• Forty Years of Farm to Face in Evanston

    Evanston’s downtown Farmers Market is about to launch (May 9), and I am as excited about that opening day as I am about spring’s arrival and the bizarre early success of four of our major league teams. Let me confess at the outset that as a kid who always loved his groceries, I have been spoiled rotten. If I were a vegetable, I’d be all soft and mottled and ready for composting.

    Two factors in my development led me to this condition. First of all, my family is chocked full of fabulous cooks. My mother made gourmet meals for us almost every night, which was a good thing, since my dad insisted that dinners last two hours, or at least until each of us had contributed in some significant way to the conversation. Aunts, cousins, and a strong sampling of men in the family knew their way around a kitchen. Secondly, I had easy access to farms. My grandfather kept crops on a few acres in Iowa, and my aunts and uncles farmed in Montana. Summers meant farm to table for me.

    I’ll share two of many happy memories. My grandfather, a history professor at Cornell College and a fan of the Transcendentalists, kept milk cows in his barn and grew corn and a small grove of apple trees in the rich black Iowa dirt of his back acre. I loved the applesauce he ground for its intensely tart sweetness and for the chunky bits. And I loved his corn, drenched in butter and lightly salted or just hot on the cob. Grandpa argued that corn would begin to oxidize five minutes after picking, so we would pluck some ears and rush them into a boiling pot to capture the highest level of kernel popping sweetness. We learned to eat any leftover cobs the next morning right out of the fridge, no butter, maybe a touch of salt. Yum.

    Cut to Montana, 1963. Cousin Jeff and I had just traded jabs to our mugs after arguing about who would give his sister (my beautiful cousin) a piggyback ride. She had wisely rolled her eyes and ditched our fracas, leaving us fat-lipped and mopey, shuffling down the dirt road, where, as if to rescue the moment, a branch of a cherry tree, laden with Bings, reached over the fence offering us a snack. Since some of the fruit hung outside the farmer’s property, we felt justified to help ourselves. Yowza. If, on a summer morning, you have ever bitten into a fat, ripe, crisp, black Bing cherry, almost the size of a plum, you know that that flavor has power to distract belligerents.

    Those years in Iowa and Montana helped launch my love for food and my forays into markets. No doubt we romanticize farming and the simplicity of rural life, partly thanks to Thoreau. The truth is that farming and ranching remain among the most dangerous occupations in America.[i] Therefore, most of us don’t care to farm (maybe some basil and mint in a window sill). But we love the food and the convenience of easy access to high quality victuals. Still, convenience has a cost, a cost that escapes the eye at first glance.

    For years the concentration of capital among and control of the land by a few giant producers coupled with relatively low expenses for consumers have been our highest values. In short, we like to have our food quickly and cheaply, and industrial scale agribusinesses have enjoyed enormous profits meeting that demand. You may surmise the path I have chosen for this argument. Surprisingly, however, dear reader, reliable studies have shown that Farmers Markets are NOT harder on your pocketbook than grocery stores.[ii]

    The issue of cost runs more deeply than our pocketbooks. Many studies suggest that our dependence on industrial scale agriculture has wrought enormous damage to our environment, to complex ecosystems, to our health, and, most worrisome, to the long-term sustainability of our soils. (A good overview of the issues can be found on the Union of Concerned Scientists’ website.[iii]) Colin Tudge, British biologist and author, issues a clarion warning that “industrial farming doesn’t feed everybody, has led to mass unemployment and the poverty and despair that go with it, and is wrecking the fabric of the world.” He calls for a “third route” to reform by which we all support “small mixed farms…small shops and farmers’ markets and delivery services to serve those new farms.”[iv] Dan Barber echoes that call to push for sustainability in his thorough examination of our food habits, The Third Plate. So have I hit a chord for you, my dear progressive eater?

    We should all be aware that the world, yes, even America, is full of food deserts and hungry people. Evanston has hungry people, but it is not such a desert. We are all spoiled, to some degree, living on good soil by the shores of Michi gami. And now that spring is here, the Farmers Market brings the bounty to another level. Think how much you love good food, especially when it’s fresh, salubrious, locally raised, delicious and good for the environment. I know each of us has sweet memories of meals with family and friends. Now picture how such wonderful meals depend on responsible cultivation of our rich soil. We consumers can control the path that our economy follows. If we could nudge our nation away from the mono-culture giants, toward support of small farms, we might see immediate benefits beyond the flavors our own dinners.[v] So, armed with awareness of your impact as an eater and with a healthy appetite, get your hungry self over to the Farmers Market each and every Saturday.

    We should take pride in our Farmers Market. It has been active for forty years, every summer since Harriet Friedlander founded it in 1975. It features sixty vendors offering a great variety of delicious, locally produced food. And think of the enhancements beyond produce, such as music and brunch and people-watching and good conversations. Thanks to the efforts of Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets, LINK shoppers receive matching money (up to $50).   So put on your walking shoes and your backpack to save the world and feed your face! See you Saturdays at University & Railroad!

    By Stephen W. Littell, Friends of the Evanston Farmers Markets

     

    [i] Smith, Jacquelyn. The 10 deadliest jobs in America. Business Insider, Dec. 5, 2014. Online Apr. 25, 2015. Businessinsider.com.

    [ii] Estabrook, Barry. The farmers’ market myth. The Atlantic, May 10, 2011. Online Apr. 25, 2015. Theatlantic.com.

