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Delightful Flower Farmers

I have a confession to make. Sometimes, in the course of my week, I make too much food. Sound like a good problem to have? Well, it seems to be alarmingly common in our affluent country. My excuse is that I develop recipes for a living, so I test recipes even when I already have food to eat. My family, friends and neighbors all benefit from my overproduction, but more often than I would like, things go to waste. That half a jar of tomatoes for the pizza I made a couple of weeks ago got ignored when I moved on to testing dessert recipes.

Common Ground is covering all the breakfast bases with it's NEW line of Breafast Sandwiches. These sandwiches are made with local eggs and bacon, Ropp cheese. fresh Pekara sourdough bagels, and for vegetarians, house-made seitan. If bagels aren't your thing, they have hot steel cut oatmeal every morning for $1.29 a cup. In the deli case they recently launched a new line of gluten free muffins, vegan scones, and absolutely delicious cinnamon rolls. Be sure to grab a cup coffee and healthy snack for later. Best of all, Breakfast Sandwiches are served all day!

Hundreds of different types of bacteria and yeast, our gut biome, live in our small and large intestine. The beneficial microbes are called probiotics (pro: for biotic: life) and help support overall digestive health.  When the biome is balanced, probiotic strain populations keep pathogenic microbes such as e. coli and c. albicans at bay. Probiotics produce short-chain fatty acids from insoluble dietary fiber and vitamins K2, B12, biotin and folate, necessary for cellular energy production and proper calcium absorption.

What does your farm name mean to you? How did you choose this name?

We came up with the name Queen Anne's Lace as we love the wildflower that blooms abundantly along the fence lines and open fields here in Illinois.  It’s sort of a “bloom where you’re planted” reminder for us.  When we grew and sold flower bouquets they were the signature of each posy. Our natural and organic body care line is also rich in wild crafted botanicals, herbs and essential oils and so the name continues...

Here at Common Ground we love making things from scratch.

Our motto is if it can be made from local, organic, fair trade ingredients, we're in! That's why right now our deli counter is serving a rich and creamy housemade, from-scratch hot chocolate. With  chocolate syrup made right here at the co-op, local Kilgus milk or milk alternative and your choice of housemade whipped cream you'll be gushing over this wintertime delight. Winter wouldn’t be the same without it! 

Common Ground's Sustainability Committee has been very busy this past year. Since January, we've been tracking and reporting metrics to the National Cooperative Grocer's Co+Efficient program to see what our environmental impact performance actually is, and how it compares with similar sized co-ops across the country.

What does your farm name mean to you? How did you choose this name?

Our name means heritage, we are a fifth generation farm and having our family name representing our cheese proves our passion for a quality product.

Where is your farm located? How many miles do you travel to reach Common Ground? We are located in Fithian, Illinois about 22 miles East of Common Ground.

What do you produce/grow/raise? What is your signature product?

As a member of Common Ground’s Sustainability Committee, I recently attended a workshop and conversation at the University of Illinois hosted by The Institute for Sustainability, Energy & the Environment (iSEE). As a committee, we are very interested in exploring ways that Common Ground can extend efforts toward our 4th End: Our local food system is equitable, robust, and environmentally sound.

We love warming foods during the colder months when the weather gradually becomes cooler. Here is a great recipe for Common Ground Chili using Triple S Farms ground beef and avocado. Click here for a printable version.