The heat is here and so we look to deliciously cooling vegetables like cucumber and melon to help refresh us o these long hot days. This salsa might seem to be a little out there for some, but it is delicious. Plus, as Illinois is one of the largest producers of melons in the country, […]
specialty crops
Carrots, for Days
Oftentimes, carrots are harvested in the late Fall after we’ve had a good frost and are stored in dirt or sand by farmers just above freezing to for the entire winter (or until they sell out). The hard freeze causes the carrots to become sweeter as the starches change to sugar (just like parsnips) and […]
Don’t be so Parsnip-y!
The White Carrot stands alone, and its name is Parsnip…appearing perpetually dirty but boasting an amazingly sweet flavor and great nutrition, parsnips are almost the embodiment of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Unfortunately, parsnips are like the estranged cousin of the more popular root vegetables. They aren’t carrots, though they look […]
Edible (Native) Landscaping – Persimmon
by Erin Harper, University of Illinois Extension Persimmon (Diospyros virginia) are Native to most of the eastern United States, from Connecticut south Florida and west to mid-Kansas. There is a non-native species (Diospyros kaki), native to Asia, which has been widely used in breeding and production in the United States. D. kaki has larger sweeter […]
Edible (Native) Landscaping – Strawberries
by Erin Harper, University of Illinois Extension Strawberries can make an excellent groundcover for your planting beds. The plants get 8 to 10 inches tall and are just a beautiful shade of green which is lighter than most plants used as a ground cover. There are two types, Junebearing and everbearing. Junebearing plants typically produce […]
Eggwardo Doesn’t Eat Eggplant, but You Should
Since the mascot for the Champaign Farmers Market is Eggwardo the Eggplant, eggplant holds a special place in my heart. This is partially due to the fact that I am the one who dresses up as Eggwardo. That is right, we have a giant eggplant costume that I wear for special events. Maybe, if you […]