Veganism and Farmers’ Markets of Chicago
Farmers’ markets are those little jewels that one knows contain everything from whole loads of fresh to plant-based delights, making most top vegan restaurants sound ancient. One but needs to think of these open-air paradises of shopping, where one goes on circling around, adding to his or her basket everything from seasonal produce to spices, home-made vegan delicacies. Beyond the market stands, of course, is a much larger mission: firing up communities on behalf of healthy, plant-based eating. If you ever thought about dipping a toe into those vegan waters, well, Chicago’s farmers’ markets extend an invitation that’s fairly cool. Chicago is famous, and all of Illinois, if that matters, is known for much more than hot dogs and pizzas, deep-dish or otherwise.
Maybe, instead of reaching for those expensive supplements, it is time to go back to Mother Nature herself?
Only the farmer’s market would do, where such simplicity ruled with its main riches. One could easily spend a Saturday morning at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park, where locals artists and farmers dole out some of the freshest, healthiest options around. Just think: the sweet aroma of just-plucked fruits and veggies virtually making out with the earthy scent of newly pulled herbs. It’s from the farmer’s market, so picture that cabbage: sexy-fresh, crunchy, just ripe for slaw. That local guy who says his kale chips will change your life? He’s probably right. Get thee to the Logan Square Farmers’ Market, where a fruitful Sunday awaits.
That is the freshest market that one would see, full of really friendly vendors. Strike up a conversation, and well-who can say-you just might go away with a free peach, or at least a couple of garlic bulbs. Who knows? Healthy eating does seem so full of serendipity. You buy straight from the farmer-no middlemen-with money invested in local agriculture. It’s not all garlic and peaches, an unexpectedly riotous, carnival-like selection of packaged vegan delights, but rather plant-based cheese that doesn’t immediately evoke images of cardboard in your mind-well, that’s the Holy Grail right there. With this, though, you’ll have yourself the picnic of a vegan king if it’s paired with some freshly baked sourdough. That, in fact, constitutes part of the fun at such places: the differences.
You might have purple carrots one week and heirloom tomatoes the following week.
That would be variety and plenty, as in all those things on that lazy Susan at the buffet.
A journey here reminds one about the gourmet endowments of Mother Nature.
Remember those tons of zucchinis you picked up a week ago?
They are only begging for center stage in your next dish, morphing into vegan ‘noodles’ and bringing a pinch of health with them into the fray of your busy lifestyle. Markets throw into silent fraternity all those who believe in eating well and living thoughtfully. It’s not a diet, sweetheart; it’s a lifestyle-one that leads toward the sanctity of one’s body and to the world that surrounds it.
We spent more time in such places than ever was needed, really, to procure food-nourished, in fact, by well-being, communities created and celebrated in this time-consuming art, our new way of consuming the simple and honest delights of life.
Munching on Organic Riches: Eating Healthy in Illinois Think about having to fight through the busy streets of Illinois; in fact, it is a Herculean job to be able to eat healthy. However, from the busy metropolis of Chicago down to the quaint spots in the suburbs, Illinois teems with eateries and shops oozing with organic goodness.
Wander its aisles and marvel at the solid wall of organic stores bursting with fresh produce and good-for-you riches. Think tomatoes bursting with flavor, bell peppers whooshing a zest in your mouth, and mountains of kale to turn even the staunch vegetable cynic. Sure, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are the heavy weights everybody can name, but there is some local action going on in the state of Illinois.
Take, for example, The Green Grocer Chicago, where everything is available, from organic milk to fresh bread smelling of heaven.
If you are all about that artisanal-everything life, you will probably just love Local Foods to death. Fresh from the farm to the city, at its chic best. You have never lived in Illinois if you don’t try its native cheddar or the succulence of its fresh apples.
And not to mention, all those health cafes mushrooming in every nook and corner.
From refreshing smoothies to perfect mugs of organic coffee to start your day with, then these are the places. An example could be the Awake Caf . Let them know they will never again give anyone that “you don’t belong” look when one asks them where their coffee beans originate from, or what the deal is with the almond milk. Organic meal delivery is the dream of multitasking people like us, who have to get a thousand things done in one minute. This is well known by services like Factor and Sprinly. For such rush eaters, there are some really mouth-watering meals available for takeout at these services, keeping every taste bud delighted on the dinner table. These are not just some old ho-hum salads thrown together.
Think hearty dishes: vegetables roasted to make your mouth dance with their mix of spices, or grain bowls tapping into the umami galaxy. Organic? Isn’t that some hippie fad that is hard on the wallet? Prices are a notch higher, but well worth the dividends it pays in your health. Think of a car engine purring along in top condition after having been given that premium oil. That’s your body on a clean, organic diet. Organics needn’t equal break-the-bank, thanks to community coops and markets like the Dill Pickle in Logan Square. And even should your diet not be so strict with plants, Illinois does boast a wide variety of meat and dairy alternatives fresh off the farm: grass-fed beef, antibiotic-free poultry, and eggs so fresh they could still be warm from the nest.
