It’s never too late in the season to introduce a new baby micro-green to our line-up. Maybe that’s because micro-greens are omni-seasonal! Cressida is a curly leaf cress, sometimes referred to as peppergrass. It has a bite similar to arugula with a mustardy sharpness. Cress gives a great, tangy contrast to creamy egg salad or potato soup. Limited availbility this Wednesday, we hope to have curly cress baby micro-greens available regularly beginning this Saturday. Come to the market and try something new! See you all there!

Lucky us, rain is a farmer’s best friend. I guess, so long as it doesn’t flood. Though we are a bit later to blossom than many of our neighbors, our organic gardens are really starting to come of age this season. Slow and steady wins the race, right? This week, look for gorgeous red ace beets, tons of green bell peppers and several varieties of chile peppers, green and purple basil, scallions, cucumbers, baby carrots, zucchini and much, so much more to come!

Our first peppers of the season are here! Available in limited quantities tomorrow at Green City Market, we are proud to bring the peppers eponymously known as Banana Bills, for Bill Bagby, of course! With thin, crunchy walls and a mildly sweet heat, banana bills are a very popular pepper for pickling later in the season when more plentiful. However, enjoy these early beauties thinly sliced on a pizza or in a quesadilla–don’t forget the baby micro-cilantro!– or stuff them with a bit of Brunkow’s Jalapeno Brun-uusto cheese, then batter and deep-fry for a spicy, crunchy chile relleno appetizer.

While most of our baby micro-greens take only one to two weeks from seed to table, we’ve been nurturing our baby micro-basil since early April and we’re so excited that the sun and heat have done it well. We’ll be bringing a purple variety to the market this weekend and selling it live, in soil, $4 for 3.75″x3.75″ containers and $14 for 10″x10″ trays. Unfortunately, the basil cannot be cut to order, as with our other baby micro-greens, because the oxidation reaction resulting from being cut with a metal blade would turn it brown within days. However,  it is very easy nurture your baby micro-basil plant at home and cut it as needed for maximum freshness. Store your baby micro-basil at room temperature or outdoors and water daily.  Cut as needed. Because the basil is kept alive with its roots in tact, your baby micro-basil will stay absolutely fresh for weeks– if you don’t eat it all up sooner!

We’re so excited to be bringing our own gorgeous baby greens to the market this week! Unfortunately, we do not yet have enough to sell for take-home, but we hope you’ll enjoy their sweet and tender flavor when you order the Salade du Jour from the Tiny Greens Kitchen, also featuring Mick Klug’s asparagus and Prairie Fruits Farm chèvre. We’ll also be bringing more of the baby kale, which we here call “kale flavored lettuce,” for it’s mild, almost sweet, cabbagey flavor and so soft a bite, you don’t even need to cook it! Enjoy our baby kale raw, lightly dressed in an acidic vinaigrette for a mind-blowing kale experience! Also try it tossed into a quick stir-fry or gently wilted by the warmth of fresh pasta with extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, a grate of parmeggiano reggiano and a pinch of chile flakes. We’ll also have radishes, white bunching onions, flowering chives, and 8 oz. bags of our spring mix, a jubilant toss of clover and china rose radish sprouts, sunflower greens and snow pea shoots.

There is even more cause for excitement this Wednesday as the chef demo will be our very good friend Martial Noguier from one sixtyblue. See you there tomorrow, Chicago!