Lake County farmers markets are not just held outside in the warmer months; ‘I was shocked to find any ... in the winter’

Fans of locally sourced food are looking forward to what’s in store for 2024 at farmers markets around Lake County. But, the county also has winter indoor markets featuring some of the same vendors who appear at farmers markets when the weather gets warmer.

The Deerfield Winter Indoor Farmers Market drew its regular customer base on Saturday with a special New Year’s Farmers Market theme, and another is scheduled for Jan. 6.

Customers could buy items including meat, eggs and produce (such as leeks suitable for homemade stews or soups).

Since November, the Deerfield Indoor Winter Farmers Market has been held on the first, third and fifth Saturdays of the month, and it will continue through April inside Founders Hall at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 815 Wilmot Road. The Deerfield market runs from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Buffalo Grove also has a winter indoor farmers market on the second and fourth Sundays of the month through April at 2900 N. Main St. at the Vernon Township Community Services Building from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Operating these Lake County winter indoor farmers markets for at least a decade has been Nick Janovski of Spring Grove, market manager, vendor and owner of Farmer Nick’s of Spring Grove.

The Deerfield market typically features about a half-dozen vendors offering baked goods, coffee and protein bars, as examples. Mount Prospect is another indoor winter market he runs.

Janovski recruits new sellers through word-of-mouth and by posting the vendor application on social media.

He is a regular vendor at 20 farmers markets over the warm outdoor season including in Lake County municipalities such as Fox Lake, Gurnee, Grayslake, Lake Bluff, Deerfield, Lake Zurich and Mundelein.

For nearly 25 years, Janovski has operated the business and currently maintains farms in Harvard and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

“It’s important to support local businesses; to support local agriculture,” he said. “Supporting small farmers helps maintain heritage breeds and heritage seeds, and future lines of genetics that currently are not being used by mass production.”

People also order Thanksgiving turkeys from Janovski. On Saturday, inventory kept on Janovski’s truck included bacon, sausages and eggs.

“In the summer, it’s really all about burgers and bratwurst,” he said. “Our most popular burger is our bacon cheddar burger, and our most popular bratwurst is probably our cheddar bratwurst. We make them ourselves.

“This time of year, a lot more roasts are popular,” he continued. “We do sell a lot more soup products this time of year for making soup — neckbones, chicken feet.”

People buy “organ stuff” like chicken hearts and chicken liver for their dogs, “all the time,” Janovski said. “Mostly the marrow bones and we also do a ground beef mix. It’s for human consumption and some people do eat it, but I think a lot more people buy it for their pets. It’s 25% beef liver, 25% beef heart and 50% ground beef.”

Janovski offers a menu of bourbon bacon plus fruit flavors accented by pepper varieties.

Shoppers on Saturday included one person from Riverwoods who wished to not be named. The first customer of the day was Maria Davis of Villa Park, who drove a good half-hour from DuPage County to buy from Janovski.

“I was buying Farmer Nick’s meat at the Brookfield farmers market in the summertime,” Davis said, “and I follow him on Facebook. When I found him up here, I said, ‘Oh, I got to go.’

“I was shocked to find any farmers market in the winter,” she said. “This was a godsend.”

Of mass-produced food, Davis said, “You know, they’re putting so much garbage in everything.

“Oh my God it’s the best,” she added, about buying local. “It tastes good; you know it’s good for you.”

Vendor Maryam Wood of Wadsworth, founder of Middleton’s of Wadsworth, sold produce and canned goods such as jelly and pickles.

Wood said many people who work in Waukegan, near Wadsworth, are employed by small businesses such as small grocers.

“So supporting local is huge in that aspect, because you’re stimulating your local economy,” she said.

Joseph Booker and Shayna Kabiller of Deerfield shopped with their children Eloise, 2, and Nickolas Booker, 6.

Eloise chose a jar of black mulberry jelly sold by Wood, and Nickolas selected an apple version.

“We just love going to the farmers market, especially during the spring, (and) summertime,” Shayna Kabiller said, “seeing what’s there and what we need for the house.”

“We haven’t been to this one before,” Joseph Booker said about the Deerfield market.

Diana Dushkova of Lincolnshire shopped for eggs and pepper bacon.

“It’s my lifestyle,” Dushkova said. “You are what you eat.”

Farmer Nick’s promotes its Lake County winter indoor markets on easily searchable social media including Facebook and Instagram. Also visit http://www.farmernicks.com/index.html.