Welcome to the Mulberries Farm and Orchard. We have dedicated our small family farm in Homer, IL, and our gardens in Champaign, IL, to growing fruits, berries, and vegetables without pesticides and herbicides.
SUSTAINABLE TO THE CORE
OUR MISSION AND GOALS: We believe that growing crops organically reproduces vital resources and can increase resources and energy that we rely on for food crop production: soil, water, wind and sun. Our goal is to grow apples, berries, and vegetables for our family, friends, and customers using organic growing practices. We aim to make our farm and orchard ecologically sustainable so that healthy soil, water and environments are as much our products as high quality fruits and vegetables.
WHO WE ARE: Our farmer, MJ Walker, is a musician, singer/songwriter, and outdoor educator with a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology who brings her love of everything that grows to nurturing beautiful food. Partner Wendy Heller is a Psychology Professor who helps to harvest and create dishes that bring out the best of our produce (visit our blog, For the Love of Greens: Recipes and ideas from the Mulberries Farm and Orchard).
WHAT WE GROW: The summer of 2011 we grew greens (Red Russian kale, romaine lettuce, turnip, escarole), green and regular onions, potatoes, beets, carrots, peas, beans (rattlesnake, black valentine, and soybeans for edamame), corn, squash, basil, mint, parsley, and comfrey. As for which of these made it to harvest, well, the escarole bolted, but it looks like we'll get a fall crop. We got some potatoes but not really enough for our CSA. The beans and corn didn't do as well as we would have liked either; the hot, dry months of July and August encouraged a huge proliferation of insects. However, the greens are really thriving this fall.They are just glowing with health and the wet, cool weather is really perfect for them!
FUTURE CROPS: MJ has planted about 50 heirloom apples trees, in various stages of maturity. They include Black Oxford, Burgundy, Regent, Sweet Winesap, Yellow Transparent, Mandan, Norland, Liberty, Freedom, Honeycrisp, Chestnut and Sargent Crabapple, Magog Redstreak, Fameuse, and Red Baron varieties. She has also planted elderberries, paw paws, chestnuts, pears, and cherry trees.
HELPING OUT: MJ is also keeping bees. She supports our bees by feeding them in the winter when times get tough and by mounding straw bales around their hives to keep them warm. In return our bees help to pollinate our veggies, fruits, and berries.
Red Russian Kale growing next to one of our beehives, alongside some volunteer marigolds.
Contact us at: mulberriesfarm@gmail.com for information about our products, our CSA, our occasional farm stand, or if you'd like to be on our mailing list.
