We grow healthy.
The Conservation Foundation’s Green Earth Harvest program is devoted to healthy soil, healthy vegetables, healthy people, and healthy communities. We create a place where local farmers and eaters who value responsibly grown, delicious food come together to do their part to support local farming, care for our earth, and delight in exploring the seasonal harvest.
Learn more about the “best kept secret in Naperville” by stopping by the farm and visit us at our Thursday farm stands this summer!
Want to receive updates on all things Green Earth Harvest? Sign up for our monthly newsletter.
About The green earth harvest Program
For over 20 years, we’ve used the shareholder approach as the primary method of selling the produce we grow here at McDonald Farm. We also grow for our summer farmstand and occasionally sell to restaurants to support the overall program, but our shareholders are the main focus and lifeblood of our farm!
Shareholders
Through our farmshare model, members of the community purchase a “share” of the farm’s anticipated harvest in advance of the season, becoming “shareholders,” which guarantees their share of our season’s harvest. In exchange, we plant, cultivate, harvest, and distribute a bountiful selection of organic vegetables and herbs. 2023 is our 21st year of growing for our community!
Farm Experience
We offer shareholders a unique opportunity to experience a real working farm right here in Naperville! Throughout the summer, there are many opportunities to connect with the farm such as U-pick days (peas, green beans, and cherry tomatoes), Pizza Nights on the Farm, farm tours, and summer camps. Shareholders enjoy visits from our local farm partners who bring their local fruit, meat, eggs, milk, flowers, organic grains, flour, and breads!
community partners
In addition to being a program of The Conservation Foundation, we partner with other nonprofits and local farms to bring our communities together on this precious protected land. During our growing season, we typically donate around 5,000 pounds of produce to Loaves and Fishes, a local food pantry supporting those in need. Please let us know if you’re interested in partnering with us, we’d love to hear from you.
ORGANIC & SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
We are proud to say that our crops are USDA certified organic produce. Our farming practices meet the strict standards of the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). Annually, our farm undergoes a rigorous certification renewal process that involves detailed documentation of our field plans, pest mitigation, sources for seeds (and other inputs), and produce handling processes. We practice crop rotation, plant cover crops, utilize natural inputs to nurture the soil, and don’t use any non-organic approved fertilizers to help ensure the highest quality of soil fertility possible, giving you incredibly nutritious – not to mention delicious – veggies!
Farmshare Options
You’ll have a few options to make your farmshare experience just the right one. First, you’ll select the size share that’s right for your home – our Standard Size Share is between 8 – 9 veggie units per pickup and our Personal Size Share is between 5 – 6 units per pickup. You’ll then determine the best pickup location and frequency – you’ll either come to McDonald Farm in Naperville or one of our off-farm pickup sites every week or every other week to pick up your freshly-harvested produce. We offer organic produce home delivery for select zip codes in Naperville!
At every pickup, you’ll select exactly which vegetables you’d like to take home from our harvest, allowing you to make your veggie farmshare experience exactly right for you!
Picking Up Vegetables
Check out what it’s like to pick up a share at the farm and see what a veggie “unit” looks like by joining Lea at a pickup!
Recipe collection
Wondering how to use your fresh, seasonal produce? We’ve got ideas! In our carefully curated Recipe Repository, you’ll find vegetable storage and preparation tips, along with a whole catalog of recipes we’ve collected over the years. When you become a shareholder, you’ll also receive our farm’s weekly newsletter with recipe inspirations for the harvest, a “Veggie of the Week” spotlight to help you learn more about what’s being grown, and other resources to make your farmshare experience one you’ll look forward to week after week and year after year.
Connect With Us
You are always welcome to contact Green Earth Program Coordinator Sheryl Fasone with any questions about Green Earth Harvest. Email her at sfasone@theconservationfoundation.org or call her at (630) 428-4500, Ext. 154.
