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

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

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.