Soup & Bread @ The Hideout
2018-01-31 17:00 - 20:00, 2018-02-07 17:00 - 20:00, 2018-02-14 17:00 - 20:00, 2018-02-21 17:00 - 20:00, 2018-02-28 17:00 - 20:00, 2018-03-07 17:00 - 20:00, 2018-03-14 17:00 - 20:00, 2018-03-21 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) and 1 more date | The Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia, Chicago, IL, 60642, United States

AUA's 6th Annual Urban Livestock Expo
2018-02-03 11:00 - 14:00 | Southside Occupational Academy High School, 7342 S Hoyne Ave., Chicago, IL, 60636, United States
On February 3rd, 2018, 11am-2pm, AUA and Southside Occupational Academy warmly invite you to the 6th Annual Urban Livestock Expo: FREE, fun, family-friendly workshops on raising bees, goats, chickens, ducks and more in your yard!
All levels of expertise and interest welcome, from the experienced to the curious! Workshops will cover daily care, ideal breeds, how to troubleshoot common problems, and professionals’ tips for being a good neighbor with animals in the city. Also get a chance to explore the amazing urban agriculture program at our host site, Southside Occupational Academy!
Additionally, area urban livestock groups and businesses will staff resource tables with information on further learning opportunities, support networks, sources of supplies, equipment, and more.
Don’t miss this fun opportunity to expand your knowledge, connect with other practitioners, and bond with a goat! Further details here: bit.ly/UrbanLivestockExpo2018, and detailed workshop topics to follow. Reach out to AUA with questions at info@auachicago.org or 773-850-0428. We hope you’ll join us!

CCGA Coordinating Meeting – Tuesday February 6, 6:30pm
2018-02-06 18:30 - 20:00 | Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT), 445 N Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
The next CCGA Coordinating Meeting is Tuesday February 6th at 6:30pm at the Chicago Center for Green Technology CCGT at 445 N. Sacramento Blvd. The main item agenda is final planning for the 2018 conference.
We will meet on the 2nd floor and there is parking behind the building and as always try and bring a snack or drink to share if you can.
NOTE: All CCGA coordinating meeting minutes are available for you to review on the website. Look under the menu tree at ‘Who We Are’ and then ‘CCGA Organization’ and you will see links here for the coordinating committee documents.
Hope to see you there!

Windy City Harvest Crop Planning Workshop Workshop
2018-02-10 09:00 - 15:00 | Arturo Velasquez Institute Greenhouse, 2800 S Western Ave , Chicago, IL, 60608, United States
Windy City Harvest Crop Planning Workshop Flyer
For more information contact:
Kris De la Torre
kdelatorre@chicagobotanic.org
Urban Garden Lab & Education Coordinator
Windy City Harvest
224.723.9229

CANCELLED - Garden Tool Workshop For Community Gardeners
2018-02-10 10:00 - 11:30 | Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT), 445 N Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
Due to weather conditions, the CCGA Resources Committee Tool Distribution, Saturday, 02/10/18, has been cancelled. Please watch your emails for the rescheduling of the Tool Distribution.

The CCGA Resources and Education Committees are jointly present a new workshop for Chicago community gardeners. Edde Jones, Program Director of Greencorps, will teach us tool safety; we will also have a demonstration on the maintenance of basic gardening tools.
Thanks to the success of the Resources Committee plant distributions last year, the Resources Committee was able to purchase an assortment of pruners, loppers, hand saws, rakes, shovels, and more from Lowes. Each community garden represented at the event will receive a free tool.
Thanks, community gardeners, for making this event possible!
Hope to see you on February 10!
CCGA Resources and Education Committees

Download (PDF, 1.43MB)

Windy City Harvest Youth Farm Facilitator Training
2018-02-24 09:00 - 15:00 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022, United States
For more information contact:
Kris De la Torre
kdelatorre@chicagobotanic.org
Urban Garden Lab & Education Coordinator
Windy City Harvest
224.723.9229

