the seduction of the morning market…

I am not a morning person…
Never have been.
Never. will. be.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact I was born exactly at 6:00 in the evening.
I had spent my entire nursing career working the third-watch in the ER or transplant units of various hospitals.
Working in 8 to 6 corporate environment was really tricky; as I never felt fully myself until after 6pm. This benefited the design firms that employed me, as I never minded working after hours.

The sunny Carnival Squash can even put a smile on my grumpy morning-face…lol…

I love being a photographer, as the morning light is almost always thin, murky or foggy from pollution and never suited to the drama-shots of the bright sun and deep shadows of the late afternoon light. So usually a client will be amenable to an afternoon shoot unless it happens to be an indoor shoot and a there is a time crunch.
After the on site work is completed, I can go back to my atelier after the shoot and happily sort and edit the image until the wee hours of the night. The hours that suit my nocturnal-catlike personality.
The vibrant pop of multicolored peppers wake up my visual senses

But from May to October, there is just one thing that will get my sorry, sleepy bod out of bed on a Saturday morning is Chicago Green City Market in Lincoln Park, Chicago.
Sure I have to drive 30 minutes and sure I have to pay for the privilege to park.
But it just feels worth both the time and the minor expense.
That first hazy morning look at Lake Michigan

But there is nothing like coming round the corner form the Stevenson to Lake Shore Drive (LSD) and getting that high up in the air first glimpse of that inland ocean know as Lake Michigan. After that cool blue sighting, my energy kicks into high gear fueled by the karmic power of this beautiful city, and the anticipation of getting to that oasis of fresh, fresh, fresh food in the middle of the city.
Colorful striped Turkish Eggplants

It is not just the veggies and fruits and cheese and meats and fresh milk and breads and pastries and jams and flowers and herbs that draws me.
It is not just the fact that I can take as many images as I can squeeze into a two hour time frame that my parking voucher will allow.
Chef Debbie Sharpe of Feast Restaurant ~ Chicago wields a knife during her cooking demo at Green City Market

It is not just the fact that I can buy fresh, organic and sometimes fairly exotic produce in as much abundance that my wallet will allow.
The thing that keeps me coming back, again and again are the connections.
Rosa Bianca Eggplants

The connections of the growers and producers to their products and the pride they take in producing the best with love and enthusiasm.
The connections of the products to the land that is nurtured with care and dedication producing organic or sustainable harvests (or both).
The connection that I feel to the land through the food that I purchase from these people. They have so much passion and knowledge and willing share that with all that come to the market.
This is Kathleen, one of the sisters from Three Sisters Garden.
She not only told about the white Flageolet beans I had selected to buy, but their French history, where they were grown, when they were picked and shelled and how to cook them to delicious perfection.

I always come away with a great deal more than something to feed my body… my mind and spirit is always fed after a morning at Green City Market.