Polsgrove Hill Farm

Home
United States
Mount Carroll, IL
Polsgrove Hill Farm

Wes and Daniela are recent NW Illinois transplants having moved from the Iowa City area in the fall of 2022.

We tended a garden and raised laying hens on our 1/3 acre suburban plot in Iowa, but always had a dream of a bigger operation. The opportunity to move to an acreage presented itself sooner than expected, but we knew better than to let this one pass us by. We find ourselves lucky to be in welcoming Carroll County, IL and will soon be busy tending to a new market garden, along with a bigger flock, and whatever is next at Polsgrove Hill Farm.

08/30/2026

🌱 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐐&𝐀 🌱

Back for another Sunday, another Q&A!

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? 🥬
We're flattered (and I may have embellished the question a little)! 😄 In the meantime, check out the Jo Daviess Local Foods online market or physical store for lettuce from other great local farms.

New to JDLF? Their online market is open Friday noon–Monday noon, with Tuesday pickups throughout northwest Illinois, including the Davis Community Center in Mount Carroll, 4:15–4:30 PM. Look for our van! 🚐

Questions? We have fliers at our booth at the Mount Carroll Farmers Market, or check out their website.
https://www.jdlf.org/

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 "𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞?
🧅
They're similar, but there's an important difference. Our storage onions have gone through the full curing process, which helps them last for months. Store-bought onions may not have been fully cured, so they may not store as long.

We also use "storage onions" on our signs to differentiate them from our sweet onions and fresh onions, which have different storage qualities.

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠?
Yes! Our last planting of the season will actually go in the ground in October - a large planting of lettuce along with some spinach, arugula, baby kale, and over-winter onions.

The cooler temperatures in fall/winter and shorter days slow the plants' growth, allowing us to harvest over a much longer period. We grow in protected caterpillar tunnels, and when temperatures really drop, we add frost netting over the beds for extra protection. One fun fact: lettuce can tolerate temperatures down to about 20°F!

📸: Flats from last week's planting, the newest seedlings in the grow room, and transplants hardening off in the greenhouse

We're looking forward to next weekend and helping you stock up for your Labor Day fixings! See you at the market!

08/28/2026

We've got some fun new additions headed to the Mount Carroll Farmers Market tomorrow morning 🧺

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤:
🧅 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 & 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 - all three have been fully cured for a long storage life. And if you ask me, shallots are hard to beat as a pizza topping. 🍕 They're also fantastic roasted, sautéed, or added to just about anything that calls for onion.
🌶️ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐬 - if you enjoyed our orange scotch bonnets, these are their darker cousin. They're in the same general heat range - 150,000–300,000 Scoville Heat Units - so these are definitely for those who like their peppers HOT! They taste deeper and earthier with a distinct smoky richness alongside the standard fruit notes
🍓 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 - made with strawberries grown in our fields! All the concentrated strawberry flavor, with a crisp texture that makes them a fun way to enjoy our harvest.

𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦:
🥬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐞.We keep trying... and failing at protecting it from the wildlife. 😩 We have another layer of protection arriving in today, but unfortunately that doesn't help our near-term harvests. On the bright side, arugula had a really good week!
💛 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 - their season is winding down, so grab them while you can.
👀 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 making an appearance this week, but they're in such short supply that I decided not to put them on the list. You'll just have to see what turns up!

📱 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬... For too many reasons, I still don't have a working phone. I thought it might be somewhat refreshing to not be tied to my phone for a while, but it turns out it's not nearly as freeing as I imagined - especially when so much two-factor authentication is tied to my phone number. 😩 So if I'm slower than usual to respond, now you know why!

It's looking like beautiful morning to stroll the market!

📅 Date: Saturday, August 29th
⏰ Time: 8 AM – Noon
📍 Location: Market Street, Mount Carroll, IL.

08/27/2026

🍓 New this Saturday at the Mount Carroll Farmers Market: 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞-𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬!

Earlier this year, we invested in a freeze dryer to help reduce waste on the farm and preserve some of our produce for enjoyment beyond the growing season. First up: 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬!

