Polsgrove Hill Farm

06/15/2026

🌱 Polsgrove Hill Bonus Q&A 🌱

I realized we've done a pretty poor job of sharing our story with newer followers. Even people who have known us for a while are often surprised to learn that when we moved to Mount Carroll, becoming market farmers wasn't part of the plan at all. The CliffNotes version of our story...

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥, 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬?

We moved from the Iowa City area in the fall of 2022. Our goal was to slow down our lives, work toward greater self-sufficiency, and eventually leave our corporate careers behind.

When we started looking for a new home, we focused on the Driftless Area, targeting somewhere between Decorah, IA and Madison, WI. One day we drew an oval on a map and realized our search area dipped into Illinois.

We were on our way to look at a different property when our future home hit the market. We decided to swing by for a look.

The land was exactly what we were hoping for (although at the time we weren't planning on being market farmers), and I immediately fell in love with the house. It was unique, full of character, and definitely not the typical farmhouse I had been trying to avoid.

A few days later our offer was accepted, and we began frantically researching an area we knew almost nothing about. 😄

𝐒𝐨... 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬?

Nope!

Our original plan was simply to grow food for ourselves. After moving here, we visited the Mount Carroll Farmers Market a few times and noticed there weren't many dedicated produce vendors.

We asked the market managers whether that was because there wasn't enough demand or not enough supply. They told us there was strong demand for fresh, local produce.

Wes had the idea that maybe we could take our years of backyard gardening experience and help fill that need.

What started as a way to supply a little more fresh produce to the community has turned into four seasons at the Mount Carroll Farmers Market, partnerships with local businesses, and a farm that has become a much bigger part of our lives than we ever imagined.

And we're incredibly grateful it did. 💚

📸: Us, before, now, home

06/14/2026

🌱 Polsgrove Hill Weekly Q&A 🌱

First off- thank you all! We are officially sold out of Rhubarb Vanilla Jam for the season. We were able to make one final batch with this season's rhubarb, and we're glad we did. Thanks to everyone who picked up a jar! 💚

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬?
You all LOVE your radishes!

Our latest planting is looking beautiful and is certainly enjoying the cooler temperatures. We're hoping for a July 4th harvest, though it may end up being just after that. The bigger question is whether they will be ready to harvest before summer heat turns them tough. Stay tuned!

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲?
Yes! Leeks are one of my favorite ingredients to grow, and we've been growing them for many years.

Last year we battled poor germination followed by an impressive crop of weeds, which significantly reduced our harvest. This year is looking much better. There's still a few months to go before they'll be market-ready, but we typically start harvesting around Labor Day.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐚𝐥𝐞?
We love that you love the baby kale! But yes, we do grow full-sized kale as well and can harvest it upon request. Some recipes are just better with mature leaves. The challenge is keeping it looking fresh enough for market display, so we usually harvest it as needed.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭?
One reason we switched to our zip-top bags last winter was so you could store your greens right in the bag and reuse it later. If you thought our lettuce stayed fresh for a long time, arugula has it beat. Simply keep it refrigerated in the bag, and it should stay fresh for at least a week.

Thanks for all the great questions! Keep them coming—we love sharing what's happening behind the scenes and what's headed your way in the weeks ahead. 🌱

06/12/2026

The crops loved the rain... and so did we (and the cooler temps)! 🌧️💚

Everything seemed to put on a growth spurt this week, and we're excited to bring some new additions to the Mount Carroll Farmers Market tomorrow morning.

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤:
🥦 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢 - one of our favorite spring crops, perfect roasted, grilled, or sautéed.
🌱 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢 (𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫) - think of it as a mashup between cauliflower and broccolini, with a sweet, nutty flavor and tender stems from top to bottom.
🫛 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐬 - just a small first harvest, but we're excited to finally have them on the table!

𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬:
🥬 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐞
🌱 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 (𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰):
🥕 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐬 - just a small harvest this week.
🤍 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐬 — also a small harvest, and likely your last chance until next spring.

🍓 𝐑𝐡𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐛 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐦 may also be making its final appearance for the season. When it's gone, it's gone!

The market is packed with vendors tomorrow, so grab a coffee, stroll the booths, and enjoy everything the season has to offer. ☀️🧺

📅 Date: Saturday, June 13th 2026
⏰ Time: 8 AM – Noon
📍 Location: Market Street, Mount Carroll, IL.

06/12/2026

🤍 Late addition to tomorrow's Mount Carroll Farmers Market list: Sprouting Cauliflower! 🤍

I didn't think it would be ready yet... but here we are.

We actually grew sprouting cauliflower several years ago in our backyard garden and fell in love with the flavor. This is the first time we've brought it back on a larger scale.

If you've never heard of it, I like to describe sprouting cauliflower as a mashup of traditional cauliflower and broccolini - caulilini!. It has the tender stems and open growth habit of broccolini, but with the familiar look of cauliflower.

What really sets it apart is the flavor. It has a pleasant nutty sweetness and, in my opinion, a lot more flavor than standard cauliflower.

My favorite way to prepare it is (📸): roasted until lightly caramelized, then topped with Parmesan and toasted almonds. Simple, delicious, and a great way to let the flavor shine. ✨

This is a trial run for us as we figure out whether we should grow more of it this season. We'd love to hear what you think!

06/12/2026

It's back and making it's 2026 debut at the Mount Carroll Farmers Market this Saturday!

Who needs a flower bouquet when you can get a broccolini bouquet!?!?!

