Introduction to Farmers Market Season
On Saturday, Green City Market kicked off farmers market season with its annual Lincoln Park event, where shoppers can track ingredients in their purchases within the market’s boundaries. Sample a beverage from Jun Bug Kombucha? Walk over to Ellis Family Farms, where the honey was sourced. Buy a batch of lacto-fermented vegetables from Sidekick Ferments? Head over to Jacobson Family Farms to shop the produce in its natural state. Eat a salad with feta from Closed Loop Farms? There’s even more cheese at J2K Capraio’s booth.
Collaborative Spirit
“We’re using at least five other vendors,” said Jake Chappell, 32, the home delivery manager for Back of the Yards-based Closed Loop Farms. “It’s really great to have cohesion, where everyone’s working together and selling each other’s product and hyping each other up.” That collaborative spirit is just one of the highlights of the farmers market on North Clark Street, which runs each Saturday through November. (It will add Wednesday hours beginning in May.) The event features dozens of vendors from Chicago and throughout the Midwest. Thousands of patrons shop for vegetables, flowers, meat, baked goods, coffee, prepared food and even dog treats.
Different varieties of sauces on sale Saturday, opening day for 2025 for Green City Market in Lincoln Park.
Incubating Farmers
In addition to providing access to locally grown food in a fun environment, the market has become a place where farmers can branch out and thrive. “We’re watching our farmers, who maybe started off only doing produce, expanding their farm operations,” said Taylor Choy, Green City Market’s deputy director and chief operating officer. “Now, they’re raising animals, they’re starting to do more regenerative agricultural practices. So we’re growing the farmers also in their businesses here, incubating them. We’re testing out to see if the expansion of their farm operations will yield better sustainability for their businesses.”
Market Growth
Now in its 26th year, Green City Market drew more than 60,000 customers in 2024 to its multiple markets held throughout the year. Choy said that turnout was up 42% over the year before. “I think that there is maybe greater distrust when we go to grocery stores, where that food is coming from,” said Choy, who cited recent egg shortages and food recalls. “What we see, especially with the last couple of years, are younger generations coming to shop at farmers markets more. There’s a dedication to shopping local.”
Challenges Ahead
Farmers and other business owners may also welcome support from markets amid the turbulent political climate. Choy said one vendor lost a federal contract. And given that the full impact of President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on imported products is unknown, vendors are waiting to see how they will be affected. Their food may be grown in the Midwest, but their packaging — and even their tents — may be produced elsewhere and thus generate extra costs, Choy said.
Sam Fazioli, left, owner of Jun Bug Kombucha, serves customer Ben Schlottman a glass of kombucha at Green City Market in Lincoln Park. Fazioli says he expects new tariffs to raise the prices he pays for imported ingredients like Japanese tea.
Vendor Concerns
Sam Fazioli, owner of Jun Bug Kombucha, said he was anticipating some price changes for his ingredients. “We do import tea from Japan,” said Fazioli, 35, who works out of a shared kitchen, which he calls “the fermentation station,” in Lake View. “The tariffs will be affecting those purchases. It hasn’t gone into effect yet, so we haven’t seen it as of yet.” He also partners with a local purveyor of saffron, which sources the spice from Afghanistan.
<img class="Image" alt="Ben Schlottman holds a glass of jun bug kombucha on the first day of Green City Market in Lincoln Park, Saturday, April 5, 2025. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5c6566d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5820×3880+0+0/resize/840×560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3a%2F98%2Fefe0690749488fa2e8ac6e532261%2Ffarmers-040625-23.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn
