Geneva Green Market adds new touches for this season

Not long after the sun comes up Thursday consider ambling down by the Fox River in downtown Geneva where you'll find an array of white canopy booths and the tantalizing smell of green.

"As the vendors are setting up, you smell this gentle fog that's a mixture of fresh-brewed coffee, some cilantro and the smell of fresh-baked bread and this fresh earth smell from the beets that were just pulled," Celia Kruse de la Rosa said of the Geneva Green Market, which is about to embark on its third season.

She, as you can tell, is a big fan of the market devoted to locally grown, minimally processed, sustainable produce. And that's not just because she helps them with publicity.

"It's like a kaleidoscope of colors, berries and fruits from Michigan," de la Rosa added. "Oh and Grandma's Eggs ... you have to try them.

"One farmer brings in this garlic," she adds. "Once you try it, you're addicted to it. And the cheese guy ... he can take you to the limit with the cheddars he finds."

Check it out yourself when the market opens at 7 a.m. for the first of many Thursdays this summer through October. You'll find it at 75 N. River Street, just north of Route 38 by the Fox River.

Not only can you now buy green, but you can learn to grow green, all part of a nonprofit effort begun in 2006 by founder Karen Stark and Connie Weaver who wanted to focus on educating people about the health-giving attributes of locally-grown food - and providing plenty of good food while they're at it. The market is now also teaching green gardening techniques, cooking organically and canning.

At this year's market visitors will also find four new vegetable vendors as well as a new vendors selling floral goods, organic bread and baked goods. Others sell artisan cheeses, bacon, beef, cilantro, green onions, honey, lettuce, leeks, organic milk, spinach, and more with all vendors growing locally or within 200 miles or so of Geneva.

You can find more information at genevagreenmarket.org.