There is a lot happening south of I-70 this Labor Day Weekend. Friday night lights and high school football action kicked off across the region. Special festivals, events, and farmer’s markets are scheduled this weekend. The DuQuoin State Fair wraps up on Labor Day as people across the nation debate whether or not they can wear white again until Memorial Day…
Below is just a fraction of the weekend info shared on the A Slice of Southern Illinois Facebook Page. Check it out for even more events, food, sports, and more. Enjoy your weekend, and be safe!
Did you know that there is an indoor winter Farmer’s Market in Carbondale? You can find a great variety of local food and products on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Carbondale Community Farmer’s Market. The market is located in the movie theater entrance of University Mall. It runs from December through March and makes it a bit easier to still get fresh, local produce, dairy and meat products. There are wonderful locally made food products, baked goods, and beverages as well as handcrafted and artisan items.
You can enjoy local musicians as you shop, and there is a Kids Club with a different activity each week. On January 27, there is a cooking demonstration, and February 2 is the yearly seed swap. Ellen Esling, CCFM Indoor Market Manager, does a wonderful job with the weekly event.
Fresh Local Produce
My new favorite product by Glaciers End is the Winter Solctice Shrub. (A shrub is a drinking vinegar that has been used by many generations as a beverage. ) Although some people drink it by itself, I prefer adding a little splash to a glass of ice and seltzer water (or club soda) for a refreshing drink. I’ve also used their shrubs in marinades and vinaigrettes. Glaciers End is usually at the Winter market.
Glaciers EndWinter Solctice in Seltzer Water
If you like mushrooms, Flyway Family Farms has a wonderful selection of gourmet mushrooms. Although I tend to like the shiitaki or gourmet mix, I recently used their Black King Oyster mushrooms in a vegetarian stir fry. A great way to try a variety is with the Gourmet Mix.
Flyway Family FarmsBlack King Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry
You can usually find lettuce and salad mixes at the winter market. Kale is one of favorites. If you like zuppa toscana, kale is one of its ingredients.
Kale
Those with a sweet tooth can find a variety of wonderful treats.
Get Dipped’s Vanilla Cream PieEagle Point Emporium’s Freeze Dried Candy
You can also shop for great gifts or yourself!)
Eco Friendly Makeup Remover PadsBeautiful Gourds and Dream CatchersLapis and Blue Lace Agate Earrings
Once upon a time, there was a free app that correlated with info on A Slice of Southern Illinois. Eventually, with the original app development company, it became too difficult too keep up with changing requirements for common app stores. So, I disabled the app–for now. I would eventually like to create a new one, but I am taking my time to jump into that process.
Meanwhile, I still have pages accessible through the menu on this website for annual events, local food things to see, and more. I try to update these from time to time, but they are not likely going to be as current as the Facebook page.
As many of you know by now, my health is somewhat of a rollercoaster ride since covid did a number on me. (Yes, Long Haul Covid is a real thing, and I don’t wish it on anyone!) I am also doing some jewelry-making and crafting now that are actually therapeutic for me. When possible, I participate in farmer’s markets and other venues. However, I have to do a lot of prioritizing and “energy budgeting” for my health. With that being said, knocking myself out to keep the events page current as well as other changes can’t be my priority at this time. There is only so much energy, and after the whole near death/ventilator experience, I have a new perspective. Living life is a priority.
SO, I am attempting to make it easier to search on the A Slice of Southern Illinois Facebook Page. Hopefully, a series of hashtag terms (below) will help you to find info by town or type within Southern Illinois. It won’t be perfect (brain fog is real too,) and I may forget obvious hashtags and miss some things, but it’s a start. Even if no one else uses them, it will help me…
This is the link to the A Slice of Southern Illinois Facebook Page:
This is how you use hashtags in the search bar to seek info or types of posts:
If you are seeking info on a Southern Illinois town, try searching the A Slice of Southern Illinois Facebook Page with a hashtag. (Example: #Carbondale )
The hashtags below are to seek out posts with the types of info listed:
SIbreweries breweries
SIclosures closings
SIcares good deeds, service and volunteer opportunities, good news
SIcoffee coffee
SIentertainment entertainment
SIevents regional events
SIeventvenue event venues
SIfurbabies pet related
#SIhistory regional history
SIkids for children
SIlodging local cabins, B&B’s, etc.
SImarket Farmer’s Markets & locally made products
SIshopslocal locally owned shops & businesses
SItastes restaurants, food trucks, food-related
SItea tea
SIthingstosee things to see in our region
SIweather weather-related post
SIwineries wineries
WatermelonFalls (by A Slice of Southern Illinois) handmade jewelry, upcycles, & giftables
These search terms are currently pinned in a post on the A Slice of Southern Illinois Facebook Page. It is always a work in progress…
Over Memorial Day Weekend, I had an opportunity to eat at Ali Asian Cuisine in Mt. Vernon. I was impressed at the size of the menu. Besides sushi, they offer Chinese, Japanese, and Thai options.
I went for the bento box with the teriyaki steak. Not only was it plated beautifully, the taste was wonderful. I am not sure what all went into the salad dressing, but it was a kicked up version of a honey mustard variety– I think. Perhaps it had some additional ginger root in it? While my all-time favorite dressing has been the French dressing from Salem Pizza Man for as long as I can remember, this stuff was pretty good.
The prices were also very reasonable. I must also point out for any “Friends” fans reading this that this place really does have UNAGI 🙂
