Expanded CLC farm market opens June 22

The College of Lake County's farm market will sell CLC-grown fresh produce, honey and cut flowers from 3-5:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning June 22. The market operates in a tent on the north side of the Technology Building, or T Wing, on the Grayslake Campus, 19351 W. Washington St.

Proceeds help support student internships in the college's horticulture career programs, including sustainable agriculture.

This year the garden's growing space expanded by 13,000 square feet. The produce available June 22 will include head lettuce and orange and purple carrots, as well as red, golden and striped beets, said Matt DeRose, the college's local foods coordinator.

The offerings will also include radishes, green onions, Swiss chard, salad mix and fennel. Available herbs will include rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil and holy basil (the latter of which is used in making tea), mint, lemon balm, sage and garlic scapes, which can be sautéed and used as seasoning.

Additionally, the market will include fresh honey from CLC's apiary (bee colony), which opened last September.

The addition of cut flowers, including marigolds and snapdragons, is based on demand, DeRose added. Later this summer, the market will offer sunflowers and dahlias. Other produce coming soon includes: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, celery, beans, onions, leeks, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, eggplant and - for the first time - watermelons, musk melons and potatoes (red, purple and Yukon gold).

Students in the college's horticulture program helped expand the garden, which is located east of the Horticulture building.

"The vegetables grown on campus have so much more flavor compared to the grocery store produce that is trucked in from thousands of miles away," said Andy Lueder, a CLC student majoring in natural areas management, who helped plant the expanded CLC garden.

Compost for the garden's soil consists of recycled vegetable scraps and coffee grounds from the college's food service vendor. The garden, in turn, has provided fresh lettuce for the on-campus Café Willow.

The farm market, which accepts cash, check and credit cards, will provide a limited quantity of shopping bags, so feel free to bring your own, DeRose said.

For more information, visit its Facebook page. For details on the college's sustainable agriculture program, visit www.clcillinois.edu/programs/hrt.