MidFEx Kurle Memorial Lecture - Heirloom Apples for the Midwest Orchard
2018-02-24 13:00 - 15:00 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022, United States
MidFEx Kurle Memorial Lecture – Saturday February 24th, 2018 at 1pm
Dan Bussey of Seed Savers – Heirloom Apples for the Midwest Orchard
Daniel Bussey is an orchardist, horticulturist, historian, professional cider maker and former businessman, who grew up and spent most of his life in rural southern Wisconsin. Dan has taught workshops on grafting fruit trees, cider-making and other apple-related topics for more than 30 years and has grown heirloom apple varieties all of his life. He has been featured on Public Radio International’s “The Takeaway” and National Public Radio’s “Science Friday”, and has been the subject of numerous newspaper articles. This past August saw the long-awaited release of Dan’s seven volume work, “The Illustrated History of Apples in the United States and Canada” which lists over 16,000 apples that were grown in North America between 1629 and 2000. The book was a long-time project over 30 years in the making.
Dan is not only fascinated with heirloom apples and cider-making, but is a producer and grower of hard cider apples and has helped to introduce a new cider apple variety to the trade; Kronebusch Cider, with more varieties expected in the coming years. Dan has attended the Cider and Perry Academy’s advanced cider course at Cornell University and is an avid promoter of the cider beverage industry. Dan believes the essential element of craft cider making is the selection of the best variety of apples possible; those with superior flavors, aromatics and phenolic structure. Understand the apple and its myriad of flavors and everything else will follow.
Dan Bussey’s lifelong interest in raising fruit, seeking out rare, missing heirloom varieties and researching the history of apple growing in the United States and Canada is matched only by his other fascination, that of collecting and preserving horse-drawn sleighs, wagons and hearses, having assembled one of the largest collections of horse-drawn sleighs in the country along with numerous commercial wagons of all trades. Dan currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Carriage Museum of America, based in Lexington, Kentucky and is working on several upcoming publications on carriage history.
Dan now resides near Decorah, Iowa, where he is the Orchard Manager and Apple Historian for the Seed Savers Exchange, maintaining and enlarging the Historic Orchard at Heritage Farm to contain nearly 1300 apple accessions and make them available to orchardists. Dan believes that having a passion in life, whatever it might be, is the key to a satisfying life.
This event is free and open to MidFEx members and non-members.

6th Annual CCGA Gardeners Conference - Saturday March 3rd 2018
2018-03-03 09:00 - 14:30 | Kennedy-King College, 6301 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL, 60621, United States

Windy City Harvest Season Extension Workshop
2018-03-03 09:00 - 15:00 | Arturo Velasquez Institute Greenhouse, 2800 S Western Ave , Chicago, IL, 60608, United States
Windy City Harvest Season Extension Workshop Flyer
For more information contact:
Kris De la Torre
kdelatorre@chicagobotanic.org
Urban Garden Lab & Education Coordinator
Windy City Harvest
224.723.9229

Windy City Harvest Edible Landscape Design and Container Gardens 10 week Certificate Course Starts
2018-03-10 09:00 - 12:00 | Arturo Velasquez Institute Greenhouse, 2800 S Western Ave , Chicago, IL, 60608, United States
Windy City Harvest 10 Week Certificate Course Flyer
For more information contact:
Kris De la Torre
kdelatorre@chicagobotanic.org
Urban Garden Lab & Education Coordinator
Windy City Harvest
224.723.9229

Good Food EXPO
2018-03-23 10:00 - 2018-03-24 17:00

MidFEx Grafting Workshop
2018-03-25 13:00 - 16:00 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022, United States
Join the Midwest Fruit Explorers (MidFEx) and find out what grafting fruit tress is all about. Learn the the whys and hows with experienced grafters. There will be an impressive amount of scion wood available for grafting. The purpose of the grafting workshop is to teach less experienced or novice grafters how to graft. Non-member beginners will learn how to graft selected apple varieties on apple rootstock.
If you’d like more information about grafting fruit trees see the MidFEx Grafting page HERE.
Please arrive on time. Lecture begins at 1:00 sharp. Workshop will last until about 4:00 pm. This afternoon event is for individuals actually grafting fruit trees, friends, spouses, and children are welcome to explore the grounds during the workshop session.
The workshop will be held Sunday March 25th, 2018 at 1pm.
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois. Go to the Linnaeus Room in the Regenstein Center building.
Parking: Parking is free for Chicago Botanic Garden members and members of gardens with reciprocal privileges. If you are not a member of the Botanic Gardens you will have to pay the parking fee. Visit Chicago Botanic Garden’s web pages for details on parking and membership.
Costs: This workshop and guidance are free. However you will need to buy rootstock if you want to take home a tree. MidFEx will have dwarfing apple rootstock available. Cost is $5 each with free scion wood for MidFEx members. Non-members pricing is $5 which includes two pieces of scion wood of their choice. Unless rootstocks were preordered, each attendee will be limited to three (3) rootstocks each. Grafting requires a very sharp knife with a 2-3 inch blade. Bring your own medium-size pocket knife–we can sharpen it for you if needed, or purchase one at the workshop. Other supplies are available for purchase if you would like to continue honing your grafting skills after the workshop is over.

Illiana Vegetable Growers Symposium
2019-01-08 08:00 - 16:00 | Tiebel’s Family Restaurant, 1775 US 41, US 30 & US 41, Schererville, Indiana
This symposium, sponsored by Purdue Extension and University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service, offers commercial vegetable growers and market farmers opportunities to learn more about pest management, production practices, farm management and marketing; to visit with vendors; and to network with other growers. Continuiing education units are available. This years agenda brings best practices and important updates from higly qualified presenters.
You can go to you can go to https://tinyurl.com/Illiana2019 and register online. New this year is that you can sign-up for even more, including Private Applicator Credits, before the event! If you want to pay by check, you can either fill out the brochure and mail it in or there is an option at the end that will allow you to mail in a check. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in 2019! Keep in mind that mail-in registrations need to be postmarked by Dec 14. You can sign up online as late as Jan 2, 2019

