Woodlawn farmers market sprouts up

• Elizabeth Duffrin
• June 3, 2008

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Woodlawn’s new farmers market drew an unexpected crowd to its May 17 opening, with eager customers arriving at 8 a.m. – an hour before the scheduled start time. By 10:45 a.m., one vendor had nearly sold out of produce, with only two bunches of kale and collard greens to go.

“I think we’ll be taking home empty crates,” said Joan Hopkins of Windy City Harvest, one of seven vendors lining the block near East 61st Street and Dorchester on a sunny Saturday morning.

“The turnout is amazing,” agreed Kali Gray of Bleeding Heart Bakery, which did a brisk business in organic scones.

The independent weekly market is one of several to launch this spring as an outgrowth of NCP quality-of-life planning. The goal is to increase the availability of fresh produce and other nutritious food in areas underserved by large grocery stores. Farmers markets in Englewood and Bronzeville will open mid-June.

“We suffer disproportionately from diabetes and obesity, which is the direct result of not getting enough fruits and vegetables,” said Arvin Strange, Woodlawn’s NCP director.

A 2006 report for LaSalle Bank found that nearly half a million Chicagoans live in “food deserts” isolated from groceries with an adequate selection of produce.

Alleda Flagg, who usually travels to Hyde Park or South Shore to do her shopping, was pleased to find a market within walking distance of her home. She flew into raptures over the samples at the Stamper Cheese Company stall.

“Have you tried the cheese?” she asked a stranger in line beside her. “It’s life-changing.”

At Bleeding Heart’s booth, Cameron Erens, a University of Chicago sophomore, fit two flax and pumpkin seed scones into a backpack loaded down with market treats. At the Mint Creek Farm stand, a young Woodlawn couple checked out the price of lamb.

“We don’t eat a lot of beef, so this was exciting to see organic red meat,” said Ameerah Muhammad, who stumbled on the market with her husband.

With harvest season just underway, only two produce vendors made an appearance. Three more are expected in the coming weeks, said Kate Miller, a paralegal staffing the market with other volunteers.

The scarcity of vegetables disappointed Shirley Collins, who had traveled from the senior housing complex at 63rd and Woodlawn. But she beamed showing off a hanging pot of pink begonias, purchased from the flower vendor.

Not all of the goods at the Woodlawn market are universally affordable, although some customers gladly shelled out $6.50 for a modest hunk of cheddar. Organizers say they are working hard to provide affordable options, encouraging vendors to lower prices and allowing them to sell conventional produce in addition to pricier organic goods.

“It doesn’t serve our mission to have things too expensive,” said Connie Spreen, executive director of the Experimental Station, a non-profit that supports arts, education and other innovative projects in Woodlawn, including the 61st Street Market.

The market is also set up to accept LINK public aid debit cards. (LINK sales topped $200 by the end of May, according to Spreen.) The Greater Englewood Farmers Market will provide the same service, while the Bronzeville Community Market hopes to do likewise by later this season.

In addition to improving the health of neighborhood residents, organizers believe the markets can build a stronger sense of community. Spreen observed that Hyde Park residents have often been afraid to cross into Woodlawn and hopes the market will serve as a bridge between the two communities.

“It’s a quality-of-life issue,” she said. “It makes your life better to know who your neighbors are.”

On its opening day, the 61st Street market was a hub of neighborhood activity. On the north side of the street, families weeded and watered in the community garden. On the south side, Experimental Station’s Blackstone Bicycle Works trained elementary aged-children in bicycle repair while customers wandered through the shop.

Qiyamah Raman, a pastor from a Hyde Park theological school, was excited to discover the Experimental Station, a possible internship site for her students. “This is nice,” she said, surveying the busy garden and market. “This is what community is all about to me.”  

New Farmers Markets in NCP Neighborhoods

The 61st Street Market, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 61st Street and Dorchester Avenue, through October 25. The Bronzeville Community Market, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 4400 S. Cottage Grove Ave., June 15 through Oct. 26. Greater Englewood Farmers Market, Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 65th Street and Ashland Avenue, June 19 through Oct. 30.

 

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