Geneva Green Market: Geneva, Illinois – A Local Food Green Farmers Market

Hasselmann Family Farm has a long family history of farming in Illinois. Spend a minute with fourth generation family farmer, Scott Hasselmann and you’ll hear amazing stories about the family-farming lineage. His grandparents and great-grandparents were vegetable farmers and his father and grandfather were mushroom farmers.

Having a full-time, fully operational farm has always been Scott’s dream. Life always led him in this direction, as he cared for animals beginning at a young age and studied agronomy in college. Scott was a Peace Corp Ag Volunteer in Nicaragua where he worked with small farmers.

Five years ago, Scott was working part-time as a hobby on his grandfather’s farm while working another full-time job. During this time he committed to developing the Hasselmann Family Farm into a full-time venture and two years ago he turned from hobbyist to full-time farmer.

Hasselmann’s Farm is 100% a family farm, with both Scott’s wife and father totally instrumental in the growth and operation of the farm. They have just moved to an 80-acre farm in Marengo, McHenry County.

Hasselmann Family Farm is a small, diversified farm and you can see their sustainability practices in every element of their farming.

• They apply the pastoral approach to farming, similar to the way our ancestors farmed. Illinois was originally a prairie and wasn’t made for monoculture farming, to grow single crops over a wide area year after year or raise one species of livestock, which leads to pathogen susceptibility.
• Everything is moved to fresh grass daily or every other day, so it is a dead-end for pathogens.
• They raise a multitude of livestock and crops that live out on the land: cows, pigs, lamb and chickens rather than a single species.
• They rotate their crops, including hay and oats.
• Their hogs are raised from birth to slaughter.
• They use local processors for all their meat.
• Their chickens, lamb and beef, all hormone feed-grass fed. Pork and chicken is slightly supplemented with grain.

Hasselmann Family Farms is able to control the quality of our products with these sustainability practices. The end result is products that are highly flavorful, rich and nutritious! Hasselmann products are Animal Welfare Approved.

Hasselmann Family Farm’s are known for their amazing hormone and antibiotic free products that are raised outside. including:

• Farm Fresh Chicken and All Natural Eggs – From hens raised outdoors on pasture.
• Pork – known for its richness, moisture, tenderness and depth of flavor
• *Grass Finished Lamb – Our lambs are also pasture raised and they subsist on a diet of fresh grass and hay.

Farm Fresh Beef – We raise our cattle on pasture in the fresh air and sunshine. They eat fresh grass and are fed supplemental hay and grain as well. They are naturally raised meaning they receive no drugs or growth hormones.

We warmly welcome Hasselmann Family Farm to the Geneva Green Market family. Scott joined us this winter at the GGM,nfp sponsored Community Winter Market and is now with us at the Thursday market. In additon to Scott’s meat and eggs you may also get Illinois Stone Ground Flour and assorted flour mixes from him.

Can’t make it on Thursdays. You may also pick up Hasselmann Farm raised product at Inglenook Pantry (11 N. 5th St., Geneva, IL)

Chefs and localvores have long been singing the praises of farm-fresh eggs and most can’t imagine having any other then free-range from the farm. Ask a chef and a localvore what makes them loyal to farm fresh eggs you’d probably get two different answers.  Chefs tend to favor the texture, freshness and richness of golden hues. Where a localvore might initially focus more on how the eggs were raised. The chickens are outdoors in the pasture where they are free to roam at their leisure, get all the sunshine they want. As well as freely forage for there own food of grasses, worms and insects, all while enjoying the breezes of the season.

Most farmers that raise free-range chickens have movable pens or houses for their chickens. These “pastures” are moved from place to place giving the chickens fresh grazing areas on a regular basis. With this set up, the chickens will have some protection from predators.  What about antibiotics and hormones you ask? Antibiotic-free means that the chickens were never fed antibiotics at anytime in their life.  Chickens do not need antibiotics to grow and be healthy. Chickens raise their own resistance by being a their natural environment. Farmers focus on good husbandry (breeding and caring for farm animals ) practices such as sanitation. All chickens are hormone-free. Despite numerous marketing and labeling statements by many egg producers, hormones have not been used in the poultry industry for over 50 years. So whether you see a carton of eggs that have “hormone-free” on it or not be assured that the the eggs are hormone-free. Read more

What was formerly known as the Geneva Winter Market, has become the Community Winter Market sponsored by the Geneva Green Market, NFP. You’ll still be able to purchase fresh, local food throughout the winter. Once the Geneva Green Market has ended for the season, the Community Winter Market is scheduled to be open from 9 am through 1 pm on Saturdays, starting November 7. It will be located at 11 N 5th St, Geneva IL 60134.

On Saturday, November 21st, the Community Winter Market will be hosting its annual Thanksgiving Localvore Challenge. The vendors will have the majority all the ingredients you will need to eat an entirely local Thanksgiving dinner. Sign up early for local free-range turkeys.

