“The Seasons on Henry’s Farm” is the new book by author Terra Brockman.
Terra Brockman will be the featured guest speaker at Freeport Public Library to kick off the farmers market season.
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Terra Brockman, author of “The Seasons on Henry’s Farm,” will be the featured speaker for a kickoff event of the University of Illinois.
Extension–Stephenson County local foods initiative.
The event will be held at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday at Freeport Public Library. The event is open to the public and admission is $5. Vendors of Freeport and Lena Farmers Market will be available to answer questions about produce offered at these markets. Freeport Farmers Market opens Saturday and Lena Farmers Market opens May 29.
Brockman will talk about her experiences and observations on the sustainable agriculture at her brother Henry’s farm located in central Illinois. “Seasons on Henry’s Farm,” is organized by weeks, or 52 “micro-seasons.”
“Writing weekly, you could see how different it is to say ‘a spring day in March’ or a ‘spring day in May,’ it almost seems silly to call them both spring,” Brokcman said. “I wanted to show you can have 52 seasons week to week.”
During her presentation she will give a virtual tour of the biodiversity of Henry’s farm, where people make a living tending to 10 acres of more than 650 varieties of vegetables.
“I want to talk about the reality – which is a lot of manual labor,” she said. “When you’re not using pesticides there’s a lot of weeding and hoeing.”
The end result is produce that has amazing flavor, she said. Part of her presentation will include the impact of making daily choices to buy locally produced foods versus food shipped miles away from industrial farms.
“To make those purchasing decisions – yes, you may be paying a few more cents, but you’re doing something really good for your body, for your community for the environment and also a lot of times just for the pleasure of eating something really fresh,” she said.
Margaret Larson, County Director for the University of Illinois Extension said she has worked with Brockman on past statewide events and listened to her presentations.
“She has beautiful photographs to share of Henry’s farm,” Larson said.
Brockman has written extensively on food and agriculture and how it affects the environment. Brockman is also the founder of The Land Connection, an educational nonprofit involved in beginning farmer training.
For more information, visit www.extension.illinois.edu/stephenson or call (815) 235-4125.
If you go
What: Author Terra Brockman
When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Freeport Public Library
Cost: $5.