We've been saving some of the imperfect berries and the ones that are too early in the week to make it to market for freeze drying. The hard part? Not eating them ourselves while we're working in the field! 😂

Freeze-dried strawberries are light, crunchy, intensely strawberry-flavored, and make a great snack on their own. They're also delicious crumbled over yogurt, cereal, or ice cream.

We'll have our first batch at the Mount Carroll Farmers Market this Saturday - come give them a try! 🍓

08/23/2026

🌱 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐐&𝐀 🌱

Another Sunday, another Q&A! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Mount Carroll Farmers Market yesterday and kept the questions coming. Here's what was on your minds this week:

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐢 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬? 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐭? 🌶️
They're sweet! C***o di Toro peppers have little to no heat, so they're similar to a red or yellow bell pepper in that respect. They're generally longer and thinner than a bell pepper, with a thinner skin and a slightly sweeter, more concentrated flavor. They're delicious fresh, roasted, grilled, or sautéed.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐤? 🍅
We do! These are our heirloom slicing tomatoes, not the typical Romas you might think of for canning, but they still work great for sauce, salsa, canning, or just stocking up on tomatoes.

Ask us at the market about our available supply that week - the quantity of seconds varies depending on what we have coming out of the field.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲? 🧅
Next Saturday!

We grow storage onions and shallots specifically so they can keep for an extended period of time, but that means they need to be properly cured for 2–4 weeks before they're ready for storage. Since we've had quite a bit of humidity since harvest, I wanted to give them the full four weeks.

We still had some onions from last year that were just starting to sprout this month, and we used some of last year's shallots on our pizza last Friday night. That's some serious storage power!

Thanks for following along with another week on the farm! There's always something growing, curing, ripening, or surprising us around here. 😄

08/21/2026

No rain in the forecast for tomorrow! 🎉☀️ Celebrate by heading down to the Mount Carroll Farmers Market!

Nothing new this week, but we are well stocked in some summer favorites:
🥒 𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬
🫛 𝐄𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐦𝐞
🧄 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐜
🧅 𝐋𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬
🍅 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬
🍅 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬
🌿 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥
🌿 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐢 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥

🥬 However, 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐞 is taking another break this week. Hopefully it will be back next weekend!

📱 And finally, a little farm-life-meets-technology update: I dropped my phone in a bucket of water this morning. 🤦‍♀️ It's currently turned off for 24 hours while I let it dry out and hope I haven't completely killed it. So if you try to reach me and I don't respond... this is why! I'll be fairly unreachable when I'm away from my computer.

A dry forecast, a great lineup of vendors, and a beautiful summer morning ahead - sounds like a pretty good reason to head to the market! See you tomorrow morning! ☀️🧺

📅 Date: Saturday, August 22nd
⏰ Time: 8 AM – Noon
📍 Location: Market Street, Mount Carroll, IL.

08/16/2026

🌱 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐐&𝐀 🌱

First off, a big thank you to everyone who ventured out to the Mount Carroll Farmers Market yesterday despite the not-so-ideal weather! Thankfully we avoided any storms, and the sprinkles were kinda refreshing.

This week's Q&A comes with a little bit of a confession, a little bit of crop drama, and some hopeful news for fall. 😄

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲?! 🍄
I was excited about them too when I posted on Wednesday! We were harvesting 1–2 pounds a day and production seemed to be increasing.

Then Thursday and Friday happened... and production 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥. We had just a small amount for market, which sold out almost immediately. I'm sorry for getting your hopes up only to dash them!

It's our first year growing Wine Cap mushrooms, so there's definitely some learning happening. We took six containers to the JDLF store on Tuesday, and I had hoped for at least twice that much at the farmers market. Looking back, I wish I had been more transparent in Friday's post - or left them off altogether. A little research says they prefer cooler temps, and that's in the forecast.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝? 🥬
This one is a big 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞.

Between the heat, humidity, birds, and high demand, we're struggling to keep up. We should be harvesting another bed, but the birds have been enjoying it a little too much. I've been reluctant to add more covering since it can trap additional heat.

