Here is an interesting article on one of the new faces of agriculture – regenerative agriculture. There are a lot of interesting things happening and organic may not be the “be all end all” in terms of turning our food system and farm system around.
Here is an interesting article on one of the new faces of agriculture – regenerative agriculture. There are a lot of interesting things happening and organic may not be the “be all end all” in terms of turning our food system and farm system around.
We’re continuously looking at new and interesting cookbooks to add to our collection. We enjoy finding recipe’s that allow us to utilize the vegetables from our gardens and the meat products from our local farm partners.
We recently tried a number of recipe’s from Mario Batali’s Farm to Table cookbook. We wanted to share a few of our favorite recipes. The Pork Shanks with Parsnips & Maple on page 216 were delicious and a great opportunity to use parsnips, onions & carrots from the Serosun Gardens. We also enjoyed the Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu on page 157. Both were hearty dishes perfect for a cold February Evening.
Here’s a link to Mario’s site if you’re interested in adding this fabulous cookbook to your collection. We’re glad we did!
http://www.mariobatali.com/products/america-farm-to-table/
At Serosun, we love to periodically host Farm Dinners at our Swainson model for special guests. The dinners are meant to highlight the best of Serosun—a quiet evening in a luxury setting, featuring food that is prepared in a gourmet kitchen that highlights ingredients that we grow on the farm.
We recently hosted a dinner for several guests that included a farm tour, cocktails and appetizers on the porch, and a dinner cooked by a chef. We featured garlic, strawberries, spring greens, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, filet, and more.
Enjoy a few photos:
Would you like to live at Serosun Farms? Make an appointment to visit today!
On Earth Day, about a week before our event, a lot of people will be planting a tree. At our plant an orchard event, we plan to plant 150-200! Serosun Farms invites you to a rare opportunity on Saturday, April 30 from 11am-2pm to join us as we plant 150-200 bare root apple, pear, cherry, and plum trees. During the event, you will learn about the history of apple orchards in the US and about cider, hard cider, perry, and more. You’ll get to enjoy refreshments—including some local cider, hard cider and perry for tasting!
This unique event is taking place at a unique place. Serosun Farms is a sustainable community that blends peaceful, pastoral living with modern convenience. The community gracefully combines agricultural preservation and high-performance homes with every modern amenity. The custom homes offer one acre lots with breathtaking views of the working farm on which they are situated. Learn more about living at Serosun Farms.
Photo Credit: Albert Lugosi via Compfight cc
RSVP now for our March 19 luncheon where we will present Landscaping in an Agrihood
Scroll down for information about this event!
I hope this post finds everyone well and looking forward to Spring! It has been a busy winter on the farm and we are grateful for the milder weather El Nino has brought to the Chicago area.
There have been a number of news stories and articles within the last number of months regarding the popularity and development of “agrihoods” throughout various locations in the United States. Here are three:
UN Report Agrihood article CBS Morning Show
It is exciting for us to see this movement coming to the forefront. Developers are viewing this as a competitive advantage as more consumers prefer to build their new home around a farm versus a golf course.
As Serosun Farms has been in development for a number of years, I’d like to review a little bit of history of how our “Agrihood” has come to be and the direction it is going for the future.
Serosun Farms preliminary plat was recorded in 2009. My brother, John DeWald is the developer and I am the original owner of Serosun Farms.
Serosun Farms originated with the establishment of my horse business called Serosun Farms Equine Sales in 2001. As the housing boom in the early 2000’s started to take place I became very concerned about the encroaching high density developments popping up all around the area surrounding my farm. John suggested I take control of the properties surrounding my 80 acre parcel and create a unique and progressive community that would value the land and the farming heritage in this area. Thus the plan for Serosun Farms, a sustainable farm preservation community was commenced.
When we began proposing this plan early on, the term “agrihood” didn’t exist and people didn’t really understand what we were trying to do. Luckily, Kane County was very progressive in saving farm land at the time and was very interested in our idea and the opportunity it provided for saving land close to the suburbs. Even though the land was zoned for farming under the county, this transitional land typically would get annexed by an adjacent municipality and rezoned for development of some kind.
