Jiggety-Jig

Spring brings many things- new life, sun tans, brunches in sidewalk cafes... and other, less pleasant things depending on your neighborhood.

Ahh... the first of spring... and such a distinct fragance- each one of them...

With all this, comes the farmer's market- something most of us with a 40-hour work week aspire to attend, but prefer to sleep in on Saturday. I am not at all a morning person, but Mom used to drag me out every weekend, bleary eyed and bushy-haired, because she needed someone to carry the 50 pounds of produce she was about to purchase. So, in reverence of tradition and torture, I have taken it upon myself to grump out of bed in the dawn hours to attend these gatherings as often as possible this year.

Chicago's locally famous Green City Market, located in Lincoln Park, is going into its 16^th year. And while you still have to make a stop on the way there to pick up a cup of coffee, you can find everything else you could realistically hope to find at an open-air farmer's market. From craft cheeses to baked goods to the requisite fresh produce- all the bounty of rural America in one urbanized location- without the cow patties. 

Just say no.

This trip was mostly about the plants- I won the prize of a small garden plot in the community lottery and needed an assortment of greenery to fill it with. Snapping into an elk-meat sausage stick (yes, that is a thing, and it is delicious), I set about filling a tray with collards, strawberries, various herbs, tomatoes and assorted random flowering plants. I've tried my hand a making things grow in the past, and while I managed to kill the weeds I was cultivating on my porch- I have higher hopes for this round.

Then, we kill the Batman.

With my new “babies” in tow, I perused the stalls, looking for something I might take home to snack on with what little cash I had left. For about $5 I was able to purchase some spring radishes from a small organic farmer and a sizable chunk of chard and bacon foccocia from the Crumb bakery booth and was on my way- all before 10 am.

What a haul!

By noon, my garden was full of lush greenery, and I had worked up an appetite. Remembering an French-style appetizer I had at Maude's Liquor Bar, I went for something simple- oven warmed foccocia, the radishes and a homemade provencal herb** butter with gray sea salt and a splash of balsamic vinegar mixed in.

A cool weather vegetable, radishes are deeply entrenched in culinary traditions the world over- wasabi, kimchi, horseradish sauce, pickles, salads and those strange “flowers” on vegetable party trays.

...Seriously, does anyone actually eat these things?

While most seem to prefer only the root portion, the whole plant is edible- the leaves having a refreshing but spicy bite to them that matches well with the milder sweeter spring radish and a savory, creamy herb butter. Simply grab by the root end, scrape the leaves across the butter and pop in your mouth- no knife needed.

The foccocia wanted for nothing- bright and buttery with a pieces of salty bacon and a slightly sweet caramelized chard, it almost completely disappeared while I was preparing the butter. All washed down with a good cup of strong coffee, the perfect light lunch for one of the first warm days of the season.

** Herbes de Provence- a blend of herbs often including savory, thyme, marjoram, lavender, sage, terragon, oregano and rosemary, depending on who you ask. Great with vegetables, fish, pork and poultry- and I love using it on just about any savory dish I make.