Irv Pavlik will be a feature musical guest at the Thanksgiving Festival,  Saturday November 21 and Holiday Festival on December 19.  Check out his music on youtube http://www.youtube.com/irvpav

In case you missed it, The GGM appeared in the Chicago Tribune on July 22nd in “Chicago area green markets growing…” The article discusses different approaches to sustainable farming including organic, naturally raised and where you can find sustainable food in the Chicagoland area:

… Fresh, local and sustainably grown also are at the heart of the Geneva Green Market, which opened in 2007, according to Karen Stark, co-founder with Connie Weaver. Farmers must come from within 200 miles and fill out a “sustainability” statement with their application.

Raised on a Minnesota dairy farm, Stark is passionate about the market and extended it indoors last winter. “Even though we do a kids corner and chefs’ demos, this is teaching people about the food. It’s not about entertainment value,” she said. “It’s about sustaining your lifestyle with the most nutrition value in your food you can possibly buy locally”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires farmers to be certified by a third party to use the term organic. Non-organic farmers use a variety of terms to show their practices: “sustainable,” “chemical free” and “naturally grown.” Or “healthy farming practices used,” “no spray,” free-ranged,” “pastured,” “grass fed” and “no antibiotics or hormones.” In those cases, it is up to the consumer to decide what is acceptable…

For the full article visit the Chicago Tribune: “Chicago area green markets growing…”

Producers You Can Contact Directly for turkeys and other holiday heritage meats…

The farmers listed below have heritage turkeys, ham, geese, ducks, goats, and lamb available for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are conscientious stewards of land and animals, and are committed to sustainable and humane livestock production, many are free range, antibiotic free and sustainably farmed.

Caveny Farm

Farmers: John and Connie Caveny, Caveny Farm
Breeds (Turkeys): Bourbon Red (Heritage breed)
Weights: 6 – 18 lbs
Price per lb.: varies by weight, see the Caveny Farm website
Deposit required: 50%
Pick-up locations: Various- including Evanston, Green City Market, Old Town, Geneva
Dates: Saturday before Thanksgiving.
On-farm pick-up available? Yes. Call to arrange. There is an $8 discount for farm pick-ups.
Contact: 217-762-7767, or Order a Caveny turkey on-line
Website: www.cavenyfarm.com
Farm location: 1999 N 935 East Road, Monticello, IL 61856

John and Connie Caveny describe themselves as “grass” farmers whose job is to manage the life cycles of pasture and pastured animals so as to optimize the health of both. As practical conservationists they believe farm and ranch land should be “working land” instead of “retired land.” Read more

The Geneva Green Market, the area’s only Farmers Market requiring all produce and products be locally grown within a 200-mile radius of Geneva IL, is kicking off their second season on Thursday, June 26 at their permanent location along the west side of the Fox River at 75 N. River Lane in Geneva from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Join us for opening ceremonial plantings at 9:00 a.m. with Geneva officials and friends, followed by cooking demonstrations and more…

Visitors will see familiar faces from last year and some new vendors as well. Products include field-fresh, minimally processed, sustainably grown, produce ranging from vegetables, herbs and fruits to meats and dairy products and more!

OPENING DAY SCHEDULE

• 7:00 a.m. Market Opens
  9:00 a.m. Local City Officials and Dignitaries to Participate in Planting Ceremony of the Geneva Green Market
  9:30 a.m. James Beard Award Nominee, Chef Jeremy Lycan’s Cooking Demonstration with Locally Grown Food
  10:30 a.m. Kid’s Corner – Illinois Natural History Survey Mobile Classroom
  11:30 a.m. Chef Jeremy Lycan’s Cooking Demonstration with Locally Grown Food

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES:

• 9:00 a.m. The Illinois Natural History Survey Mobile Classroom & Traveling Science Center
  9:00 – 11:00 p.m. Guided Tours of River Park
  12:00 p.m. The Illinois Natural History Survey Mobile Classroom & Traveling Science Center

Parking is plentiful, and the weekly Geneva Green Market is located one block east of Route 31 and one block north of Route 38. For more information, please contact Karen Stark – email us here!

• Locally-grown food does not cause as much pollution (global warming) due to less travel time.
• Keeping family farms alive keeps rural landscape alive, supporting less urban sprawl.
• Spending your money where you live keeps your community thriving.
• As a tourist looking for local flavor, this makes your visit more authentic. If you come to the Fox Valley area, you’ll want to taste what we grow.
• Geneva is particularly blessed with a booming community of small farms and food producers. Try our seasonal produce.
• Think of the health and safety of you and your family. Small, local farms are less likely to use hormones and more likely to raise grass fed or free-range animals, and organically grown vegetables.
• If you know your farmer, you know where to ask questions; the shorter the route from the farm to your table (at home or in a restaurant), the more knowledge you have at hand, and the more flavor you have on your plate.