not eat at the market, a lot of those people aren't there this summer. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #303 - August 21st, 2020, 5:49 pm
    Post #303 - August 21st, 2020, 5:49 pm Post #303 - August 21st, 2020, 5:49 pm
    Hi- I just got Henry's email about what he is bringing to market tomorrow. He is finally bringing more lettuce, and tons of tomatoes as well as kale, beets, zucchini, peppers, more Peter Wilcox potatoes, and lots of other stuff. His heirloom tomatoes are going to be $8 a quart if you let him pick them out, or $10 a quart if you want to pick them out. It is the same with lettuce. Lettuce is $3 a head if he picks it out, or $4 a head if you pick it out. He is also bringing roma tomatoes, slicers and cherry tomatoes, as well as some melons. The heirloom tomatoes I bought from Henry last week were wonderful.

    Henry's movie is still available at Gene Siskel for viewing, but not for long. The Zoom session he and the director did last Sunday is also still available on their website.

    Henry is also bringing some purple heirloom corn to the market tomorrow. It looks interesting. There is going to be lots of other corn at the market at 1ST Orchards, Nichols, and Geneva Lake Produce, and this might be the last week for red haven peaches. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #304 - August 21st, 2020, 9:44 pm
    Post #304 - August 21st, 2020, 9:44 pm Post #304 - August 21st, 2020, 9:44 pm
    I just found out that Henry is also bringing #2 heirloom tomatoes tomorrow for 1/2 price.

    I just checked my sisters Facebook page, and she is done with red haven peaches, but she is now picking Allstar peaches which are excellent. It is one of the varieties she has bred, and I am sure you will be able to find some Allstar at the farmer's market tomorrow.
  • Post #305 - August 27th, 2020, 11:20 pm
    Post #305 - August 27th, 2020, 11:20 pm Post #305 - August 27th, 2020, 11:20 pm
    Hi- I just got the email of what Henry is bringing to market this Saturday. He is going to have even more tomatoes than he did last week. He thinks he is going to have a tomato special this Saturday, but he is not sure yet what it is going to be. Henry is also going to bring a lot of melons too. When I got there last Saturday, he was out of melons. Hopefully he will have some when I get there this Saturday. His melons are always good, because he only picks them when they are ripe. I bought a watermelon from Nichols last Saturday that was not ripe enough. Henry is also going to have some baby greens, zucchini, peppers and lettuce.

    Everybody should be done picking red haven peaches, although there is at least one grower that comes to Evanston that mentions every week that his peaches are red haven when most of the time they are not. Once I bought some peaches from this gentleman, and the sign said red haven, and it was the middle of September, and I knew that they weren't red haven. I asked the gentleman who waited on me what kind of peaches they were, and he said red haven, and I told him that no way could they be red haven. The farmer came over, and I told him who I was, and he told me that they were my sister's Fayettes.

    There is a recall on a lot of California peaches, and so they are harder to find in the grocery stores, and most of the Michigan growers have a smaller crop than usual because they get hit by frost on May 9th. I normally get my peaches from K &K Farms, and I can often get #2 peaches for $3 from them, but when I got there last Saturday at 11:30, they were out of peaches already, and I had to buy them from somebody else. My sister that has the farm says that more people are canning this summer, and the demand for peaches exceeds her supply. She is going to limit sales of 1/2 bushels at her fruit stand for the rest of the peach season and mostly sell smaller quantities because she only has 50% of a peach crop, and she can't keep up with the demand.

    This is the last week to view the film about Henry's Farm on the Gene Siskel Film Center's website. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #306 - September 3rd, 2020, 11:01 pm
    Post #306 - September 3rd, 2020, 11:01 pm Post #306 - September 3rd, 2020, 11:01 pm
    Hi- There should still be some Michigan peaches at the market, but only for a few more weeks. Everybody has a smaller crop this year, and a lot more people are canning this summer, and so the demand is exceeding the supply. My Sister in Michigan had to quit selling 1/2 bushels of peaches last Saturday at her fruit stand. She sold 60 1/2 bushels of peaches in three hours. Blueberries are about over now too

    I know Jewel has sweet corn on sale right now for $.10 an ear, but the corn you get at the market is way better. I usually get my corn from 1st Orchards, but Nichols also has really good corn too, but it is more expensive. Also I have heard that Geneva Lakes Produce has good corn, but there is always a long line at their stall as well as Nichol's. I am waiting for Nichol's to mark down their red peppers really cheap. I buy a bunch and cut them up and freeze them.

