Chicago Downstand Farmstand, Opening October 1, 2008

It was hard for me to envision how they were going to put even a modest farmers market into the space at 66 E. Randolph. I was also skeptical of a market where the ratios were going to be

5 growers of produce, 25 non-produce products and 10 books, plus special items and Chicago favorites.

But since it was around the corner from my office, I knew I'd be there to check it out.

I'm pretty pleased. After all, if one of your five farmers is the Nichols, you can certainly have a good variety of produce and they did--multiple varieties of beets, heirloom tomatoes, squashes, apples, potatoes, onions, etc., plus a good selection of fresh herbs and greens and some exotics--fresh chestnuts and chestnut flour both. The door was propped open today with a couple of crates of root veggies.

The non-food items were also well thought-out. Roof-top Honey, the neighborhood mixes from The Spice Shop, a variety of Frontera salsas, Berghoff root beer, four or five different Red Hen breads (reason alone to be thrilled to have it in the neighborhood), and lots of items I didn't know: Futters nut butters, Nicole's Divine crackers, and a number of different candies and jams. There are two freezer cases, one with a selection of Lou Malnati's frozen pizza and Eli's cheesecakes and one with meals from First Slice. . There were also bags with all the fixings for homemade apple sauce and they're looking forward to doing the same with pickling spices and cucumbers as soon as they get a bunch of cukes.

VI had expressed concern about whether this would compete with other local vendors, like the Marion Street cheese market. Not surprisingly, they don't think so. They were selling goat cheeses from Pastoral almost as fast as they could stock them--they said it was very convenient that their back doors are across the alley from each other. It didn't hurt, surely, that the food demonstration was a very tasty salad with arugula, roasted beets, and Pastoral cheese. On the other hand, the goat cheeses were the only cheeses they were selling from anywhere, so if you were looking for a a piece of cheddar to go with your apples, you needed to walk around the corner to Pastoral.
A few more photos to show the feel of the place.

This one gives you pretty much the whole place.
and this one shows the cute drawings on the wall.

I think it's going to work for both locals, who are happy to pick up some fresh leeks, a rutabaga, and a loaf of Red Hen bread on the way home (as I did today) and tourists, who I predict will snatch up those $2.50 jars of Roof-Top Honey, some lavender-plum jam, and an assortment of Spice House blends. It's far from a real big city market, but until that day, this is great.

Chicago Farmstand
66 EAST Randolph
Open Tues-Friday 11-7, Saturday 11-4, through December.

edited to delete a broken link.

Subject: Chicago Downstand Farmstand, Opening October 1, 2008

Ann Fisher wrote:A few more photos to show the feel of the place.

Ann,

Nice write up and pictures, easy to get a good feel for the market. If I was in that area every day I'd be happy as a clam to be able to pick up from there. For example, your pictures remind me I am out of hard neck garlic and shallots, wouldn't mind some of those good looking cipollini onions either.

Enjoy,
Gary

I, too, am deeply jealous...it looks like this isn't a seasonal market?

Ann Fisher wrote:lots of items I didn't know: [. . . ] Nicole's Divine crackers, [ . . . ]

Nicole's Divine Crackers are truly divine. I love the lavender variety. Their shop in nestled in the "industrial strip" on Kingsbury just south of North Ave. It is run by two women d'un certain age and I discovered the shop a few years ago one morning while perusing the Vintage Pine flea market. It was early in the morning, I hadn't had breakfast, and this little shop was an oasis in the industrial desert.

Ann Fisher wrote:I think it's going to work for both locals, who are happy to pick up some fresh leeks, a rutabaga, and a loaf of Red Hen bread on the way home (as I did today) and tourists, who I predict will snatch up those $2.50 jars of Roof-Top Honey, some lavender-plum jam, and an assortment of Spice House blends. It's far from a real big city market, but until that day, this is great.

Thanks for posting about this -- I've been on record before about wanting a grocer in the Loop. I bet they'll do well for Millennium Park concerts as well. This past summer, I saw many concertgoers with Pastoral bags, so I imagine that they'll compete somewhat with Pastoral for the pre-concert business. [Although, ~ groan ~ per Millennium Park rules, no glass is allowed, so any wine purchased @ Pastoral had to be immediately dispensed into thermos . . ., which I guess is fine if you're buying it chilled, but otherwise, what a pain . . .].

Just an FYI, the address is 66 EAST Randolph.

I took a stroll through but did not purchase anything as I had already stopped at the Daley Plaza market and was a little pressed for time. I do think I will go by tomorrow and get some offerings from the Red Hen bakery for the weekend.

Mhays wrote:I, too, am deeply jealous...it looks like this isn't a seasonal market?

i'd be curious to know if this is intended to be permanent or just an off season type thing. historically this space has been a rotating variety of "feel good" places... the city of chicago department of cultural affairs owns it, i believe. it's affiliated with block/gallery 37 i believe. the cultural center has had some exhibits there.. there's a few storefronts there that are all similarly grouped together and have similar city of chicago connections... i think this is the space that used to be a sandwich shop that benefited a non profit. that closed for awhile, then another one opened up benefiting a different artsy venue... hottix booth is right next door..etc

I can't seem to make my attempted link to the Tribune's "Stew" column about the market work.* But here's the relevant quote in answer to the last question.

Will this be the year-round market local foodies have been hankering for? The press release announcing the market describes this as a pilot program "that will be administered by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with Chicago's existing local and sustainable food communities."

*Try this link: http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2008/09/posted-by-renee.html

so my guess is "no" ... based off of past "experiments" in this space pretty much everything is designed to be temporary. but if it's successful they'd probably put it up somewhere else.

it's a shame there aren't more vendors in chicagoland willing to sell to end consumers... red hen bread is great...but i went in and spend $1.50 for a hamburger bun. in other big cities, they would laugh at that for a decent quality bun.

Alert: Nichols is delivering the last tomatoes of the season tomorrow. I'll be so sad to see them go, but in the meantime I'm treasuring every one, eating them out of hand.

New today at the Farmstand was a delivery of assorted pastries from LTH favorite Delightful Pastries.
Pretty much the same array that was available over the summer at the Daley Plaza market, but including a butternut squash bread that looked particularly tempting. If you're looking for a treat to take to the office--or home--you should stop by.

Ann Fisher wrote:Alert: Nichols is delivering the last tomatoes of the season tomorrow. I'll be so sad to see them go, but in the meantime I'm treasuring every one, eating them out of hand.

New today at the Farmstand was a delivery of assorted pastries from LTH favorite Delightful Pastries.
Pretty much the same array that was available over the summer at the Daley Plaza market, but including a butternut squash bread that looked particularly tempting. If you're looking for a treat to take to the office--or home--you should stop by.

Believe me, I've been extending my tomato buying as long as possible. Still, also recognize that cold be damned, this is a great time of year for certain crops. In fact, it IS the damn cold that creates great flavor. We may bemoan the weather here, but do those in sunny Cali get the taste of frost kissed kale or brussels sprouts harvested from a hard frost? Spinach too is at its best now, and roots left in the ground, especially parsnips and carrots gain from the plant's protective actions.

Besides the farmstand, one has plenty of buying options this weekend including Green City, the winter market in Chicago and for those out in the boonies, the local superstore in Genva.

Get your last tomatoes but also take your shot at fall's finest.