Green Earth Institute

Our family has been a member of the GEI CSA for 5 years and are eagerly anticipating year 6. We participate because it gives us the opportunity to have an interesting supply of very fresh vegetables on (for us) a biweekly basis. The varieties vary with the seasons-​just as your backyard garden releases it’s bounty. We have been exposed to a number of new vegetables– Hakuri turnips anyone? Don’t be afraid, they are unlike those in the local groceries. The weekly newsletter introduces recipe suggestions and a number of other features to aid preparation and storage of the selections. At the food pickup there is an opportunity to quiz Steve, the founder, or Duncan, the farm manager, about food and farm related topics. Volunteering at the farm is an adventure that many members find rewarding. There are a number of different opportunities. Check out the CSA at the website

Excited to start the second year of our CSA with Green Earth Institute! You want local? The farm is less than a mile from my house! You want organic? The CSA is the best organic produce bargain out there. You want fresh? Last summer we picked our own tomatoes and green beans off the vine and had them for dinner that night. The GEI CSA fulfills almost all hipster criteria. How cool to say you get your produce from a local farm?
Last year we got a half share of veggies. So every other week we would load up two-​three grocery bags of veggies from the bins at the farm. We got: bok choy, butter lettuce, red lettuce, kale, green onions, Swiss chard, carrots, big tomatoes, small tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, potatoes, sage, jalapeño, beets, and so much more including one squash like thing that I never figured out what it was. Eek.
Sound scary? The good news is that every week you receive an email with great recipes for the veggies you pick up. You will be eating healthier AND supporting eating locally. Win win
If you are on the fence, join. As a farmer’s market junkie a CSA is a bargain.

I am picking up my brother and sister in law’s weekly crop share for the next few weeks and today was my first experience with the Green Earth Institute and Farmer Steve. I didn’t know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised with how much fun it was to watch my 2 year old daughter pick every veg and put it in our tote and how great the quality was of everything we got and knowing that it’s incredibly fresh, organic and from local farmers. The staff was great! They gave my daughter a stool that she would climb up on, pick the veggies, step down, put it in the tote and continue to the next bin. This week was great with a bunch of tomatoes, potatoes, kale, scallions, garlic, peppers, bok choy, carrots, parsley, and watermelon. You were also able to buy more tomatoes if you wanted to. I can’t wait until next Friday!

I don’t have a CSA with them but I did call with organic gardening questions. I spoke to Steve Tiwald, he was more helpful than anyone. Extremely knowledgable. I would love to volunteer just to learn from them — what a great local resource!

We’ve just begun our second year as ‘weekly pick-​up’ members of The Green Earth Institute’s CSA. Steve Tiwald (aka ‘Farmer Steve’) does an unbelievable job running this organic farm unassumingly tucked away in Naperville.
Rather than spell out the details regarding membership here, I’d recommend you visit their website
to learn the specifics.
I look forward to our weekly pick-​up the way a kid anticipates Christmas morning; it’s really fun to see what you’re going to end up with each week, and even more fun to figure out different ways to eat it. The quality of the vegetables is second to none, and thanks to Farmer Steve, my family and I have tried things we’ve never even heard of before joining the CSA (like kohlrabi, celeriac, and Harukei turnips). And everything is organic to boot!
The opportunity to teach kids that vegetables don’t magically appear at Jewel is invaluable, and the gang at Green Earth Institute has some great summer programs geared toward children. Belonging to the CSA has helped us educate our son about the importance of eating locally and knowing the people who grow your food. You’d be amazed at what he’ll eat if we tell him Farmer Steve grew it!
I realize CSAs aren’t for everyone, but if they happen to be your thing, you cannot go wrong with the Green Earth Institute!

This is a special review for a diminishing breed: Stinky Suburban Hippies.
Just kidding, of course. In truth, the vast majority of folks you’ll encounter at McDonald Farm site for the Green Earth Institute blend into mainstream suburban society, where there is little stinkiness. But you’ll bump into people you know here — the other closeted organic food people, democrats and agnostics — and when you do, you’ll say to each other «ahhh, you’re one of us.» Once the reunions are complete, you can buy good stuff — what my nutritionist calls «ground food.» It’s organic, but more importantly, it’s local and from a farm striving for sustainability. You can buy a share of land and get weekly parcels of vegetables and herbs, officially becoming engaged in Community-​Supported Agriculture.
I haven’t purchased a share of land yet since I was late getting into the game this year, but what I bought at their Green Earth Day fair was fantastic. Next season we plan to become members and enjoy the good stuff. I’ll update you then. I enjoyed walking the grounds and talking to the people who work there — zero affectation.
Until then, I will enjoy tricking my neighbors with the aerial shots of the farm with surrounding subdivisions. «Check this out… crop circles!»