We may or may not have lettuce next weekend, but I'm really hoping we're back to more reliable harvests soon!

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐤 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥?
Yes! Assuming the bugs don't get to it first. 🐛 We transplanted it last week and gave it some extra protection. We're hoping for a harvest around early October.

It's sharing a bed with our fall kohlrabi, which should be ready shortly after. Two fall favorites in one bed!

Thanks for following along and for all the questions and patience as we figure things out along the way. 💚

08/14/2026

The rain and overcast skies this week did slow down some of our produce, but we're still bringing a fun lineup to the Mount Carroll Farmers Market.

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 - 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲:
🍄 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 - cultivated in our timber! This is our first season growing them, and we're excited to finally have them at the market.
💛 𝐘𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 - tender, crisp, and delicious. And I look forward to all the people who will inevitably call them “yellow green beans.” 😂
🌶️ 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐬 - if you like your peppers hot, these are for you! They pack serious heat along with their fruity flavor.

𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦:
🥬 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐞 is back, but in very limited quantity. We'll take what we can get!
🌿 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥 still needs to be harvested, and we need a long enough break in the rain to get it picked dry. I'm hopeful it will make the final cut for tomorrow!
🧄 The 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐜 is officially cured! It's made it through the curing process, so we're ready to call it what it is.
🍆 𝐄𝐠𝐠𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 is taking a little break this week, but it should be back next weekend.

We'll be there, rain or shine, alongside the other die-hard vendors who brave the weather right along with us. Just please, Mother Nature, hold off on the crazy storms! 🤞🌧️

📅 Date: Saturday, August 15th
⏰ Time: 8 AM – Noon
📍 Location: Market Street, Mount Carroll, IL.

08/12/2026

🍄 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬!

We're trying something completely different this year and growing cultivated Wine Cap mushrooms in our timber. They've been loving all this humidity, and we're starting to see some beautiful mushrooms! We just dropped off a batch at the Jo Daviess Local Foods storefront.

We'll also have them at the Mount Carroll Farmers Market this Saturday!

If you've never cooked with Wine Caps before, they're a meaty, flavorful mushroom that's delicious sautéed, roasted, grilled, or added to soups and pasta. We're excited to hear what you think of our newest crop! 🍄

08/09/2026

🌱 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐐&𝐀 🌱

Another Sunday, another Q&A! You all managed to come up with some particularly fun questions this week. 😄

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭? 👢
Other than my running shoes, they're the most comfortable shoes I own. If it's not too hot outside - or when I'm working in the wash/pack room- I actually prefer to work in them.

If I'm just stepping outside for a minute, they're easy to slip on, which is exactly what happened yesterday morning. I was just going to carry something out to the van, then come back in and change shoes.

Except... the shoe-changing part never happened.

Wes was actually the one who noticed as I was getting out of the van at the market. 🤦‍♀️

Goodness. Another thing to add to my Saturday morning to-do list: 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧? 🫘
I loved getting the question yesterday! My favorite by far (if you don't count edamame) is Dragon Tongue. They're beautiful when raw - creamy white with streaks of purple. Unfortunately, that gorgeous purple disappears when they're cooked.

My favorite way to prepare them is to roast them in the oven or air fryer, or sauté them in a pan. They're a flat bean, so they have plenty of surface area to get nicely browned, and they hold their moisture really well. Basically, everything I want in a bean. 😋

But don't get too excited because we haven't actually planted them yet this year, and we're getting pretty late in the season, so I'm not sure we'll have them. But if you happen to find Dragon Tongue beans somewhere else, definitely give them a try!

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤? 🥬
I hope so!

It's in the ground, but Chinese cabbage also happens to be a favorite of the bugs. So we're keeping our fingers crossed that the plants make it to harvest before the bugs decide otherwise. 🤞

Thanks for following along with the successes, challenges, experiments, and occasional questionable footwear choices. 😄 See you next week!

Address

Mount Carroll, IL
61053

Website

https://www.polsgrovehill.farm/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Polsgrove Hill Farm posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Polsgrove Hill Farm:

Want your business to be the top-listed Food & Beverage Service in Mount Carroll?