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Virant, Outstanding In The Field Hosting Benefit For City Farm

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Aug 8, 2012 3:20PM

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Photo Credit: Seth Anderson

This year's drought has affected the entire Midwest and rendered most of Illinois a disaster area. Even though Cook County was not among the 98 counties the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared disaster areas, urban farms like City Farm at Division and Clybourn have not been spared in an arid summer.

For City Farm this means having a hard time growing their crops, which affects their CSA program and the available produce they can offer at farmers markets across the area. City Farm is a regular participant in Outstanding in the Field's annual farm dinner tour and when the farm's director of development Merrill Smith reached out to them to describe how the drought has affected them, the seeds were planted for a benefit farm dinner 4 p.m. next Friday, Aug. 17, at City Farm.

Outstanding in the Field's farm dinner tour is currently winding through the area, so the stop is convenient. For this dinner Paul Virant of Perennial Virant and Vie will handle the cooking duties. Virant is a longtime supporter of City Farm.

Tickets to this dinner, as will all of Outstanding in the Field's dinners, are not cheap: $220. But it is a worthwhile cause. Tickets will go on sale online at 11 a.m.. Click here to purchase.