A Toast to Banishing Boring Breakfasts
Plus, register for the March 23-24 Local Food and Farmers Conference
In This Issue:
• A Toast to Banishing Boring Breakfasts (a WiTF Classic)
• Register for the March 23-24 Illinois Local Food & Farmers Conference
• Great opportunities for beginning growers at Elawa Farm and The Talking Farm
Valentine’s Day-break
I can’t send all of you candy and flowers for Valentine’s Day — not to mention the questions it might raise with your significant other. So I’m sharing this pretty picture of today’s sunrise, with much love.
Topped Toast: The Solution to Boring Breakfasts
Even if you like to cook, chances are breakfast is the most perfunctory meal in your busy life. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be boring. Call it an open-faced sandwich or a tartine or topped toast, you can have a restaurant-caliber breakfast just by grabbing some bread and leftovers out of the fridge.
This is, in fact, a great example of the WiTF (What’s in the Fridge) principle. Some version of this is my breakfast almost every day, and it is rarely the same two days in a row. The photo above is leftover applewood-smoked bacon with leftover sautéed winter spinach from Three Sisters Garden and aged white cheddar from Wisconsin’s Nordic Creamery, atop Publican Quality Bread’s Spence Sourdough.
I haven’t gone clothes shopping in a while, but I don’t skimp on food ingredients. Don’t let that throw you, it’s good with whatever you have on hand.
And below…
This morning’s breakfast swapped in homemade pork sausage patties, sautéed mushrooms and Nordic’s 5-year-old cheddar.
I have more photos but you get the idea.
To prepare, pile your ingredients on one or more slices of bread, then put it in a toaster oven or regular oven til everything is hot. Or toast the bread, top with the goodies, and stick in the microwave (the bread will be a little less crisp, but it will be darn tasty anyway).
Here is the complex recipe:
Bread: Whatever you like
Cheese: Whatever you like (dairy or non-dairy), or none
Protein: Whatever you like (meat or non-meat), or none
Veggies: Whatever you like and whatever you like and whatever you like
If you already have some faves or are inspired to give it a try, please send a photo and I’ll share with the community.
IL Local Food & Farmers Conference March 23-24
Registration is open for Live Local: The Local Food & Farmers Conference, which takes place in Peoria March 23-24. This event, one of the most important conferences focused on local food systems in Illinois, is co-produced by Illinois Farm Bureau and Illinois Farmers Market Association.
The plenary session on Wednesday, March 23 will feature a welcome from Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and general sessions on What’s Happening With Local Foods in Illinois, Farm to Fork: Restaurants Supporting the Community, Creating Community Through Food Hubs, and Building a Community Together. There are also a number of excellent workshops — check out the schedule below and click the button to register.
Great Grass-Roots Opps for Aspiring Farmers
Two of our great nonprofit farms in Chicago’s north suburbs are seeking entry-level help for the upcoming growing season.
Elawa Farm in Lake Forest has two roles that they’re filling this season, for an apprenticeship and a garden internship. The deadline to apply is March 4, and here are the details.
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Elawa Farm is a historic, non-profit farm located in Lake Forest, IL dedicated to producing sustainably grown food and flowers for the community and educating students and the surrounding community on small-scale production. Our produce is offered to the community through our small Community Supported Agriculture program, at our on-site Garden Market every Friday & Saturday from mid-May through October, wholesale sales to local restaurants and grocery stores, and area charitable organizations focused on alleviating food insecurity.
Apprenticeship:
Our paid apprentice role is a seasonal position that runs from mid-April through the end of October with 32 hours of work weekly. In addition to getting hands-on experience in all day-to-day operations of the farm, key responsibilities of the apprentice include leading our wash pack operation, garden operations at our weekly on-site market, and flower and vegetable seed trials. The person who fills this role will work directly with our Farm Manager and Assistant Farm Manager.
Garden Internship:
Our paid internship program will take place May – August (coinciding with summer break), Tuesday – Saturday, and requires a 20-hour commitment per week. Garden interns will work directly with our Garden Manager, Assistant Garden Manager, Apprentice, and volunteers to gain hands-on experience of overall farm operations.
If you’re passionate about sustainable, small-scale agricultural practices and want to further your knowledge of what it takes to work on and manage a farm, click here to learn more about the positions. To apply, please send Elaine Madansky your letter of interest and resume by March 4th at emadansky@elawafarm.org
Cheers,
Elaine Madansky
Farm Manager
Elawa Farm Foundation
The Talking Farm in Skokie, IL is recruiting for Production Internships for the 2022 Growing Season. The job description is below. The deadline for spring internships is March 1.
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Seasonal Production Intern Position Description
The Production Internship is an opportunity for a select number of participants to learn and practice a variety of skills related to urban farming and small scale mixed vegetable production. You can learn more about our work at www.thetalkingfarm.org.
Our Farmers work hard to be both efficient and experimental with our farming practices as we establish a beautiful and diverse ecosystem in the city. Under the direction of the Production Manager and Farm Team, Production Interns will learn about soil preparation, crop care, harvest, and marketing of produce as they support the day-to-day operations of our 2.5-acre farm campus in the heart of Skokie.
While the work will be hard, there are perks to being a Production Intern! This is a tremendous opportunity for growth and learning. These skills and experiences are applicable in a variety of environments, and we hope they will challenge you in new and positive ways.
Howard Street Farm
The Howard Street Farm is our main operating site where we grow fresh, hyper-local food using innovative and sustainable practices while educating our community about the environment, agriculture, biodiversity, permaculture, horticulture, gardening, and social justice and health issues.
Through a land-use agreement with the Skokie Park District, the Howard Street Farm was created by developing 2.5 acres of uncontaminated, overgrown land (formerly a horse pasture) into vegetable, herb, and flower production integrated with a variety of fruit trees and bushes, nut trees, and other perennial species. In 2014, after being granted Skokie’s first zoning designation for urban agriculture, we began operating the Howard Street Farm as a full-production urban farm, which means that we are able to distribute and sell our hyper-fresh, locally-grown produce to the community.
What We Look For
• Believers in the power of education and food
• A commitment to Social Justice
• An ability to communicate effectively with diverse groups of individuals
• A high degree of self-reliance, confidence, and initiative
• A positive attitude and the ability to hear, reflect upon, and implement feedback
• A demonstrated interest in understanding organic and sustainable growing practices
• Individuals who are capable of lifting 50+lbs and participating in the demands of farm work for full days in varying weather
Duration and Compensation
This is a stipend-based learning opportunity with access to organic produce as it is available. Production Interns are expected to work between 10-20 hours per week for one of three seasonal rounds of our 8-12 week program (Spring, Summer, or Fall). Interns are also required to work a mandatory Tuesday morning shift from 8:30-12. Any college credit must be coordinated by the student at the institution’s discretion.
To Apply
To apply for this position please submit a letter of interest and resume with the subject “2022 Production Internship” to Production Manager, Jesse Schaffer at jesse@thetalkingfarm.org. Deadline for this application is March 1st for Spring, April 15th for Summer, and July 1st for Fall.