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

Everyone from cheese connoisseurs to parents shopping for string cheese for the kids will enjoy Curds and Whey Cheese Company. The owner of Curds and Whey, Rob Murphy, sells his cheese primarily at Inglenook Pantry, which is located on 11 North 5th Street in downtown Geneva, and this is Rob’s third season at the Geneva Green Market. Along with carrying Sassy Cow’s organic milk, Rob also provides some of the best cheeses, most of which are produced locally. Rob seeks out small artisan cheese makers and brings spectacular cave-aged cheeses to the market every week. Be sure to ask him what new types of cheeses he has each week.

Now that the growing season is underway, fresh mozzarella is cropping up everywhere. Fresh mozzarella is not just for tomatoes. Curds and Whey carries several different shapes of fresh mozzarella that can be put into salads or rolled with prosciutto and peppers. Whether it is for a party or daily dining, Rob is always happy to help with recipes.

Be a part of the “Localvore Thanksgiving Challenge“, and get your locally grown ingredients for your favorite recipes at the Geneva Green Market – Thanksgiving Festival on Sunday, November 23, 2008. The Geneva Green Market makes it easy for you to prepare a feast that is 100% locally grown and produced. The Thanksgiving Festival is a wonderful alternative to a trip to the grocery store. Not only can you find everything you need for Thanksgiving, but local artisans will be selling beautifully crafted and socially responsible Christmas and hostess gifts.

Betsy Sanchez will be baking Walnut Cranberry Linzer Tarts, Pumpkin Pecan Tarts, Pumpkin Cake Roll, Swedish Cardamom Rolls (Bullar), Swedish Cardamom Braids (Pulla), Butter Braids, Biscotti for purchase.

The Location is at Inglenook Pantry, 11 North 5th Street, Geneva IL 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Localvore Brunch will be served with the farmers’ products from 9:30 to 2 p.m., so you can make Thanksgiving shopping an afternoon experience for the whole family.

If there is a particular ingredient that you are looking for, you can make a request by 1 p.m. at the Geneva Winter Market on Saturday, November 15th. Call to pre-order pies and make brunch reservations at 630-377-0373.

You can pre-order a Heritage Bourbon Red Turkey from Caveny Farm Heritage poultry at www.cavenyfarm.com. They will be available for pick-up at the Thanksgiving Festival; also local artisans will be selling their wears.  Klean Kanteens, $15.50-$20.00 will be for sale from Dianne Peterson’s wood toys and silks.

Local Wines

Little Traveler is your destination for some interesting and tasty wines to complement your holiday table.  We will have available for tasting a tart and refreshing Cranberry Wine and a soft delicately sweet Pear Wine from Lynfred Winery in Roselle, Illinois and from August Hill in Utica, Illinois.
We will also have available for sampling Traminette, similar to a Gewurtztraminer and Trapolino, a light bodied red served slightly chilled.  For those of you that lean towards a sweeter varietal, we will have their Sweet Catawba, remincsent of citrus and fruit candy.  It is just about time to warm up the Glogg and we will be bring along Glunz Family Winery’s Glogg, from Grayslake, Illinos…..perfect balance of sweetness and spiciness to warm you up on these cold winter nights.

Because we are only tasting these at the Geneva Green Market Thanksgiving Festival,  The Little Traveler is offering a $5.00 discount coupon good for your purchase of a bottle wine at The Little Traveler during November 24 – November 26, 2008 so you can enjoy these libations during your Thanksgiving Feasts and beyond.

Meet the Local Author – Book signing – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Talk Turkey to Me”, by Renee Ferguson,
“Now coming to a town near you”, by Gina Olszowski

In celebration of Geneva’s annual Festival of the Vine, the Geneva Green Market will hold a “Local Food Gift Basket” give-a-way containing the best of Local Wine, Local Food and Cheese!

Come sign-up at the Geneva Green Market, one entry per Thursday, with a drawing on September 11, 2008.

Festival of the Vine
September 12 – 14, 2008

The autumn harvest is celebrated with food and wine tasting, flower markets, antique carriage rides and family games. Reap the best of Geneva cuisine from a smorgasbord of specialties from Italy, Mexico and France. Whether it’s fine dining or a deli you crave, you’ll find it all under a huge outdoor tent in downtown Geneva.

Other events include crowd-pleasing music & live entertainment, our renowned Fine Arts & Crafts Show.

Curds and Whey Cheese Company owner, Rob Murphy, works directly with cheese makers to bring outstanding regional, artisan and select international cheeses and butter to Geneva. One submission to vitalinfo at AOL raves, “Curds and Whey is as well stocked as any cheese stand I know. Rob is passionate and extraordinarily knowledgeable. His stock is not wholly focused on local cheeses, but is almost entirely focused on artisan and farmhouse cheeses. As such he has several local cheeses.” For this Oak Park resident Curds and Whey was well worth the hour drive.

Murphy’s commitment to quality cheeses has led him to value dairy products that have come from grass-fed, hormone-free cows. He now carries Sassy Cow Creamery Farmstead Organic Milk, which is a small family-owned dairy farm and creamery located right outside of Madison, Wisconsin. Log on to sassycowcreamery.com to read how this up-and-coming organic dairy farm meets Murphy’s high standards. Curds and Whey is Geneva’s own trustworthy dairy supplier. To find out just how much of a genuine asset that is log on to cornucopia.org, where you will find accurate and detailed information on many of the organic dairy suppliers in the nation.