The 61st Street Farmers Market reopened last month for its 19th season. The market, run by the Experimental Station, is composed of 30–40 returning and rotating vendors and runs on Saturday mornings at 6100 South Blackstone Avenue through October 31. The spring kickoff saw strong attendance including Hyde Park residents, UChicago students, and customers from other areas in Chicago.
Early in the season, many vendors sell preserved, cured, or baked goods, but over time, more fresh fruits and vegetables are sold. “At this time of year, there’s the least amount of produce in the first market or two, but there are a lot of seedlings,” Connie Spreen, co-founder and executive director of the Experimental Station, said.
Experimental Station launched the 61st Street Farmers Market in 2008 and has seen it triple in size from the original 10 vendors. “Our family had lived in Woodlawn for 20 years, and there was never a place to buy good food, or food at all.… I’ve spent quite a bit of time in France, and experiences that our family had with farmers markets in France were really important to starting this one. We can find a low overhead way of bringing food to this community by starting a market and not having to build a building,” Spreen said.
In 2009, Spreen introduced the Link program to the 61st Street Farmers Market. Through the Link program, each Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollar spent at the 61st Street Farmers Market is matched with a Link voucher, which can be used to purchase fresh produce. In 2011, Spreen worked to push a bill for the Government of Illinois to offer the Link program at farmers markets statewide, resulting in the Link Up Illinois program. This funding from the Link program, in addition to the market’s commitment to accepting SNAP benefits, “has truly enabled folks who receive SNAP benefits to have access to the freshest and the healthiest produce,” Spreen said. Experimental Station also received a grant in 2015 that allows it to accept SNAP’s Electronic Balance Transfer (EBT) benefits.
The market provides options for vegan, organic, and raw food diets. The vendor Thank God 4 Raw & Vegan Treats offers peach cobblers, apple crisps, tacos, and nachos. “People from all over just love and enjoy watching the children eat more whole, plant-based food[s],” Michelle Scott, founder and CEO of Thank God 4 Raw & Vegan Treats, said.
The 61st Street Farmers Market also hosts nonprofit and community programming tents alongside its food, beverage, and produce vendors. Some vendors elect to donate a portion of what they earn at the market to nonprofits. Thank God 4 Raw & Vegan Treats runs a food bank with the money they earn at farmers markets. “We have contracts on the South Side of Chicago with another organization, and we [provide] food … for people who are hungry. We do this [market] every Saturday, but my community is on the West Side, providing food right now,” Scott said.
Spreen hopes to continue to build relationships with the Hyde Park and University community through the market. “It’s connecting, yes, with the food and with the farmer, but also then through your food—connecting with each other in the neighborhood.”
