Vendor Stories

CROW CREEK FARM
 

Chi mangia bene, vive bene  - Who eats well lives well - is the motto of Kathy Corso's farm which started in 2006 as a family enterprise, an effort to grow local herbs and produce in a healthy sustainable way. Kathy says that neither she nor her two adult daughters, Angela and Kristina, had any real agricultural training (except for a backyard garden). The whole idea came about in the spring of 2005 after the girls returned from an Italian Farming Adventure.  In the fall of 2004 Angela and Kristina spent time on five organic farms in Northern Italy. They were part of the program  World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farms (WWOOF).  

That was the inspiration for the family's efforts, and they started with too large a field out in Washburn near the Crow Creek, thus the name, and had no machinery so everything was and still is very hands on.  After a few challenging years, they moved  to an urban garden site. They saw that value added products were often appreciated by their busy customers. Handmade pastas, basil pesto and fresh salsas were and are best sellers.  Kathy sated, "It has always been challenging to find the right venues and we soon realized that good marketing was essential."  
 
While WWOOFING, her daughters became good friends with a family in Tuscany who have run an organic olive oil farm “Podere Vallari” for 30 years.  "In early June we (our whole family) had the opportunity to visit this farm seven years later. The beauty of the region and the fabulous quality of “Podere Vallari” is again inspiring and helps us all recommit to the “local foods” and sustainable farming movement.  I think the appreciation for fresh, wholesome food has evolved for our family the way it has for many of us. I know that I cook some new recipe including some new veggie or grain on a regular basis."  Kathy says that most Italians buy fresh each day.  "Even larger grocery stores have the hugest fresh produce sections!" The last 4 days of their recent tour were in Rome where the Campo di Fiori (a flower and vegetable market) is open everyday but Sunday.   

Meadow Haven Organic Farm was founded by Allan Sexton and his wife Jeanne.  Allan, a retired holistic veterinarian who has a life-long interest in nutrition and health, decided the only way to produce really healthy food for their five children and now twelve grandchildren was to produce it himself.  Allan and Jeanne searched for the best farmland they could find for their idea of an organic farm that would raise organic grass-fed beef and pastured pork.  They found it in Bureau County, Illinois.  Jeremy House manages the farm.   

Plow Creek Farm is operated by the Plow Creek Fellowship, a Mennonite Christian community located just outside of Tiskilwa, IL.  The farm was started by the community in the 1970’s and berries have been the centerpiece of the farm throughout it’s history.  The farm is currently managed by Jim Foxvog and Matthew Peterson. 

Rockome Gardens is a raw milk, grass-fed manufacturer of cheese in Arcola.  Owen Gingerich is the manager of the cheese production and he buys his raw milk from Amish Farmer Lavern Schupp.  Lavern’s cows are Jerseys and are exclusively grass-fed.  That diet and the fact that the milk is raw means that the cheese is highly digestible.  A cow that has not been fed grain but only grass (as nature intended) produces CLA and many other beneficial substances and is an asset to the environment.