Shopping Cart

Community Supported Agriculture in Action

Posted by on
Community Supported Agriculture in Action
This Week's Vegetable Harvest:
  • Broccoli
  • Lettuce
  • Fresh Basil
  • Italian Frying Peppers
  • Head Lettuce
  • Rainbow Swiss Chard
  • Shallots
  • Green Beans
  • Heirloom Tomatoes
     
This Week's Fruit Harvest:
  • Red Raspberries
  • 'Gala Red' Apples
  • 'Bartlett' Pears
  • 'Lakemont' Green Seedless Grapes
One More Week Added! Bulk Tomato Cases Available for Preserving and Enjoying

We are selling bulk quantities of our certified organic tomatoes for eating and canning. The prices are as follows: 
  • 20 lb Beefsteak Tomato Cases are $50.
  • 20 lb Heirloom Tomato Cases are $72.
  • 20 lb Paste Tomato Cases - $52.
  • New! 20lb Mixed 'Seconds' Cases - $42 - These imperfect tomatoes will need to be processed quickly as the tomatoes will not hold. Despite their imperfections, these tomatoes are delicious! 
To place a reservation for tomato case(s), please fill out the following form. You are welcome to submit multiple orders.

On the week of your delivery/pickup, we will send a confirmation reminder email to you. We are unable to provide replacement tomatoes if your case is not picked up. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you!
Reserve Your Local, Pastured-Raised Thanksgiving Turkey 

Reserve a local, pasture-raised, organically-fed heritage turkey for Thanksgiving dinner from our friends at All Grass Farms.

Farmer Cliff raises Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys which are moved to pasture at 3 weeks of age.  They are free-range in and around portable shelters with their shelters being moved daily.  They are fed certified organic, non-GMO feed mixture from day one with no antibiotics or growth hormones.  They are processed at 17-19 weeks for maximum flavor and they are humanely processed at local, family-owned USDA-inspected facility.

Weights range from 12-25 lbs. We will do everything we can to provide you with a turkey in your desired weight range. Turkeys are frozen and packaged in a vacuum-sealed bag. Heart, liver, neck, and gizzard included inside each turkey.

Reservation: $35 deposit per turkey due at time of order.
Final Price: You will be invoiced with your total at $7.50/lb (less your deposit) due upon pickup.

Turkeys will be available for pickup from the Grayslake farm on Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13 from 7am to 7pm. 

Place your reservation here. Thank you for supporting local farmers!
Farm Journal
Hello to you, from your farm!
September is a great month in the kitchen and at the farm! This was evidenced by a wonderful turnout at last Saturday morning's CSA Member event at the farm. We're sending a warm thank you to CSA member families for making time amidst busy school, sports and family schedules to visit the farm.
In addition to experiencing absolutely beautiful weather, CSA members took part in several activities including field tours with Jeff, upick in the carrots, beets, green beans and swiss chard, yard games, and refreshments in the shade chatting with each other.
For us, the event can feel like a wedding or reunion bringing together good friends from different walks of life. We were joined by longtime CSA members and new CSA members; members from as close as Prairie Crossing and as far away as Evanston, Oak Park, and towns in between.
Families learned from each other and our farm team about harvesting techniques. We chatted about the differences and similarities in pollinators found on the farm. We discussed the recipes members planned to use with their freshly dug carrots and beets. Everyone left with a harvest box full of goodies and we hope you had fun, too! 
That same weekend, CSA members were busy in kitchens canning, roasting and preserving the harvest. We so enjoy seeing your work and hearing about your techniques -- you inspire us! For instance, Maryanne and Vel made beet juice made with ginger, all from the farm, as a healthy drink.
CSA member Jessica shared pictures of her beautiful heirloom tomato sauce simmering on the stove.
Candy shared photos of her tomato sauce before she packaged and put into the freezer for wintertime meals.
Luckily, Sunday and Monday's rain provided 2.5 inches, which was a "fine amount for our soil," according to Farmer Jeff. The soil was ready and willing to take on this moisture. However, the late summer rains may bring our tomato harvest to an end within a month's time. If you're still interested in tomato cases, please don't delay! We've added one additional week of availability to make sure there is time enough for all.
After the CSA member event and hearing about members' weekend cooking adventures, our farmer hearts were warmed. We thank you for making us feel our work is appreciated and valued. We also thank you being a part of this kind, generous, creative, inspiring community. We're fortunate to farm for and because of you!

Warmly,
~ Jeff, Jen, Owen, Gavin, Arlet, Cleto, David, Yamany

P.S. Thank you also for the generous photo sharing. Photo credits go to T. Cubberly, C. Miller, M. Nataranjan, J. Daehler and Anne.
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
Our first broccoli harvest of the season is heading your way! Late summer is the ideal season to grow broccoli with (fingers crossed!) measured moisture, cooler evenings and mornings, and plenty of bright sunshine during the daytime. To make the most of your broccoli, place it into plastic, and use it within a week. Or, chop and briefly blanch in boiling water or lightly sauté before tossing it into your freezer for winter.
Again this week, we will be sharing Italian sweet frying peppers with members. These peppers have thinner and skins, allowing them to cook more quickly, and are deliciously sweet when cooked. Peppers are best stored in the crisper drawer where the temperature is a bit warmer than the back or shelves of the fridge (peppers like 50 degrees).

Red Raspberries are making another appearance, to our surprise! These little gems were unexpected as ripening generally slows with cooler evenings. However, the recent warm sunshine-filled days helped to provide a boost of warmth. We encourage you to enjoy them soon, as they won't store beyond a few days.
Seasonal Recipes in the Farm Kitchen

Pear Salad with Dried Cherries and Candied Walnuts

Raspberry Streusel Bars

Za'atar Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Yogurt Bowls - substitute swiss chard and use the carrots you have on hand!

Oven Dried Grapes (aka Raisins)

Italian Sweet and Sour Peppers

← Older Post Newer Post →