    I just got the email from Henry, and he is bringing tons of stuff this week. He is finally bringing turnips this Saturday. I love his Japanese turnips. He is also finally bringing mesclun. I also love his mesclun. He will also have lots of lettuce, kale, potatoes and chois as well as more watermelon. He will have even more tomatoes than he had last week, and will be running a special. I just picked six pounds of tomatoes out of my garden today, and so I definitely do not need more tomatoes.

    Henry's film is still running on Gene Siskel's film center website, but not for long.

    I wish people at the market would be more conscious about social distancing. It seems like I have to dodge lots of people that are not aware of how close they are too me.
    Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #307 - September 4th, 2020, 6:51 pm
    Post #307 - September 4th, 2020, 6:51 pm Post #307 - September 4th, 2020, 6:51 pm
    I just got Henry's latest email, and he is running specials on heirloom tomatoes which are going to be $8 a quart or 2/$14, and Roma tomatoes which are going to be $6 a quart or 2/$10. He might have more tomatoes on special tomorrow. He will also have cucumbers on special, and he will have tons of watermelons and muskmelons tomorrow. The watermelon he is bringing up is a heirloom variety, and he has to save the seed for it every year because the seed is not available commercially. Last week I got charged $1.20 a pound for my little melons I got. Maybe this time I can get there in time for the larger muskmelons. Last week he also had lettuce $3 a head or 2/$5. Henry has too much to fit in his truck tomorrow, and so Terra is driving the pick up loaded with melons, and she is selling her book tomorrow and another book. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #308 - September 11th, 2020, 6:21 pm
    Post #308 - September 11th, 2020, 6:21 pm Post #308 - September 11th, 2020, 6:21 pm
    I just got the email about what Henry is bringing to the market tomorrow. He is bringing lots of greens, including five kinds of kale, chois, chard and lots of lettuce. He is also bringing Japanese turnips. I love them. Tomatoes are not on special this time. I think the glut of tomatoes is over since the hot weather is no longer here. He is also bringing some more melons, although not as many as he brought last week. Last week I did not get there until almost noon, and all he had left were a few baby melons out of a whole pickup load of melons. He is also bringing some green beans as well as some sweet corn. I don't see anything about Henry's documentary, and so I suspect it is not available for viewing any more. I did not get a chance to see it. It would be nice if they would put it on Amazon for viewing.

    This will probably be the last week to see very many peaches. When I got there last Saturday, everybody was out of peaches. I ended up getting a quart of #2 nectarines from Stovers for $4. Jon First also had a really good deal on his red peppers and eggplants. They were all 3/$1 by the time I got there, and the peppers were huge.

    Corn I suspect is winding down. It is supposed to rain tomorrow. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #309 - September 12th, 2020, 7:43 am
    Post #309 - September 12th, 2020, 7:43 am Post #309 - September 12th, 2020, 7:43 am
    Hi- I am glad I just checked my email. Henry's sister has sent two emails this morning. Last month while Henry was on his way to market. one of the tires on his truck shredded, and poked a whole in the bottom of his truck. When he got home, he decided to replace the tires on his truck. Last Saturday on his way to Evanston, he got a flat on one of his new tires. He replaced that tire. This morning at 4:00 when he was a half hour away from market, two of the tires on his truck fell off. He was able to safely pull off the expressway, and called to get some emergency help. He even sent them a picture of his truck, but the first tow trick was too small. The second one was large enough, but the wench broke when the driver was trying to connect it to Henry's truck. The third truck then came, and towed Henry's truck with all of its goodies to market. Do not come to market until at least 9:00, and preferably later. He is running a special on greens, 2/$5, and melons and tomatoes. If you buy 3 quarts of tomatoes, you get one for free. If you buy two melons you get one for free. The later you get there, the shorter the line will be.
  • Post #310 - September 12th, 2020, 9:43 am
    Post #310 - September 12th, 2020, 9:43 am Post #310 - September 12th, 2020, 9:43 am
    They were finally unloading his truck from the tow as I was leaving 20 minutes ago (ie. at 10.20am).

    It was raining the entire time I was there and difficult holding the umbrella and bag in the same hand every time I was paying or loading stuff into the bag. Another vendor in the row along University told me Henry was selling everything at discount, but I wanted to get the hell out of there more than the bargain.
  • Post #311 - September 12th, 2020, 12:17 pm
    Post #311 - September 12th, 2020, 12:17 pm Post #311 - September 12th, 2020, 12:17 pm
    I got there close to noon, and there was a long line for Henry's stand, and even the CSA. I asked if I could get a deal if I just bought two quarts of tomatoes, and she said I had to get 4 quarts to get the deal, and so I only got one quart. I also finally got a muskmelon from Henry, but I think I had to pay $7 for it. I did get some #2 peaches from K & K, and 2 pints of blueberries because the market was not as busy today. Jon First though is done with corn though, and so I had to buy some from Nichols. It was not raining while I was there.

    Henry's truck is sitting on a ramp connected to a semi. One of the farmers told me it is time for Henry to buy a new truck. His current truck runs on vegetable oil though, and maybe that is why he has not gotten one so far.
  • Post #312 - September 14th, 2020, 1:12 pm
    Post #312 - September 14th, 2020, 1:12 pm Post #312 - September 14th, 2020, 1:12 pm
    Hi- The flat bed tow truck that brought Henry's truck to market, took Henry and his truck home after market was open. Henry was going to continue to sell stuff there until he ran out or ran out of customers. He was there at least until 1:30, and I think he marked down his stuff some more after I left at 12:30, but I already spent $20.50 there, and I did not need anything else. BTW- I had to wait in line for close to 15 minutes before I got waited on, but the person who waited on me, after I paid with my debit card, asked me if I wanted her to email me a receipt. I did not know they did that. I turned her down, but this summer, the way Henry is set up, it is often hard to figure out how much he is charging. A lot of stuff like his lettuce and tomatoes, he charges the same price every week, but I bought a muskmelon from him on Saturday, and he charges $1.20 a pound for all of his melons, and I am not sure how much it weighed. Normally I would just weigh it myself, but this summer you can not do that. He also does not have a screen that you can see how much your bill it, and sometimes I have a hard time hearing how much I am being charged, or they don't tell me.

    For anybody that bought any of his watermelons on Saturday, Henry would like people to save some of the seeds from the melon, and wash them off and then dry them, and hand them to Henry next market. This is a variety that he cannot buy seed for anymore, and so he has to save seed every year.

    I noticed that since Henry was so late getting to market, that Talking Farm was almost sold out when I looked at their stand. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #313 - September 18th, 2020, 7:40 pm
    Post #313 - September 18th, 2020, 7:40 pm Post #313 - September 18th, 2020, 7:40 pm
    Hi- This is probably the last week you will see very many peaches. Henry got set up at 10:30 last week, and he thanks all of the people who helped him when he finally got to market. He was stuck on the Stevenson for five hours, before finally the fourth truck to show up was able to successfully haul him and his truck to market. The tow truck guy then helped Henry unload the truck and set up, and then helped him load the truck back up when he was done with the market, and then gave Henry and his truck a ride home.

    I had to wait in line for 15 minutes at Henry's last week, but I was finally able to get one of his muskmelons. Henry is bringing up the last of his melons tomorrow. He is having a special on beets. He has some giant beets he is bringing up tomorrow, and is charging $3 for them, but you can get an additional bunch of regular sized beets for an additional $2, and so 2/$5. Henry is also bringing up a fairly large supply of tomatoes too, but get them while you can. I am sure there won't be as many next week.

    Jon First was out of corn and peaches for the year, and so I had to buy my corn from Nichols which was not bad, but a few of the ears were a little too mature for me. Last Saturday was the first market where it rained this season, but they still had over 3,000 people show up. There is going to be lots of apples tomorrow. My Sister had her first week of upick apples last weekend, and yes it rained there on Saturday. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #314 - September 19th, 2020, 12:28 pm
    Post #314 - September 19th, 2020, 12:28 pm Post #314 - September 19th, 2020, 12:28 pm
    Hi- I got there too late for the peaches, but I did get some blueberries. I decided to make some potato leek soup this week, and I usually get my leeks at Nichols and I get my potatoes at either Nichols or Henry's. Henry did not have any potatoes today, and so I was forced to get potatoes at Nichols, but the yukon gold potatoes were already bagged up, and were $4 a pound, and the potatoes ended up costing me $10. Is there anybody there besides Henry that sells potatoes cheaper? I also got some garlic from Nichol's, and they were charging 4/$10. I love their garlic, but that is too much money, and their heirloom tomatoes were $5 a pound.

    BTW- Somebody left a negative review of the market on their Facebook page. Apparently the guy is dealing with cancer right now, and he had been going to the market every week, until the end of July when he was at Nichols stand, and this elderly customer there was not wearing her mask. This guy mentioned it to her that she was supposed to wear a mask. She then put her mask back on, but did not do it correctly. This cancer patient then decided he better social distance from her, and somebody at Nichol's asked him to move up in the line, and he told them why he was not, and the Nichol's employee thought the guy was nickpicking. The guy then decided that he was going to get out of line and not purchase anything from them. He then reported this customer to one of the city employees at the market, and they went to Nichol's stand, and asked Nichol's to deal with it instead of approaching the woman. He is not coming back to the market this season.
  • Post #315 - September 19th, 2020, 2:16 pm
    Post #315 - September 19th, 2020, 2:16 pm Post #315 - September 19th, 2020, 2:16 pm
    NFriday wrote:Henry did not have any potatoes today, and so I was forced to get potatoes at Nichols, but the yukon gold potatoes were already bagged up, and were $4 a pound, and the potatoes ended up costing me $10. Is there anybody there besides Henry that sells potatoes cheaper?
    I believe Geneva Lakes (NE corner, in the square) has potatoes cheaper than Nichols. Green Acres to the left of them might too, but they aren't as reliably a value vendor.
  • Post #316 - October 2nd, 2020, 1:15 am
    Post #316 - October 2nd, 2020, 1:15 am Post #316 - October 2nd, 2020, 1:15 am
    I got the email from Henry's sister telling me what Henry is bringing to market this Saturday. Henry says that it is supposed to get down to 33-34 on Sunday evening, and so he is bringing the rest of his peppers, zucchini and tomatoes to market on Saturday. He is running a special on peppers. He is selling 2 quarts of peppers for $5. He is also bringing lots of greens carrots, turnips, and beets. He is also bringing Chinese broccoli and a new for Henry vegetable, myoga, which is a Japanese ginger, as well as some garlic braids and some potatoes.

    I bought the last of Nichol's corn last week. Nichols might have the last of their tomatoes this Saturday too
  • Post #317 - October 16th, 2020, 1:52 pm
    Post #317 - October 16th, 2020, 1:52 pm Post #317 - October 16th, 2020, 1:52 pm
    Hi- I have not received the email yet from Terra about what Henry is bringing to the market tomorrow. I probably won't receive it until sometime late this evening. I did check the Facebook page for the Evanston Farmer's market though, and Myra the manager reports that several people have asked her about the winter market, and the city has not decided yet if that is going to take place because COVID cases in Evanston have been rising lately. I think yesterday there were 16 new cases. She said that if the winter market does not take place, there are several farmer's, including Nichols, River Valley and Gast that are going to set up at an alternate place. Also the new store on Dempster called Village Farmstead, located where Hewn used to be is another option, and they are going to start carrying River Valley mushrooms along with some other local produce.

