Madelyn goes to market

after a bit of a hiatus due to wedding-related activities and travel, i tried to make up for lost time by going to two farmers markets this past saturday. after all, if i’m going to make it to all of them this summer, i need to do get down to business. i first went to the northcenter market and then the southport market. they were both such good reminders of what i love about farmers markets: finding unexpected produce or farm fresh products that you’d never find in a grocery store.

the northcenter market is fairly small but the options are good. my first stop was to the ellis farms booth for some stone fruit. i thought it might be nice to get a few peaches or a nectarine, but instead i found a yellow plum! it’s super juicy and a little sweeter than your average purple-y red plum.

i did also pick up some nectarines for one of my favorite summer time salads, introduced to me by my friend carOline and compliments of real simple magazine. all you need is mozzarella, fresh basil, nectarines, olive oil and salt. you cut up the nectarines and mozzarella into 1-inch cubes. tear the basil and combine all three ingredients. then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. so fresh and tasty and a great substitute for your typical caprese salad. i’ve brought it to many a picnic.

another unexpected and slightly less healthy treat at northcenter was a mini donut vendor called ‘sweet tooth.’ they make donuts to order. they are cakey and delicious and you can get them drizzled with chocolate or powdered sugar. they have this amazing little donut maker that was a huge hit with the kids and sadly, me.

one other vendor i wanted to mention from the north center… element bars. it’s a local company that makes custom protein and energy bars made out of all natural and mainly local ingredients. you can make your own bar or they have some of the top sellers pre-made. delish!

moving on to southport. i got here right about when they closed that day (note: they close at noon), but it was well worth the trip. i walked up to the first, and frankly, one of the only vendors there… twin garden farms. i quickly grabbed some kohlrabi with the thought of making a slaw, as well as some summer squash. as i went to pay for my finds, the guy at the booth told me he’d give me an ear of corn to try for free. here comes the strange part… he started shucking it and told me to try a bite right then and there. no, the corn was not cooked. i bit into it and it was some of the sweetest, juiciest corn i’d ever tried. it was a hybrid corn from japan called mirai. apparently, these guys love it so much that they made t-shirts. i am almost inspired to do the same! corn should be in season for the next month, so if you have the opportunity to try mirai, it will probably be some of the best corn you’ve ever had. btw – i went to the twin gardens website and the caption says ‘where we do sweet corn right.’ they said it! man, i love farmers markets.

northcenter farmers market
dates: every saturday from 7 am to 3 pm
location:
Northcenter Town Square
4100 N. Damen
Chicago, IL 60618

southport green market
dates: every saturday from 8 am to 12 noon
location
Blaine School
1420 W. Grace St.
Chicago, IL 60657
http://www.southportgreenmarket.com/Welcome.html