Locavore, CSA shareholder, farmers' market enthusiast or just curious? We have you covered! As May ushered in the opening of many neighborhood farmers' markets and June brings the first bushels to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shareholders, you may be searching for some resources.
Looking for a market to visit? Chicago's Farmers' Markets provides dates, times and locations, as well as information on whether or not LINK is accepted. In fact, they're grouped into two lists: downtown and neighborhood markets. If you're looking for a CSA to join, check out The Local Beet: Chicago; they provide an annually updated, sortable table to assist in connecting consumers to farms based on factors like location, type of CSA, type of farm, share cost, duration, etc.
Finally, you'll need a slew of recipes to help make use of all of that kale, kohlrabi and kurrat. There are thousands of great cookbooks in our collection, so I'll suggest just a handful that are best suited for preparing fresh local produce.
Written by Alice Waters, the famed chef and founder of Chez Panisse, The Art of Simple Food provides a discussion on ingredients, information on equipment and is replete with simple, seasonal recipes.
Cooking From the Farmers' Market from the folks at Williams-Sonoma is perfect for those who might be challenged by buying or receiving new ingredients. It contains information on how and when to buy produce and of course over 200 recipes.
The recipes are great and the photos are gorgeous, but my favorite part of Eating Local may be the appendix, which has tips for storing fresh produce and creating a kitchen garden.
Have you arrived at home from the market with a bushel of vegetables but don't know whether to shuck or skin, wilt or blanch? In the Green Kitchen is for you! Plus, there are recipes to complement each acquired technique!
The Seasons on Henry's Farm may be as enjoyable to read as it is to cook from. In it, the author describes her year on a working sustainable farm in Central Illinois and punctuates nearly each week's entry with a seasonally appropriate recipe.
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