Local Foods and Small Farms Blogs

The next installment of my tri-county farmer interview series brought me to Panter Ridge Farms, owned and operated by Ashley and Nathan Hodel. Their farm, in El Paso, IL, spans 23 acres and is surrounded by the rolling hills and valleys of the Mackinaw River watershed.   Ashley and...

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The next stop in my tri-county farmer interview series brought me to Garden Gate Farm in Fairbury, Illinois, to talk to the Rinkenberger family. On the way up the driveway, I smelled freshly blooming lilacs, saw a handful of pigs in their pen, witnessed many vegetable...

  Shiitake mushrooms are a world-renowned delicacy that are beloved by food enthusiasts. Their rich, earthy, umami flavor and meaty texture make them a sought-after ingredient in countless dishes. But did you know that you can easily cultivate these gourmet mushrooms in your...

Milk is so synonymous with a grocery store visit; it is permanently printed on your shopping list notepad. With an entire industry supporting this staple item, there are tens of thousands of farms across the country that feed into it. However, few consumers rarely give credit to the work vested in...

Gardening enthusiasts on the lookout for unique garden additions should make space for red and white currant shrubs. Incorporation of perennial fruits in the garden is trendy and smart – they provide both ornamental value and food. With the addition of white currant (Ribes sativum) and red currant...

Imagine owning and running the business of your dreams, and not being in control of one of the most stressful aspects of a business: the cost of production. For many, this situation is not a fantasy, it is a reality. According to recent USDA data, farm sector production expenses for farmers...

Imagine your last visit to a beloved family home, arriving as a freshly baked pumpkin pie was pulled from the oven. If you take a moment, I bet you can almost smell it.  Many people have this olfactory memory of the most well-known winter squash: the pie pumpkin. Others are also familiar...

Illinois vegetable growers are entering the toughest six weeks of the year. Despite the seasonal demands, soil health depends on timely planning of a fall cover crop. A fall cover crop is planted in August, grows in fall, and terminates after several hard frosts in winter. Why plant a fall cover...