Madelyn goes to market

after a hiatus due to wedding planning, wedding and honeymoon, i’m now in full-force farmers market mode. especially now that there’s less than a month left in the season!

this past weekend i went to two farmers markets. the first was the edgewater farmers market. i actually forgot that i had been here before and was bummed because this is probably my least favorite of all the farmers markets. it’s really small, which is fine as long as the quality holds up, but in this case it’s not true. the produce is fine but it’s really expensive. there’s one booth that sells heirloom tomatoes for $5/lb which is unheard of even at farmers markets. they aren’t very friendly either which makes me feel okay about ragging on them, although i won’t name names. there aren’t any particularly good or interesting bakers either. there are other farmers markets somewhat nearby (north center, lincoln square or lincoln park for instance) that are much more worth your while. i did, however, pick up some leeks and made a very tasty leek and potato soup (potage parmentier) courtesy of julia child (i’m on a huge kick right now!). i made a few changes to the recipe below because it seemed that the soup would be way too thin made the way she suggested.

leek and potato soup

ingredients
1 lb. peeled potatoes, diced
1 lb. thinly sliced leeks
2 quarts water
1 tblsp salt
4-6 tblsp whipping cream
2 tblsp minced chives

directions
simmer the vegetables, water and salt together, partially covered for 40 mins until the vegetables are tender. mash the vegetables with a fork or through a food mill for a finer soup. set aside uncovered until just before serving, then reheat to the simmer. off heat and just before serving, stir in the cream by sponnfuls. pour into soup bowls and decorate with chives.

the second market we went to this weekend was the lincoln park farmers market, not to be confused with green city. in contrast to edgewater, this one was great and really got me in the mood for fall. it was the largest nichols farm stand i’ve ever come across. they had so many kinds of potatoes and apples, it was crazy (see pics below)! i picked up some pumpkins on a stick… no really, that’s their name, some free range eggs and some beautiful pears that we ate last night with cheddar as an appetizer. i’m now ready for all the football, chillier weather and leaves changing that seem to be forced upon us.

edgewater green market
saturday through october, 7 am to 1 pm
6034 n. broadway

lincoln park farmers market
saturdays through october, 7 am to 2 pm
lincoln park high school parking lot
armitage ave. & orchard st.