SEEDS OF LOVE

Newlyweds Elizabeth and Peter Grubbe fell in love over organic arugula and heirloom tomatoes. It is hard to imagine a more fitting beginning for these two first-generation farmers, who own one of northern Illinois’ largest organic farms— Middlebury Farm.

Peter has been growing and selling produce almost his whole life. When he was in sixth grade, his family moved to a rural area in Barrington Hills. The previous owner had left behind a one-acre garden complete with a deer fence and irrigation. With inspiration and guidance from his father, Peter began growing organic vegetables on this plot and selling them to local restaurants and to neighbors. “It was my summer job throughout middle school and high school,” he recalls.

“Eventually I outgrew that one-acre garden farm that we had. And when I was out of high school, I purchased 20 acres in Harvard, Illinois.” He dubbed that acreage Middlebury Farm.

Middlebury Farm is certified organic by the USDA. No chemicals are used on the farm and only non-GMO certified organic seeds are planted. Business is flourishing; the farm produces over 40 varieties of fruits and vegetables including garlic, lettuce mix, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, beans, peas, tomatoes, onions, and scallions. They sell their produce through their CSA Farm Boxes, at two area farmers markets, and to local restaurants.

“Elizabeth has brought a lot to the table. She’s helped expand our CSA customer base and restaurant base. She’s working on social media and skilled in many areas that I am not,” Peter says. In addition, Elizabeth has now taken half an acre of land and is growing zinnias, sunflowers, and snapdragons.

While Elizabeth’s professional background is in event planning and community engagement, like Peter, she has a green thumb backstory. Growing up in McHenry County, her family were avid gardeners who had long been involved in conservation. “Meeting Peter was just the perfect way of getting out of the corporate world and using all my skills while being outside and running our own business,” she explains.

From May through October, you can look for Elizabeth and Peter on Saturdays at the Palatine Farmers Market, and on Sundays at the Farmers Market in Crystal Lake at the Dole Mansion.

During their busy season, Peter and Elizabeth operate on a demanding schedule dictated by Mother Nature. “We’re up early, at sunrise, to spend about four hours working on morning harvest with our crew,” they share. “After the harvest, we wash all of the vegetables and pack them in our packing house to prepare them for delivery that day. Deliveries go out at one o’clock in the afternoon. When we’re done with deliveries, we then get busy planting the fields on dry days, cultivating with our tractor, direct seeding our lettuces, or planting our beet seeds and carrot seeds. It’s really nonstop for about six months of the year.”

Peter and Elizabeth find so much joy in this traditional profession. It is a joy created when two kindred spirits find a common goal—nurturing their friends, family, neighbors, and themselves with bountiful harvests of colorful, fresh flowers and healthy, delicious produce.

For more information, visit middleburyfarms.com.