Farmers' markets are usually the best places to get fruits and vegetables directly from local growers. But fewer are open during the winter. One local company is closing that gap one delivery at a time.
Workers brave the cold of a 36-degree cooler to hand-pack customer orders of fresh fruits and veggies. Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks in north suburban Niles only carries food that's organically-grown and sustainably-made. They deliver custom orders directly to your door.
"We go all year round, so when some of the other seasonal choices go away, we still have a lot of local items, even in the winter with the storage crops and greenhouse growing and all the dairy and eggs and meat," said Shelly Herman, Irv And Shelly's Fresh Picks co-owner.
In some cases, there are no local options available. Pineapples are from Dole but are certified organic. The company's primary goal, though, is to serve as a direct link between local farmers and Chicago-area consumers.
Shelly Herman knows most of the growers personally and visits their farms. She carries items you might not find in large grocery store chains like yogurt from grass-fed cows in Indiana or lamb from downstate Mint Creek Farm.
"There's never any hormones, no antibiotics, no GMO-feed for any of the animals in the meats that we carry," said Shelly.
Customers can choose weekly or occasionally from a list of offerings. They can also order a seasonal box that changes based on what's in abundance. This week's box included sunchokes, turnips, mushroom patties and spinach. They also enclose recipes.
"Whatever we're getting the most of, we pass that benefit on to our customers. So it's a good value. Our delivery fee is only $5.50. It doesn't cover our costs of handling and delivery, but we want all types of people to be able to use our service," said Shelly Herman.
Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks will be among more than 100 exhibitors at the Family Farmed Expo next weekend at the UIC Forum. It's the Midwest's premier local food event. The expo runs from Thursday through Saturday. It will feature educational workshops plus celebrity chef demos -- including one by rick Bayless. You can get all of the details at www.familyfarmed.org>.
