ChiliTrout Farm

07/13/2024

Heya peeps.
Well, some old friends got this thing going despite my reluctance. I have mixed feelings.
I have a hard time asking for help, let alone accepting it.
I definitely wasn't going to do it before...but over a dozen friends, customers and customer - friends (and even 2 or 3 of my restaurants!) said go do this.
So as I was doing a buncha mental gymnastics and moral judo on myself, my old buddy Lon, and to a lesser extent Michael, and Mark said straight up..."Look buddy, this is gonna happen. Get used to it! Just lay back and think of England..." Well, I might have been paraphrasing the last bit but the sentiment was the same.
This is for THE FARM.Not for medical bills,etc. I can't work at all with this thing right now or on good days, can barely work. I've thrown away tons of veggies and 200 doz eggs. :( ...but farm bills are still coming in. This is the crunch season....and....well, hell, Mike says it a lot better than I do in the description section.
Read that at least so you know what's up and going on. Donate or don't. We'll always be friends xo

For those of you on FB, you have likely seen some of Chad’s recent posts… Michael Ells needs your support for Help Chad and Preserve ChiliTrout's 2024 Harvest

07/12/2024

Howdy Folks!!
Just wanted to reach out and mention very briefly and thank for all of the wonderful and essential help that you good people have been giving me these last 4.5 weeks.... especially the last most trying weeks. First the wrist and ribs, but then the detached retina and multiple emergency surgeries.
I couldn't have keep the farm (and life!) afloat with out out.
I haven't been able to shop or cook for the family so first big shouts to everyone who brought food...Alex, Gene and Fran, Midge, my whole Huron Street familirs/crew, and my fellow farmers of The Sanderson Family!!
Big thanks to Marty and Betty for helping on the farm with labor!! Chloe, Jenine, Mike Ells and Katib.
And couldn't have done anything at all without Matt and Chris Klein.(Of Klein Farms obviously!)
All my love to my Burlington UMC families too.
As the doctor said..."I wish I could say we are wrapping this up....we aren't. But it's better to think of this as the middle of a process. And this process requires support. And it seems like you have a great team."
And I do xox

06/23/2024

Lot's of the ol' tough news on the farm lately, but actually raining right now!! First significant rain in almost 30 days! Many neat misses, first hit.
I would include a photo, but it's nighttime...and hopefully you know what rain looks like 🌧️
Woohoo!!!!

03/05/2024

The view right now from the farm in Burlington looking North towards Hampshire and beyond...
Hopefully no tornadoes or hail this time! 😅🤠👍

09/22/2023

Just a lil reminder about tomorrow...come on by! Cool stuff from tons of good folks including yours truly

09/20/2023

Last pop-up of the year!! This time we are once again w/the fine ladies at Sideshow Gallery for a witchy Fall 🍁 event! Many other awesome (!) vendors...and live music at the end. This Saturday the 23rd, 1-6pm...
2219 N. Western
Tomatoes, winter and summer squash, potatoes, apples, melons , eggs (naturally!) and lots more!! Come by to say hey and check out the other vendors! 🎃

09/03/2023

Farmer's Market pop-up thingy! This Wednesday, Sept 6th at Green Eye Lounge (2403 w. Homer) from 4 to 6:30...will be one of the last of the year, so come on out dear people! Lots of tomatoes of 8 different varieties, peppers both hot and sweet, some greens, melons (cantaloupe and watermelon at least!), zucchini, herbs (fresh rosemary oregano and basil), and even more than I can list.... and the last of the sweet corn! And of course....🥚eggs! Come on out and grab something, say "hi", a couple drinks and tip your bartender heavily! Questions welcome below...

08/27/2023

Sorry no photos this time, just too busy! (Send them if you have though!) But thanks again to all the folks that turned out for the Archie's pop-up Market thingy! Attendance was wonderful as were you all. Couldn't do it without you...and hope you enjoyed all the veggies, fruit, flowers and eggs (and conversation)! If anyone has any questions, never hesitate to ask- either here or PM/DM/text me.
Also thanks again to Jeff for being an excellent bartender as always and Katrina for hosting and support (as always)!! Love you guys 🤠🥰
Stay tuned for another pop-up very soon... perhaps Green Eye 💚? It's in the works! Stay tuned for details!

08/25/2023

Just a reminder that I am doing a pop-up Farmers Market thingy today (Friday)at Archie's Iowa Rockwell Tavern !
4 to 6:30! Lil bit of everything..and not too much of anything (except perhaps plenty of corn and tomatoes 😉)
But will even be bringing fresh rosemary, basil and oregano! Lots of cantaloupe too! And did I say apples before ? Well, heck yes we have some! (See previous post for other items)
And here's a photo of me and one of my friends for eye candy....see you later!

08/21/2023

Solo pop-up Farmer's Market thingy at Archie's Iowa Rockwell Tavern this Friday, the 25th....4:00 to 6:30!
Summer squash, greens, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers (both hot and sweet! Many varieties!) And at least 7 varieties of heirloom tomatoes! Pints of cherry tomatoes...and the first of this year's melons! (Yippee)
And sweet 🌽 corn!!! And much more... Also as always.....eggs! All organic and free range! Or just come by, grab a drink, say howdy and drink/tip heavily 🤠 Bartending and Farming are tough jobs! Cash and Venmo for the farm, drinks from Jeffrey are cash and card

08/17/2023

Turn sound on for a stellar narrative piece 🙄😅🤠

08/04/2023

Guess what a crust-less spinach pie looks like when made with only ChiliTrout Farm eggs? Orange as hell is the answer!! 😅🥚🤤

07/24/2023

Veggie stuff!

