In This Issue
• Hey, CSAs, Send Your News Our Way
• Buy Fresh Buy Local: Free Publicity for Farmers
• Chicago Food Justice Summit (free online) Starts Tomorrow
Yep, It’s Still February
Bleh.
Hey, CSAs, Send Your News Our Way
Local Food Forum loves to share news and information from across our region’s local food community. That’s why I’m asking our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms to send me info about their subscriptions so I can tell our little world about them.
Just email me at bob@localfoodforum.com and I’ll take it from there.
This is the time of year when CSA farms are urging serious lovers of fresh local food to sign up and guarantee themselves an assured supply of the products they love, throughout the upcoming growing season (while providing the farmers with upfront cash they need to support their operations).
I didn’t launch Local Food Forum until last April 1 and never fully caught up with the CSA scene. I hope to make amends this year, and all you have to do if you’re a CSA farmer is let me know what info you’d like to share.
To kick things off, here’s the signup info for Roots & Wings Farm & Garden in Rockford, Illinois, a project of Angelic Organics Learning Center in nearby Caledonia, which provided the following content.
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Roots & Wings Farm & Garden, our urban farm located at Blackhawk Courts Apartments in Rockford, Illinois, is excited to be offering our 9th year of CSA shares. We offer a full and half CSA share for the summer, a biweekly fall share, and a honey share.
Supporting our CSA program provides employment opportunities for Blackhawk Courts residents and allows us to purchase needed equipment and supplies in advance. By participating in our CSA program you will not only receive an abundance of fresh, locally grown vegetables, but will also contribute to our educational programs in the Blackhawk community.
If you would like to celebrate CSA Week and support Roots & Wings Farm & Garden, sign up to become a CSA member and use the hashtag #CSAWeek to join the online conversation. For those who don’t live in Rockford, you can support our program by donating a CSA share to community members.
Buy Fresh Buy Local: Free Publicity for Farmers
If have an Illinois CSA farm… or any kind of farm producing with a focus on sustainability… you should take advantage of the free listing offered by the Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois directory. The directory is centered on an interactive map that helps consumers find food businesses convenient to them throughout Illinois, and it will help you stand out from the crowd.
I am pleased to be engaged in a series of monthly articles for Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois about different segments of our agricultural community, each one focused on a single farm. This month’s article, which will be published very soon, features Broadview Farm & Gardens in Marengo, Illinois, which sells products through its CSA and at farmers markets in north-central Illinois.
From Buy Fresh Buy Local:
Are you a farm, farmers market, farm-to-table restaurant, or grocery store that sells local products purchased directly from local farms? Get listed in Illinois’ most trusted guide to local food. Your listing is absolutely free. Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois is a local foods marketing project led by a coalition of organizations across the state working to promote local farms and food businesses like yours. Get listed and start reaching new customers today!
Chicago Food Justice Summit Starts Tomorrow
REMINDER: The 17th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit will be held virtually starting tomorrow (February 23) and running through Friday (February 25). Registration is free… click the button below.
The Chicago Food Justice Summit, produced by Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC), is one of our community’s most important gatherings each year, with its strong focus on food equity, access, and community engagement. This year’s theme is Collective Care, with inspiring stories of perseverance and generosity during this long pandemic.
The Summit is presented in partnership with Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events (DCASE) and the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH).