Rooted in Connection: A Springtime Trip to the Green City Market

By Kate Pickford

 

Spend a morning with me as I shop at the Green City Market, a cornerstone of the Lincoln Park neighborhood, and make a spring-inspired asparagus pasta. 

 

On any given Wednesday or Saturday morning, a transformation occurs in Lincoln Park, just off the intersection of Clark, Lincoln, and Wells. Dozens of farm stands are set up, and tote-bag-carrying shoppers flood the Green City Market. 

 

Vendors line the path of Lincoln Park, offering produce, flowers, and prepared food to visiting shoppers

 

There tends to be a similar mix of twenty-somethings meeting with friends after a night out, young parents pushing strollers and holding nitro cold brews, and those who have been in the neighborhood for years with their dogs in tow. There are friends, neighbors, classmates, and coworkers: familiar faces that make the market feel like home. 

 

After a lifetime going to this farmers market, it is comfortably predictable. No matter how the market evolves and grows, there are always countless stalls of flowers, fruits, vegetables, meat, and fungi. You can count on long lines for Bennison’s and air perfumed by the smell of raclette and bitter wheatgrass. 

 

Amongst it all is the cycle of seasonal produce. As the weather heats up, we will soon see a shift to a summer harvest; locally grown beets and berries will become more available, replacing spring produce. With that being said, I wanted to squeeze in a final few moments of the season, and to me, asparagus has always been quintessential spring. 

 

Stands display beautifully arranged asparagus, proving their unmatched level of dedication to supplying seasonal produce

 

When I stopped by the market in early June, nearly every stand had impressive varieties of asparagus: thick-stemmed purple, green, and white, as well as thinner stalks that could be used raw in salads. Though I often do my shopping in traditional grocery stores in search of low prices, I knew that since it would be the star of the show, I needed to splurge on the best quality produce in town. 

 

The range of available asparagus was not only a culinary inspiration but also an artistic showcase of vibrant greens and dusty purples

 

I stopped at a stand that had a large display, and chatted with the man working there as I picked out a bunch of the traditional, green asparagus. He told me that he had been making the most of asparagus season and was preparing it nearly daily for his family by simply sautéing it with a bit of lemon zest. 

 

Inspired by this fresh flavor combination, I returned home and got started on my lunch: a simple lemon asparagus pasta. 

 

I started by roughly chopping the asparagus on a diagonal, into 1-inch pieces

 

I roughly estimate amounts of ingredients when I cook, thinking of the action as more of an art than a science, so I encourage any reader to measure with their heart. Where something is grown, processed, or stored can alter its taste, so there is no exact cooking method that will yield the same results every time. This wide range in the potential quality of ingredients is why opting for farmers market produce instantly elevates any dish. 

 

I cooked my pasta (I chose tagliatelle) until it was al dente, and started on the sauce. I cut the asparagus on a diagonal into 1-inch-long pieces and sautéed it in olive oil with 3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic for a couple of minutes.

 

I sautéed the asparagus with garlic until it was cooked through and turned slightly brighter green

 

Once the asparagus turned a slightly brighter shade of green, I added the pasta, a cup of pasta water, zest and juice of a lemon, and about a cup of shredded pecorino. Stirring on medium-low heat, I waited until the pasta water and pecorino combined to form a slightly creamy consistency, and served with additional pecorino on top. 

 

Taking less than half an hour to throw together, the asparagus pasta turned out to be the perfect spring lunch for my family. It was fresh and light, just like the season, and worked well as a midday meal. If you’re looking to add some heat, I added some red pepper flakes on top of my serving, giving the dish even more depth.

 

Cooking always leaves me with a sense of satisfaction, but taking the extra step to choose the best ingredients and talking to those involved in their harvest and distribution inspires a sense of connection to the community. 

 

After adding the pasta and some of its cooking water, lemon juice and zest, and pecorino, lunch was ready to be served!

 

Farmers markets embody a slower approach to life. They encourage interaction with the people around us and remind us that we are not as isolated from our food source and our neighborhood as it may sometimes seem. Living in the city, it is easy to be swept away by the fast pace of life, but a morning walk through the market never fails to remind me that we can find community and home in the chaos. 

 

Though asparagus season is coming to a close, the constant cycling of fresh produce over the next few months will keep me coming back to the Green City Market. To anyone who could use a much-needed reminder to embrace connection with the food we eat and the people around us, I encourage you to make the most of summer’s farmers markets. Get a coffee or pastry and take a stroll. Whether you choose to shop or simply are there to people watch, there is no doubt that you will leave with new ideas and a sense of belonging.