News and Events

  • 08.02.2019 Here’s the recipe for Chef Station’s Elio Romero’s Summer Vegetable Frittata
    Here’s the recipe for Chef Station’s Elio Romero’s Summer Vegetable Frittata
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    2019’s second tent event, a chef’s demo by Chef Station’s Elio Romero, was a delicious, seasonal success. Here’s the recipe for his wonderful creation.

    One of the great things about a recipe like this is that, as ingredients fall out of season, you can swap out almost anything in the recipe, except for the eggs!

    Elio Romero’s Vegetable Frittata

    Ingredients

    • 4 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 cup diced red onion
    • 2 cups diced heirloom tomatoes
    • 2 cups green beans
    • 1 cup diced green bell pepper
    • 1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) sliced zucchini
    • 1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) pieces asparagus
    • 1 cup baby spinach
    • 1 cup parmesan cheese
    • 1 1/2 cups sliced cooked potatoes
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 12 large eggs

    Method

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
    2. Heat oil in heavy 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook onion with a pinch of salt,
      stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to turn translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
    3. Add peppers, green beans and zucchini; season with pinch of salt. Cook until
      zucchini start to get tender and pale green, about 5 minutes.
    4. Add tomatoes and asparagus and cook until bright green, about 1 minute.
    5. Add spinach and another pinch of salt, cooking until wilted, 1 minute.
    6. Stir in cooked potatoes and heat through, about 5 minutes.
    7. Crack 12 large eggs into a bowl. Add salt, and pepper. Whisk for at least 30 seconds.
    8. Pour eggs into over vegetables in skillet over medium heat. Add ½ cup of cheese;
      stir lightly until evenly distributed. Top with remaining cheese. Remove from heat.
    9. Bake in preheated oven until eggs are set, 15 to 20 minutes.


  • 05.03.2019 60 vendors makes this season of the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market the biggest ever.
    60 vendors makes this season of the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market the biggest ever.

    When farmers and vendors begin to arrive at the intersection of University Place and Oak Avenue, right around dawn tomorrow, Saturday, May 4, they will herald the start of the 44th season of the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market. That’s a long time–our market appears to be the third oldest market in the state. (Aurora’s market has been around since 1912. Carbondale’s is also 44 years old.)

    As always, the season starts out slowly. Our farmers are always battling too much rain or too little, and the occasional bursts of late-season wintry weather can be much more than inconveniences to farmers. So every one of this year’s 60 vendors won’t attend this first market. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth coming by.

    Every year, our market evolves. It grows a little, and the population of farmers, ranchers, and artisans changes up a little. We lost 7 vendors over the Winter, some of them long-time presences. The folks who won’t be back this season include:
    • Pleasant Prairie Flower Farm
    • AquaTerra
    • Klehm Orchids
    • That Pickle Guy
    • Dave’s Coffee Cakes
    • TasteBudz
    • Fed Up Fermented Sodas
    We’re always sad to see them go, but their spaces get filled by new farms and creators of delicious food. This year’s new vendors are a diverse mix of producers and artisans. Here’s how the city described our new vendors. You’ll recognize a few from our two just-concluded indoor markets.
    • Sitka Salmon Shares–Alaskan fish caught by small fishing families
    • Diversafry–healthy french fries sweet or savory
    • Not Just Cookies–a new bakery providing a variety of cookies and other baked items
    • The Floured Apron–a not-for profit job training (cooking) program for young women
    • Bhoomi Chai–a variety of chai mixes to take home
    • Adam’s Acre–a new small organic farm in Prairie Crossing
    • Garlic Underground–a garlic farm in the Woodstock area
    • Baked Cheese Haus–a baked melted Swiss sandwich on a baguette with added deliciousness

    Other items of interest regarding our market include:

    USING LINK CARDS AT THE MARKET

    The Downtown Market accepts Illinois Link cards, so low-income shoppers can utilize SNAP benefits when they shop the market. Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets have matched SNAP dollars since 2011. You can find details about this year’s matching program by clicking here.

