Prairie Crossing Farm offers May 17 Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House
Visit the Prairie Crossing Farm in Grayslake during the Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Sat., May 17. Purchase organic plants for your garden, see the chickens and baby goats, and support the farmers growing local food in your community. This free and educational event will be held rain or shine, with some activities dependent on the weather.
Certified organic plants, other farm products, and community supported agriculture (CSA) shares for organic vegetables, free-range eggs, and pastured pork will be available for sale. Participating farm businesses include Gretta's Goats, Marigold Hill Organics, Midnight Sun Farm, Radical Root Farm, Sandhill Family Farms, and Yaw-Ye Farms. Meet the farmers at the Prairie Crossing Farm, and learn about how they produce food for customers throughout the Chicago region.
Prairie Farm Corps teens will sell plants they have grown as a fundraiser for this youth development program that integrates personal/professional development with farm work and provides experience cooking healthy meals with fresh vegetables. A list of the plants for sale by the Prairie Farm Corps is available at www.libertyprairie.org. The Montessori School of Lake Forest Adolescent Program will also sell plants they have raised as a school fundraiser, and the Prairie Crossing Charter School Parent Student Organization will hold a bake sale.
Farm visitors can also see the chickens and baby goats, view the vintage tractors in use at the Prairie Crossing Farm, and more. A children's farm scavenger hunt will be offered, with free seeds for the first 50 participating children. Farm tours will be given at 10:15, 11:15, and 12:15, departing from the tractor display. These walking tours will be on uneven surfaces including wood chips, gravel, and soil. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the south lawn of the Yellow Farmhouse. Baked goods will also be available for purchase.
Good Agricultural Practices discourage even the best trained animals near fields used for growing food, so please leave all pets at home except service dogs. The Prairie Crossing Farm is a smoke-free facility. We encourage all farm visitors to bring a reusable water bottle to the Organic Plant Sale & Farm Open House, and will have water coolers for refilling them.
The Prairie Crossing Farm is located at 32400 N. Harris Road in Grayslake. Enter Prairie Crossing via Route 45 at Jones Point Road and follow the signs to the Farm. Event parking will be on both sides of Harris Road. Please do not block the driveways of our neighbors. Reserved parking for vehicles displaying disability/handicap plates or placards will be in the Yellow Farmhouse parking lot at the entrance to the event.
Why are there so many farmers at the Prairie Crossing Farm? The Liberty Prairie Foundation's Farm Business Development Center prepares new farmers to meet the demand for locally-grown organic food in the Chicago region. Farmers build their business with affordable access to certified organic land and access to experienced mentor farmers (Sandhill Family Farms), gradually scaling up to launch at a more permanent site. The Farm Business Development Center is successfully launching new farm businesses to meet consumer demand.
Since 1993, the Liberty Prairie Foundation has provided leadership and financial support for sustainable local food system development, social entrepreneurship, conservation, environmental education, and civic engagement. Visit www.libertyprairie.org for additional information on the Liberty Prairie Foundation.