Kinnikinnick Farm

21123 Grade School Road
Caledonia, IL 61011 Kinnikinnick Farm

David and Susan Cleverdon run Kinnikinnick Farm, a thirty-acre organic market garden. David has been farming their land for 11 years and produces a lovely array of mostly vegetables that includes arugula, baby lettuce mix, Italian cooking greens, chicories, heirloom tomatoes, squash, beets, garlic, and shell beans. Susan has an off-farm job at nearby Beloit College.

David does his farm work with the help of a six-person staff—and nine Jack Russell Terriers: Nym, Tinker, Cooper, Spencer, Prudy, Tessa, Riley, Piper and Annie.

Why is growing organic a priority for your family?
We never really asked ourselves that question. The truth is, we never considered growing any other way. Years ago we started our first backyard garden. We read everything about gardening we could get our hands on and concluded that doing it organically was the only way that made sense. I still think that’s the case. After a few years the garden became an integral part of our household economy. It grew and grew. Finally, it got out of hand. And morphed into our farm. The question of priority never arose.

I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s hearing stories of the Holocaust on the one hand and participating in the civil rights movement on the other. As a result, I don’t like purity—of any kind. And that includes organic purity. For instance, I’d rather eat meat or produce grown carefully by one of my non-organic neighbors than meat or produce grown organically by an industrial, corporate organic farm half a continent away. As far as I’m concerned, being organic isn’t a cause or a religion or anything very special. It’s just a common sense way of working and living on God’s green earth.

What is your favorite part of being an organic farmer?
I feel very uncomfortable about the distinctions that are being made currently between organic and non-organic farmers. Farmers are farmers—whether they are organic or not. Both contend with the same set of circumstances: weather, insects, weeds, debt, low prices, machinery breakdowns, crop failures, etc. And both enjoy the same things like independence, being able to work with your hands as well as your head, taking the personal risks involved in producing food for others, and the satisfaction of “pulling it off,” of, God willing, being able to do a very hard job well.

Why should people buy organic products instead of other options?
A lot of things, besides whether something is termed “organic” or not, should go into our decisions about the food we purchase. Who grew it? Was it grown locally? How far has it been shipped? Is it any good? How much does it cost? Is it seasonal? My rule of thumb is that I will buy organic food if it is demonstrably better and not too much more expensive. And preferably local. Organic milk, for example. I love organic milk. It comes from Wisconsin. It tastes so much better that I can’t imagine ever buying conventionally produced milk again. We use the same philosophy when it comes to what we produce. We want everything we grow and sell to be clearly superior in taste, texture, color, etc. than its conventional counterpart.

I know all the stuff about organic crops being nutritionally superior and organic production being better for the planet. On balance, I think that’s usually true. But if an organic crop is shipped across the country, then I think much of its organic advantage is lost to us all—in terms of energy consumption, handling costs, etc. A lousy tomato grown organically in California and shipped to Chicago is still a lousy tomato.

The bottom line is that if you are concerned about the food you and your family eat, then you should get to know the farmer who produced it. And that means buying locally and seasonally—not just organically. I know a lot of farmers who are not “organic” whose food production I would trust because they are careful growers—careful about how their production practices affect their crops, their workers, their family, their farm, their community, and themselves.

What makes your farm special?
Kinnikinnick Farm grows great produce. It is also an endlessly interesting place. For a great number of people, it is a gathering place, a place to come celebrate the passing of the seasons. For some, it also has been a safe spot, a refuge from the world. For others it is where honest work is done, work that men and women have been doing for millennia. For all of us, it is where life quickens and miracles happen.

Where can consumers get your products?
Kinnikinnick produce can be purchased at the Evanston Farmers' Market and Chicago's Green City Market.

For more information about Kinnikinnick Farm, call (815) 292-3288 or send an e-mail to kinnikinnickfarm@yahoo.com.