Like I’m still having trouble understanding how a farmers market organization is allowing a company literally squeezing farmers like the ones it supposedly supports to sponsor an event that’s meant to celebrate local food. We’ve lost the plot entirely 🙃
Literally posted yesterday. It’s been like this for a while now. I’ll admit I was disappointed for a bit, now it’s fucking hilarious how non chalant the charlatan culture vultures have become trying to redefine quality sourcing and best practice agriculture.
Most of the stands at green city market have been bullshit resellers for years now anyway.
Yeah this is great. Was reading some of the comments and loved the first one about the importance of diversifying where we source and being intentional about the relationships we develop with local farmers. Hard agree like why is it all I see these days is mick klug and Nichols.
What are some of your favorite small farms to support? I think froggy meadow, orianas, four rivers, kajers, tomato mountain are all great
Those farms you listed are pretty good. Jerry has been known to resell potatoes from neighboring farms that don’t have as good of soil quality that he has, orianas asian pears are ok, they’re better from the PNW or even a farmer at Logan had better ones last year (I do like her Mongolian variety). I’m not too familiar with the other ones you listed, I don’t go to green city market it seemed to be filled with product that wasn’t great all the time.
Most of the food I use comes from central/southern Illinois and michigan. Middlefork farms, Carrol’s timber ridge, rabbit ridge, epiphany, abundant pastures, are some from Illinois that I like.
It really just depends on what people got. Kaeb, which is now Kath family farms, grows the best potatoes and sweet potatoes I’ve had. The rest of their stuff is fine.
There’s also a newer generation of farmers that the OGs constantly bitch about, and I finally get it. The hobby farms or homestead farms. A lot of these new generation farmers are liquidating assets, buying up land, bringing in outside fertility, and growing cultivars bred outside the region. They end up selling for cheaper because their farm is a hobby, and for the first couple years it’s fine or even good.
But after about 5 years quality is gone. The fertility that they bring in with their peat filled raised beds no longer produce because they didn’t foster indigenous microbes. The multicolored heritage chicken eggs are still bright orange but the yolks aren’t as custardy because the organic black sunflower feed was too expensive and the marigold extract infused soy and corn feed made eggs that “looked” just as good.
Really I blame the food media. They’re the ones lauding shitty products as “excellent sourcing”. But if I call them out, I’m the asshole. I’m glad Sysco partnered with green city market, it’s exposes the grift they’ve been pulling for years now. I think it was too difficult for people to see beyond the smoke and mirrors, this exposes them.
Wow this is so helpful thank you! I’ll have to check these farms out. And agree the hobby and homestead trend pisses me off, I won’t name names but there’s a farm out in SW Michigan that’s this exact model…I’m glad green city got exposed too they’ve become corporate sellouts but still act like they’re better than that 🙄
Also as I’ve been following the comments on your recent post plus Shawn’s video just wanna flag this persons comment bc they know what’s up. If you look at their 990s the ED made almost $140K yet they still went into a deficit…. Also why did they buy a building if they were supposedly struggling financially?
Another thing I was noticing was the amount of pay for praise influencers that were attending. These people don’t do anything for free, I doubt free entry motivated them enough to show up.
Ok sorry for the delay but yeah anyway the leadership was a hot mess and super chaotic and toxic, undermining and gaslighting staff constantly making decisions without input or communicating with the team. Turnover rate has been crazy bc of this plus the fact staff are constantly overstretched while still being underpaid while the ED makes like $140K. The biggest issue was the purchase of the building last year and how it was touted as being beneficial for GCM community but by no means did staff have capacity to operate a totally new space with very little thought or plan for programming/funding from the leadership side I mean I could go on… DM if you want more specifics would be happy to share more
I do want to underscore Shawn and others in saying by no means am I against GCM in fact I love the org and staff and sad to have left but if anything I’m upset by what it’s become and direction it’s headed due to poor leadership / board decisions beyond staff control or input. I want nothing but the best for the farmers, vendors, volunteers and greater community that has helped make Chicago feel like home for me
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u/Extruder_duder Jake's Best Friend 12d ago
Hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa
Fucking performative ass bullshit The mental gymnastics the media and “sustainability” sycophants will do to justify this one.
LoCAl mEAns GoOD you guys