Certified Chicago fresh

Every time I visit Chicago in summer, which I have been fortunate enough to do several times in the past few years, I am impressed by the effort that’s put into creating a plant-filled, beautiful city. Planters and garden beds of all sizes and shapes seem to occupy every nook and cranny — even those you may not initially see, like rooftops and balconies. And decorative annuals and perennials aren’t the only game in town anymore. Produce is popping up wherever you look.

Chicago has been experiencing something of a revolution in recent years, especially when it comes to growing produce. I remember a conversation I had a couple of years ago with William Moss, an urban gardening expert and Chicago resident, about his rooftop edible garden. Despite having to haul the water to the roof by hand and battling intense sun and heat in the summer, he persisted in order to enjoy a fresh harvest. And he’s not alone.

We’re seeing even more of that desire to grow local produce in urban Chicago, perhaps now more than ever. In this month’s cover story, we take a look at how produce growing in Chicago has changed over the past five years and how it may evolve in the years to come. Veggies and herbs are being grown in Chicago O’Hare International Airport and are in high demand among the restaurants there. The city is changing zoning ordinances and rehabbing lands to make them more adequate for urban farming. Urban farmers and gardeners have united to expand agriculture’s reach within Chicago’s borders and chefs are clamoring for locally grown produce.

It’s an exciting time to be a produce grower in Chicagoland. It will certainly be interesting to see just how far the city can evolve in the next five years.