Pastoral’s day trip Down on the Farm heads to “the heart of Illinois’ sustainable agriculture” in Champaign-Urbana. After breakfast on the bus, participants will visit Urbana’s Market at the Square, one of the biggest farmers’ markets in the area. At Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery they’ll pick fruit and see how owners Leslie Cooperband and Wes Jarrel make their farmstead goat cheeses, then eat a lunch of locally produced food. Wine and cheese will be served on the trip back; the bus will drop people off at both Pastoral locations in the early evening. 7:15 AM pickup from the Lakeview store (2945 N. Broadway), 7:30 from the Loop store (53 E. Lake), 773-472-4781, $130.
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The annual Mussels Festival starts today and continues through Sun 9/28 at restaurants belonging to the Chicago Originals association, including Cafe Matou, Cyrano’s Bistrot, Trattoria Roma, and Kiki’s Bistro; for the next couple weeks they’ll be preparing specials ranging from traditional moules marinier to steamed mussels “a la Tony Blair” to Caribbean-style mussels with curry, coconut, and cilantro.
