Monday, January 21, 2013
New grocery is about 10,000 square feet larger than Palatine location.
The new Whole Foods Market, 20281 N. Rand Rd., Kildeer, will open on March 6. The destination grocer, focusing on organic and sustainable products, will hold an Opening Ceremony and doors will open at 9 a.m. Kildeer Village Manager Michael Talbett said Whole Foods store openings are a big event with people waiting in line for hours to get in. Opening day details are still being worked out, said Tanya Kostetsky, marketing & community relations specialist for Whole Foods. “We will definitely be providing food, refreshments and entertainment to make the opening morning be a celebration for the community. Doors open at 9, ceremony/bread breaking at 8:45 a.m. We literally break bread with members of the village and Whole Foods Market team …
Monday, October 8, 2012
Increasing local food production could create 5,000 jobs and generate $6.5 billion per year in economic activity in the Chicago metropolitan region, agency says.
Seventy-five percent of adults prefer locally grown, sustainable food, according to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). As demand for fresh food grows, CMAP is stepping up efforts to engage local government in an effort to grow their communities' local food system. The agency recently launched a microsite, Local Food Systems, as well as a video that highlights the economic benefits of local food systems. “Most people are aware that local food tastes great, but the economic argument is quite compelling and it’s not expressed so much,” said Justine Reisinger, communications associate for CMAP. “This is a significant economic issue. Of the $48 billion Illinois residents spend on food every year, $46 billion is leaving the …
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Lake County and regional conservation leaders believe growing food here on small farms is good for the economy as well as the health of the people and land.
Residents of Lake County and other suburbanites want local, sustainably grown food. Just one indicator of this trend is the growth in farmers markets — the number of farmers markets in Illinois tripled between 1999 and 2009, with most of the growth in the Chicago metropolitan area, according to The Local Food System, a brochure from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Local Technical Assistance program. There is actually a $10 billion unmet demand for locally-grown food in the state of Illinois, according to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Meanwhile, $46 billion (96 percent) of annual food expenditures are leaving the state of Illinois. Crops like asparagus and broccoli travel thousands of miles to our table. “We can…
Monday, March 19, 2012
Patch’s guide to area farm shares for vegetables, fruit, eggs and meat; part of a Sustainable Food series.
Looking for fresher, tastier, healthier food this growing season? Many farms offer community-supported agriculture, or CSA, shares with local drop-off points. Top chefs choose locally grown food because reducing the time from farm to table ensures that food flavors are at their peak, according to FamilyFarmed.org Why Buy Locally. Farm-fresh food also lasts longer, is more nutrient dense and reduces your carbon footprint. “Being part of a CSA is a way to know where your food comes from. I’m a 'farmie;' we’re so connected to our food. We really want to know where it comes from,” said Lake Bluff resident Johanna Navari Welch, who has been a shareholder at various community-supported agriculture groups for the past seven years. Welch’s …
Friday, November 11, 2011
Long Grove's Village Board is the first in Lake County to approve plan to allow chickens; vote on details to come.
This is an update on a series about local food and suburban farming. Long Grove leaders voted in favor of a plan to allow residents to keep chickens, at the Nov. 8 village board meeting. Village Manager David Lothspeich said the Village Board approved a recommendation from the plan commission to amend the village code, allowing chickens in residential districts. The board suggested some changes to the planner’s recommendations. Now the village attorney will draft an ordinance, which will go for a final vote on Nov. 22. “Historically Long Grove has been a leader on the environmental forefront. So in that regard, this is entirely consistent with where the village has been for a long time,” Lothspeich said. “What the board is trying to do is …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Tim Frillman sells fresh eggs from his Prairie View home. Part of a series on local food and suburban farming.
Part of a series on local food and suburban farming. Did the chicken come first, or was it the egg? At Frillman’s Farm, the answer to this age-old question is clear. It was the chicken, of course. Tim Frillman, who began raising chickens two summers ago, has opened his own business, selling fresh eggs laid by more than two dozen birds he keeps in his Prairie View backyard. I’ve really kind of developed a passion for it,” he said. “I’ve always loved farming and hard work.” Frillman, 25, grew up on the land, where he’s built a chicken coop and has started construction of a pole barn that will house his chickens, which will number 150 by spring. But the farming business is relatively new to him. His parents’ back acres are leased to Didier …
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Small beekeepers could be the solution to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Part of a series on local food and suburban farming. We can thank the honeybee for four of every 10 bites of food we eat, so for area beekeepers, their efforts aren’t just about the honey. Many beekeepers feel they are doing their part in helping the survival of what is likely our most important domestic species. The Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at McHenry County College (MCC) hosted a screening of the documentary Queen of the Sun: What are the bees telling us? Oct. 25, followed by a panel discussion with beekeepers from the Northern Illinois Beekeepers Association. The critically-acclaimed film by Taggart Seigel tells the story of the mysterious disappearance of bees through stunning photography, humorous animations, and some very…
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Food systems used to deliver our food breaking down, says one supporter trying to bring backyard chickens to one suburb.
Part of a series on local food and suburban farming. Keeping chickens isn’t just for farmers anymore. While there aren’t statistics available on backyard chickens, a rise in popularity is evident by online chicken forums and news reports of suburbs and cities dealing with poultry zoning issues. Why do people want to keep their own chickens? Ed Fuhrmann, who is leading an effort bring backyard chickens to the Round Lake communities, said there are many reasons people want to raise their own chickens. “Very rarely in my research is it just about the chickens or just about the eggs. There’s usually a tipping point, something that breaks us out of our comfortable suburban cocoon,” said Fuhrmann, an electronics technician teacher at Great Lakes…
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Part of a series on local food and suburban farming.
For Mark Leider beekeeping is a hobby, a business and an environmental mission. The Libertyville resident says his primary motivation in beekeeping is to help the honeybees survive. “Without the bees, we don’t have pollination, and that is what gives us most of our fruits and vegetables,” Leider said. One-third of our diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our dependence on the honeybee as a pollinator has caused many environmentalists and scientists concern about colony collapse disorder, the mysterious and sudden loss of entire beehives. Falling in Love With Beekeeping Leider’s interest in bees started about seven years…
Friday, September 30, 2011
Backyard Chicken Run delivers feed to city and suburban coop keepers.
Part of a series on local food and suburban farming For John Emrich, the foray into the local food movement began 10 years ago when he started juicing. He realized that to get the most benefits from large quantities of vegetables, they should be organic. “There was a morphing from outdoor enthusiast to environmental advocate. Those two worlds came crashing together. I realized organic was not just the best for myself, it was also the best for the environment,” Emrich said. Going organic naturally led to an interest in local food and backyard chickens. Emrich took a class on raising backyard chickens with Angelic Organics Farm, a community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm and learning center in Caledonia, Ill. Angelic Organics is the basis …
Dana Hill
11:54 am on Friday, February 1, 2013
**Yawn** more ›