First stop: Jubilee Farm, which is run by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield and, although it is not certified organic (an expensive and difficult designation to get), it is maintained using organic farming methods.
The farm is lovely and productive, and the sisters in charge are passionate about their land and incredibly sweet.
One of the coolest things about Jubilee Farm is that some of their produce goes to feed the Dominican Sisters in Springfield and the rest goes to a Community Supported Agriculture program (in other words, people pay money at the beginning of the season to subscribe, and then receive a bountiful box of whatever produce is ready each week throughout the growing season). Here, they were getting ready for a CSA pickup.
Getting a subscription for the CSA is hard to come by, but if you can snag one it's certainly worth it. Next to the usual summer garden fare, the Sisters like to share a few unique varieties you might not otherwise try, like these tasty cucumbers. And they provide recipes to help subscribers with using their week's produce, too.
After touring the farm, I also got to stop by the Illinois State Fairgrounds to see the big 100-plus plot community garden there. One half of the community gardeners take care of their plots using conventional gardening techniques, while the other half use natural pest prevention and fertilization, so there's something for every type of gardener.
Finally, I stopped at the Illinois Products Farmer's Market, located right on the state fairgrounds on Thursday afternoons (except, of course, during the state fair). It was another great market, where I attended a press conference about National Farmer's Market Week and picked up some terrific locally made pasta, local cheese that makes me wonder why I ever buy anything else, and of course a bit of fresh produce.
All in all, not a bad end to a great National Farmer's Market Week!
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