Our Blog
Delight Yourself and Your Guests at Thanksgiving with a Sumptuous, Pasture-Raised Local Turkey
You don’t need any hints to figure out why our November article is about locally raised turkeys. Thanksgiving, aka “Turkey Day,” is coming up on November 24, and according to the Nielsen consumer research firm, more than three-quarters of all turkeys sold in the...
Celebrating National Co-op Month With a Look at Two Community-Building Grocery Stores
To the casual shopper, a food cooperative, or co-op may look like any small independent grocery. But it is so much more. And that is why our latest Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois article is celebrating October as National Co-op Month by featuring two thriving co-ops at...
Agritourism Abounds as Folks Head to Illinois Farms for Fun in the Fall
Agritourism is a big thing throughout Illinois’ growing season, with visitors welcomed to places such as flower farms and berry patches. But the draw is greatest in the late summer and early fall when apple orchards and pumpkin patches are at their peak production. ...
Celebrating National Farmers Week: Three Illinois Markets With Different Styles But Shared Goals
National Farmers Market Week — August 7-13 this year — celebrates the role that the more than 300 Illinois farmers markets and the more than 8,000 markets nationwide play in helping build a better food system and supporting local economies. Each farmers market is as...
ILFMA awards lifetime membership to Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant
The Illinois Farmers Market Association presented its first ever lifetime membership to founding member Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant. Deborah recently retired from her role as ILFMA board member and, as an organization, we couldn’t think of a better person to gift this very special title to than Deborah.
Farm-to-Table Dining!
Farm-to-Table Dining: Feed Your Soul, Support Your Local Producers For generations, most restaurants have obtained the ingredients for the meals they serve their customers from wholesalers and distributors, and more often than not, those ingredients had...
Shop for local milk, cheese, and dairy near you during Dairy Month
Make Mother’s Day extra special with locally-grown flowers
With Mother’s Day, school graduations and the traditional start of wedding season, May is a big time for flower growers. So our featured farm this month is Flora Bay Farm, located just south of Carbondale in southern Illinois. Courtney Smith switched careers from...
National CSA Week!
Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) was at the cutting edge as consumer interest in buying food directly from local farmers started to build. True believers eagerly subscribed to receive CSA boxes from their favorite farms, ensuring that they would enjoy the products they love while providing the farmers with cash to cover costs of growing that food.