    I am particularly interested in the Thanksgiving market at Immanuel where I buy a ton of stuff from Henry, and also some stuff from Nichol's and Green Acres. I would really miss that market. I did hit the winter market a few other times last winter at Immanuel, but I mostly bought mushrooms from River Valley. I suspect that Henry is going to do orders online for Thanksgiving and find a place for people to pick it up if the market at Immanuel does not take place. He was considering doing that if the current market did not open up this season.

    I don't know if there are going to be many tomatoes tomorrow other than green ones. I know Henry's tomatoes got hit by frost almost two weeks ago. Last week First's, Geneva Lake, Lyon's and Nichols had tomatoes for sure, but maybe there were some more that I missed. I got there too late last week for Teresa's Asian pears. It is supposed to be on the cool side tomorrow, and so be sure to dress appropriately. I've got to hit my community garden to pick the last of my tomatoes and peppers this afternoon. I still have basil on my balcony, but I think its days is numbered unless I bring the plants in. Did anybody see any fresh basil at the farmer's market last week? I purchased some two weeks ago at Smit's and made some pesto, but I only got four bunches because they were not willing to bargain with me. When I checked last Saturday they were sold out, or did not bring any to market. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #318 - October 16th, 2020, 3:13 pm
    Post #318 - October 16th, 2020, 3:13 pm Post #318 - October 16th, 2020, 3:13 pm
    Hi- I just got Terra's email about what Henry is bringing to market. Henry was not there last Saturday. When he woke up to get ready for market, he felt really sick, and had to call up one of his farmhands to drive the truck up to market. He thinks he got food poisoning, and he was okay 24 hours later. Yes he did take a COVID test, and it came back negative.

    Henry is bringing lots of potatoes and sweet potatoes tomorrow, and he is having a special on greens and peppers. He is selling his peppers by the peck for 1/2 price if you want that many. He is also selling two quarts for $5 if you want less. He is also putting most of his greens, including his lettuce on sale for 2/$5, or $3 for one bunch. He does have some of his tomato plants covered with a hoop house, and so he might have a few red tomatoes tomorrow. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #319 - October 29th, 2020, 9:38 pm
    Post #319 - October 29th, 2020, 9:38 pm Post #319 - October 29th, 2020, 9:38 pm
    I just got the email from Henry about what he is going to bring this Saturday. He has been picking a lot of greens. It is supposed to get in the 20's this weekend on his farm, and a lot of the greens will not survive when it gets that cold, including lettuce, and so he recommends stocking up on greens this Saturday. He will also have the last of the roots with greens this Saturday, such as turnips and beets. He will have his lettuce, bok choi and kale 2/$5, and he will have quarts of turnips 2/$5. He also anticipates this will be the last week he has many potatoes and sweet potatoes. He anticipates he will not have bulk sales of potatoes or sweet potatoes this year. He will have the first of his brussel sprouts. Henry will also have the first of his black garlic, and the last of his peppers. Henry will also have garlic braids available, and he will have 50 head garlic braids available for those who ordered them in advance. They are $60.

    It sounds like Henry is not going to have any tomatoes this Saturday. There will probably be a lot of green tomatoes available, and a limited number of ripe tomatoes available from 1st Orchards, Nichols, and Geneva Lake

    Concerning the pre Thanksgiving market, there is a good chance it will be held, but Terra is not absolutely certain, and it might be held at a different location than Immanuel. Even if it is held, there is a chance that he will not have very many greens, and he will probably not have any lettuce.

    I know a few years ago at the pre Thanksgiving market, Henry did not have any lettuce or greens, but Nichols did have a limited supply of greens. The last farmer's market of the regular season takes place on 11/7. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #320 - October 30th, 2020, 7:12 pm
    Post #320 - October 30th, 2020, 7:12 pm Post #320 - October 30th, 2020, 7:12 pm
    I just checked the Facebook page for the Evanston market, and the city has decided not to hold the winter markets this season. The virus is just too rampant right now in Evanston.