    [iii] Hidden costs of industrial agriculture. Cited online Apr. 25, 2015. Ucsusa.org.

    [iv] Tudge, Colin. Why the world needs a renaissance of small farming. The Guardian, September 18, 2012. Online, Apr. 25, 2015. Theguardian.com.

    [v] Hart, Emily. Benefits of small-scale agriculture on rural communities. Online, Apr. 25, 2015. Downtoearthfarming.org.



  • DEMO of “A Season of Change on Henry’s Farm”

    Today’s audience was treated to a sneak preview of a film about life on Henry Brockman;s farm.   Market shoppers are well aware of Henry’s wonderful produce.  Today, his sister, Terra Brockman, told the story of Henry’s farming education. We learned that he first observed small family farms in Japan and determined to return to the rich soils of Illinois as a farmer.

    Following an apprenticeship on the east coast, Henry was ready for the task. Terra and Ines Sommer, Director and C0-Producer of this unfinished film showed clips of farming life in Congerville, Il.  We were all charmed by the inclusion of Henry’s children as they offered their points of view.

    Following the film the two producers sought feedback from the audience.  Today’s viewers said they wanted to see plenty of footage about Henry, advised that perhaps the film could show contrasts between industrial agriculture and a small sustainable farm and urged the co-producers to tell the story of this small farm. Terra and Ines reported that their film will soon enter the editing phase but more money need to be raised.

    Immediately after the audience feedback, there were opportunities to purchase Terra Brockman;s book, A Season of Change on Henry’s Farm, the farm calendar and cookbook.



  • Panel and Audience Enhance Second Film Presentation

    An appreciative and engaged audience viewed the second film in our spring series. As advertised, Foodstamped, chronicled the journey of a young couple struggling to live on a foodstamp budget for a week. We traveled with them to food banks, to seriously humorous food shopping and foraging trips and to farmers markets. Along the way, we gained insight into the world of the food insecure.

    Following the film, Sara Szwankowski and Virginia Orejel from The Chicago Food Depository, Kelly Koss of Campus Kitchens NU and Miranda Cawley of NURealFood, explained the work of their organizations and discussed food issues with the audience.  We learned the process of applying for a Link card and about community outreach programs from Sara and Virginia. Miranda intrigued us with NU students’  letter campaign to President Shapiro urging the university to purchase 20% of campus food from local sources.  Kelly wows everyone when she mentions that in 2014 CKNU served over 34,000 meals to Evanston residents.

    And this audience came to participate!!  One person reported on her own experiment with foodstamp budget cooking.  A Chicago Public School teacher reported that students have reacted favorably to healthier foods at Stephen A. Hayt School where she teaches.   Other audience members commented on the subsidies received by the processed food giants.  The film pointed out that the small farmers at markets don’t receive these tax payer supports.  Panel and audience agreed that education was the key to a change in our food system.



  • Spring Film Series Kick Off: The Scoop on Dirt! The Movie

    Heads nodded as one viewer exclaimed that the first movie in our spring series was a “life changer”.  This informative film, Dirt! The Movie, was followed by Gareth Proctor, local urban farmer and Louise Egerton-Warburton, soil scientist with the Chicago Botanic Garden who shared their expertise with the audience.     To read a fuller review written by Chuck Bartling of Evanston Now, just click here.



  • Friends & Campus Kitchen at NU Host a Film Series About Food
    Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets  and Campus Kitchen at NU want to help us all start thinking about food as the 40th season of the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market approaches
    “Food Matters” is the name of a series of Sunday film events to be shown at the Evanston Public Library on three Sundays in March and April. Admission is free, and each film will be followed by a panel discussion that should be both entertaining and full of information.

    Sunday, March 15 at 2 pm: Dirt! The Movie

    DIRT! The Movie – narrated by Jaime Lee Curtis–brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world who study and are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil.

    But more than the film and the lessons that it teaches, DIRT! The Movie is a call to action. “When humans arrived 2 million years ago, everything changed for dirt. And from that moment on, the fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked.”

    How can you affect that relationship for the better?

    A Sundance 2009 Official Selection, DIRT! The Movie  will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Gareth Proctor and Louise Egerton-Warburton. Gareth is the founder of Endless Greens, Evanston Organic Grower and builder of growing systems. Louise is a conservation scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden,and teaches a soil ecology course at NU. Their topic is, “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Justice”.

    Sunday, March 22 at 2 pm: Food Stamped

    Food Stamped is an informative and humorous award-winning documentary film by Shira & Yoav Potash that follows a couple as they attempt to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget. Through their adventures they consult with members of U.S. Congress, food justice organizations, nutrition experts, and people living on food stamps to take a deep look at America’s broken food system.

    The Panel Discussion that follows, titled “Food Insecurity”, will include  Paige Ottmar and Kelly Koss of NU’s Campus Kitchens and Miranda Cawley of NURealFood.

    Sunday, April 12 at 2 pm: A Season of Change on Henry’s Farm

    An excerpt from a work-in-progress, A Season of Change on Henry’s Farm is the story of three generations and a half-dozen farm hands who practice the complex art and science of sustainable farming.

    Co-producers Ines Sommer and Terra Brockman will lead a panel discussion on small farms’ impact after the screening.

    The Evanston Public Library is located at 1703 Orrington. Call for information at 847.448.8600.