Specialty Crops

Most farmers’ market visitors are familiar with seeing tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, and other high-value horticultural crops on vendor tables throughout the season. This fall, a new and promising specialty crop will likely appear on farmers' market tables across Illinois - fresh, baby...

Benson, Illinois, isn’t where you’d expect a local food revolution, but that’s exactly what’s happening at Farm Family Foods. This small-town grocery and grower collaborative is leading the way for rural food access and farm-to-table distribution in Woodford County. Founded by sisters Lauren Reedy...

Enhance Your Garden with Edible Landscaping Shrubs  The integration of edible landscaping shrubs into Bloomington-Normal area gardens, sidewalk strips, fence lines, and elsewhere can add beauty, ecological function, and food security to our area. Four standout shrubs should...

Thoughts may not naturally gravitate to pruning fruit trees in February, but they should – especially this year! Thanks to above-average temperatures for much of the winter season, fruit trees in Central Illinois are showing signs of waking up early. So, like it or not, it is time to get out there...

Growing mushrooms is a time-honored tradition. Cultivation of shiitake mushrooms on hardwood logs dates back at least 1000 years in Japan. After button mushrooms, the shiitake mushroom is the most commonly cultivated mushroom in the world, according to Cornell University. Despite their high retail...

Imagine a warm summer’s evening in the not-too-distant future. A glance out the back door reveals something exciting: the fruit trees, shrubs, or canes that the family planted in spring 2023 are ready for their first harvest. This winter, find a good nursery catalogue to make that dream a reality....