    Henry is coming with a full truck tomorrow, and many of the things he is bringing up are on sale 2/$5, including his first parsnips. This is the last week he is having a 2/$5 deal on lettuce, and this is probably the last week he is selling garlic in bulk. They still hope that the pre Thanksgiving market will take place, but they are not 100% certain it will, or where it will be held this year. Henry anticipates not having as much stuff at the pre Thanksgiving market as he normally has anyway due to the fact that this next week might be too cold for some of the greens and all of the lettuce, and so he encourages people to buy lots of stuff tomorrow. I am sure that there are not going to be as many farmers on 11/7 anyway. Talking Farm is making their final appearance tomorrow. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #321 - November 4th, 2020, 2:20 pm
    Post #321 - November 4th, 2020, 2:20 pm Post #321 - November 4th, 2020, 2:20 pm
    Hi- I just got an email from Henry about the pre Thanksgiving market. It is normally held at Immanuel Lutheran church, but it cannot be held there because there is not enough room to social distance. The Friends of the Evanston Farmer's Market has found an alternative site, which is the large parking lot for the First Presbyterian church, which is at Chicago Ave. and Lake. The market would be held totally outside. The problem is the city has denied them a permit for the market, saying it is not safe and it violates the 25 person maximum crowd ruling by the Governor. Henry wants people who live in Evanston to contact their Alderman to encourage the health department to change its mind. There is a link in the email to find your local alderman. This should be considered an essential service, such as grocery stores are to get around the 25 person limit. Having the market totally outside is also much safer than having it inside the church. Here is the email Henry just sent me.

    https://preview.mailerlite.com/h3l4s1/1 ... 7144/e2h1/

    Also if anybody wants a 50 head garlic braid for $60 to be picked up this Saturday at the final regular farmer's market, email Henry by tomorrow evening, and he will have one ready for you.

    Henry is also signing up people for his CSA next season. If you sign up now you get it at a discount. He charges less if you pay by check. You can give him your check at this Saturday's farmer's market or at the pre Thanksgiving market, if it is held. Terra is also looking for suggestions of other possible locations for the pre Thanksgiving market if anybody has any. All of the info I just mentioned is in the link I posted. Thanks, Nancy
  • Post #322 - November 5th, 2020, 2:23 pm
    Post #322 - November 5th, 2020, 2:23 pm Post #322 - November 5th, 2020, 2:23 pm
    Hi- I emailed my alderman about the pre Thanksgiving market, and why they should allow it to be held at First Presbyterian. He just got back to me, and he said he had already looked into it, and he was told that they city was trying to work something out so the market can be held. I hope so. Maybe they could have it at the same location that they have been having the other markets this summer. They only have about 20 farmers selling at the Thanksgiving market though, and so the First Presbyterian parking lot should be large enough. I buy the great majority of my stuff from Henry though, and I always preorder it so I only have to go to the truck and pick up my order. The only other farmers I every buy from are Nichols and Green Acres. Henry has some really good bulk sales though that the other farmers do not. I am not sure how many greens he is going to have for the Thanksgiving market though this year. I think he had to pick them already because it got down in the 20's at his farm last week. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #323 - November 6th, 2020, 8:01 pm
    Post #323 - November 6th, 2020, 8:01 pm Post #323 - November 6th, 2020, 8:01 pm
    Hi- I got the email from Henry about what he is bringing to market tomorrow. Terra thanks everybody that contacted their Alderman about the pre Thanksgiving market. They were finally issued a permit to hold the market in the parking lot at First Presbyterian church. Everybody will have to wear a mask, and socially distance. I assume people will not be able to touch the produce until they purchase it too.

    Henry is not sure how much he will have at the Thanksgiving market. He predicts he will not have any potatoes, sweet potatoes, lettuce or chois. Tomorrow he will have potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, lettuce, kale, several types of choi, beets, parsnips, carrots, rutabaga, brussel sprouts, garlic and turnips. He will also have some black garlic tomorrow, and small and medium braids of garlic.

    There should be lots of apples and cider tomorrow too, and K & K Farms should have some raspberries. I am hoping I can find any deals on winter squash tomorrow, but I don't know if I will. Henry is bringing honeynut butternut squash which is a cross between a butternut and honey cup. It is supposed to be super sweet, and loaded with beta carotene.

