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Steve Johnson Photography
The Chicago French Market at the Metra Train Station opened earlier
this month to great reviews. With 25 unique, mostly artisan food
vendors, the market offers consumers a great array of fun, tasty
prepared food as well as a full selection of staples such as
produce, dairy, meat and seafood. Located at the Oglivie
Transportation Center on Clinton between Randolph and Washington,
the market is a convenient way for commuters, downtown workers, and
nearby residents to shop.
There are a number of booths that promote local and organic
products. Chicago Organics offers a wide selection of certified
organic produce, dairy, and ready to eat foods. All of their dairy
products come from regional farms as does some of their seasonal
produce. Abbey Brown Soaps is right across the aisle from Chicago
Organics and offers their stellar selection of handcrafted locally
produced body care goods. And the Wisconsin Cheese Mart offers the
world's largest selection of Wisconsin Cheese.
Delightful Pastries is know for sourcing from local farmers and has
a great selection of baked goods. City Fresh offers a selection of
Bill Kurtis' Tallgrass Beef. Pastoral has an assortment of cheese
(some local), plus some organic and sustainable wines. Vendors
coming in the next month include RAW, which will have organic raw
salads and prepared items.
For
more information, visit
French Market Chicago online!
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Need a Last Minute Gift? Want to End the Year on a Giving Note?
Support Artists and FamilyFarmed.org! |
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Why
would someone wrap a grain bin? Things have been wrapped in honor
for centuries! Think of mummies, gifts, and more recently, works by
the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
Local artists Danny Mansmith and Catherine Schwalbe- Bouzide have
stood on some broad shoulders when they wrapped the grain bin on a
centennial farm in Ashton, IL.
This spectacular art piece, the Wrapped
Pfeiffer Centennial Bin, is a "celebration of
agriculture, fiber, and family farms."
In June 2008, Mansmith and Schwalbe-Bouzide invited FamilyFarmed
.org in on the project. The artists committed to one year of selling
balls of the fabric - weighed and sold according to that day's cost
of a bushel of corn. This social and artistic statement benefits
FamilyFarmed.org in that 50% of all the proceeds go towards our
organization! In addition, Carole and Mike Hennessey have agreed to
match all funds raised for FamilyFarmed.org!
If you're still looking for an interesting gift for the artist or
foodie in your life, consider making a statement in support of local
farms. The fabric balls will be available through the end of
December.
For more information, or to purchase a fabric ball, email
Catherine Schwalbe-Bouzide. Thank you Catherine, Danny, Carole,
and Mike for supporting FamilyFarmed.org! |
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Frontera Farmer Foundation
Now Accepting
2010 Grant Applications |
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From the Foundation:
The Frontera Farmer Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed
to promoting small, sustainable farms serving the Chicago area by
providing them with capital development grants. The Foundation
envisions a year-round interchange between sustainable farmers and
consumers, including farmers'market patrons and chefs, in which
seasonal local agriculture provides the foundation for sustainable
regional cuisine.
The Frontera Farmer Foundation was established in 2003 to attract
support for small Midwestern farms. Rick and Deann Bayless, founders
of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, along with the restaurants'
staff, created the Foundation out of their concern for struggling
farmers and the importance of local produce to the vitality of
Chicago's culinary culture.
"Great food, like all art, enhances and reflects a community's
vitality, growth and solidarity. Yet history bears witness that
great cuisines spring only from healthy local agriculture." -Rick
Bayless, Proprietor of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo
Visit
the Frontera Farmer Foundation website
here. For more information about grant eligibility and
guidelines,
click here! |
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John Wood Community College's NEW Sustainable Local Foods Farming
program! |
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John
Wood Community College, in Quincy, IL, recently announced a new
Sustainable Local Foods Farming Program.
The program provides courses and hands-on training in sustainable
fruit and vegetable production, entrepreneurship, and marketing.
Students gain the practical skills and knowledge needed to be
successful agricultural entrepreneurs in this emerging industry.
Hands-on courses are taught at JWCC's demonstration market garden,
located on the Quincy campus.
