This exciting expansion to the Illinois Sustainable Food Project (ISFP) proposes to add equipment to the fruit & vegetable processing capacity of the project. This equipment will add to the ability to process several new raw products, including cucurbits (pumpkins and more) and some varieties of nuts, produce, and grain. This team will then be able to process a variety of improved purees, pastes, slurries, and nut butters. 

One of the major products this project would like to produce using this equipment is pumpkin purees. Illinois is the largest producer of pumpkins in the world, with a large percentage grown in the Peoria, IL area. The SSF grows pumpkins now for decoration and consumption, and this would allow this team to make a product that is very local, very Illinois, and very nutritious. Pumpkin puree is packed with beneficial nutrients, and can be substituted in many recipes for butter, oil, and other ingredients, ensuring our local products will be served year round at the Dining Halls, particularly those baked with our flour. This teams overall goal is to provide locally-sourced, healthy, and nutritious product for UIUC Dining to serve to the campus population, while providing an educational experience to the student body