At the market with cookbook author Heather Lalley

Heather Lalley’s The Chicago Homegrown Cookbook ($30, Voyageur Press) is a celebration of some of the best seasonally inspired food this city has to offer, from Paula Haney’s pie recipe to Adam Seger’s mojito secrets. Interwoven with the recipes are stories of the unique connections between an individual chef (Rick Bayless, Bruce Sherman, Paul Kahan) and a particular farm (Mick Klug, Genesis Growers, Burton’s Maplewood Farm, respectively). TOC asked Lalley (the wife of TOC editor-in-chief Frank Sennett) to pick her favorite five farms to visit at this summer’s markets.

1 Mick Klug “Klug’s beautiful produce first caught the attention of Rick Bayless about 25 years ago. Since then, Klug’s flavorful strawberries, asparagus, apples and other crops have become favorites of Chicago chefs and farmers’ market shoppers alike.” At Green City, Lincoln Park, 61st St, Lincoln Square and Loyola University markets.

2 Capriole “Love the story of Judith Schad, who quit working on her doctoral dissertation in Renaissance literature to raise goats. Faced with an excess of milk, she started making cheese. Her Capriole goat cheese is now considered some of the finest in the country.” At Green City Market.

3 Dietzler Farms “Michelle Dietzler wants you to be a beef snob. Try a taste of her farm’s custom-raised meat and you’ll see why so many chefs are proud to put the Dietzler name on their menus.” At Green City Market.

4 Burton’s Maplewood Farm “Nothing compares to real maple syrup, and the high-quality stuff from this farm is some of the best of the best. Pick up a bottle and try chef Paul Kahan’s maple-glazed pork tenderloin from the book.” At Green City Market.

5 Three Sisters Garden “When Rick Bayless sent his cook Tracey Vowell out to research local farms, he had no idea she would ditch the kitchen for a farm of her own. Vowell and her partner, Kathe Roybal, now run a successful operation that includes an unusual, but increasingly popular, crop: huitlacoche, a.k.a. corn smut, a sweet, earthy fungus prized in Mexican dishes.” At Green City Market.

For dates and times for all these farmers’ markets, go to the 2011 Time Out Chicago Farmers' Market Guide.