Locally-Owned Organic Food Club Can Be Your Personal Organic Grower
Organic food movement veteran and Ravinia Farmers Market Manager Ed Kugler is proud to announce the launch of his new Organic Food Club (OFC), a membership-based group that provides organic produce grown to order.
An open house for those interested in learning about this new concept in obtaining fresh, local organic food will be held on Thursday May 30th from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Highland Park Police Station Training Room, 1677 Old Deerfield Road. Attendees are invited to share thoughts and ideas about the buying club and local organic food production, take part in the Organic Food Taste-athon, and sign up for 2019 memberships.
"So many people want to grow their own organic produce, but don't have the space, time or know-how," explains Kugler. "OFC offers a model of shared gardening and professional personal growers so consumers can be assured of the cleanest, carbon-footprint free organic produce, grown to order!"
The OFC allows members to pre-order and specify the produce they want grown, providing the convenience of enjoying locally grown organic produce, experiencing the taste and nutrition of freshly-picked veggies, and being a part of its evolving network of information on organic lifestyles, recipes, and gardening. Its buying club model offers pricing that is comparable or less than local organic retailers. In addition, Kugler states that he plans to offer more options for purchasing organic food products via the buying club concept.
Supplying fresh produce year-round, OFC operates USDA certified organic outdoor gardens located in Lake Zurich and Highland Park for the June to November growing season, and a USDA certified organic greenhouse, which allows them to grow produce like lettuce, spinach and sprouts all year.
Several membership options are available including the Daily Deal for $5 per visit, the Annual Membership for $120 per year, and the Lifetime Membership for $300. Once a membership level is selected, participants choose what produce and herbs they want grown, specify their growing and harvesting schedule and pick up location, and enjoy with family and friends! It's that simple.
Kugler and the OFC team will be on-site at the Highland Park Arbor Day Celebration on April 27th in Jens Jensen Park to share the launch of their organic growing concept.
For more information on the Organic Food Club, to become a member, or to RSVP to join the open house on May 30th, email ed.organicfoodclub@gmail.com or call (847) 561-1302. For details on the Organic Food Club, visit www.organicfoodclub.com.
ABOUT ED KUGLER
Kugler has been dedicated to the organic food movement for more than 40 years. In 1978 he opened the Sprout Shop in Highland Park, which was an organic food-buying club. This was the same year that the Ravinia Farmers Market started and he became a vendor there for three years in which he sold a variety of sprouts, salads, dressings, and organic baked deserts. From 1990-2004 Kugler started the Organic Farming and Food Festival in downtown Chicago, which featured 20 different vendors, all promoting organics. In 2010, his Taste-A-Thon booths began appearing at events such as the 4th of July Highland Park Parade and the Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival.
Since 2010, Kugler has provided his home farmscape as the Highland Park High School S.P.I.N Garden program, where over 200 students learn about urban agriculture and organic food production, and come to assist in maintaining and care for the gardens. This gives students a hands-on learning experience in organic gardening techniques, shows how to create edible landscaping, and promotes the value of a sustainable lifestyle through supporting the local community and reducing our carbon footprint. He became Manager of the Ravinia Farmers Market in 2017.
For more information on the Ravinia Farmers Market email Ed Kugler at raviniafm@gmail.com or visit RaviniaFarmersMarket.org.