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Farmer's Market Picnic

A fresh, local, leisurely afternoon spread that just might become your next Sunday tradition."

Tart Cherry Farmer's Chicken Salad

Nature is a generous giver. Due to a shorter growing season in northern Illinois, communities eagerly anticipate the farmers market openings later this month. These past years, there has been a cultural shift, a return back to a gentler pace, of building relationships with land and nourishment, a search for ways to restore health, and return back to simpler local living. A shared meal of seasonal local whole foods is a beautiful way to honor health and a vibrant living experience. A diverse colorful market, and a loving ritual around community supported agriculture, can be the perfect way to inspire creativity for a simple, light, and satisfying meal. 

Ingredients:

Whole chicken 
2 carrots
4 sticks celery
1 onion
Fresh parsley
1.5 T sea salt 
Mayonnaise
Dried tart cherries
Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
Belgian endive or market greens
Berries
Fresh sugar peas

Directions:

If making chicken from scratch, you can roast or poach it.

1. For poaching, place in a large pot with carrots, 2 celery sticks, onion quartered, 1 cup parsley, and 1.5 T sea salt. Cover with water, bring to boil.

2. Reduce to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes per pound (60-90 minutes).

3. Strain stock into another pot to reserve for another recipe and allow bird to cool for 30 minutes before shredding meat.

4. Mix 2 cups of shredded chicken, ¼ cup cherries, 2 stalks celery  chopped, ¼ mayo, season to taste, and fill the endive or greens.

5. Enjoy nibble-style on a blanket, in a sunny or shady nook in the grass, over casual conversation with someone you love. 


 

 A shared meal of seasonal foods is a beautiful way to honor a vibrant living experience.