Still Time to Get Fall Goodies at Elmhurst Farmers Market

It's too late to pick up fresh peaches and berries, but fall and winter fruits and veggies are in plentiful supply.

For three more Wednesdays, Oct. 13, 20 and 27, farmers will be bringing their best picks to the parking lot at York and Vallette streets for the Elmhurst Farmers Market. So, for anyone who has been putting off a visit to the market, now is the time.

Jeffrey Farms of Fox River Grove offers a large variety of produce. So what's in season?

"Mostly squash and root vegetables: turnips, parsnips, kohlrabi, fennel, celery," Brian Jeffrey said.

Froehlich's Finest Fruits and Vegetables out of Berrien Center, Mich., has been making the two-hour trip to Elmhurst every week for about 10 years now. Their farm has been in the family for generations.

"My husband has been in the business since he was 18. He's 47 now," said Karen Froehlich. "It's three generations."

Shoppers can flip through a family photo album, sitting next to the cash registers, that is full of photos of Froehliches at the farm.

Elmhurst is just one stop on the Nichols Farms and Orchard circuit.

"We're in 15 other markets. All summer we're doing 15 a week," including Hinsdale and Schaumburg, Chad Nichols said.

Nichols Farm, located in Marengo, also brings a wide variety of produce. Apples were everywhere last week.

"Big time apples," Nichols said. "And all the winter vegetables: celery root, leeks, beets."

There really isn't much of an off-season, he said.

"This goes all the way to the end of October and start up again in the early spring," he said. "After school starts, some people just don't realize that the market is here. They think it's just a summer thing."

Sharon Kroll said the farmers market is her favorite place to go on Wednesday mornings.

"I'm a vegan," she said, while shopping at Nichols Farms stand. "This is terrific because they don't spray their vegetables (with chemicals)."

She's been a vegan for about two years.

" I love food, love discovering new food," she said. "And it just feels great eating what the earth provides and what God meant for us to eat."

The market offers cheeses, honey, flowers and pastries, too.

Vendors said that the economy, or perhaps a less-than-ideal parking situation at York and Vallette, has caused traffic at the market to be a little bit slow the past couple of years.

"People maybe think they don't have time to look for a (parking) spot," Froehlich said.

But quite a few parking spaces are located behind the market, and there are still plenty of goodies to choose from.

When in doubt, ask the experts.

"Empires are about the best keepers," said Chad Nichols, giving a customer advice on apples last week. "Those will keep until December, no problem. After about mid-December, they're about the only things that taste worthy.

"Try the Keepsake. They're ugly, but they're real firm. The uglier, the better," he said.