The Oak Park Farmers’ Market is unique among markets in that all the food must be grown or raised by the vendors. These vendors hail from Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan, so they don’t have to travel long distances to transport their produce.
“Our focus is fresh produce, but we still have plenty of vendors offering meat, eggs, fish, cheese, bread and honey,” said Jack Carmody, market manager. “Our pie vendor grows the fruits for their pies.”
Longtime vendors such as Geneva Lakes Produce Farm and Smits Farms are focused on produce. Owned and operated by six generations of the Koster family, Geneva Lakes is based in Spring Prairie, Wisconsin, and focuses on sustainable farming and careful stewardship of the environment. Smits Farms, located in Chicago Heights, was established by Carl and Deb Smits 30 years ago and is Food Alliance Certified.
Meat vendors were not allowed in the market until 2005. Finn’s Ranch, a Michigan-based meat and egg vendor, has been coming to the Oak Park Farmers’ Market for nine years.
“We are first-generation farmers and moved from Chicago in 2012,” said Alex Finn. “My husband’s job was transferred to South Bend, Indiana, and we ended up buying 14 acres in southwest Michigan that came with a house and 20 chickens. We had young kids. My sister-in-law suggested we buy some cows.”
One thing led to another. As their little farm grew, Sean Finn quit his day job and Alex quit her day job a few years later to focus solely on farming. First, they began selling to people they knew while they expanded their knowledge about farmers’ markets.
Today, they have about 80 cattle, mostly black angus. Said Alex Finn: “Our beef is 100 percent grassfed. We do not give them vaccines or hormones. The cattle are not confined to a small area. They are on the grass throughout the year. In winter we feed them hay and keep them in a pasture by our house.”
Likewise, their hens are free range and only go into their coup at night. Finn said the flavor of the eggs, which are collected by hand, is noticeable.
“We go through our production of eggs on a weekly basis,” she explained. “They are not sitting in a freezer or warehouse for a week before being transported to market. The term ‘cage-free’ is misleading. That means chickens are confined and don’t see the light of day. That is not the case with our chickens; they are not raised in confinement or in factory conditions. Our work is more labor intensive.”
Finn emphasized that when shoppers buy from a local farmer, they are not only supporting their local economy but are supporting farmers who focus on sustainable environmental practices. Finn’s Ranch participates in about 13 farmers’ markets a week, including Green City Market in Lincoln Park and another in Chicago’s West Loop.
“It is a busy season, but it is a relatively short season of 20 weeks,” Alex Finn explained. “We encourage people to remember the farmers when the market is closed. You can always go to the farmers’ online stores and place an order throughout the winter.”
She added that the Oak Park community has been “phenomenal” in that they support her family farm throughout the entire year.
“We have gotten to know the customers who have been with us since day one. It becomes a relationship,” she said. Additionally, Sheila Essig and Matt Callone, who staff their booth at the Oak Park market, are both local residents.
Holden Wilson, who started his urban farm, Old Gaffer’s Garden, five years ago, is a relative newcomer to the Oak Park Farmers’ Market. Based in Berwyn, he farms small plots of land in Berwyn, Riverside and Oak Park.
“My mom was a gardener,” he said. “I was a chef and that led me into gardening for myself. I wanted to grow my own food. That is how I got into it. I call my garden a salad farm as it includes greens, salad mixes of lettuce, radishes and I am trying to grow carrots for the first time.”
What does he love about the Oak Park Farmers’ Market?
“When I pitch it to people, I say you can get anything there. Oak Park has everything, from a variety of produce down to the donuts, coffee and music! As long as the produce you are looking for is in season, you can find it here!”
