Buy Fresh, Buy Local

Looking for fresh, healthy food in Chicago? Stop by the Daley Plaza Farmers Market this Thursday! Every Thursday, farmers and vendors from across the state travel to Daley Plaza to bring you the freshest, healthiest food in the market. Here you can find fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan breads and cheeses, all-natural sodas, and a variety of flowers and plants!

Buy Fresh

Most local farmers and vendors sell organic products and make a commitment to sustainable agricultural practices. While some foods can take 14 days before it actually arrives in the grocery store, requiring chemicals and preservatives, produce at the farmers market is brought to you weekly. If you do purchase produce in supermarkets, look for produce that is in season, to ensure that you are getting the freshest, most local options. See the link below, or click here, to view a Seasonality Chart provided by the City of Chicago and find out when your favorite fruits and vegetables are in season!

Buy Local

2,055. This is the number of miles, on average, lettuce is shipped from farm to plate in the United States. Why buy lettuce from across the country when you can buy it from a local Illinois farmer? Buying from local farmers reduces your carbon footprint by reducing the number of miles food travels and the amount of fossil fuels burned in the process. On average, 10 kilocalories of energy are burned from fossil fuels for every 1 kilocalorie of energy we get from food. This is an inefficient, unnecessary system; support sustainable food networks and buy local!

A Commitment to your Community

By purchasing locally grown foods, you are not only getting the freshest food, but you are supporting your community. By buying from local farmers, you are essentially promoting the ecologically sustainable practices that these farmers employ. Further, you are stimulating the local economy by investing in local, and typically family-run, businesses.  

Whether you are from Chicago or are spending a night or two with us at HI Chicago, be sure to check out one of the many farmers markets held throughout the week! The following three are held in downtown Chicago from 7 AM to 3 PM on these respective days:

Tuesday

Federal Plaza Farmers Market (Adams & Dearborn)

Willis Tower Plaza Farmers Market (Wacker & Jackson)

Thursday

Daley Plaza Farmers Market (Washington & Dearborn)

Seasonality chart:

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/farmers_market0.html

References:

http://www.cuesa.org/page/how-far-does-your-food-travel-get-your-plate

http://www.buylocalca.org/whyLocal.html
http://www.theresidenceschicago.com/blog/?tag=daley-plaza-farmers-market