The Weblog
The local foods movement is alive and well in Champaign County! Here are some updates on other projects while we finalize our virtual market:
Local Producers Map:
Our local producers map is ready for publication and you will soon be able to find it on gochampaign.com. Copies will be distributed around the community, in the local telephone book, and other “hangouts”. The guide lists the location and contact information for nearly 50 local producers within our county. The map was a project of the Local Food Council and printed with the help of some local sponsors including the Monument Square District, Champaign Bank, the Community Improvement Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and others. It is a great start to finding a local source for Champaign County’s finest!
Were you prepared?
This post expired on October 30, 2022.
Good afternoon! I wanted to mention that the market is open for a few more hours so don’t forget to get your last minute shopping in yet tonight. I know that our family and friends on the Eastern shore are dealing with a sizeable cleanup from Hurricane Sandy. Our hearts and prayers are certainly with them at this time.
Thinking about losing power last night I wanted to mention a few items that we should all have on hand in the event we had lost power. Did you notice that Oakview has canned meats that would be perfectly shelf-stable and could be part of an emergency stash for your family? Check our their canned chicken, beef, hamburger, turkey, taco meat and more that would be ready in a minute in an emergency. There are many other items that would be part of a plan for survival if ever needed so search our listing and I will mention a few more as time allows.
On a lighter note, I noticed an apple theme this week in our offerings: Nub’s Market 9" Apple pie, Swisher Hill Herb’s Apple Pie spice, Noskitka’s Apple Butter and more! Smells like fall to me! Also if you needed something to snack on don’t forget Caramel corn is great this time of year and JC Growers has it ready to go! Sunshine Garden’s dinner rolls are a perfect match to your own meal as well as a Cosmic Charlie artisan loaf of many varieties. Don’t forget we are in “cool weather crop” heaven with Betternut squash from Walnut Ridge, who by the way is our newest grower (welcome, welcome!) and turnips from Lonny. These are both perfect for roasting by themselves or along with traditional veggies. Speaking of roasting, Hemisphere Coffee Roasters offer both whole bean for you do-it-yourselfers and fresh ground if that is your preference. I can smell it from here!
Keep warm and pile on a few more blankets tonight if needed. Brew up a batch of Swisher Hill’s Touchdown chili or White Chicken Chili to make it a special evening as we say goodbye to our summer of 100+ degrees and head into the unknown of snow and sledding. Thanks to each of you for your support and glad to know Sandy behaved around this neck of the woods!
Don’t forget the market closes tonight at 8!