Grow Local Produce

Sustaining The Community Through Locally-Grown Food

Food is one of life’s necessities—and one of its greatest pleasures. It is deeply satisfying to know that the food you are feeding your family is fresh, wholesome, delicious, and has a minimal negative impact on the environment.

Our grocery stores bulge with fresh produce. But these “fresh” fruits and vegetables have often traveled an average 1,500 miles before reaching you. Sometimes, they even travel from other continents before being stocked at the grocery store. Or, they may be days or weeks old. They may have lost much of their nutritional value and flavor in transit. Furthermore, there is a good chance this produce was treated with pesticides and herbicides during cultivation and preservatives as it sits in the store waiting to be sold. Some produce arrives unripened and then is treated with ethylene gas to artificially ripen, which greatly decreases quality compared to vine- or tree-ripened produce. Some produce is cultivated for its ability to withstand transit or high yields, not for its nutritional value or flavor, and consequently, varieties of more delicate, low-yielding heirloom or heritage produce have vanished from the store shelves and our dinner tables.

At The Talking Farm, we grow produce to increase the availability and variety in the community of fresh, nutritious food that they can trust. Our farmers attend our farmers markets and can answer any questions about our produce, and probably harvested it with their own hands. All of our produce is grown using transparent, organic practices that reduce the use of harmful chemicals. Best of all, it is grown right in Skokie, Illinois at our 2.5-acre urban farm, the Howard Street Farm, and sold just a few miles away.

At The Talking Farm, we aim to be an example to the community by being good environmental stewards and engaging in healthy soil and water conservation practices. By doing and leading by example, we will improve our food system.

To find out ways you can enjoy our fresh, sustainably-grown produce by following the link.