Family owned diversified farm with CSA and farm stand

Illinois

5 • Updated 5 months ago

This is a family owned farm located in Harvard Il. Our Mission is to grow natural and sustainable foods. We offer CSA shares. We sell vegetables, chicken, and eggs at our on-farm stand, as well as offering pasture-raised poultry. Our joy for growing our own vegetables and desire to raise animals outgrew our suburban home. Therefore in 2015, we decided on a lifestyle change and by fall, we bought 9 acres of land and started our small farm. We are working hard converting this land into a sustainable farm. You can find more about us on our website and also on facebook and Instagram. Organic methods: We only use OMRI approved products for pest control. Certifications: Non-certified Organic but we do Organic growing methods Current projects: High tunnel operations, CSA garden plots, tending farm animals, bee keeping, forestry management, mushroom production. Internet access available

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Sheep or goat farming

Forestry

Beekeeping

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Bakery

Traditional crafts

Methods or systems

Community-supported agriculture (CSA)

Holistic management

No-till farming

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Rotational grazing

Host type

Production farm

Former WWOOFer

3.6 Hectares | 9 Acres

Accommodation

2 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Campsite

Children accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Vegan

Length of stay

1 day (local)

Weekend

Less than a week

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Anna

Member since 2020

Languages spoken: English

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Response rate: 25% Response time: typically within 5 days

Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Illinois

UPNW Metra, ORD airport

My past WWOOFers

Anna has not had any confirmed visits.

Feedback

Morgan

United States • May 2023

I had the most wonderful experience during my time here. This was my first time wwoofing and David was an excellent teacher as I've never had any experience farming before. Although I came before the busy harvest season, there was still plenty to help out with. I got to help feed the animals, collect chicken and duck eggs, water the gardens, help prep the high tunnel for tomatoes and cucumbers, plant strawberries, sow seeds, and even got to drive the tractor! The Evans are all incredibly warm, inviting, and fun to spend time with. David and Sheila were both very accommodating and flexible. They really made me feel like part of the family and were so kind to include me in all their plans from family dinners and game nights to different community events. A big highlight for me was spending time with their daughters, Paige and Anna, who are both such talented creatives and cool people to hang out with. They even took me exploring neighboring towns when we had some down time. The entire family is very passionate about their land, sustainability, and community and they take excellent care of their plants, their animals, and their people. I highly recommend and definitely want to come back!

Laura

United States • July 2021

Wild Roots Farm was an incredible experience for me as a first time WWOOFer. The Evans family is laid back and flexible and really created a community with me and my friend throughout the week that we stayed there. The accommodation across the street from the farm allowed us to have some privacy while still being close enough to be able to go back and forth throughout the day depending on what we needed. We were even able to meet and work with other farmers in the area which gave us great insight on the farming community around Harvard. I will definitely be coming back to my Harvard home; I miss the pups and the chickens already!

Sathya

United States • June 2021

This was our first wwoof day visit and could not have been happier visiting Wild Roots Farm. From the onset Paige (daughter) was very friendly communicating with us and answering any questions we had. On the day of our visit the weather was bright and sunny and allowed us to do and learn a few things around the farm while we were there. We felt extremely welcome & comfortable around Sheilah and her husband David on the Wild Roots Farm. It is quite impressive how much has been accomplished in a few years since they bought the farm in 2015. While at the farm my husband and son helped set up the garden wire mesh for the vegetable patch. They helped hammer some metal posts into the ground. Later they brought the long garden wire mesh and helped attach it to the posts using wires and pliers. The other things we helped was a bit of weeding, transporting the healthy chickens, feeding the ducks, chickens, and egg collection. We enjoyed the short time we spent with the goats as well. We loved playing fetch with Maggie, please do cuddle Willow and Maggie for us. All in all, I would highly recommend anyone wanting to wwoof in the Midwest to consider visiting Wild Roots Farm. We know we would visit them again in the future!

Sara

United States • May 2021

David and Sheilah at Wild Roots Farm were amazing. They hosted us for our very first WWOOFing experience and we couldn't have asked for anything better. They're both very hospitable and made us feel at home immediately. They fed us 3 meals every day that we didn't have other plans for food. David's daughters were there a lot of the time and they were a joy to be around. Sara painted with them and they gave us our first sourdough starter (We've been wanting to learn how to bake sourdough all quarantine). We got to sow seeds, transplant, weed, feed the animals and go foraging. Sean got to chop down his first tree and Sara drove a tractor for the first time. We never felt like we were rushed and when they found out we were sore, they told us to set up our hammocks and relax all day. David and Sheilah patiently showed us the ropes of farm life and were excited about it the whole time. We slept in their neighbor's basement and it was as good as any AirBnB we've been to. She has horses and was more than happy to introduce us. Sara's never been near horses before and was a bit nervous, but Elissa (the owner of the horses) made Sara feel a lot more comfortable around the giants and even offered to take photos. We 100% recommend Wild Roots Farm and plan on coming back!

Chloe

United States • March 2021

Wild Roots Farm is a farm local to me. David reached out to me saying "We aren't by mountains or the ocean but we're close!" I took a chance and visited the farm because I figured why not. And I'm so happy I did! I was welcomed by two fluffy and lovely Aussies named Maggie and Willow. They are the sweetest dogs in the world and certainly good company. David is so polite and incredibly easy to talk to, he is passionate about his land and what he does and he's just a good guy. Shelia is very kind and welcoming and a hard worker. I got to meet two of their daughters, Anna and Paige, both incredible artists and really cool people, and their son Noah. They have the sweetest goats and tons of chickens. Everyone contributes and it's really lovely to see. I'm so happy to be working on this farm. Definitely overlooked Harvard, Illinois for basically the whole time I've lived in the area, but I am glad I am out here now! Thank you David, Shelia, Anna, Paige and Noah for inviting me to your home. I'm so excited to keep learning. You all are so lovely and warm. *The dates of my visit aren't true, I'm just here when I can be :)