The Urbana farmers' market is in full swing in the Lincoln Square parking lot. And this was an extra-good day for it: sunny, breezy, not too hot. Very pleasant. Thought you might like to take a little stroll with me and peruse some of the offerings.
As you may know, two mainstays of spring, produce-wise, are strawberries and asparagus. Both were abundantly available this week. The strawberries seemed to go on forever, with tables and tables of the red gems glistening in the sunlight. These are the specimens from Meyer Produce (in the market's first row). I took some of them home with me, and I have to tell you, they were the sweetest, juiciest, best-tasting strawberries I've had so far this year.
And here are more, at the Tomahanous stand (second row). I haven't tried the Tomahanous strawbs yet, but don't they look beautiful?
In addition to the berries, Jeff Meyer had asparagus, both green and purple (if you've never had the purple variety, it tastes the same as the green; the color is just a visual bonus).
Kleiss Family Farm had a boatload of asparagus, as well.
Meyer Produce also brought green (pole) beans, which I'm looking forward to cooking with the smoked pancetta that my niece and her fiancé gave us (from
Ream's Market). I recently saw
this recipe on Chow, and I figure that using fresh-picked beans and the smoked pancetta instead of regular bacon will make the dish oh, so much more delicious.
Need to plant some herbs? They are all over the place at the market. I like to get mine from Moore Family Farm (south end of the first row). So far I've planted sage, thyme, rosemary, Thai basil, Italian basil, flat-leaf parsley, and oregano (the chives are way ahead of the newly planted herbs; they come back like gangbusters every spring in my patio pot). The Moores have garlic chives this year; if you haven't grown those before, they're wonderful (if you like garlic!). You can see them in the middle in the photo below.
And then, of course, there are the salad greens from Blue Moon Farm. Those are a boon to humanity. Fresh and vibrant and delicious with any dressing, from a simple drizzle of olive oil and lemon to a creamy blue cheese.
And if you need kale, Swiss chard, collards, or other cooking greens, Blue Moon's got you covered in that department as well.
I was surprised to see cucumbers this early in the season, but there they were at Cary's Garden of Eatin' stand.
Early tomatoes are provided, as usual, by the Amish farmers at 3 D Tomatoes (they're hydroponic tomatoes). That was a popular booth this morning, and yes, I did stand in line there.
As grand as they are, a person can't live by vegetables alone. That's where the bakers come in. The Upper Crust bakers (along Illinois Street, south edge of the market) had all manner of breads on display.
And Pekara Bakery (also on the market's south edge) brought their baguettes, other breads, muffins, and pastries.
If it's organic beef, pork, and chicken you're after, look no further than Triple S Farm's stand (close to Pekara, along Illinois Street near the corner of Illinois and Vine). Stan and his crew have arguably the best-tasting meats around these parts, and they keep expanding their offerings. In addition to their already wide selection, this year they have several new kinds of sausages (Spanish-style chorizo, sundried-tomato-and-basil sausages, Jamaican jerk sausages, jalapeño brats, all-beef hot dogs), plus smoked turkey drumsticks, CHICKEN FEET, and dried beef.
I got a package of the dried beef to see what it was like; if you're a meat eater, I urge you to hurry down to the market next week and pick some up. Paper-thin slices, a little sweet, very flavorful—where has this stuff been all my life? I wrapped it around slices of Nathan's kosher pickles and ate it just so. Wowie. The next thing I want to do is roll up some cream cheese and scallions in it. I hear there's a classic dip made with dried beef; anyone want to share a recipe for that?
Speaking of Triple S meats: The ever-popular Fryer Tuck's, mobile purveyors of stick-to-your-ribs, fast-food breakfast items, uses Triple S breakfast sausage in their sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich (and Upper Crust bakers' English muffins). It's so great that they incorporate locally produced foods into their menu that way.
There are a handful of tables conveniently located between the Triple S stand and Fryer Tuck's, so you can get off your feet for a few minutes to enjoy your food. I hope the umbrellas go up soon; it's always great to be able to grab some shade at those tables.
If you like kettle corn, you can buy some freshly made at the Urbana market. The aroma will lead you to it.
It's not just about food at the farmers' market, either; there are many, many crafts people offering everything from clothing to lawn ornaments. And what would the market be without plants and flowers? The hanging variety:
The potted and the ready-to-plant:
And, of course, the kind you take home and put in vases, such as Blue Moon Farm's sunshine on a stalk:
The market is nothing if not colorful. Oh, and it's sweet, too. Don't forget to support your local beekeeper by picking up some honey and fruit spreads from Campbell Apiaries. Trust me, the flavor of this honey bears no resemblance to Sue-Bee.
And thus, our tour ends for today. Obviously, I mentioned only a handful of vendors; it's quite mind boggling how many there are at the Urbana market and what a bustling, happening scene it is. Market director Lisa Bralts is all excited, as you can see below, and with good reason. Thanks, Lisa, for all your hard work and dedication to bringing C-U the best from Central Illinois farmers, bakers, crafts people, and nursery people! (Look at that adorable Market T-shirt Ms. Bralts is wearing, y'all. Ask her about how to get one by visiting the City of Urbana booth in the northwest corner next week.)
Urbana's Market at the Square is
on Facebook, you can
follow them on Twitter, and Lisa B. publishes a
Market blog, as well, so there's no lack of electronic opportunities to find out what's happening. The market is open from 7 a.m. to noon every Saturday from May through early November. Parking is available at Lincoln Square and in the lot across the street to the south, on Illinois Street.
Labels: farmers' market, local farms, local markets
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19 Comments:
I hate the farmers market because they totally price gouge. If you go to any other FM in near by cities the prices are much much lower. Would love to see an investigation into this, or more competition to bring the prices to a more realistic level.
