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

Many farms offer produce subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, meats, or any sort of different farm products.

A CSA, (for Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become “members” (”shareholders” or “subscribers”) of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments. Some CSAs also require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season. A CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall. The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 2000.

Here in Geneva Illinois, and the Fox Valley, we have many choices with CSAs. Some continue into the fall.

Erehwon Farms:
Seven weeks of wonderful fall produce such as winter squash, pie pumpkins, carrots, radishes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, parsnips, tatsoi, Read More…

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, has become the defacto vocabulary for green building discussions and the LEED green building rating systems provide a straightforward methodology for verifying the level of green of a building. This session is intended for those who want to take a crash course in the most easily achieved LEED points based on historic data at USGBC. This session will help in various project situations — for the owner who wants to quickly become a bit grounded in LEED for a first project meeting with an architect or contractor, or for a designer or contractor who is part of a LEED project, but has little background.

Speaker: John Albrecht, Nelson

Pre-registration is required.

When: Thursday, September 18, 2008 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Where:
Interiors for Business
409 N. River Street
Batavia, Illinois 60510
773-265-5911
USGBC - Chicago Chapter

Contact Katie Kaluzny for more information
773-265-5911
email Katie here

The Chicago Tribune August 1, 2008 Metro section featured an article on the 3rd Annual Veggie Fest, a two day community event, the largest event of this kind in Chicagoland, expected to draw 10,000 people in Naperville Illinois.

Enjoy delicious healthy food, live bands, and great talks from professionals. Visit the vendors and pick up valuable information on healthy living. Discover something new about your own health by participating in on site screenings. All of this with no admission charge and free drawings for prizes.

• Children programs-face paintings, crafts, singing
• Live music‚ bluegrass, folk, jazz and latino
• Cooking demonstrations with sampling
• Health talks by medical experts
• 40 food vendors-restaurants-exhibitors
• 11 health-education booths
• Blood pressure, lung capacity, body fat, & sugar level measurements

Read More…

Summer season is here and the Geneva Green Market is in full swing.  The month of July in the Fox Valley growing region offers a wide variety of produce that will tantalize your taste buds and diversify your garden.  Come to the market to find fresh, local food to enhance your every-day meals! Here’s a brief sample of the fruits and vegetable available in July from Dekalb County, Dupage County, Kane County and Kendall County Illinois farms:

Veggies:

• Beans
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Radishes
• Squash

Fruits:

• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Peaches
• Raspberries

The Chicago Tribune featured a cover story with Chef Jeremy Lycan, of Niche Restaurant and vendor Heritage Prairie entitled “Support Your Local Farmer - Movement to eat food grown within 100 miles of home is gaining traction” in the July 6, 2008 issue:

Growing concern about such “food miles” has inspired many consumers to become locavores.

Betsy Zinser, 44, of Batavia began her pursuit of locally grown food two years ago after finding that a bag of broccoli in her freezer was produced in China.

Deri Gray, 47, a dedicated locavore in Geneva, said the ability to trace her food to its origin has given her peace of mind, particularly while health officials have been focused on tomatoes as they probe a nationwide salmonella outbreak.

“I knew right away the tomatoes I got here wouldn’t be tainted,” Gray said outside the Heritage Prairie Market in Elburn. “It hasn’t been touched commercially, so there’s nobody in between contaminating it with any disease.”

Many locavores cite a different reason for their dietary decision: Locally grown food is fresher, more nutritious and tastes better. That may explain why many chefs in the Chicago area’s trendiest restaurants feature locally grown ingredients.

“We’re finally getting back to craving the flavor and textures of produce that’s extremely fresh,” said Jeremy Lycan, chef at Niche Restaurant in Geneva.

Lycan gets his rib-eye from Dietzler Farms, a 750-acre farm in Walworth County, Wis., about 65 miles from his restaurant. And he gets garlic and beets from Heritage Prairie Market.

Support Your Local Farmers Supper Club Dinner!