    BRINGING PETS TO THE MARKET

    Simply, DON’T. Only service animals are allowed on the property.

    ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

    More than ever, the market is a family affair. The city offers many free activities as part of the SPUD CLUB. The Spud Club tent is right by the city’s, in the southwest corner of the market. Go there for free registration, for children ages 2-to-10 years old.

    BYLINE BANK’S FREE DOCUMENT SHREDDING

    One periodic activity at our market this year is Byline Bank’s Free Shredding Events
    They will be offering free shredding three times during the season. According to the city’s market webpage, “You may bring any files, checks and documents you’d like to shred between 9-11am (or until the truck is full)…” The first date is May 4, at the first market of the season. There will be two more opportunities, on July 13 and October 5.

    WHEN, WHERE, WHO

    Get information on location hours and parking by clicking here. See a full list of this year’s vendors by clicking here.

    The city’s own web page devoted to the market gets more thorough every season. Get other details about the market straight from the market manager by clicking here.

    Keep visiting this site for information, recipes, links and reporting about issues that impact both the farmers who make our market so exceptional and the customers that depend on the market for fresh, local, healthy products every week.

     



  • 09.14.2018 On September 22, celebrate the market and great Evanston chefs at the 3rd Annual Truck to Table Event.
    On September 22, celebrate the market and great Evanston chefs at the 3rd Annual Truck to Table Event.
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    The Saturday after next, September 22, is a special day for the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market. From 10 am until noon, more than a dozen stellar Evanston chefs will set up stations next to “their” farmer, and serve wonderful, family-friendly small plates featuring the very same produce you purchase each week.
    There are so many reasons to support this event. Let us count the ways:
    First, the participating chefs include the masters of these kitchens:
    • Boltwood
    • Chef’s Station
    • Joe Dugan, Personal Chef
    • Eating Well
    • Edzo’s Burger Shop
    • Farmhouse Evanston
    • Found
    • Gigio’s Pizzeria
    • Gotta B Crepes
    • Koi
    • Morsels Patisserie
    • NaKorn
    • Peckish Pig
    • River Valley Ranch and Kitchen
    Second, it’s an unbeatable deal. If you get your tickets in advance, either at the market tomorrow, or by visiting cityofevanston.org/rectickets, you’ll only be paying $35 for 7 tickets. (Each ticket is good for a plate at one of the chefs’ stations.) On the day of the event, tickets are $6 each.
    Third, your money goes to support the market’s educational and outreach programs, including the ever-popular Spud Club for children, and our LINK (food stamps) match program.
    Fourth, you get to meet some great chefs! One of the truly enjoyable aspects of this annual celebration is that the women and men behind some of our city’s tastiest menus will be front and center, presenting your food and demonstrating that they aren’t just great cooks, but great and generous people as well.
    So, support the market, support some worthy causes, and support your craving for exceptional food. Get your tickets for the Truck to Table Event. (It really does help when you get the tickets in advance. You pay less, and the chefs get a better idea of how much food to prepare.)


  • 08.24.2018 Recipes from the 2018 Chef Events
    Recipes from the 2018 Chef Events
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    From Chef Joe Dugan

    Chef Joe Dugan is a personal chef who was born, raised and lives in Evanston. Chef Joe has been a personal chef for 12 years. He prepares weekly meals for families in their own homes, using only the freshest ingredients, focusing on local farmers whenever possible.

    Chef Joe caters private events including wedding/bridal showers, dinner parties, holiday parties, weddings and BBQs ranging from an intimate dinner for 2 to a wedding for 100.

    He currently lives in Evanston with his wife and pastry chef Emily and their beautiful rescue dog Stella.

