It's been such a rainy August a mushroom sprouted up in my Greek oregano planter on the back porch! It would be nice if this were a Chanterelle (which I've never had--yet)...

Meanwhile, I've been worried about the declining service, especially on weekends, at Julius Meinl recently. Here's a review on Gapers Block's Drivethru, which I hope would help them get their acts together. I really don't want to see them close their doors--since that's where I first met Patrick!

We got up relatively early this morning to visit the organic greenhouse in the Kilbourn Park. The purpose was to catch the annual organic plant sale before all the cool stuff (like Green Zebra tomatoes and Jamaican Hot Chocolate peppers) sell out. My mom joined us from the suburbia, and the three of us stuffed ourselves into my car with coffee mugs in hands.

When we arrived at the park about thirty minutes before the opening, there was only one person waiting in front of the chain link gate to the greenhouse. It was perfect out: the sky was blue, the air was still chilly but crisp, the grass moist under our feet. Birds chirped in the trees that lined the nearby streets, while little league kids run around the baseball field. A muscular guy was doing endless push-ups in the training field by the greenhouse.

A beautiful cat appeared out of nowhere and kept us entertained as we waited in the line.

A few minutes later, a woman started to set up a bake sale table by the line. I eyed at the golden scones and small bags of homemade granola, but we'd just had breakfast (a piece of French country bread each, lightly toasted with a slice of Provolone), so I behaved myself. The young mother in front of us walked up to the table and got a small bag of cookies. Sensing our curious gaze, she graciously gave one--a rosemary pine nut cookie--to Patrick. My mom, Patrick and I each took a bite off the crisp, tiny cookie. The lone pine nut fell on the ground when my mom took her bite, but the rosemary and the buttery-sugary cookie was a surprisingly nice combination.

Just before the greenhouse opened, the husband of the cookie woman returned with their kids, whom he picked up and placed in the plastic trolley. (A very well-prepared family!) They were the first to walk into the greenhouse, closely followed by us.

While we waited, we'd drawn up our battle plan: my mom and I would go to the peppers section while Patrick would take care of the tomato business. We did. I piled up the plastic tray with Thai hot pepper, Serrano Chilli peper and Poblano pepper, while my mom went overboard with Bolivian Rainbow, Sunrise Orange Bell pepper, and an ornametal pepper. (Yes, we got much more than we planned.) Meanwhile, Patrick got two Green Zebras, a Legend and Three Sisters tomatoes, along with some herbs (including a beautiful bronze-colored fennel).

The gardeners who gather for the rare opportunity to buy heirloom tomatoes and exotic peppers are, for the most part, pretty nice. But it does get a little hostile, for there's only so many plants and the concrete aisle are too narrow to get past someone who's intently picking the best plant out of the closely grouped clusters. This year, the experience was much more pleasant, mainly because we were done with picking by the time the main wave of people hit the greenhouse. Getting up early and spending half an hour before the greenhouse opens is definitely the way to go: especially when the weather it nice, thirty-minute wait in a beautiful park is more a delight than an annoyance.

When we came out with our hands full with green, happy-looking plants, the back of the brick-and-glass greenhouse had beautiful flower containers--which, considering what the building is, shouldn't be a surprise. Since both my mom and I left our purses in my car, poor Patrick had to pay for all the plants. Luckily for him, they were quite reasonably priced--most tomatoes were $3 each, while most of the herbs and peppers were only $2. As we drove back home, the entire car was filled with that summer smell of tomato vines. We entrusted most of the tomatoes and peppers to my mom, who has a tremendous advantage of a backyard: Patrick and I live in a very sunny apartment, but compared to an outdoor garden, our plants never get as much sun. We kept one container-friendly tomato (the Legend) and the herbs to ourselves, and are planning to give one of the Green Zebras to the Southern Branch. I'm hoping that this year won't (again) prove my incredible aptitude as a merciless killer of potted plants...

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Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse
(They are very helpful when you have questions about organic gardening, and even about how to use the exotic herbs and peppers you get from their sale.)
3501 N. Kilbourn Ave. Chicago, IL
773.685.3351