The Liberty Prairie Foundation supports educational programming at the Prairie Crossing Farm to educate and inspire people to value healthy food, land and community through experiences on our farm.
 
The Liberty Prairie Foundation provides leadership and financial support for local food system development, social entrepreneurship, land conservation, environmental education, and civic engagement.
 
Experience the changing seasons with a series of fun and educational events at the Prairie Crossing Farm.
Prairie Farm Corps Matching Gift Opportunity!
The Prairie Farm Corps leads a WIC vegetable distribution program

Help the Prairie Farm Corps capitalize on a generous online matching gift opportunity from Public Good.

The Prairie Farm Corps needs your support to purchase a market vehicle to expand their distribution of locally grown organic vegetables to under-resourced families in Lake County. 
 
Click here to donate to this youth development program and double your impact! This matching gift opportunity ends when designated matching funds are depleted, or May 31. Donate today!

 

The Prairie Farm Corps involves participants in all aspects of a sustainable agriculture business from seed to market. This spring they have been transplanting onions, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli and parsley from the greenhouse into the farm fields during their weekly Crop Mob sessions. Soon lettuce, beets, and carrots will also be in the ground.

 

The Prairie Farm Corps integrates personal and professional development with farm work, and provides hands-on experience cooking fresh vegetables and practicing healthy eating habits. Participants sell their certified organic vegetables at the Libertyville Farmers Market and also grow for the Women, Infant & Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program in Round Lake plus a vegetable distribution program at Beacon Place in Waukegan.

 

The Prairie Farm Corps will also use the vehicle to deliver produce to the Libertyville Farmers Market, which not only generates program revenue but provides an excellent customer service learning experience for participants.

 

While not eligible for the match, donations received via the mail are also greatly appreciated. Click here for Prairie Farm Corps donation information.

Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House
Photo by Donna Arntzen
          
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sat., May 16

 

The Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House is Saturday from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Prairie Crossing Farm!

 

Meet the farmers growing local food, visit the chickens, purchase organic plants for your garden and more. Participating farm businesses include Marigold Hill Organics, the Prairie Farm Corps youth development program, Radical Root Farm, Sandhill Family Farms, and Yaw-Ye Farms. A variety of other organizations will also participate in this wonderful educational event.

 

Take a free walking tour of the Prairie Crossing Farm or enjoy a self-guided scavenger hunt with your children. Take a free walking tour to Sanctuary Pond, designated as a sanctuary for threatened and endangered fish in 1998 and helping to reestablish fish diversity in several Lake County Forest Preserve lakes. Click here for more information about the Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House 

Farm to Table Cooking Workshops
Wed., Jul. 15 and Wed., Jul. 22    
Photo by Terri Salminen
              

Join us for our Chef in Residence workshops for an authentic and unparalleled Farm to Table experience co-led by a celebrated international chef and culinary instructor, and a passionate Mundelein food educator and intuitive cook. Terri Salminen and Lindsey Shifley are both Super Ambassadors with the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution.

 

Workshops will feature different seasonal menus based on farm-fresh ingredients and emphasize different cooking techniques. Each begins with a guided walk to the Prairie Crossing Farm to pick up farm fresh certified organic vegetables while learning about organic agriculture principles. Participants return to the Byron Colby Barn kitchen to prepare (and eat!) a light and fresh summer appetizer, a colorful main course with an accent on vegetables, and fruit-based dessert.

 

Online advance registration is now available! Click here for additional information and online registration.  

Farm Ridge Hike
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jul. 8                              
People throughout the Chicago region get certified organic vegetables from the Prairie Crossing Farm in Grayslake.

 

Where does your food grow, and how is it grown? How do the conservation features of the overall Prairie Crossing development relate to farm operations at the Prairie Crossing Farm?

 

Join resident organic farmers Jeff and Jen Miller of Sandhill Family Farms and Mike Sands from the Liberty Prairie Foundation for a free Farm Ridge Hike on Wed., Jul. 8. Learn about Sandhill's organic growing practices, pest management strategies, season extension methods, soil building practices, and more.

 

Online advance registration is required for this free event. Click here for additional information and online registration.  

Shakespeare on the Prairie    

7 p.m. Aug. 6 - 9

 

The Prairie Crossing Farm has been selected by the Citadel Theatre as one of the sites for their outdoor Shakespeare festival production. Come see Shakespeare's As You Like It in a unique setting - a certified organic farm nestled inside the Prairie Crossing conservation community.

 

Shakespeare's As You Like It is a favorite of audiences everywhere. Known as his pastoral comedy, it is perhaps known as much for the famed soliloquy "All the World's a Stage" or "The Seven Ages of Man" as for its storyline. The most musical of Shakespeare's plays, As You Like It features a number of songs which highlight the pastoral atmosphere and the changing of the seasons.
 

As You Like It is directed by Frank Farrell. Farrell performed as an actor in Goodman Theatre's As You Like It years ago; and directed Citadel's outdoor Shakespeare A Midsummer Night's Dream this past summer. Farrell was a founder of Chicago's first year-round Shakespeare company (Free Shakespeare, 1983) and of Chicago Theatre Hikes (2001) - which pioneered outdoor theatre in the Chicagoland area.

 

Click here for information and ticket sales for Shakespeare on the Prairie. Tickets are $15 per person (in advance and at the door) and free for children under age 7. We look forward to this unique cultural event at the farm! 

Gleaning at the Farm
    
Produce gleaned by volunteers last season for the local food pantry. 
                     
 

Do you want to volunteer for the Liberty Prairie Foundation in a meaningful way? Come glean at the Prairie Crossing Farm!

 

Gleaning volunteers harvest produce that otherwise would not be harvested from one of the independent farm businesses located at the Prairie Crossing Farm. These fresh vegetables are then delivered to a local food pantry for distribution to their clients. Gleaning is a great way to volunteer and know you're making a difference in your community!

 

The Foundation will host several gleaning events throughout the summer and is looking for volunteers to contact when specific gleaning dates are set later this season. If you are interested in participating, email Emily Weber at [email protected].

About the Prairie Crossing Farm      

The Prairie Crossing Farm is a working organic farm nestled inside the Prairie Crossing community in Grayslake, Illinois. The Prairie Crossing Farm is owned by the Liberty Prairie Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

 

The Foundation operates a variety of programs at the Prairie Crossing Farm to advance our mission. The Farm Business Development Center, an incubator program, prepares beginning farmers to meet the demand for locally-grown organic food in the Chicago region. The independently-owned Prairie Crossing Farm businesses serve customers throughout the Chicago region.

 

The Foundation supports educational programming at the Prairie Crossing Farm to educate and inspire people to value healthy food, land and community through experiences on our farm. Educational programming includes the Prairie Farm Corps youth development program, seasonal events, and more.
32400 North Harris Road
Grayslake, IL 60030