The LLCC garden farm stand is open Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and is featuring spinach, cilantro, scallions, carrots, mesclun mix and kale grown on campus. Some quantities are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

LLCC’s Value-Added Food Program and Marnie Record, workforce specialist, have been selected as winners of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance (ISA) Scaling Up Golden Beet Award.

The Golden Beet awards are given out annually by ISA in order to recognize those outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses that are paving the way for local food system development throughout Illinois.  Six Golden Beets are awarded each year under the following categories: farm to school, restaurants and institutions, community food projects, innovative farmer, scaling up, and other varieties.

An unbiased selection committee made up of individuals involved in local food work around the state selected Marnie as the winner of the Scaling Up category for your work in creating the Value Added Food Program at Lincoln Land Community College.  The awards will be presented Thursday, Dec. 3 at the ISA’s annual meeting.

Congratulations, Marnie!

Join Workforce Development for a rare opportunity to learn about winter vegetable production from experienced genHkids farmer Andy Heck during Winter Vegetable Gardening being held Mondays, Sept. 14-Dec. 14 from 10:30 a.m.-noon in the community garden behind Montgomery Hall.

Follow the planting and harvest through hands-on demonstration and exercises, while learning everything you want to know about growing produce year-round. Each week offers new instructions as the season changes. Gardeners can expect to learn about planting schedules, optimal planting techniques for weed reduction and space maximization, high tunnel and low tunnel technologies, pest and disease management issues specific to winter growing, and more. Participants are welcome to come for the full time or drop in for part of the time, and can come one time or come each week. Bring questions and work gloves. For more information contact Marnie Record at marnie.record@llcc.edu or 217-786-4993.

The Value-Added Local Food program through the Workforce Development division is training food service managers for the Springfield Public School District this week. Free lunch is being served for the campus community in Bistro Verde, WFCC 1103, at 11:45 a.m. again today on a first-come, first-served basis; no reservations accepted. The menu changes daily. Contact Marnie Record at 786-4993 for more information.

Food service managers from Springfield District 186 schools will be serving lunch again today at 11:45 a.m. in Bistro Verde, Workforce Careers Center. No reservations are required; however, seating is limited in the Bistro. Guests may be directed to open classrooms or other seating areas to eat. Food will be served until it runs out. The food service managers have been learning to prepare lunches this week with local foods through a Workforce Development Value-Added Local Food course.

Faculty and staff can enjoy a free lunch today and tomorrow (Thurs.) prepared by food service managers from Springfield District 186 schools who are learning to cook from scratch with local food through a Workforce Development Value-Added Local Food course. Lunch is being served both days at 11:45 a.m. in Bistro Verde, Workforce Careers Center. No reservations are required. Food will be served until it runs out.

Food service managers from Springfield’s District 186 schools are learning to cook from scratch with local food through a Workforce Development Value-Added Local Food course. Faculty and staff are invited to lunch being prepared by the class. The free lunch is being served at 11:45 a.m. on  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, June 9-11, in Bistro Verde, Workforce Careers Center. No reservations are required. Food will only be served until it runs out.