Chicago Patchwork Farms is a no-till, organic, and bio-intensive ½ acre urban farm in Chicago, IL. They produce mainly vegetables, eggs, medicinal herbs, preserved foods, honey, cut flowers, and a compost drop-off program. Twice a week, they host a 50 member sliding scale CSA pickup, and a pay-what-you-can farm stand.
Their $5,000 grant from The FruitGuys will fund the purchase of an ice freezer, solar panels, a lean-to structure as well as, extra coolers and compost to support their new “Neighborhood Greens Program.” The program will bring fresh bunched greens to local convenience stores accepting food stamps. The freezer will aid them in producing ice on site, preserving peak freshness of the greens. The solar panel will generate enough power to offset the use of this freezer, and the lean-to will serve as an outbuilding to protect the freezer. The coolers will be used to stock the greens at local convenience stores that do not have adequate refrigeration space.
