The Noble Carrot Co-Op, 230 Reinking Road in Pingree Grove, began when a group of gardeners started looking for a way to provide healthier food for their families, friends and neighbors.
According to Clint Carey, co-op president and former Pingree Grove village president, the group originally met in the basement of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pingree Grove.
“We decided that forming a co-op was the way to go,” he said. “We formed an Illinois not-for-profit co-operative in 2012, elected our first board, and began planning our store.”
Members chose the carrot as their mascot since gardeners consider it to be an awesome vegetable. While moms for decades have been telling children to eat their carrots for better vision, carrot consumption has also been linked to healthier skin, slowing down the aging process, reducing cholesterol, cleansing the body, and helping to prevent cancer.
The 30-acre farm along Reinking Road where the co-op is located has belonged to the family of Carey’s wife, Brook, for over 100 years. The farmhouse where Clint and Brook live with their 8-year-old son, Jack, is one of Pingree Grove’s oldest buildings.
“The farmland was sold, but we kept the house, the barn and the milk house,” said Clint. “We originally were open one day a week and sold eggs, honey and produce. We are now open three days a week and have over 120 members. You don’t have to be a member to shop at The Noble Carrot. Everyone is welcome.”
The Noble Carrot store is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, and 1 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Some of the fruits and vegetables on sale at the co-op include: watermelons, peppers, pears, sweet potatoes, red and yellow onions, and squash.
Other items for sale include: jellies, jams, granola, syrup, soaps, candles, teas, sauces, salsa, seasonings and bread.
The co-op works with area egg, meat and honey producers such as Best Eggs in Hampshire and Kilgus Farmstead in Fairbury, Illinois.
The co-op recently purchased a new, three-door freezer when sales of grass fed meat took off. Clint said they will buy half a cow that is processed into smaller cuts for customers to buy.
“We sell organic coffee from a co-operative in Wisconsin that has fair trade coffee from all over the world,” Clint said. “We also have own blend known as Roasted Nobility.”
Clint said the 600-square-foot barn was just an empty shell that had been left in disrepair before it was turned into a store.
“Co-op members held a garage sale in order to raise enough money to restore it,” Clint said. “Volunteers built the walls, counters and stands. We originally had no electricity or air conditioning. We needed wind bracing and a new roof.”
Clint and Brook, along with Lon and Amy Czarnecki, are the owners of the Milk House ice cream shop.
“We sell Purple Door Ice Cream from Milwaukee that is super premium, extra creamy ice cream with no artificial colors, preservatives or flavors,” Lon said. “Since it doesn’t have artificial colors, the mint chip ice cream is not bright green.”
Purple Door Ice Cream offers artisanal scoops in innovative flavors. Some of the flavors include: raspberry peach pie, chai pink peppercorn and toasted oatmeal along with the standard flavors of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Customers can enjoy ice cream in shakes, sundaes and homemade waffle cones with the Milk House’s own sauces. The PBJ float includes peanut butter ice cream with grape soda.
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“We sell vintage-style taffy and sodas,” Lon said. “We are expanding our candy selection.”
The Milk House is open from 2 to 8 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 2 to 9 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Alongside the co-op store is a giant, red rocking chair that was built by Andrew Pakan, former owner of Custom Furniture Manufacturers along Route 25 in St. Charles.
Pakan also sculpted a Colonial soldier out of a 100-year-old oak tree to sit in the chair. He created the roadside attraction to celebrate the 200th birthday of the United States in 1976.
Known as the “Unknown Soldier,” the wooden figure is over 18-feet tall. It was featured on “Roadside America.”
When the owners of Custom Furniture Manufacturers retired, Clint and Brook decided to buy the soldier and chair and bring it to their farm.
The chair has been repaired, but the soldier still needs work. People can pose in the chair now until the soldier is restored and can be seated in his chair again.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.