Building, Growing, and Resilience: Shining a Light on Illinois’ BIPOC Farmers
It is well known that farmers of color are under-represented in the United States. But in recent years, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) farmers in Illinois have joined the growing movement of young farmers, and are finding ways ...
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Grains Galore: From Rice to Spirits, Illinois Artisan Grains are Rising to the Occasion
When we talk about Artisan Grains, many of you may think about whole grain wheat and flours used to make breads and other baked goods. It’s likely you may have had some experience in bread baking during the COVID-19 pandemic ...
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Discover Amazing Farm Finds in 2024 with Community Supported Agriculture
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has surged in popularity since 2020 when the COVID 19 Pandemic started to impact food distribution across the United States. Although not a new concept within the farming industry (early CSA models in the United States ...
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Four ways to beef up (pun intended) your shopping list to include more pasture raised meats
Pastured meat is easy to find in the winter months and purchasing in January helps support farmers all year round. In recent years, the farmer’s share of the food dollar has dropped to just 14 cents for every dollar you ...
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Homemade Holiday Gift Guide: 6 local food gifts that taste like home and support small businesses
Think back to your favorite cookie, jam or jelly, or slice of bread. More than likely, your favorite food items were made by someone you knew or were related to in their home kitchen. That’s because the best tasting products ...
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Time to gobble up locally raised Thanksgiving turkeys
Thanksgiving turkey is one of the hardiest traditions for many Americans, so much so that the holiday long ago was dubbed as “Turkey Day.” Its place in American culture is enshrined in Norman Rockwell’s famous painting of the hosts presenting ...
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Hope Rises in Cairo Around New Food Co-Op
October is National Co-op Month. To celebrate, we share the uplifting story of Rise Community Market in Cairo, located at the southern tip of Illinois. A food co-op is a grocery store that’s owned and managed by people who shop ...
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Savor Autumn in Illinois with Agritourism Adventures
It’s always great to visit a farm and get to know the farmers who grow our food. But there’s no better time than September and October, as the heat of summer gives way to the cool comforts of autumn, and ...
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August is THE month to visit a local farm market
This year’s National Farmers Market Week is August 6-12, and Illinois Farmers Market Association (ILFMA) joins markets from across the country in celebrating the positive impacts farmers markets have. Farmers markets provide access to delicious, nutritious locally produced food, support ...
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Savor the Seasons with Farm to Table Restaurants
Over the past few decades, chefs and restaurateurs in locations throughout the state have also been serving diners with fresh, delicious, sustainably produced vegetables, fruit and produce from farms close to home. In this article, Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois ...
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‘Whey’ Cool: A Look at Two Sustainable Illinois Dairies
June is National Dairy Month, and our Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois article highlights two of our state’s outstanding sustainable dairy farms: Marcoot Jersey Creamery in Greenville and Kilgus Farmstead in Fairbury. No two farms are exactly alike. So if ...
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Flowers and Bees: The Essence of Spring from Local Illinois Farmers
There was a popular song in the 1960s that starts “Let me tell you ‘bout the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees...”. Well, it’s finally spring, so Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois is here to tell ...
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