Learn more about the program
here! |
FEATURED PRODUCER
Meadow Creek Elk Farms
West Bend, WI 53090
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| Meadow
Creek Elk Farms is owned and operated by the Susen Family. Bob and
Diana established their elk farm in 1996, and between two sites they
average about 40 elk annually on their 90 acres. It truly is a
family farm as their two daughters and son-in-law help with all
aspects of the business. In fact, Bob and Diana insist that when
their kids were young, it was "important for them to be active in
agricultural activities as a way to learn important lifestyle traits
such as responsibility, dedication and trustworthiness. Embarking
in agricultural hobbies offered many assignments and tasks which
helped them to develop the quality of character they possess today."
Bob and Diana are committed to raising their elk without the use of
hormones or antibiotics. They offer several products from the elk
including velvet antler (a mainstay in traditional Chinese
medicine), e-fusion ® lotion, jewelry, home décor items, and meat.
They currently sell to restaurants and retail stores and direct to
consumers at their farm and on their
website.
What is your growing philosophy?
For the past 13 years, we have truly enjoyed the elk. But, today is
an exciting time to be involved in the growing "buy local" movement
that is nurturing relationships between consumers and their food,
the land their food comes from, and farmers who grow it. We are
proud to be raising food sustainably and we are devoted to bringing
you fresh, high-quality products. Elk are our passion, they are
remarkable creatures. Elk are unique in that they offer healthy
meat and produce significant sized antlers that are loaded with
incredible nutrition for us. The major driver behind the success of
the elk farming industry has been the demand in Asia for quality
velvet antler. It has been used for 2000 years for a good reason,
it works! And today customers are validating its use here in
America. We are committed to quality and service, offering quality
products for those wanting a healthy lifestyle.
What's your favorite part of farming?
Watching the newborn calves being born.
What makes your farm special?
We are unique in that raising elk we can offer more than one
product. We produce elk meat, velvet antler, elk ivory jewelry, and
hard antlers for decorative furniture.
For more information about Meadow Creek Elk Farm, visit their
website, call 262.692.3008 or toll free 1.888.692.3113,
or send them an
email! |
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Save the Date!
The Premier
Local Food Event in the Midwest
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The FamilyFarmed EXPO Returns with 3 Great Days of Programming -
Fantastic New Location!
March 11-13
UIC Forum - University of Illinois at Chicago
The MUST ATTEND EVENT for:
Local Food Farmers
Artisans
Foodies
Investors
Industry Trade
Professionals
Food Policy
Advocates Local Food System Stakeholders!
Get Involved:
Become a
SPONSOR,
EXHIBITOR,
VOLUNTEER
Click here for Programming information!
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spread the word! |
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Todmorden's Good life: Introducing Britain's greenest town
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'Grow your own' fever has gripped the Pennines community, which is
aiming for self-sufficiency
By Joanna Moorhead
~ The Independent ~ 11.29.09
It's an ordinary small town in England, but its residents claim
they've discovered the secret that could save the planet... In
under two years, Todmorden has transformed the way it produces its
food and the way residents think about the environment.
Compared with 18 months ago, a third more townspeople now grow their
own veg; almost seven in 10 now buy local produce regularly, and 15
times as many people are keeping chickens.
The town centre is dotted with "help yourself" vegetable gardens;
the market groans with local meat and vegetables, and at all eight
of the town's schools the pupils eat locally produced meat and
vegetables every lunchtime.
"It's a complete turnaround," said Pam Warhurst, a former leader of
Calderdale Council, board member of Natural England and the person
who masterminded the project - called Incredible Edible - and
motivated her friends and neighbours to join in. "Our aim is to make
our town entirely self-sufficient in food production by 2018 - and
if we can carry on at the same rate as we've done over the past 18
months since we had our first meeting and set this initiative up,
we're going to make it."
Click here to read more. |
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Thank you 2009 FamilyFarmed.org Volunteers!
It's the end of another exciting year at FamilyFarmed.org, and our
dedicated team of volunteers have been instrumental in helping us
grow.
We want to thank our volunteers for all their hard work this year.
Our continued success in building local food systems would not be
possible without this wonderful team.
Special thanks goes out this year to Members of the FamilyFarmed.org
Board of Directors, as well as to some of our "above and beyond"
volunteers and interns named below. We appreciate your contributions
to the team!
Nick Benuska ~ Robin Schirmer ~ Keighty Alvarez ~ Delia Hollbach ~
Scott Dravet ~ James Pirovano ~ Charles Engel
From the staff at FamilyFarmed.org |
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