Kinnikinnick Farm, Caledonia, IL

The Farm and Surroundings
Kinnikinnick Farm is a small, family owned, organic farm located 85 miles northwest of Chicago.  The farm is tucked away in the gently rolling hills of northern Illinois, just a few miles south of the Wisconsin state line. It is named after the stream that runs through it.  Seaver Johnson, a Norwegian pioneer farmer, first broke ground at Kinnikinnick around 1849, more than 10 years before the American Civil War.  The farm has been in continuous production since then.  The farm’s original log cabin still stands — the central room of the farm’s nineteenth century farm house.

Kinnikinnick is a working farm.  Farm life follows the rhythm of the seasons so there is always something to do. Guest participation in farm work can vary from just watching to rolling up sleeves and helping with farm chores, harvesting crops, tending the farm’s own garden, feeding animals, or simply gathering eggs.

For kids there are woods to explore, huts and forts to build, a straw mountain to master, ropes to climb, the farm’s giant sandbox, tree swings, the weekly Kinnikinnick treasure hunt, and an arsenal of at-the-ready squirt and soaker guns.

The farm is surrounded by a network of country roads which weave through the hills connecting farms and neighbors to each other and to the larger outside world.  This is bike country — ideal for short ride day trippers and century riders alike. The farm has a collection of bicycles for guests to use, but guests particular about “bike fit” would be better off bringing their own.

Nearby, there are small towns and villages with quaint shops and cafes. Rockford is a short drive away, and Beloit is just minutes from the farm’s doorstep. Something is happening every week: village festivals, live music performances, farm auctions, county fairs, summer theater, local history museum exhibits, road races, and even a class A baseball team.  In the fall there are U-pik apple orchards, pumpkin farms, and corn mazes to explore.

Farming at Kinnikinnick.
The farm grows an extensive line of organic Italian cooking greens, baby arugula, wonderful lettuces and chicories, 26 varieties of tomatoes, root crops, culinary herbs, and seasonal specialties like asparagus, snap peas, and winter squash. Quite a few seeds come directly to the farm from Italian seed companies. Many of them are heirloom varieties with wonderfully romantic names like Spigariello, Bietina, and Cavolo Nero.

The farm sells to many of Chicago’s best restaurants and at the Evanston Farmers Market and the Green City Markets in Chicago. The farm also raises broiler chickens on pasture and has a small flock of laying hens. Everything grown and raised at Kinnikinnick is available in the Honesty Shop.

The Farmers
David and Susan Cleverdon left Chicago and moved to their Kinnikinnick Farm in 1992.  The farm has developed around their passionate interest in food: how it is grown, how it is prepared, and how it contributes to the celebration of everyday life. At Kinnikinnick, farming and good food go together. 

Because of this interest, they maintain a farm garden for their own use and the use of their guests. Here can be found beans, potatoes, peppers, and other vegetables and herbs that are not part of their commercial product line.

Guests at the farm will find the Honesty Shop well stocked with nutritious staples, fresh organic produce, and specialty products from local farms and food artisans.  Chicago chefs are frequent visitors to the farm because Kinnikinnick is a place to cook as well as to farm.

 

Feather Down Tent Location
The tents are located along the wooded “Oak Alley” up a slight rise to the east of the farmhouse and farm buildings, not too far away from the chickens.  From this tent site, there are views to the west and south of the meandering Kinnikinnick Creek and the hills that roll down towards the Rock River.   

   

>> Click here to make a reservation at Kinnikinnick Farm.