PRODUCE SHARING

Donate What You Grow: Edible Evanston’s Food Sharing Initiative.

Food Forest

Permaculture in a public park.

Education

Classes, demos, and help to grow more local food, year round.

New Gardeners

Expanding local food growing gardens and mentoring gardeners.

Donations

Financial donations as well as donations of tools (in good condition) are most welcome. Click to donate online and email foodforest[at]edibleevanston[dot]org to donate tools.

Share your produce

New schedules for 2024 locations and dates are coming soon. Produce sharing runs June 8–October 12, 2024.

Tours

Schedule tours of the Food Forest are available in our Events section. You are always welcome to visit on your own.

Food Forest volunteer opportunities

Our 2024 volunteer schedule is live. Register today to join us and lend a hand. Dates run April through November with events every Saturday, 10-noon.

New Gardener classes

2024 New Gardener education classes will be rolled out throughout the year and class registration for each session will be open to all. Check out the events listings now!

What is a Food Forest?

Find out what the food forest is all about… watch this short video:

 

Events

Education/Giveaway/Swap
Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 12:30pm

Get free seeds and share your saved seeds. In the lobby at Robert Crown Center.

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 6, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Workshop
Saturday, April 6, 2024 - 1:00pm

Learn the basics and some more advanced techniques to starting your own vegetable transplants inside.

Eggleston Park Food Forest

The Eggleston Park Food Forest is a diverse planting of perennial edible trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants— including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and herbs—designed to mimic the natural balance of a forest by utilizing permaculture principles.

Permaculture Primer: An introduction

By Tim Sonder, Education chair

If you have been volunteering with Edible Evanston you have, no doubt, been hearing about “Permaculture.” But what is it?

Most of the techniques applied by those working with permaculture aren’t revolutionary, they are evolutionary. But the way of looking at the world—and I mean that in the broadest sense—often feels revolutionary. Permaculture becomes a way of framing one’s outlook. And that can be applied not just to agriculture, but also to architecture and engineering, to urban planning, and to societal questions.

Design and Construction of the Eggleston Anniversary Orchard

Laying out the orchard grid

An orchard was designed and constructed in Eggleston Park (McCormick Blvd & Bridge Street, Evanston, Illinois, 60201) as joint project of the Northwestern University Brady Scholars (Brady Scholars) and the New Leaf Urban Garden (NLUG), with support from Edible Evanston (EE) and the City of Evanston (City) Parks and Recreation Department (Parks Department). This is the first orchard in an Evanston City Park. The new orchard, constructed in May and June 2013, includes nearly 50 fruit and nut trees and nearly 30 raspberry bushes.

Events

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 6, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 13, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 20, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 27, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, May 4, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, May 11, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, May 18, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, May 25, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, June 1, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, June 8, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

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Produce Sharing

Our volunteers help individual growers get their excess produce to those in need in our community, reducing waste and providing fresh produce to those in need. Since 2012 Edible Evanston has delivered thousands of pounds of fresh, local vegetables and herbs to Evanston food pantries. We pick up weekly June–October at four community gardens throughout Evanston.

2018 Summary Results of Edible Evanston Food Sharing Program

Gardeners from the Evanston community donated more than 915 pounds of vegetables and herbs to local food pantries in 2018 through Edible Evanston's Produce Sharing program during the 19-week season, mid-June through early October.  About 45 pounds of that total were herbs. Thanks to the many gardeners who donated their excess produce!

 

Education

We teach practical classes about urban agriculture and gardening throughout the year and distribute free seeds each spring.

11th Annual Seed Swap: Free Seeds to Start Your Garden

Seed Swap & Giveaway

Dozens of vegetable and flower types and hundreds of varieties, including unique heirlooms and locally saved seeds will be available for free to encourage people in Evanston to grow their own food. (A limit as to the number of seed packets per person will be posted at the event.)

In addition to generous seed companies and farms, you can donate seeds you grew and saved or seed packets from past years you don't plan to use. Bring seeds with you and we'll let you take more home.

Permaculture Principle #11: Use Edges and Value the Marginal

"Don’t think you are on the right track just because it is a well beaten path"

Commentary by Tim Sonder, Edible Evanston (November, 2019)

The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.

Think of the ocean, and then look at tide pools and marshes. Where do you see a greater diversity and density of life? Look at a forest, and then study the area where it transitions to meadow or lake or stream, and you will, once again, find a greater diversity.

Events

Education/Giveaway/Swap
Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 12:30pm

Get free seeds and share your saved seeds. In the lobby at Robert Crown Center.

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 6, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Workshop
Saturday, April 6, 2024 - 1:00pm

Learn the basics and some more advanced techniques to starting your own vegetable transplants inside.

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 13, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 20, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, April 27, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, May 4, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, May 11, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, May 18, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Work and Learn
Saturday, May 25, 2024 - 10:00am

Individuals working together with supervision to maintain the food forest. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

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New Gardeners

Edible Evanston assists novice food gardeners set up a vegetable garden and provides a mentor to help make them successful. We are continually looking for experienced gardeners to mentor our new trainees and build a few gardens ever year with only volunteer labor.

Be a Mentor to our New Gardeners!

Experienced vegetable gardeners wanted!

Whether you have been successfully vegetable gardening for just a few seasons, are a Master Gardener, or are someone with tons of experience growing food on a home-gardening scale, we hope you will join our network of mentors. Sign up today!