Thursday, March 15, 2012
Patch’s guide to area farm shares for vegetables, fruit, eggs and meat; part of a Sustainable Food series.
Looking for fresher, tastier, healthier food this growing season? Many farms offer community-supported agriculture, or CSA, shares with local drop-off points. Top chefs choose locally grown food because reducing the time from farm to table ensures that food flavors are at their peak, according to FamilyFarmed.org Why Buy Locally. Farm-fresh food also lasts longer, is more nutrient dense and reduces your carbon footprint. “Being part of a CSA is a way to know where your food comes from. I’m a 'farmie;' we’re so connected to our food. We really want to know where it comes from,” said Lake Bluff resident Johanna Navari Welch, who has been a shareholder at various community-supported agriculture groups for the past seven years. Welch’s …
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Village Board approves plan to allow chickens; vote on details to come.
This is an update on a series about local food and suburban farming. Long Grove leaders voted in favor of a plan to allow residents to keep chickens, at the Nov. 8 village board meeting. Village Manager David Lothspeich said the Village Board approved a recommendation from the plan commission to amend the village code, allowing chickens in residential districts. The board suggested some changes to the planner’s recommendations. Now the village attorney will draft an ordinance, which will go for a final vote on Nov. 22. “Historically Long Grove has been a leader on the environmental forefront. So in that regard, this is entirely consistent with where the village has been for a long time,” Lothspeich said. “What the board is trying to do is …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Tim Frillman sells fresh eggs from his Prairie View home. Part of a series on local food and suburban farming.
Did the chicken come first, or was it the egg? At Frillman’s Farm, the answer to this age-old question is clear. It was the chicken, of course. Tim Frillman, who began raising chickens two summers ago, has opened his own business, selling fresh eggs laid by more than two dozen birds he keeps in his Prairie View backyard. I’ve really kind of developed a passion for it,” he said. “I’ve always loved farming and hard work.” Frillman, 25, grew up on the land, where he’s built a chicken coop and has started construction of a pole barn that will house his chickens, which will number 150 by spring. But the farming business is relatively new to him. His parents’ back acres are leased to Didier Farms, which grows corn there. While Frillman said he’s…
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Small beekeepers could be the solution to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Part of a series on local food and suburban farming. We can thank the honeybee for four of every 10 bites of food we eat, so for area beekeepers, their efforts aren’t just about the honey. Many beekeepers believe they are doing their part in helping the survival of what is likely our most important domestic species. The Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at McHenry County College (MCC) hosted a screening of the documentary Queen of the Sun: What are the bees telling us? Oct. 25, followed by a panel discussion with beekeepers from the Northern Illinois Beekeepers Association. The critically-acclaimed film by Taggart Seigel tells the story of the mysterious disappearance of bees through stunning photography, humorous animations, and some …
Ken Garcia
9:30 am on Thursday, July 5, 2012
I recently received an email from Freedom Organix stating that the season is about to begin. I am hoping things have finally turned around and we will be able to enjoy the benefits of a CSA soon. more ›