On this cold winter day, futures trader and self-professed food freak Langdon Van Ingen has a burning question for the chef he’s just watched make a lobster risotto with Meyer lemons and yellowfoot chanterelle mushrooms. “How do you keep a lobster stock from being too salty?” asks Van Ingen.
Market organizers bring small local farmers into contact with buyers both vocational and recreational. Their focus is on sustainable products–that is, foodstuffs raised or prepared in a way that doesn’t damage or significantly deplete the land. “The buzzword now is sustainability,” says Lutes. Sarah Stegner, executive chef at the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton and one of the market’s organizers, defines it as “people making a commitment to take care of the environment.”
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Lloyd Nichols, of Nichols Farm and Orchard in Marengo, has been part of the market since it started. He’s got two tables full of produce, mostly potatoes. “These are the firm, buttery blues,” he says, pointing to a box of small, dark Peruvians. “I broke these out special for today.” Boxes of different varieties feature his instructions for preparing their exotic contents: “Ozette–flaky, nutty flavor/cook whole/roast, steam.” He’s also selling mushrooms, garlic, and shallots. Mason jars full of dried “honey” and “hen in woods” mushrooms are $25 apiece.
But most of the chefs involved see the Green City Market as a necessity and a duty. “Ultimately it’s about mindfulness,” Pinkney explains. “Somebody plants the seed, somebody tends the plant, somebody nurtures it every day, and somebody picks it and gets it to us. How much more loving could our process be?”
