We’re so close, so tantalizingly close, to the start of spring–and with it, the start of the farmers’ market season.
But, we’re not quite there yet.
If you don’t want to wait a minute more to get your fresh, local food groove on, don’t. By Saturday, March 16, you could be a member of Triple S Farms’ buying club and start enjoying some of the best meat products money can buy.
I forget how many years ago we started buying our meat and eggs from Stan Schutte and the gang at Triple S Farm in Stewardson, but it’s been a decision we’ve never regretted. You may have seen their stall at the Urbana’s Market at the Square; they’re wedged in between the seating area next to Fryer Tuck (the folks who run them use Triple S Farms meat in their delicious offerings) and Pekara. They sell poultry, pork, and beef raised on their local, certified-organic farm. Until recently they also sold their own eggs; they now carry organic eggs from a neighboring farm.
Being a member of Stan’s buying club affords customers access to meats of unsurpassable quality year round. Members pay a one-time joining fee, which gets subtracted from their last bill, and place a monthly order of any amount. In exchange, they enjoy a 15% discount on every purchase, including those made at the Triple S Farms booth at the market.
Pickup is every third Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. either at the market or, during the winter months, at the Lincoln Square Mall parking lot (so, basically the same spot).
Perhaps my favorite part of being a Triple S Farm customer–aside from reading the news from the farm each month, which Stan includes with every inventory–is the customer appreciation event held every fall. Delicious food, farm tours, hayrides, a bonfire, and awesome live music make for a great kickoff to the harvest season. We always leave feeling very appreciated, indeed.
To get started, simply call them up at (217) 343-4740, or shoot them an email at stan@triplesfarms.com.
Rachael McMillan teaches sixth and seventh grade history at Campus Middle School for Girls. She also tutors at The Reading Group and serves as the education coordinator for Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade retailer in downtown Champaign. She is totally in love with her Chambana life, which she shares with husband Scott, second grader Jack, first grader Kate, and sweet, cooing baby William.