Dave148 wrote:

Bronzeville residents may notice something new under the shadows of the Green Line at 51st Street: Boxville, Chicago's first mall built from shipping containers, and home to the first South Side outpost of Lincoln Park farmers market Green City Market, opens today.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

Nice. I just watched a Solange Knowles' video shot in SA where she is hanging out in a tailor's container. I recalled thinking what an interesting way to do retail.

Yeah, I think there has been a trend in using shipping containers as building components in customer-facing uses.

When I was in Louisville, there was a restaurant and patio space where much (if not all) of the seating was in shipping containers (with some sides removed).

Hi- Unfortunately I have reached my limit at the Chicago Tribune website, and so I can't read the whole article, but I get Chicago Tribune highlights in my email every day, and there was an article about the fact that GCM has turned 20, and the fact that they are having a hard time getting people to buy produce because they don't cook, and it is just easier to buy the stuff at Jewel. Maybe somebody can supply the link? Apparently it appeared three days ago in the paper.

I have noticed at the Evanston farmer's market, even though Henry Brockman has had problems planting because of all of the rain he has received, he still had lots of lettuce when I visited his stall at 11:30. It did not help that he had lots of hale a few weeks ago, and he had to remove the outer leaves off of lots of his lettuce that had been damaged by hale, and his lettuce did not look as pretty as it normally does. It seems like there have not been as many customers at the Evanston market so far this season.

I talked to my sister that has the farm in Southwest Michigan last week, and everybody there got hit by the polar vortex back in January, and it got down to 16 below on much of her farm. She has 100 acres of peaches, and a 25 acre peach orchard has almost 100% of a crop of peaches, but the other 75 acres has next to no peaches, and she has the only peaches in SW Michigan. She is going to sell them all at her fruit stand. Her cherries and apples did not get hurt nearly as much, and she will probably be able to have upick for them. Cherries are late this year though, and she won't start picking them until the beginning of July. Farmers around by Hart and Grand Rapids did not get hit by the polar vortex. It only got down to 8 below there, and so they have some peaches, and so hopefully there will be some Michigan peaches at the farmers market in August.

I know this is not food related, but my Sister Annette had an old barn on her farm that fell down last year. She has lots of lumber to get rid of free for the taking. Apparently she has had give different people that have expressed an interest in the wood, but nobody has shown up. If anybody here knows somebody that can use it, they can get ahold of her on her Facebook page for Fruit Acres Farm. She has a picture of the pile of lumber on her Facebook page. Hope this helps, Nancy

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business ... story.html

Green City Market now has virtual market and a home delivery option from different vendors. More info here.

Hi- They had a segment on WBEZ I think yesterday about Green City and the other markets in Chicago about when they will open up. I tried to post a link, but I could not. Apparently the city of Chicago has not given the ok yet to open up. The people that run the 61st Street market are considering moving the market to a private site if the city does not allow them to open up.

Apparently the Village of Oak Park have also not decided when or if their market is opening up. Evanston is opening up on May 2nd, but it is going to be totally different than in previous years. They are going to have one entrance for the market, and a separate exit. They are going to recommend that only one family member show up at the market to limit crowds, and they are limiting how many people can shop at the market at any one time. People will not be allowed to touch the products before they buy it, and they won't be able to sample it before they buy it. They are also asking people to pay by card or exact change only. They are also discouraging customers from asking the farmer questions about how to prepare something. The goal is to get in and out as soon as possible.