    Myra the market manager says that the market will definitely take place again starting in May, but she is not sure how it will be set up. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #324 - November 14th, 2020, 2:34 pm
    Post #324 - November 14th, 2020, 2:34 pm Post #324 - November 14th, 2020, 2:34 pm
    Well I got another email from Henry's sister last night, and the pre thanksgiving which was supposed to take place at First Presbyterian church in their parking lot, might not happen after all. The city is nervous about the huge spike in COVID cases, and is having second thoughts about it. If it does not happen, Henry will try to find an alternate site that he can distribute his stuff at. He is distributing two weeks worth of veggies for people that are members of his CSA, and he is also distributing veggies to people that submit bulk orders. I am not sure if he is also going to have some tables set up for those people that did not submit bulk orders, but want to buy veggies from Henry on 11/21. He is looking for suggestions for places he can set up at. Terra is going to send out an email probably on Thursday, telling people what they can order from Henry and then pick up at the market on Saturday. She will also let people know what is going on with the market as soon as she hears anything from the city. The only other vendor that comes to the market that I buy much from is Nichols, and I don't know if they have an alternate site planned or not.

    I don't blame the city for getting cold feet about the market, but this would still be safer than shopping at Jewel on the day before Thanksgiving. I was in Jewel on Chicago Ave. last night around 10:00, and there were only a handful of customers there, plus the night crew that you had to dodge. They were low on toilet paper though. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #325 - November 16th, 2020, 8:43 pm
    Post #325 - November 16th, 2020, 8:43 pm Post #325 - November 16th, 2020, 8:43 pm
    I just got an email from Henry, and he is going to be allowed to park his truck this Saturday 11/21 at his usual location at the summer farmer's market. He is only going to be allowed to distribute stuff already ordered. Terra is sending out another email in a few days about what Henry is bringing, and how to submit an order to him. I know usually at the Thanksgiving market you order bulk online, and then you pick it up at the market, and hand him a check when you pick it up. It sounds like that is going to be the only way to purchase anything from Henry. I would advise submitting your order as soon as possible after you get the email. Some of his stuff goes really quick.

    It sounds like there are going to be several other people there distributing preorders too, including Kalic bread, Lake Breeze Organic, and Organic Pastures. Hopefully that includes Nichols and Green Acres too. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #326 - November 19th, 2020, 4:58 pm
    Post #326 - November 19th, 2020, 4:58 pm Post #326 - November 19th, 2020, 4:58 pm
    Hi- I finally got the email from Henry late this morning that allowed me to submit an order to him. Some of the things were gone in minutes, including the carrot seconds, and so I could not get them. I got a late start submitting my order, because I tried to pay as a pal pal guest, and it would not let me. I then finally set up a pay pal account, but then I noticed you could pay with your debit or credit card.

    Well there is a lot less available than there was a noon. All of the seconds on the veggies are gone but the sweet potatoes, and all of the potatoes are gone as well as all of the corn meal. Henry was going to show up on Saturday, but Terra had problems setting up the order system, and so he is extending the deadline for ordering to Friday evening, and so that means he will not be bringing the stuff up until Sunday 11/22. He is going to be there from 6:00am-11:am, but he is asking people to come at certain times. People with the last names starting with a-e are asked to show up from 7:00-8:00, and then it goes on. For people who cannot come at the time they are supposed to, they are asked to come from 6:00-7:00. You drive to the location on University where Henry has been setting up this summer, and then you stay in your car, and prop open your trunk. You have to wear a mask, and you do not get out of your car. You roll down your window and tell them your name, and they will put it in your trunk. Everything is pre ordered. Like I said, there is a lot gone already, and so I would order ASAP. It seems like his prices on bulk have gone up, but maybe I am wrong.

    I have no idea if Nichols is doing anything similar. When I checked their website, they were talking about delivery to your home, with a $8 delivery fee charge I think several other people are going to be there on Saturday so people can do pick up. I can understand why the city decided to cancel the market at 1st Presbyterian. The COVID numbers in Evanston are awful right now. Here is the link to submit your order. https://preview.mailerlite.com/f2q7e0/1 ... 0078/i0i5/
    Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #327 - November 20th, 2020, 11:23 am
    Post #327 - November 20th, 2020, 11:23 am Post #327 - November 20th, 2020, 11:23 am
    Hi- I just checked to see what Henry still has available on his website. He has added a few things since I submitted my order, including his Japanese turnips which I love, and another kind of kale. I ordered five pounds of his golden turnips, and I cannot change my order to Japanese turnips. I could order an additional five pounds of Japanese, but that means I would have 10 pounds of turnips, which is too much for me.

