They come for the conviviality generated by the easygoing a.m. crowd, to huddle with friends each Saturday, to sidle up to tables piled high with portobello and chanterelle mushrooms, heirloom and grape tomatoes.
They come to sniff each other.
Meet Britney and Arnie and Luigi and Bacio–a Bernese mountain dog, a French bulldog, a spinone Italiano and a chocolate Labrador, respectively. All are regulars at the Saturday morning farmers market held in the parking lot just west of Lincoln Park High School, a tennis-ball toss from Armitage Avenue and Halsted Street.
“We always come for the flowers and the fruit and to say hi to the other dogs,” explained Fiona Herbert of Chicago, the owner of Arnie.
The owners of two large black, brown and white Bernese, an ebony Newfoundland, a white poodle with red bows at its ears, the beagles, bulldogs, dachshunds and reps from the Heinz 57 breed–all on hand and well-behaved one recent Saturday–would probably agree.
At the Lincoln Park farmers market, dogs rule.
OK, so that may be an overstatement. But it’s not far from the truth. On the Saturday we visited, the only challengers for the title of prime attention-grabbers were very young children–say, 15-month-old triplets Georgia, Vivienne and Aidan McBride. Or the purple Peruvian potatoes, cherry bomb hot peppers and kabocha squash.
Of course, canines, kids and culinary esoterica are not the only reasons people have been coming to this corner of the city once a week, in the warmer months, for more than 20 years.
Many of them come, as Herbert pointed out, to reconnect with friends and neighbors.
The Lincoln Park farmers market is one of the city’s largest–it boasts 25 vendors–and oldest, according to Connie Buscemi, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Consumer Services, which oversees dozens of similar markets.
From its opening in late June until it closes Oct. 26, the Lincoln Park farmers market, with Armitage Avenue edging its southern border, can get so busy that parking can prove a huge challenge. (FYI: The Halsted Street No. 8 CTA bus stops less than a block away.)
Visit the market when it opens at 7 a.m. and you might see a local chef checking out the produce. As the hours pass–the market closes at 2 p.m.–the crowd increases in size, variety and good humor.
That was the case recently as mountains of corn on the cob were surrounded by browsers pulling back husks and studying the kernels with the intensity of a jeweler eyeing a chunk of topaz. Dozens of cantaloupes, piled into pyramids, created a scene reminiscent of city markets throughout Latin America. The languages–bits of French, some Spanish, some German–mixed with Chicago-ese. There was banter between seller and buyer, neighborhood gossip and food chatter.
“Mushrooms in cheese? No kidding,” said one shopper as he grabbed a proffered sample.
Over at the Red Hen Bread stall, the croissants–yes, some people do pronounce it KWAH-sahn–were going fast. Red Hen does three farmers markets, but “we do the most [business] at the Lincoln Park market,” said Amy Holliday, a manager. They sell 40 to 50 chocolate croissants each Saturday–they are the first to go–followed by baguettes and fruit tarts.
A Sealyham terrier named Otis was visiting the market with New Yorker Evan Orensten. “It’s big,” Orensten said, “and there’s lots of selection.”
French fingerling potatoes. Gala apples. Shelley beans.
At the Nichols Farm and Orchard in Marengo, Doreen Nichols and husband Lloyd send dozens of different fruits and vegetables to market, 13 markets around the area in one week. “We grow hundreds of different things, but whatever goes to the market is whatever the crew picks,” Doreen said.
So there’s always enough?
“We can’t grow enough shelley beans,” she said of the pop-from-the-pod market favorite.
“The selection is outstanding,” said Chicagoan Susan Baker, perched in the shade with daughter Brianna, 2. “We come home with four to five times the amount of stuff we need. And it forces you to have fruits and vegetables every night.”
As husband Dan approached with another few bags of produce, Baker laughed, “We’re buying a freezer just for this.”
Over at Matt’s Urban Gardens, owner Matt Hoffman had set out a huge bowl of water and a container of dog biscuits for canine visitors. Most dogs worked their way to Matt’s water bowl, sometimes nudging each other playfully, sometimes offering up a growl.
Sometimes a dog felt the need to catch a bit of shut-eye while the human at the other end of its leash chattered on with friends. Such naps are not always part of the owner’s plan, though, as one happily napping golden Lab, its body stretched across the increasingly crowded pathway, found out when the human attached to its leash decided to make the dog move with a loud “Motivate!”
As the market gets more crowded, negotiating it can be a challenge. Some couples and families post one person along the edges with strollers and purchases while the other works the stalls. Those swerving among stalls must dodge tote bags, armloads of 3-foot-tall gladioluses and tortilla-size sunflowers, plus dogs on leashes–which inevitably get twisted up.
Which is not such a bad thing, not when it prompts–as it usually does–laughter and conversation.
Hydrate or caffeinate
It’s bring-your-own-beverage time, be it coffee toted from home in one of those stainless-steel thermo-mugs, a latte from Starbucks (at Halsted and Webster), a cuppa joe (from White Hen Pantry at Halsted and Armitage) or bottled water (Michigan straight, Brita-fied, natural spring or imported equally acceptable).
As for noshing, at least three bakeries set up stands. Only the strong-willed may be able to pass up the croissants, scones and fruit tarts at Red Hen Bread, the snickerdoodles and sour cream coffeecake at Breaking Bread or the sweetened poppy seed rolls and Danish pastries at Delightful Pastries. For something more substantial, head around the corner to Halsted Street, where that neighborhood favorite, Nookies Too (2114 N. Halsted St., 773-327-1400), serves up a greatest-hits lineup of breakfast fare.
— J.H.
Leave the Dells tee at home
Stop! Don’t toss those khakis into the wash just yet. You’ll need them if you decide to head off to the farmers market in Lincoln Park.
The end-of-the-week-rumpled khakis–shorts, capris and ankle-length–are a popular choice of attire. So are blue jeans, the occasional long skirt, sundress and workout wear.
As long as the weather is warm, T-shirts are de rigueur–with most touting travel destinations beyond Dubuque and Detroit (say, Pisa and Kennebunkport), universities (Georgetown and Northwestern) and challenges met (the Chicago-to-Mackinac race, the LaSalle Banks Marathon). Do not expect to see many Motley Crue World Tour tees.
Straw sun hats that scream “I spend holidays in Provence” share head time with bucket hats in everything from khaki to Burberry plaid and a smattering of baseball caps.
Sturdy shoes are always acceptable, though flip-flops boast a strong following.
Do bring a tote for lugging home purchases. Although L.L. Bean canvas is a contender, sturdy straw market baskets as well as soft straw satchels are extremely fashionable. Huge, brightly colored, woven plastic bags have their own fans. You may spot a few metal shopping carts.
Occasionally, double baby strollers do double duty–that is, a young child shares a ride-about with a pumpkin, watermelon or sack of apples.
— J.H.