07/23/2023

Watermelon got a slow start because of the drought,but coming along nicely now! Here are my 2 favorite varieties good ol' Sugar Baby...and the money melon Black Diamond!
Final couple photos are from my new sunflower variety called the Velvet Queen. The Goth sunflower 🖤..Looks amazing (even with my dumb head in it) Even the organic version will grow a foot taller and the head quite a bit wider (the flower, not my head). Enjoy! 🍉🌻

07/17/2023

And finally, a classic variation on some Mom used to make...

The slightly sweet squash and onions are a nice contrast with the creamy savory filling in this blue ribbon winning casserole recipe. Try it tonight!

07/17/2023

This one was really good too (and simple!)

Baked Parmesan Yellow Squash Rounds...an easy and delicious squash recipe requiring just two ingredients: summer squash and grated Parmesan!

07/17/2023

Summer squash is really (really!) coming in!!
Here are some ideas if you would like to try!
But personally I use them all of time is Chinese & Thai stir fry and use the larger one in a quick over bake style (with a cubed sweet potatoes a lil olive oil and cumin OR olive oil & Italian style spices (never both...either cumin or Italian...I find using both an unfortunate combination 😅)...
Or here is another recipe....

"This was the summer that everything changed because this was the summer nothing felt easy"

07/02/2023

Hello good people!!
Doing a pop-up market thingy with the good ladies at Sideshow Gallery! Will take place next week ... Saturday, July 8th from 1 to 6pm.
Sideshow Gallery: your metaphysical supply store
2219 N Western Ave, Chicago
A fantastic, wide array of goods and goodies there for all of your star, spell and taxidermy needs! If you have never been, you are in for an absolute treat. All of the vendors are amazing!
And I'll be there too!

05/20/2023

I do love the first wave of color and flowers on the farm...but I think the 2nd wave is underrated.
The flowering apple, crabapple and other fruit trees, the forest wildflowers and the other flora is just amazing out here in the spring.
I do like the tulips, crocus and daffodils of course...but give me the fruit trees, flowering trees and the forest flowers any day!! 🌱🌿🏵️🌸

04/17/2023

02/23/2023

Woke up and wasn't sure what time it was...phone still off to save power. Was daylight sorta...6? 7? 9? Digital clock was flashing, so at least we had power now.
Thought about sleeping a few minutes more, but the morbid curiosity of all those pops and crashes in the dark of night during the ice storm got me out of bed.
Got my chore clothes on and stepped out. Thought it was raining at first...sounded like it. It wasn't. Just hundreds of branches dripping thousands of droplets and little shards of ice. Crazy. Very loud.
So...we lost 3 or 4 trees in the yard, and at least 5 in the forest. One wiped out a big chunk of the goat pasture fence and missed the big propane tank by inches. (It's draped around it on 2 sides!) Here are some fun pics of the aforementioned. Would have done more exploring but had a couple close calls with falling ice already, and the chickens were not being very understanding about me missing the night tuck in/check-in/egg grab/treats and are raising a ruckus....they can hear me swearing but haven't seen me yet...😅.. Thankfully nothing hit the house...! Silver linings I guess 🙄🤠

09/08/2022

Hey good people!
I screwed up. The last few years to help make ends meet, I have been partnering w/a couple other farms for custom pork/beef. Organic, hormone free, humanely raised. Well, I changed phones AND lost my notes on who ordered pork sides and beef sides this year!! Ugh! And since this last Covid bout last month my usually well above average memory is p**p! Well, packing house dates are quickly approaching! I have Jackie & co down,Jason and Dixie.. for pork .(& Eric & Lauren , and David Y for beef). IF you ordered some and aren't amoungst them please PM/DM me!
Also, if any of you out there want to get involved, DM or text me to get details.... because it looks like I may have an extra half or whole 😔🙄
It's not cheap, BUT is cheaper that other products of it's type/category...and way cheaper than the high end (Whole Foods/Trader Joe/fancy butcher) stuff that it is comparable to!.. again, DM or text for details.....thanks!!!!

08/29/2022

Right on the nose with this one....

08/29/2022

Thanks everyone who came out for the pop-up!! We'll do it again soon...both at Archie's Tavern and other locations coming soon! (They aren't set in stone yet,but probably the usual suspect's locales 🤠)
Giant thanks for Vivian for doing a wonderful job behind the bar, and to Katrina for hosting!!! And Josh P for being the man with the kitchen scale that I remembered forgetting only after driving over an hour after leaving the farm...Next time the 1.5 hour drive won't take almost 3 hours 🙄
Stay tuned for more pop-ups good people AND never be afraid to DM/PM/text me if you haven't seen me often enough! Thank YOU!!!XO

08/23/2022

Howdy folks!! We will be doing a pop up Farm Stand this Saturday, the 27th, at Archie's Tavern!!!! (2600 w. Iowa...Iowa & Rockwell). Starts and 3:30, goes until 6:30 or I run out.
We will be selling pints of grape/cherry tomatoes, 4 kinds of heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, tons of hot pepper varieties, three kinds of sweet peppers, various greens, broccoli, cauliflower, and.... awesome sweet corn....and the first of the watermelon!!! And our famous award winning eggs of course! 🏆There will be other surprise items too... perhaps cantaloupe, perhaps apples, maybe some of my kick-a** radishes??? Who knows what else...stop by to find out and stay for beers & cocktails!!! There won't be many pop-ups this year for ChiliTrout Farm - so don't miss out!!!