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Guide: 55 farmers markets in Chicago and the suburbs, including one saved by neighborhood moms

When Meghan Dwyer learned the Everyday Edgebrook Farmers Market would be canceled this summer, she felt gutted.

“I was so disappointed because it’s such a highlight of the summer,” Dwyer said.

As her thoughts raced, Dwyer wanted more information. She began to wonder, “Can we take it over?” She said her Facebook post posing the question quickly snowballed into a Zoom meeting with other moms who were similarly saddened by the news.

The group began coordinating for the summer 2023 season, and as a result, the Everyday Edgebrook Farmers Market will return to the corner of Hiawatha and Central avenues on July 1 at 9 a.m. with a new roster of vendors and activities for kids at every market.

The group of moms organizing said they envision the market becoming a space for community members to spend time together outdoors and also a force driving traffic to nearby businesses.

Many of the storefronts around Edgebrook’s business district are vacant, Dwyer said. A former Starbucks location sits empty and will continue to until the lease runs out, she said. Dwyer said the community misses having the coffee shop as a “hub of the neighborhood.”

With this, Jennifer Bassik, another member of the group, said she’s not at all experienced in the world of farmers markets, but the chance to create a space that she feels reflects the life and energy of the community inspired her to volunteer.

For her, the market is also a mechanism for putting Edgebrook on the map.

“The market was a good way to establish that (neighborhood) personality and have us come out and come together around something,” Bassik said. “Yes, I have a passion for experiences and supporting the city and fresh food and all of that, but it’s sort of just a means to an end in my mind.”

Bassik said families particularly want more places to spend time outdoors in the neighborhood. Families go to nearby suburbs such as Park Ridge and Evanston, she said, as there aren’t enough options in the immediate area.

“Our little corner of the city in Edgebrook is filled with active, social, engaged families who want more local places to gather with their neighbors,” Bassik said. “Our new vision for the market is fairly simple: create lively outdoor moments where people of all ages can enjoy a summer day, while supporting our local vendor community.”

Of course, Edgebrook isn’t the only place where you’ll find farm-fresh produce this summer, and our map of 2023 Chicagoland farmers markets has all the details you need for finding one near you.

Want to add your market to our list? Email krumore@chicagotribune.com.

2023 Chicago-area farmers markets

Place your address in the box below to find one near you.

 

 

Source: Tribune reporting