What do you get when you combine the fabulous style and artisan flare of Moveable Feast with a glorious summertime evening surrounded by the sights, songs and fragrances of the Heritage Prairie Farm gardens? A supper club experience you won’t want to miss! Join us for a delectable meal and enjoy live music at each of these great evenings.

Limited seating is available so make your reservation today by calling (630) 443-8253 or (630) 845-3287.

• When: Thursday July 17,
• Where: Heritage Prairie Farm
• 2N308 Brundige Road, Elburn, IL 60119
• Time: 6:30 PM reception, dinner at 7:00 PM
• BYOB: Refreshing Bron’s Bees honey and ginger lemonade will be served. Feel free to bring your favorite beverage to enjoy.
• Price: $60 per ticket or $55 per ticket when paying for 4 or more tickets

Payment is due upon reservation. Full refund available 48 hours prior to event. Arrangements will be made for inclement weather.

Heritage Prairie Market
hpmfarm.com
630-443-8253

Niche Restaurant located in downtown Geneva, Illinois, highlights the best that the season has to offer throughout the year. This Summer Chef Jeremy Lycan works with local farmers and producers to showcase a 6 course tasting menu carefully paired, by Sommelier Jody Richardson, with 6 domestic wines. Each month we will highlight a unique taste of the season:

• July, The Bounty of Geneva Green Market
• August, A Taste of Heritage Prairie Market
• September, Out to Pasture with Dietzler Farms

Call 630.262.1000 to make reservations. Niche Restaurant is located at 14 S Third Street in downtown Geneva.

Visit www.nichegeneva.com for more details.

The New York Times featured an article on the trend of local food and community supported agriculture, or CSA, entitled “Shoppers buy slices of farms” by Susan Saulny in the July 10, 2008 edition. Highlighted in the piece was Geneva Green Market vendor Erehwon Farms:

“The CSA provides a base that’s certain, and we get the money when we need to spend the money,” said Beth Propst, who farms the fields at Erehwon, using the abbreviation for community-supported agriculture. “Having the money upfront and guaranteed, that gets us through at least the beginning of the season.”

Tim Fuller, Propst’s longtime companion and business partner in running the farm, said: “People are coming to us. We do very little marketing except for explaining what we do. It’s amazing.”

With a wry smile, Fuller said he considers himself both personal farmer and personal trainer, because shareholders under his direction are going to break a sweat.

“There’s always pressure on,” he said. “This is a complicated business, growing so many crops. We do everything by hand for more than 100 different crops.”

“I think people are becoming more local-minded…” said Nichole Nazelrod, program coordinator at the Fulton Center for Sustainable Living at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, a national clearinghouse for community-supported farms. “People are seeing ways to come together and work together to make this successful.”

Cattleana Ranch in Omro, Wisconsin, Thomas and Susan Wrchota offer grass fed meat and organic produce through a community-supported arrangement.

“We don’t do millions in revenue, but we make a living, which is rare,” he said. “Our goal is to provide a full portfolio of products for folks who want sustainable products. Up until about five years ago, we had to do a tremendous amount of guerrilla marketing. The consumer who is interested now, they’re doing their homework. They know the health and taste benefits.”

Some shareholders said they found the arrangement a bargain compared to grocery shopping… Most agreed that the urge to buy and spend locally to avoid the costs and environmental degradation that come with shipping and storage was behind the decision to join. Shareholders can pick up their goods at the farm or at a store across the street.

“From a ‘going green’ standpoint, it’s an appropriate thing to do,” said Gerard Brill, a musician who bought a share of Erehwon. “Like everything organic, it’s not a bargain, but what price do you put on being healthy? Considering all things, it’s actually a very good deal.”

The Geneva Green Market was honored to receive the Kane County Chronicle’s “Best of the Fox 2008” Readers’ Choice Award, for the Best Farmers Market 2008. Thanks to the readers who voted for us and we look forward to seeing you at the market starting June 26th at 75 North River Lane, Geneva Illinois and making this the best market season yet!