Save the Date
Good Food Festival and Conference - Chicago
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Join us for the
Good Food Festival and Conference - Chicago
March 15-17, 2012 UIC Forum The FamilyFarmed EXPO has become the Good Food Festival and Conference - Chicago. After seven successful years as the Midwest's Premier Good Food Event, the FamilyFarmed EXPO has gone national. We're excited to announce that the FamilyFarmed EXPO is now the Good Food Festival and Conference. This change reflects FamilyFarmed.org's national leadership in growing the Good Food Movement. Join us and experience the movement that is changing the way we eat. The multi-day festival will focus on regional and national issues relevant to farmers and food businesses and will include a tradeshow, festival, and workshops for individuals and families interested in eating, preparing, and preserving local food. For information on exhibiting and to apply, click here. Apply early and save, early bird discount available until December 12, 2011. |
Holiday Food Shopping - Buy Local!
|  Consumers have many places to turn when deciding where to buy their holiday food, and local options continue to grow. At FamilyFarmed.org, we encourage you to buy as local as possible, and we're excited to showcase a few resources to help you. Dill Pickle Food Co-op
The Dill Pickle offers healthy food choices and the benefits of cooperative practice to build a vibrant local community and more sustainable world. We meet community needs and strengthen area diversity through products, services, and education.
- Turkeys from TJ's Free Range Poultry in Piper, IL are available for Thanksgiving. The last day for orders is Thursday, November 17 with pickup on Saturday, November 19. Turkeys are frozen.
- Members of the Dill Pickle are in for large savings with 20% off all produce in addition to the other discounts already available
Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks Irv & Shelly's offers year-round home delivery in the Chicago area of local and organic produce, meat, dairy and eggs. You can order online anytime to choose the specific items you want, or opt for a Fresh Picks Box that is automatically delivered to your door weekly or bi-weekly - Turkey's available for Thanksgiving from TJ's Free Range Poultry in Piper, IL and Triple "S" Farms in Stewardson, Illinois. Deliveries begin Saturday November 19 and . All turkeys are frozen during processing, but will be thawed by Irv and Shelly's. Check their website for ordering details, but don't delay!
- Thanksgiving Fixin's Box includes recipes and ingredients for herb & apple stuffing, roasted root vegetables, farm greens, fresh cranberry sauce, sweet potato puree, and whole wheat dinner rolls. Available in two sizes depending on your needs.
Door to Door OrganicsDoor to Door Organics delivers fresh, delicious, organic produce straight to your home or office. We support local farmers, help schools and non-profits with fund-raising, and we love organic fruits and vegetables!
- Gunthorp Farms turkeys are available for Thanksgiving. The deadline for ordering varies by pickup location. Email orders@doortodoororganics.com for more information and to order. Pickup locations around the Chicagoland area include:
- Holiday grocery lists and recipes are available. As always you can customize a box of produce to fit your needs and have it delivered directly to your doorstep.
Chicago Area Farmers Markets - Green City Market offers an indoor winter market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Slow Food Chicago For a comprehensive list of local turkey and other holiday meat offerings, visit Slow Food Chicago, here. |
Ms. Mint's Local and Fair Trade Gift Bazaar
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This two day shopping event will showcase innovative local and fair trade businesses. Featuring many of our favorite vendors, you'll be able to buy products that support your local Midwest farmers and food artisans. Come out to support them and buy products that help invigorate the local economy.
The 2nd annual bazaar will be at the Grossinger City Autoplex, 1530 N Dayton St. Friday from 3:00-8:00pm and Saturday from 11:00am-6:00pm.
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Chicago Public Schools
to Serve Antibiotic Free Chicken
| The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and their food service provider Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality (CTH) have announced a plan to serve antibiotic free chicken to K-12 students.
The order of 1.2 million pounds of chicken from Amish growers is the first of its kind in the nation. Key stakeholders of this project first met at the March 2011 FamilyFarmed EXPO.
The project is supported by representatives from School Food FOCUS and the Healthy Schools Campaign. These organizations hope to expand this buying program nationally to help stop overuse of antibiotics in feed animals.
More information can be found on CTH's website, here.
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Good Food Film Countdown
Watch. Vote. Win.
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Join FamilyFarmed.org and SnagFilms to choose the best food film, in the final round of voting for the Good Food Film Countdown.
We've narrowed our list of 170 films down to 5 in the categories of documentary and feature film. Participants will be entered to win free food and environmentally safe products for a year from signature sponsors including Applegate, Stonyfield, Organic Valley, Nature's Path Organic, Earth Friendly Products, and a burrito party for 50 from Chipotle!
Visit the Good Food Film page to vote and win!
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| Local Foods Are Working for the Nation | 
A new post from Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan highlights what's working in local food. Merrigan presents data from the USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), that shows how important local markets are to farmers.
In the report, ERS adds to the chorus of voices in support of local food. By showcasing surprising numbers, the report makes a strong case for local food's importance in healthy local economies.
Some of the more interesting facts include that 40% of farmers are engaged in local markets, and these farmers reported that local food accounted for 61% of their sales.
While the importance of direct-to-consumer sales like community supported agriculture and farmers markets continues to rise - 215% from 1992 to 2007 - sales to restaurants, regional distributors, and grocers has also increased. In fact, they account for the majority of local food sales.
These sales help local economies in a big way. ERS found that fruit and vegetable growers had 13 full time employees for every $1 million sold versus only 3 jobs per $1 million for commodity crop growers.
FamilyFarmed.org has worked for years to support the growth of local food from family farmers. These numbers are further vindication that our work is having positive reverberations throughout our local economies.
We're excited to continue strengthening local food systems and working with local family farmers and the consumers that love them.
Click here to read the full report.
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Employment Opportunities
| FamilyFarmed.org
We're hiring for an administrative support position for the Good Food Festival and Conference - Chicago.
Click here to email us for more information.
The Angelic Organics Learning Center
AOLC seeks a highly qualified individual for the Program Director, Farmer Training Initiative position.
Click here for the full job posting.
Growing Home
Growing Home has two positions open for their Les Brown Memorial Farm in Marseilles, IL. They are a Farm Management Assistant/Manager in Training and Rural Production Technician
Click here for more information.
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| Volunteers Needed | FamilyFarmed.org is seeking volunteers for Ms. Mint's Local ad Fair Trade Gift Bazaar.
Two hour slots are available on Friday, December 16 from 3:00pm - 8:00pm and Saturday, December 17 from 11:00am - 6:00pm.
Email volunteer@familyfarmed.org if you're interested.
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