There are a lot of other vendors at the Urbana Market at the Square that you don't ever mention. It seems like you do them an injustice by always playing favorites. Some of the other growers are smaller, and have just as good, if not better, produce as the ones you feature here. Just sayin'.
Hate to see the anonymous negativity here. As an intro to the market designed to tempt people who haven't gone before and written by someone who maintains an info-packed blog for free, this post was super cool.
Can't speak to how Urbana's prices compare to other local markets (other than Champaign's on North 1st, which seemed comparable to me), but it's important to remember that the farmers don't get to come to the biggest market in the area for free. They pay a stall rental fee, and many of them drive from relatively far away (though within IL) to be there, not to mention the fact that if they're at the market, then they're not in the field, even if that day happens to be absolutely perfect weather for some farm task. (I'm not dissing the stall fee, by the way; it's a totally valid way to fund the market, but still something that the farmers pay out of already limited budgets.) And frankly, given the amount of sweat, tears, and guts that go into owning a non-monoculture farm in this area, the farmers have a right to charge what they feel is fair, based on the amount of labor and overhead the item required, along with other factors such as yield and whether other stands have it. Just as you have a right to drive to a smaller market with (most likely) fewer choices in vendors.
Thanks for a great post. The Market is one of our favorite things about the area. Our friends in other parts of Illinois are jealous that our market starts on the first weekend in May! (So early! So cool!)
Agreed, great post!
Unfortunately the appropriate price for honest food, such as that offered at the farmers market is a bit higher than at Meijer. No one is getting rich from growing strawberries and asparagus, that is for sure! And not only do I feel good about paying a fair price for veggies from someone I know (and who will likely return the favor by spending that money again within our community), but compared to a big box store, the food at the market is just so much better!
There were also some terrific lamb brats over on the north side of the parking lot; does anyone know what the name of that group is? (I think they also had some goat, eggs, and other meats for sale)
Anonymous: I haven't been to another farmers' market (except the North First Street one) in years, so I can't offer an opinion on variability of pricing. Which markets in which cities are you referring to, that have the much lower prices?
Anonymous: I actually mentioned many vendors in this post; who are your favorites? You're very welcome to give them a shout-out here.
Rachel: Thanks for the kind words on the blog, much appreciated, and for the perspective on the market.
Daniel, glad you enjoyed the post, thanks.
Caci: I think you must be talking about Country Cottage Farm; I'm a huge fan of their lamb (you can see an older post for a recipe for a soup that has CCF lamb Italian sausage in it). Unfortunately, the farm's Web site is down at the moment.
There are some vendors that are priced reasonable. R & K Beef is providing high quality beef products at fair prices.
I have a great idea, if you think farmers are price gouging, why don't you go work for a farmer for a week. I suggest you go undercover though if you want the real dirt on farmers.
strawberries are expensive, but HAVE YOU TRIED THEM? they are so so so much better than the elephantine ones that you get at meijer, walmart, c market, schnucks, ANYWHERE.
SO WORTH IT.
sorry had to say it. ive been to the market three times now since it started, just to get strawberries. love them.
I guess the dip that I know of is a cheeseball.
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
4 oz meat chopped into small pieces (I've seen it done with dried beef or processed Buddig brand corned beef)
3 scallions minced
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
Mix together, form into ball shape and chill. Serve with crackers or bread.
Hahna, I completely agree about the strawberries; they are the best.
Rosa: Thanks for the recipe! I'll have to try that. I did something similar yesterday, in a way—mixed up cream cheese with scallions, chives, and horseradish and rolled slices of the dried beef around it. And ate it with sliced radishes. Very tasty.
I thought you covered the market very, very well in this post. The photos are fantastic, and you gave a great overall summary of what's offered on any Saturday morning this time of year.
The higher prices are often worth it. My aunt talked me out of the more expensive strawberries 2 weeks ago; I ended up buying some at the grocery store, throwing half of them, either not ripened or molded away. I'd have been better off and had a better product if I'd stuck to my guns.
I also can't stop myself from addressing Anon that accused you of playing favorites: Ludicrous. A blog is a personal project, bloggers don't get paid, nor are they at all obligated to express *your* opinions. There simply is no playing favorites in blogging.
If you'd like CT to take a gander at your favorite booth, ask nicely.
Yum! That is all I have to say.
Just an FYI: Country Cottage Farm isn't at the Market this season. I think the vendor referred to in comments is JK Meats, in Row 4 toward the north end.
Anonymous 4: I deleted your comment because I don't allow sarcasm or meanness on this blog. You're invited to leave another comment that has a respectful tone if you like; you had some good points, and you could make them in a way that is not hurtful. We are all just talking to each other here.
I go to the market as an event for me and my child. If that means the prices are higher, that is totally fine.
Plus, everything is so much fresher!
Did anyone else have the peaches this week? I was skeptical about early Southern Illinois peaches, but oh man, they were delicious.
L + M: I got peaches this past weekend, and I agree, they are delish. Sad that the strawberries are gone, but the peaches helped to make up for it. :)
Hi, all! I gotta say I'm still hoping for more dried beef recipes...I've got 'em in the freezer but am afraid to take em out! Just to clarify (not a longtime meat eater): I can just take them out, thaw them, and eat them (without cookage)?
Thanks!
Ginna, I don't have more recipes for you at the moment, but yes, the beef is fully cooked, so you can just thaw it and eat it as-is. As I said, I like to roll slices of it up with cream cheese or pickles, or just eat it with other veggies and fixin's, antipasto-style; or you could make mini-sandwiches out of it.
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