    Contact the chef at 847-859-2394

    Gatz Farms grilled sweet Italian sausages wrapped with Nichol’s farm roasted purple pepper & dipped in Kinnikinnick Farm’s honey mixed with dijon mustard

    • Grill sausage for about ten minutes, five minutes per side.
    • Roast peppers over hot flame on grill.
      • Put in plastic bag to steam the skin off. Gently rinse under cool water and remove skin seeds & top.
    • Cut pepper into 1/2 inch strips.
    • Slice sausage into 1/2 inch rounds.
    • Wrap sausage with pepper strip & skewer with toothpick.

    Dipping Sauce

    Mix 2/3 cup of honey with 4 tablespoons of mustard.



  • 05.11.2018 Resources to stay up-to-date on the 2018 Farm Bill & The Local Food and Regional Market Supply Act
    Resources to stay up-to-date on the 2018 Farm Bill & The Local Food and Regional Market Supply Act
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    All Americans should be paying attention to the progress of the Farm Bill. It’s revised every four years to reflect the current state of farming as well as the plight of families in need who benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The current farm bill expires at the end of September.

    In order to have an opinion, it’s nice to have an understanding of the thing about which you are opining. To foster that, we’re offering a bevy of resources that the extremely patient reader can use to explore the contents of the bill, and some of the many published opinions of where this year’s bill might succeed and fail in its various missions. We don’t for a second believe that any of these links are completely objective, but there are a lot of facts among all the interpretations.

    Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets is offering these links without offering support for any specific opinions expressed therein.

    • This USDA document, 2018-farm-bill-and-legislative-principles offers a set of principles that the USDA shared with Congress “for consideration as they craft the Farm Bill and other legislation beneficial to the agricultural economy.” It serves as a sort of baseline for what activities and goals the Farm bill should support.
    • The House Agriculture Committee maintains a storehouse of documents, videos, and press releases. Click here for the link. It’s largely a clearinghouse of partisan sentiment, but that’s how bills get crafted and passed, so it’s worth plowing through.
    • The Food Research and Action Center is a well regarded nonprofit that works “to improve public policies and public-private partnerships to eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States.” FRAC is generally critical of the nutrition portion of the House Farm Bill. The page they maintain with analysis and opinion can be viewed by clicking here.
    • According to their mission statement, The Union of Concerned Scientists “puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet’s most pressing problems.” The UCS website includes a page entitled “A Farm Bill for Good Food.” It’s available by clicking here. It includes a policy brief you can download that includes a comprehensive listing of references used to develop their stated views, including the identification of “key provisions from three bills that have been introduced to shape the 2018 farm bill debate: the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act (H.R. 4316), the Food and Farm Act (H.R. 4425), and the Local Food and Regional Market Supply (FARMS) Act (S. 1947/H.R. 3941).“
    • The Sierra Club describes themselves as “the United States’ oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental group…dedicated to protecting the natural world. They recently published an article in their online journal, Sierra, entitled, “In an Ironic Twist, GOP Farm Bill Proposal Attacks States’ Rights” It’s all about an amendment proposed by Iowa representative Steve King. He advanced this proposal first in 2014, when it was opposed by “legislators, farmers, ranchers, environmental rights groups, and animal welfare organizations.” Basically, “Under the King Amendment, no state would be able to pass food and agriculture laws that establish standards that are stricter than any other state’s or more stringent than federal rules.” Read all about this proposal, and the (hopefully) unintended consequences of its passage by clicking here.

    The Local Food and Regional Market Supply (FARMS) Act we just mentioned was introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives in late 2017 is meant to expand opportunities for family farmers and improve access to healthy food to families throughout the country.The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has created a page with information about this important bill that’s located right here. Why is this bill important? According to NSAC, “the bill recognizes the vast, untapped potential in our farming and food producing communities and offers ways to transform that potential into economic prosperity. The Local FARMS Act means opportunity for our family farmers, as well as increased access to fresh, healthy foods for American families.”

    Well, that’s a start! We’re reviewing other sites with other views on the good and the bad in the House and Senate version of these bills, and we will update this page when we find content worth sharing.