Amy's Organics History

In May of 2011 I was outside planting my garden, anticipating the fresh tomatoes that would be ready for harvest in August.  There is nothing like a fresh tomato, no store-bought variety can come close to the taste.  I usually don't even bother buying tomatoes from the store because I'm always disappointed.   It was a warm day, and the ice cream man decided to get a jump on the summer season and try to sell to the kids playing outside.  As he passed by playing that obnoxious mechanical music, I thought "wouldn't it be nice if he were selling home-grown tomatoes?"

And then I thought, "dang, that would be really neat!"

I remember turning that idea over and over while I finished planting.  I pictured a clean ice-cream truck, with woven baskets of fresh vegetables, playing Dixieland music.   That night I described it to my husband, Chuck.  He loved the idea, and said "you should do that."  A few days later I mentioned my idea to some neighbors, and they said "you should do that."  And I kept thinking about it.

A few days later my friend Kee called, and said "you know that idea you have?  I can't stop thinking about it.  I just called to tell you that.  You need to do it."  And that was the push I needed.  I started making phone calls to the Village of Plainfield, the Will County Health Department, and area farmers to see if it was even possible.  Every phone call I made gave me the answers I was looking for, and they were all good answers. 

Chuck said "I know what truck you need," and took me to test-drive a Ford Transit.  While I was driving it I knew that was the truck.  I could picture the shelves in the back, and the freezer in the side.  I asked my daughters to design a logo for me, and they drew eggplant and pumpkin and tomatoes.  Every step of the way things fell into place like they were meant to be.  I went out to he farm to meet Farmer Randy and Gayle, and was glad I had not decided to try farming myself- that is a lot of hard work!

The first official day of Amy's Organics was July 9, 2011.  I set up at the Plainfield Farmers' Market that morning, and was off and running.  Every week I got phone calls and emails from new customers scheduling stops.   My own garden went neglected because I was spending so much time on my truck!

 Every week when I would go out to the farm I would set aside at least an hour, because you can't just pick up your order and go- you have to have coffee and talk about the weather, or get some cool lemonade popsicles out of the freezer on hot days and marvel over how purple the eggplant is this week.  I learned to schedule more time at each stop during the day because we get to talking about kids and dogs and trips to Michigan, and before I know it half an hour has passed and I'm alreay late for my next stop.  My favorite appointments became the streets that had four or five or eight people in one driveway waiting for me- the sense of community is strong, and everyone shares tips and recipes and gossip.  My other favorite appointments are homes with kids who run out and say "Miss Amy is here!" and beg their moms to buy some potatoes and tomatoes and zucchini.  And the moms will say "I can't believe he actually loved the eggplant last week, he's never loved eggplant before."

I've debated whether to sell imported organic produce in the winter, and for now have decided not to.  I'm excited about the idea of selling LOCAL organic produce, where I know the farmer and I know when it was harvested.  I only carry products on my truck that I love- did you know that?  I bought a bunch of different local honeys and tasted them all, and now I sell the one that I love.  The syrup from Michigan is my absolute favorite maple syrup.  Everything I stock on the truck is something I am proud to represent. 

  Back on that spring day when I was planting my garden, you were part of my idea.  Thank you for choosing Amy's Organics.