This Week at the Market

This week at the Morton Grove Farmers' Market it was Dairy Day. With Oberweiss Dairy passing out free milk, samples from The Cheese People, Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins and dairy games throughout the market customers were treated to a day all about the milk at the market. 

Strolling around the aisles you could see children running around searching through the strawberries, rubarb, herbs, lettuce, spinach, onions, garlic, honey, hand made soaps, donuts, breads, Kefir, flowers, plants, cheese, and more to find "Bessie the cow". They were also working on a scavenger hunt, finding vendors who use dairy in their products, such as cheese, Kefir(a milk drink flavored with cherries, blueberries and other natural ingredients), buttery croissants, cream in coffee, well you get the idea. This was done to teach the kids and their parents about how much dairy is used in our daily lives.

Although many of the fruits and veggies are still growing on our local farmers' acres, the market was about more than just the produce that you can buy this week, it was about the community groups such as Viking Gymnastics, The Morton Grove Garden Club, our Master Gardener, and the Board of Environmental Health that brought residents out to talk and learn. The market brings people together and has become a destination for Saturday mornings.

Last week's featured vendors were The Cheese People and Lifeway Kefir. Read about their stories and products at our website mgfarmersmarket.com . This coming week's featured vendor will be Dipped, a chocolate lovers dream!

This week's recipe: Strawberry and Spinach Salad

1 bunch rinsed and ripped fresh spinach

1 green onion sliced thin

1 cup honey nuts

1 pint strawberries sliced thin

Vinegrette -either purchased or recipe below:

1 tablespoon vinegar

3 tabelspoons extra virgin olive oil (may be infused with basil, or other herbs)

1 tablespoon honey

salt and pepper to taste

Combine salad list and toss lightly with vinegrette

Enjoy on a hot summer's day, all these ingredients can be purchased at the Morton Grove Farmers' Market. For more market recipes, check out our website http://www.mgfarmersmarket.com.