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

Edible Chicago is a publication dedicated to providing its readers with “a direct connection to the local producers who can provide a bounty of fresh ingredients for consumption.”  Their mission is to educate people about local food and the benefits that local food brings to their communities.  Edible Chicago “values local, seasonal, authentic foods and culinary traditions.” The magazine helps bring the farmer and community together to utilize natural, healthy resources to enhance the quality of food consumed every day.

The Geneva Green Market is a local distributor of edible Chicago in the Fox Valley area.  Copies are available at the market, Thursdays 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., 75 N River Lane in Geneva.  For more information about Edible Chicago, please visit their website, www.ediblechicago.com.

Heritage Prairie Farm Camp for Kids - don’t miss out on the opportunity to enroll your child in hands on experiences that give children the knowledge to begin his or her journey into understanding food and farming, tolerance and self-respect, community and responsibility. Children will have fun while experiencing productive and worthwhile work, in turn feeling a sense of accomplishment. Our peaceful and engaging environment is a great place for new friends and experiences with our knowledgeable and friendly staff. Sign up today!

Camps for ages 7 - 12: Camps run for 2 weeks, Monday thru Thursday 9:00 a.m. - Noon

Garden Explorers: (July 21 - 24 & July 28 - 31) *Sign up by this Friday!*

In this fun outdoor camp children will experience planning, preparing, and planting a garden. We will get our hands into soil testing and bug exploration, as well as the life cycle of plants; from a seed to seedling to a full grown plant. The campers will experiment planting with seeds, transplants, fruits, and trees. Enroll your child now and lay down the roots of life with the hands on, fun, and educational experience of Heritage Prairie’s Garden Explorers Camp.

Fun With Food: (August  4 - 7 & August 11 - 14)

Campers will harvest ingredients from the ground and then engage all five senses with the art of cooking. Campers will be evolved in the processes of cooking from helping select ingredients to measuring, mixing, cooking, and then of course sampling. Also, your child will become a certified food detective and learn how to make healthy food selections while shopping in the grocery store. We want to connect children to their food and to their community by introducing food system maps, which cover important social, economical and environmental concepts. Where does my food come from? How does it get here? Who am I really paying? How do my choices effect others and the environment? As a grand finale, we will take a field trip to the Geneva Green City Farmers Market and experience local farmers and local buyers.

Camps for ages 4 - 6: Camps run for 1 week, Monday thru Thursday 9:00 a.m. - Noon

Farm Critters: (July 21 - 24) *Sign up by this Friday!*

Campers will experience and explore the animal life on the farm. Come and join in the fun of the feeding, care, and responsibilities involving the animals on our farm.

Nature Crafts: (July 28 - 31)

Using nature as our inspiration and palette, campers will enjoy making creative functional items as well as original works of art. Campers will learn about famous artists as well as discovering the artist within.

Budding Farmers: (August 4-7)

Children will enjoy the outdoors while learning responsibility and sensitivity to the natural world. Activities will include animal care, picking vegetables and flowers, stories, games and crafts.

Garden Explorers: (August 11-14)

This camp is all about getting your hands dirty and having fun! Campers will join in with peers and counselors planting, weeding, and harvesting gardens throughout the farm. Learn about the bugs in and around the farm, and dig into composting.

See attached for registration forms, pricing, and detailed descriptions.
Download a registration form here
For a printable brochure of camp programs, click here.

Heritage Prairie Market
hpmfarm.com
630-443-8253

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.