So today was the first day of the 61st and Dorchester Farmers’ Market, which we have been looking forward to for some time. The weather was beautiful and there seemed to be a pretty good turnout. I have to say, I was a little bit underwhelmed. I realize in retrospect that my expectations were perhaps artificially high. After all, as Sara pointed out, what vegetables would they even have to sell at this point in the summer? Still, we got there at about 10:30 and as far as I could tell there was only one stand selling vegetables and they were already sold out. The market is supposed to go to 2:00, so I guess they underestimated a little bit.
Don’t get me wrong, what they did have was nice. There were flowers (but no fresh cut flowers, only to be potted), a lamb stand, a cheese stand, a homemade salsa stand (I didn’t try any because the proprietor was being interviewed by NPR and I didn’t want to get involved) and a nice bakery stand. The bakery was more of a sweets kind of place and we weren’t able to get any bread, which was one of my main targets for today. We did eat a delicious goat cheese and basil croissant though and there were many muffins and scones I intend to try in the future.
So I’m really not complaining, it was okay for what it was. I’m just saying, we came with a bag intending to fill it and we went home with it empty. This was the opening weekend, their first chance to make a big splash. If I came today and left with nothing (and I didn’t live one block away) I don’t know if I would be inclined to come back again.
As it is, I was able to tend to the garden a little bit and get rid of some weeds. I’ll be back to tend the garden regardless, so I will definitely be back to the farmer’s market. Of course I will give it another chance (and a few more after that) and especially report back after the growing season really gets cranked up. But for all this talk about Woodlawn being a “food desert“, I’m not sure this is what the doctor ordered, and I’m not sure any of the people I saw would have trouble making it to a “food oasis” as it were.
Shane Halbach 
The residual bit of Texan in me is screaming in agony that you passed up homemade salsa! NPR or no NPR! You do realize that salsa is the true food of the gods, don’t you? “Ambrosia” is just a terrible misspelling by the Greek gods after spending a holiday with their Aztecan and Mayan counterparts.
But seriously, the fact that you guys live in Chicago proper and have a little garden and go to the farmer’s market sounds so Upper West Side. In a good way.
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Dude. I totally read that as Food Dessert, and I was all, “Doesn’t sweet yumminess count as dessert?” And then I followed the link and read that I can’t read. sigh.
But I want to run into NPR interviewing someone! Maybe now that I live in Seattle I will. Though I think they only visit to talk about Bill Gates and Starbucks. Sometimes Boeing. Did they have a microphone with one of those little signs with “NPR” on it?
Who knew I was such a NPR fangrl? But then, it Chicago, you could always run into This American Life and IRA GLASS!!! *swoon*
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As a matter of fact, she did have a microphone with the NPR sign on it, that’s how I knew it was NPR.
And you know, I’ve never listened to This American Life, but over at Swim and Glitter she also swoons over Ira Glass! He must be some piece of meat.
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