Best CSA farmer to swoon over
Rob Montalbano of Montalbano Farms
Montalbano Farms has been vending at the Logan Square Farmers' Market since 2007, and as a fellow farmer, I've learned to roll my eyes when my customers swoon over farmer Rob Montalbano's baby blues. I'm pretty sure people keep coming back for his high-quality peppers, garlic, kohlrabi, greens, and other crops that he's growing with the love of his life, Christina Goy (sorry, girls and boys!), 60 miles southwest of the city in Sandwich, Illinois. In addition to his stands at the Logan Square and Glenwood Sunday markets, Montalbano offers a weekly CSA vegetable box that's available at both (there are also drop-offs at Unity Temple in Oak Park and both locations of Provenance Food and Wine). For those on a budget Montalbano Farms offers a weekly worker share program that provides a CSA in exchange for four hours of work on the farm or at the market. —Vera Videnovich
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