A Gourmet Feast of the Senses

I feel cheated when I have to miss the Farmer’s Market in Lincoln Square on Saturday mornings. There’s just something very appealing about open-air markets, this one especially so because of its incredible variety.
There is everything from produce, baked goods, meats and poultry to arts and crafts, information about various community groups and services, and live music and theater.You could call it an informal community social event. I like to sample the baked goods (I call it breakfast) while I shop.
You’ll find fresh produce, herbs, cut flowers, potted plants, bedding plants, and hydroponically-grown crops. The very best of fresh, local produce, much of it grown without pesticides and herbicides is available here. The types of produce tend naturally to vary with the seasons. Strawberries and asparagus are plentiful now, and apples and butternut squash will appear in the fall.
One doesn’t usually associate meat with farmer’s markets, and while I don’t eat a lot of meat and poultry, when I do, this is my favorite place to buy. There are two meat and poultry stands at the farmers market: Moore Produce and More, and Maple Lane Pork Farm. Jim and Diann Moore sell hormone and antibiotic-free, pastured lamb, goat, pork and beef, and free-range poultry.
Maple Lane sells a variety of items including smoked and cured meats, and uses antibiotics sparingly and only when necessary.
More information about both of these family-owned operations is available here:
http://co-op.champaign.il.us/fp/localfood/meat.html