Every year I eagerly await the opening of our local farmer's market in May and am a little sad in October when it closes for the season. There is something about having fresh food to eat, supporting local farmers, walking or biking to the market with your kids, enjoying the art of the beautiful colors at the market...... really, what's not to love! It reminds me of a simpler world and that makes me happy. Growing up each summer we always had a home garden in the backyard....cantaloupes, watermelons, greens, peppers, corn, peas, tomatos, cucumbers..... Some years our yield was small. Some years our yield was big. Either way I have to admit that I didn't appreciate the garden we had. I just thought of it as work. Over the years, like many other things in life, I have reflected on that garden and I think my parents were pretty awesome for having a garden each year and for "making" us work the garden. I'm sure it would have been easier some years to say the heck with it rather than listen to the complaining! So, each summer (short as it is here) I yearn for my garden (as SMALL as it is). And I yearn for the farmer's markets.
Unfortunately, the Chicago climate doesn't lend itself to year-round outdoor farmer's markets. But we are fortunate enough to have the Green City Market which moves itself indoors for the winter months. This market prides itself on being the only truly green farmer's market in Chicago. We used to frequent this market when we lived in the city but not so much now that we are out of the city and have our own little market. It's pretty awesome though.
Yesterday, while M and ARose were at a birthday party, Chris and I had a date attending one of the four chef demonstrations that the Green City Market provides each weekend that it is open for business. Rick Bayless was the chef! Yes, the Top Chef Master himself! Can you say E-X-C-I-T-E-D! I have watched his PBS cooking show, Mexico-One Plate at a Time, for years now. I've eaten numerous times at one of his award-winning restaurants, Frontera Grill. I walked away from this demonstration feeling ----impressed and inspired. Rick didn't just show us how to cook some food. Anybody can follow a recipe, right....I think :-) He talked to us about his what he felt was his mission in life. He is truly passoniate about Mexican food and his cause of supporting local organic farming. All of his restaurants are supplied locally with organic food. If he can't get the products he wants, he partners with local farmers by giving them initial capital in exchange for the products.
I'm making tortilla soup today :-)
