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

It is our desire at Pine Row Farm to one day leave the land in better condition than when we acquired it. To that end, we employ methods in harmony with standard organic and some bio-dynamic practices including: crop rotation and variation, companion planting, water conservation, mechanical methods for weed abatement and cover cropping for soil improvement and erosion prevention.

We also believe that diversity is important and will always be a part of our practices. The livestock on our farm play a significant role in the work we do. Goats and pastured chickens, in addition to providing eggs and milk, produce materials for compost, maintain the landscape, clear seed beds at the end of the growing season and play a major role in keeping the insect population under control.

Whenever possible, we purchase seeds and materials for organic fertilizers locally. All of our animal feed is grown within 25 miles of our farm on a certified organic farm in Pecatonica, IL. Hay for our goats is farmed less than a mile away.

Our long term plans include: freedom from commercial energy sources by installing passive and active solar energy collectors, using wind power and manufacturing diesel fuel for our vehicles and tractor from waste cooking oil.

Visit Pine Row Farm online at here.

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…

About three years ago, Mark and Connie Weaver decided to extend their commitment to feeding their family with locally grown, organic foods to Inglenook Pantry patrons. They believe that good quality, healthy foods should be as readily available when dining out as they are when choosing what to eat at home. Inglenook offers this standard of quality in a variety of venues from concession stands to deluxe catering. Each week at the Geneva Green Market, NFP, Inglenook Pantry offers a variety of foods made from locally grown foods including quiche made from local vegetables and Rob Murphy’s cheeses and pies made from Hillside Orchards’ fruit.

Mark and Connie are continuously active members of their community. They support local farms and businesses by not only purchasing local products for their restaurant, but also providing a space and running the Geneva Winter Market, co-running the Geneva Green Market, NFP and supporting the Geneva schools in numerous ways. The Inglenook Pantry is truly the definition of a sustainable restaurant.

INGLENOOK PANTRY
Connie & Mark Weaver
N 5th Street
Geneva IL 60134
630.377.0373

Hillside Orchards is a small family farm that started in 1836. We have been selling at the South Bend, Indiana Farmers’ Market since it started over 75 years ago. We have sold in Chicago locations since 1991. We specialize in apples, peaches, nectarines, sweet cherries, apricots and chestnuts for high quality and exceptional taste. We use consultants to identify a problem and only spray if the threshold is passed. We were the first to use a sprayer that uses a laser to measure the tree and spray the tree and not the empty space. We use pruning and other practices to produce high quality, good-tasting fruit. We hate spaying as it costs time and money.

We use insect pheromone, insect growth regulators and organic materials first. We use other materials second and only the ones that are safe for people, wildlife and the environment Read More…

According to the World Watch Institute, food travels on average of 1,500 to 2,500 miles from its source to our tables. This being the case, there is a direct correlation between rising gas and food prices. When you take into account that our food travels more than we do, we could save an enormous amount of fuel if we all purchased locally grown food. This would lessen our dependence on foreign oil and help keep gas prices down.

“Counting our food miles,” an article on www.naturallifemagazine.com/0708/foodmiles.html, states that even locally grown foods can travel do to off-site packaging. The best way to ensure that your food is truly local is to go to farmers’ markets. Money spent on organic, locally grown food, is money spent on nutritious, freshly harvested and delicious food that you know is safe because you can know the conditions of farm and how it was transported. The alternative is spending money on energy costs that work to lower the overall quality and safety of our food.

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…

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.”

Nate Sumner and Dan Fernandes, of Rebel Food Company, were featured on the front page of the Kane County Chronicle, June 12, 2008 edition in an article entitled Rebels with a carrot: Founders hope organic farm holds its own at Kane markets:

Steve Arnold, manager for the Kane County Farm Bureau, said that there has been increasing interest in organic ventures… “As a prep cook, my chef would give me 20 bucks and say, ‘Get the best,’” Sumner said. “My favorite part of it was talking to all the farmers but I never grew anything on my own.” He started a garden two years ago when his wife gave him five packs of seeds for Easter. He later interned at Green Earth Institute in Naperville. The institute focuses on training organic farmers.

They are planting heirloom crops with numerous varieties. “The more diversity makes sure you have better yields,” Sumner said. The two hope to become mainstays at Kane County farmers markets, starting with Geneva’s Green Market…

Visit Rebel Food Co online at www.localharvest.org/farms/M19397

GEVENA ILLINOIS RESOURCES

City of Geneva

Chamber of Commerce – Geneva, IL

Geneva Downtown Merchants

FINDING MARKETS, LOCAL FOOD, RESUTRANTS AND FARM STANDS

Illinois Department of Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture – LocalHarvest

LIKE MINDED ORGANIZATIONS

Conscious Choice Magazine

Conscious Choice is an “enlightened” urban lifestyle magazine focusing onsocial, green, health, food and spiritual consciousness. PioneeringChicago’s green and natural living community for 20 years, Conscious Choiceserves as a valuable resource to help readers live Active, Balanced andConscious lives.

The Conservation Foundation

The Cornucopia Institute

Eat Well Guide

Fox River Ecosystem Partnership - FREP

The Fox River Ecosystem Partnership (FREP) was formed in 1996 after the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) designated a core of high-quality ecological resources in the northern-most watershed as a “Resource Rich Area”.

Green City Market

Illinois Stewardship Alliance

Kane County Farm Bureau

Organic Consumers

Sustainable Table

Majestic Nursery is an establishment that strives to achieve the highest quality of fresh, seasonal foods and plants. The 5-acre nursery, farm and homestead is family owned and operated. They have encouraged a balance of bio-diversity, while maintaining a piece of land for use in the growth of plants and food. It is important to Majestic Nursery to care for themselves, the earth and the community in keeping a healthy safe and beautiful environment for all. They reserved the back third of their property, along the Fox River, Read More…