Farmers markets are tough to come across in the Southland in the winter, but fresh produce — along with mixes to make soup, salad and salsa and much more — will be for sale Saturday on two floors of a historic replica of an Irish castle.
The Green Sanctuary Group of the Beverly Unitarian Church is hosting the Annual Winter Farmers Market & Fair Trade Marketplace on Saturday. It runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church, 10244 S. Longwood Drive, in Chicago, according to Fran Sowa, the Green Sanctuary Group’s co-chair.
The event, which has been running for close to a decade, gives buyers “an opportunity to buy sustainably raised food while supporting small farmers in the winter months,” Sowa said.
She said the winter market will host vendors from within a 200-mile radius, including from Wisconsin and Michigan. Returning vendors include Presto Pesto, of Bolingbrook; River Valley Ranch, of Burlington, Wisconsin; Dennanne Farms, of Elgin; and Be True Bakery, of Chicago, among others.
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There also will be products made from beeswax, bakery goods, ice cream, yogurt and natural beauty products, Sowa said.
New to the market this year is The Cheese Peddler, featuring cheese from Illinois and Wisconsin, she said.
The Blossom Boys, a florist from the Beverly community, will offer handcrafted Fair Trade items from around the world in addition to fresh flowers, Sowa said.
She said the Green Sanctuary Group will be serving its Fair Trade coffee for a goodwill donation.
Sowa said the winter market benefits everyone.
“We know the products are grown sustainably and organically, and so that means they’re pesticide-free and better quality products,” Sowa said, “and so we feel that we are supporting farming that is good for the Earth, which is part of our Green Sanctuary mission.
“It’s an opportunity to buy really delicious fresh produce from local providers.”
Ginger Brashinger is a freelance reporter.