Cool-weather crops available at local markets
While most suburban farmers markets have closed for the season, you can still find locally grown produce and food products in Geneva and Chicago.
Want fresh cranberries or sweet pumpkins for your Thanksgiving feast? From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, shoppers can find these and other seasonal foods at the Geneva Winter Market, held inside Inglenook Pantry, 11 N. Fifth St., Geneva.
Inglenook Pantry owners Mark and Connie Weaver, along with Curds & Whey Cheese Company owners Rob and Debb Murphy, established this market last winter to allow shoppers access to farmers market items even after the mercury dips.
More than 15 local farmers offer produce, orchard fruit, dairy, meat, poultry, pork, lamb, cheese, eggs, organic farmstead milk and other products through June, when the market moves back to its outdoor home.
Breakfast and lunch, made from local ingredients, of course, are available each Saturday. Details at genevagreenmarket.org. or Inglenook Pantry at (630) 377-0373.
Chicago's Green City Market also moves from its summer home in Lincoln Park to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 Cannon Drive. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays through Dec. 20 (closed Nov. 29).
The indoor market opens again Jan. 17 and will operate for the first and third Saturdays of each month through April 18. Head to chicagogreencitymarket.org or call (773) 880-1266 for details.
Farm in the city: If you want to learn more about eating locally and sustainable agriculture, head to the Family Farmed Expo Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22 and 23, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St.
Sit in on panel discussions about the local food movement and alternative energies, sample foods grown by farmers, buy ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner and watch cooking demonstrations by area chefs. Expo hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Tickets cost $15 online; $20 at the door. Buy at familyfarmedexpo.org. Save money on parking by taking the El (Red or Blue Line). The cultural center is just a few blocks from the Washington and State street stops.
Smooth move: Want to break out of your morning meal slump? Ditch the bagel this morning and energize with a smoothie.
I generally associate smoothies with pineapple, oranges and warm-weather fruits, but autumnal ingredients can be used as well, says vitamin guru Gene Arnold, owner of the famous Vitamin Barn in Malibu, Calif. He's been custom-blending healthy smoothies for stars including Pamela Anderson, Mel Gibson and Rick Springfield for years, and now you can try his concoctions at home.
For a pumpkin smoothie (450 calories), in a blender combine 1 cup ice, 1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree, half a banana, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, a sprinkle of grated ginger, 10 walnuts, 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil and 1 cup almond milk. Pour into a glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
- Deborah Pankey
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at dpankey@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4524.