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Curious City: King Crops Of Chicago Past

The Union Stockyards in 1941.

The Union Stockyards in 1941.

Courtesy Library of Congress

The Stockyards and Carl Sandburg gave Chicago’s its reputation as “hog butcher for the world”, but we used to be a bigger player in the agricultural world. And that was because of two crops in particular. For Curious City, Monica Eng details where celery and cucumbers were growing, and how Chicago cuisine continues to incorporate them.

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