In order for the land use to allow a combination of residential and farming, the county created and approved a new zoning category for this type of approach and in parallel we developed our concept for the farm community. The approval of the new zoning category coincided with the approval of the preliminary plat for Serosun Farms. This zoning was designated “Agriculture Preservation, Limited Development and was one of the first of its kind in the country to accommodate this land use approach. As the approval came in the midst of the housing crash and subsequent recession, we didn’t proceed with building infrastructure until we felt the market was ready.
We did however continue to develop the farm’s sustainable practices and food program, work on habitat restoration of wetlands, prairie, and savannah woodlands, manage and develop the equestrian operations, advertise and host events on the farm to educate people on the exciting, new lifestyle community to come.
Fast forward to today. 2015 was the year we decided to build the dream. How much the world has changed since our early days of ideas and planning. Local food and transparency of where our food comes from, sustainable building and energy conservation, getting back to nature and a more peaceful way of life, living in a place where health and wellness are a priority from foundation to food. A place where classic American architecture surrounded by stunning pastoral, prairie, savannah, and wetland views are a luxury. Our beautiful farmhouse model home was completed in June of 2015 and the first phase of roads completed in September 2015.
A lot of exciting progress will take place this year including breaking ground of our first new residential homes, the continued progress on the development of the new wetlands, and starting the build out of our production farm including the planting of the apple orchards. The habitat restoration of our existing savannah woodlands and prairie will continue along with the development of our community and equestrian programs.
One of the big mandates for Serosun Farms is education. We will be holding several events this year to enlighten people on what an Agrihood is and how they can be a part of this exciting new lifestyle. Although there are several developments throughout the country creating their version of an agrihood, Serosun Farms is unique in its approach of combining luxury high performance homes, artisan organic food farming, restoration and preservation of natural areas and wildlife habitat, healthy lifestyle activities and entertainment.
Follow us on Facebook for updates and news, go to our website at serosunfarms.com to get information on events and view interesting articles and information as it relates to the development and management of Chicago’s premier Agrihood.
Come out and visit us and see for yourself the progress on this exciting new community!
Our first event will be on March 19 at our new model home. Tentative schedule is:
12:00 – Landscape Seminar
1:00 – Lunch followed with an informal Q&A
Please send an email to Grace (gbagnole@serosunfarms.com) with the number of people you’ll be bringing.
Also, if you haven’t joined our e-list, please do so today so we can keep you up to date on all the happenings here at Serosun Farms. I look forward to seeing everyone!
All the best,
Jane Stickland
Owner, Serosun Farms
In recent years there has been growing concern about the long-term viability of our current industrial oriented agricultural practices. This has spawned a number of movements including the organic farming movement and local farming efforts but the most significant area attempting to address the long term viability of agriculture is the sustainable farming movement. The goal of sustainable farming is to develop and implement farming practices and strategies that will support continued viability of the soils and natural resources necessary for farming on a long [Read more…]
Companion planting involves arranging plants in a garden or farm in such a way that they enhance the growth and quality of nearby crops, provide maximum ground cover, and improve the soil. Companion plants can also be employed to help control insect populations. Varieties of plants may be mixed together with or without the use of distinct rows and often add to the beauty of the garden. [Read more…]
Stuffed zucchini flowers are a great Italian appetizer and a great way to keep from being overwhelmed by the number of zucchinis coming from your garden. There are a variety of ways to prepare these, and with a little practice you can become a master. The basic ingredients are fresh zucchini flowers, a stuffing, and a breading.
Summer is the time to enjoy fresh vegetables from the garden. Whether grillled, steamed, or as part of a salad, there are so many ways to enjoy summer produce. Nothing is better in the summer than fresh corn on the cob from one of the many local farm stands.
Pick some up from:
Goebbert’s – Farm Stand
42W813 Reinking Road (Route 47 and Big timber) in Hampshire
http://www.goebbertsgardencenter.com/about
Prarie View Farm – Farm Stand 48W130 State Route 72 in Hampshire
http://www.prairieviewfarmmarket.com/farmstand.html
Pioneer Farm – Farm Stand
17N400 Big Timber Road in Hampshire
In 1960 Americans spend 17.5% of our income on food and 5.2% went towards health care, compare to 9.9% on food and health care on 16% today.