    He is out of potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, squash, and brussel sprouts, and all of his seconds, but he still has plenty of lettuce, kale, turnips, orange carrots, napa cabbage, beets and garlic, including his fantastic black garlic. You must submit your order to him by midnight tonight.

    I was watching CNN last night, and they had both Bill Gates and Dr. Fauci on, and they both predict that things will be much better by the beginning of next summer, and restaurants will be able to open up to full capacity. It sounds like Easter will be better than Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hope this helps, Nancy
  • Post #328 - November 20th, 2020, 12:55 pm
    Post #328 - November 20th, 2020, 12:55 pm Post #328 - November 20th, 2020, 12:55 pm
    I ordered the freshly ground Flint cornmeal (polenta/grits grind) & fresh termeric, in addition to my regular CSA share. Looking forward to Sunday AM pickup.
  • Post #329 - November 22nd, 2020, 9:06 am
    Post #329 - November 22nd, 2020, 9:06 am Post #329 - November 22nd, 2020, 9:06 am
    I just picked up my bulk order from Henry, and it went really fast. I thought there would be a long line, but there were only two cars in front of me. There was a longer line by the time I left, but it only took me about 5 minutes total. He still had lots of carrots and Japanese turnips to sell along with some other things, but the majority of his stuff got totally sold out, and he is still taking orders for his downstate customers through today. I am sure if they would have allowed the farmer's market to open up yesterday, he could have mostly sold out. Not all of his customers get his email, and not everybody can use five pounds of carrots or turnips. The turnips keep for months. Hopefully next summer the market will be back to its former self. Bill Gates said earlier this week, that he predicts restaurants will be 100% open by 6/1.
  • Post #330 - December 11th, 2020, 11:24 pm
    Post #330 - December 11th, 2020, 11:24 pm Post #330 - December 11th, 2020, 11:24 pm
    Hi- I just received an email from Henry, and he still has lots of veggies that need a home. It sounds like he is going to do the same thing he did last time. You have to order and pay for it in advance, and then you drive up in your car on the day he shows up, and then you pop open your trunk and one of his helpers puts your order in your trunk.

    He is going to send out an email this Monday with the order form, and info about where and how to pick it up. He is going to be in Evanston on 12/20. I already spent $103 last month, and so I have enough of his veggies to last me 3 months or more. The only thing I might get is some more garlic and some cornmeal. I was going to buy cornmeal last month, but by the time I was finally able to submit my order, all of his cornmeal was sold out. He only has one kind of corn meal this time. When he did his distribution last month, I thought I would be waiting in line for 15 minutes, but by the time I got in line and then picked up my order, it only took me a total of five minutes. There were only two cars in front of me, but by I time I drove off, the line was longer. Henry is requesting that people who got their veggies in wax coated boxes last time, that they please return those boxes to him when they pick up their order on 12/20.

    Also the Village Farmstand, which is located on Dempster where Hewn Bread used to be located, has lots of local produce, including some of Henry's. They also have River Valley mushrooms. They are only open Thursday through Sunday. You order in advance and then pick it up. You can also purchase stuff while you are at the store.

    Please order veggies from Henry though instead of buying them there, because he gets 100% of the money. At the Village Farmstand, the farmers only get 60% of what ever the produce is being sold for.

    I emailed Terra Brockman, who is Henry's sister who writes and sends out the wonderful emails, and told her that Deborah Madison was going to be speaking at one of the Chicago Culinary Historians Zoom meetings. She actually was able to attend it, and thanked me right after the meeting was over. She said she really enjoyed it. She actually mentioned during the meeting about how successful Henry was in selling his produce during the pandemic.

    Hope this helps, Nancy

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