Major Market Streak

I'm in Chicago again, woh woh woh. I have been on a major streak -- up to Evanston (5 hours before) the crack of dawn to work the farmers market every Saturday for over a month now. I love the farmers market, which I'm sure has been overstated in these pages, but there is something so satisfying about talking to people about vegetables. I especially love this time of the year, when all these new folks move into Evanston to start at Northwestern and discover the market for the first time. Some of my favorite conversations start with a "so... I don't know what half of these vegetables are..." or "What is this? What do you make with this?" I can be sort of evangelical about some veggies or recipes (You've never had parsnips?! You've never lived!) while also being a totes hater regarding others (salsify you ask? the most boring of vegetables.) I like these conversations all the time but I especially love them with first-timers and particularly younger people who are just starting to cook for themselves on a regular basis. And what joy to spend all this time and energy growing food and then be able to pass it off to the person who is actually going to eat it. The stand is beautiful, the people are wonderful, Henry gets his market face on and it's just a great time all around. The day is long, starting at about 12:50 am and going til about 6pm but it's a treat to leave the farm and deliver our awesome produce to it's ultimate destination (fulfill its destiny!). I've started sleeping in the truck on the way up to Evanston, waking up as we take the exit into Skokie and then scarf down a quick, sugary donut and coffee while Henry spruces himself up in the Dunkin Donuts bathroom just before 4am. Then it takes about two hours to set the stand up with the help of a couple volunteers. Even though the market doesn't officially start til 7:30 the first custies arrive around 6:15. At about the same time I head over to the Unicorn and hang out with my dear Mandi for a few minutes while I make our coffee order. Then, with a half bushel full of coffee cups, snacks for the ride home, and the Chicago weekly newspapers (including "the fake news" as Mustard puts it) I walk back through an empty Evanston and jump right into the busy bum rush of Henry's Farm's market stand. I find I'm amazed by how clean people are, even if they just rolled out of bed, find myself marveling at the stylish shoes they choose. Such bright colors! Not a smudge of mud on them! What impractical height!
And I love the balance the market lends to my life: 4 days of the week I'm under the open sky, surrounded by little green growing things, and watching the subtle changes of the tree's leaves. Four days surrounded by about 6 other people and then on Saturday I'm surrounded by hundreds of folks, many of whom I've known since coming to Evanston another fine September day four years ago! A fine balance, indeed, even if it does involve me waking up before 1am. The ride back with Henry is also a highlight of my week-- we are both so loopy and exhausted after our long day that everything seems funny. Also there are matching sunglasses involved. Evanston style at its finest!

This was taken during my first ever visit to the market and Henry's stand, 4 years ago when I first moved to Evanston.