The first harvest is headed to the Mount Carroll Farmers Market this Saturday 🎉

06/11/2026

🌿 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐡𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐛 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐦! 🌿

After selling out last weekend (love your love of the jam!), I was able to squeeze in one final rhubarb harvest and make one last batch of Rhubarb Vanilla Jam for the season.

This lower-sugar jam combines the bright tartness of rhubarb with the warmth of real vanilla bean, making it a favorite for toast, yogurt, ice cream, or straight from the spoon.

You'll be able to find it through the Jo Daviess Local Foods website and at the Mount Carroll Farmers Market until it's gone. Once this batch sells out, that's it for the season!

06/07/2026

🌱 Polsgrove Hill Weekly Q&A 🌱

Another Sunday, another round of great questions from the farm!

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬?
Not everything is "beautiful" enough for the market, and sometimes we don't have enough of a crop to bring. We've been enjoying snap peas this week, along with other produce set aside for us to enjoy at home.

📸: A beet and carrot that had broken tips, but still tasted just as good.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬?
We just wrapped up harvesting our 4th sowing, and that will be it for a bit. Radishes do NOT like heat, and we're deep into that now.

That said, we're trying something that might seem a little crazy. Last week we 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 another bed of radishes and covered it with shade cloth to help beat the heat. Our fourth sowing had unusually poor germination, so we figured it was worth experimenting.

📸: Happily transplanted radishes (check out our Facebook Story for a video of the process)

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲?
The variety we grow typically has two flushes - one at the end of June and another in September. Unfortunately, winter was hard on them, and we may miss the first flush this year.

The good news? We doubled our planting this year by adding another bed, so we're hopeful for an even bigger fall harvest.

📸: Blackberry patch

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲?
Ginger has a looooong growing season! We usually start harvesting in early October.

This year we're participating in a University of Illinois Extension ginger trial, growing ginger both in our tunnel and outdoors, using rhizome from two different suppliers. We planted our tunnel ginger in late April, and the trial ginger went into the ground last week. We'll also get to compare the two planting dates and see how they perform.

📸: Newly planted trial ginger

Thanks for following along and for all the great questions. Whether you're curious about crops, tunnels, experiments, or why we're transplanting radishes in June, keep asking - we love sharing what happens behind the scenes on the farm. 💚

06/05/2026

Somewhere between celebrating the rain and wishing for more of it, I forgot to document half of today's harvest. 😅 The only photo that made it onto my phone was an overflowing tote of mini romaine. Not the worst problem to have, but you'll just have to come see the rest for yourself.

Thankfully, the weather looks to be clearing off for a nice, albeit slightly steamy, morning for the Mount Carroll Farmers Market. ☀️

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤:
🧄 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 - one of our favorite seasonal treats! Great grilled, roasted, tossed into a stir fry, or chopped into just about anything that could use a little garlic flavor.
🌸 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 - currently harvesting violas and pea flowers. They're an easy way to make salads, desserts, drinks, and charcuterie boards feel extra special.
🌿 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐢 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥 - a little different from traditional basil, with hints of anise and spice that make it perfect for curries, stir fries, and noodle dishes.

𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦:
🌱 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 are winding down. This will be the last week for a bit, and supplies are limited.
🥬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 is back! This is the same variety we had at the plant sale, so if you missed out, here's another chance to give it a try. If you've had it, we'd love to hear what you think as we continue evaluating varieties for future seasons.
🟢 𝐊𝐨𝐡𝐥𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢 was a hit last week, and we're bringing even more this Saturday!

Rain in the gauge, produce on the tables, and a market full of great vendors—it's shaping up to be a good Saturday. 🌱🧺

📅 Date: Saturday, June 6th
⏰ Time: 8 AM – Noon
📍 Location: Market Street, Mount Carroll, IL.

06/05/2026

🧄 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰'𝐬 Mount Carroll Farmers Market: 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬! 🧄

If you've never tried them before, garlic scapes are the curly flower stalks that garlic plants send up in early summer. We remove them so the plant can put more energy into growing larger garlic bulbs, and fortunately for us, they're delicious!

Our favorite way to prepare them is to cut them into 3–4 inch pieces, toss them with a little olive oil, and roast or grill until tender with just a bit of char. 🔥

They're also fantastic:
🥬 Tossed into a stir fry (especially with baby bok choy!)
🍕 Chopped into small pieces and cooked with ground pork for a pizza topping -which is exactly how we'll be enjoying them tonight. (📸from last year's garlic scape and sausage pizza!)
🥚 Added to eggs, potatoes, or just about any savory dish that could use a little garlic flavor

The scapes are just starting to emerge, so while we'll have some available tomorrow, there should be even more next week.

Like many of our favorite seasonal items, garlic scapes are only around for a short time, so be sure to enjoy them while they're here!

06/03/2026

🌸 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 Mount Carroll Farmers Market 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝: 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬! 🌸

This week we'll have a mix of 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 to add a little color and fun to your meals.

Sprinkle them on salads, use them to dress up desserts, float them in drinks, top a charcuterie board, or add them as a finishing touch to just about any dish. They're an easy way to make everyday food feel a little special.

A quick note: 𝐩𝐞𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. Once the plants start focusing on producing peas, the flower harvest quickly winds down.

And don't worry - no edible peas were sacrificed in the making of this flower mix. 😄The flowers are being harvested from our pea cover crop and, yes, there will be plenty of blooms left behind for the bees to enjoy.🐝

We can't wait to see what creative uses you come up with!