This has been a strange summer. Usually I start going to the farmers markets as soon as they open, eagerly following the availability of different fruit and vegetables as they become available throughout the season. However, just this last Wednesday I made it to my first farmers' market: the Green City Market. I did try and go to the Logan Square market the first week it opened with Ellen and Renee, but there weren't any vendors there that week, at that time. New markets can have snags, and I keep meaning to go back.

Anyway, last Wednesday I headed over to Lincoln Park with Nikko, and was thrilled to be there. It was pretty obvious that the lack of rain has taken its toll; there were almost no tomatoes, and a lot of stuff was smaller than it has been in past years. But I was just glad to have access to organic, sustainable produce.

My first stop was Herbally Yours, where I bought a jar of their fabulous horseradish mustard. I've been missing that stuff. They also have fresh horseradish in jars, but it's in a cooler, not on display, so you have to ask for it.

Next I stopped by the Growing Home booth for some spinach and basil. I always try to buy at least one thing from Growing Home; teaching organic farming in economically devastated areas of the south side is a wonderful thing.

For my fruit fix I got cherries from Hillside Orchards and peaches from Paul Friday. I also got blueberres (and some broccoli) from Nichols, one of my favorite vendors. My other fvaorite vendor is Green Acres; from them I got Italian black kale and some garlic. My other two purchases were shiitake mushrooms from River Valley Ranch, and some seeded wheat bread from Red Hen.

It was really nice to be back at the market; all my produce was gone by Saturday. I've been eating pretty terribly the last month or two, so having a lot of fresh produce around felt good. I was craving it, made lots of smoothies, stir-frys, salads, and stew. I'm so excited for this week's market! Plus, I bought a juicer, so I'll be buying a lot of fruit in the next couple weeks. I've never tried juicing before, so we''ll see how it goes.