2019 Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organic Conference and Trade Show
2019-01-09 - 2019-01-11 | Crowne Plaza, 160 E Huron, Chicago, IL, 60611, United States
The 2019 Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organic Conference and Trade Show is scheduled for Jan. 9-11, 2019, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, Springfield, Illinois.The Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organic Conference (ISCAOC) will be held January 9-11, 2019. The conference, which features nearly 100 speakers and 60 trade show exhibitors, will again host four concurrent preconference workshops, general sessions, and breakout sessions aimed at helping Illinois specialty growers cultivate their operations. Find details in the flyer posted here.
The 30th annual Apple Cider Contest and 17th annual Hard Cider Contest will again be held in conjunction with the conference, with winners being announced during Thursday evening’s banquet.
To receive registration materials or to obtain exhibitor information, please contact Charlene Blary at 309-557-2107 or cblary@ilfb.org. Conference registration will be offered online. A detailed conference agenda, registration, and cider contest information can be viewed at specialtygrowers.org.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at a rate of $101 per night. Please call the hotel directly at 217-529-7777.

CCGA Coordinating Meeting - Thursday January 24, 2019 at 6:30pm
2019-01-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Center for Green Technology, 445 North Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
CCGA Coordinating Meeting – Thursday January 24, 2019
At 6:30pm at CCGT.

Free event: Seed Swap 1/26 11am-1pm at The Morton Arboretum
2019-01-26 09:00 - 15:00 | The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL, 60532
The Morton Arboretum is holding its third annual seed swap <https://www.mortonarb.org/courses/seed-swap-0> on January 26th from 11am to 1pm at Thornhill Education Center.
The event is free with paid admission to the Arboretum.
Additional seed-saving and seed-starting classes will be offered before and after the event:
Seed Saving Workshop, 9-11am
Seed Starting for the Edible Garden, 1-3pm
And finally, this year’s Edible Gardening Workshop Series includes speakers William Moss and Melinda Myers among others. The series begins March 16th and admission to the Arboretum is free for registered attendees. Come for the morning class, and enjoy the grounds for the rest of the day.

Fermentation Workshop with Jeanne Calabrese
2019-02-02 10:00 - 11:30 | Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT), 445 N Sacramento, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
Please join Jeanne Calabrese at this workshop presented by CCGA Education Committee. Open to everyone interested in learning about fermentation, this event is open to all; however, this hands-on worskhop is limited to 15 registerants, so don’t miss the sign up.
The process of fermenting foods– to preserve them and make them more digestible and nutritious– is as old as humanity. Fermentation is an artisanal process by nature; the practice of fermentation is a partnership with microscopic life which has been practiced throughout the world. Anyone can do it anywhere with the most basic tools.

Bilingual Organizing your Garden Team Workshop
2019-02-09 09:30 - 12:30 | Orozco Community Academy, 1940 W. 18th Street, Chicago, IL, 60608, United States
An enthusiastic, committed Garden Team is crucial to the long success of a school or community garden. Come out and hear from other schools on how to create and sustain a successful Garden Team. This workshop will be presented in both English and Spanish. Childcare is available if requested by January 26. Please register by February 2.
Register here:
In English: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-VjXD5COJsPTdziq_H8RVAt9_rGKVbOykY_XXgAdc8u26kQ/viewform
In Spanish: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewc5WmwND5ycXs1GdG-hZ99BbALjYgFwGWTf8G-_yCKDhKPQ/viewform

AUA's Urban Livestock Expo
2019-02-09 11:00 - 15:00 | Southside Occupational Academy High School, 7342 S Hoyne Ave., Chicago, IL, 60636, United States
Redefining what a ‘live’ event is, the Urban Livestock Expo returns with
FREE, fun, family-friendly workshops on raising bees, goats, chickens,
ducks, quail and more in your yard!
Workshops will cover daily care, ideal breeds, how to troubleshoot common
problems, and professionals’ tips for being a good neighbor with animals in
the city. Also get a chance to explore the amazing urban agriculture
programs at our host site, Southside Occupational Academy!
Spanish interpretation provided and all skill and experience levels
welcome, from the experienced to the curious. Additionally, area urban
livestock groups and businesses will staff resource tables with information
on further learning opportunities, support networks, sources of supplies,
equipment, and more.
Further details on our Facebook event at bit.ly/UrbanLivestockExpo2019 and
to follow.

CCGA Conference Planning/Coordinating Meeting
2019-02-13 18:30 - 20:00 | The Hatchery, 135 N. Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL, 60612, United States
The next CCGA Coordinating Meeting is Wednesday February 13th at 6:30pm at The Hatchery, 135 N. Kedzie Ave Chicago, IL 60612. There is on-site parking and the CTA Green Line stops right outside the building.
The main item agenda is continued planning for our 2019 conference.
As always try and bring a snack or drink to share if you can.
NOTE: All CCGA coordinating meeting minutes are available for you to review on the website. Look under the menu tree at ‘Who We Are’ and then ‘CCGA Organization’ and you will see links here for the coordinating committee documents.

Starting Your Food Business
2019-02-16 10:30 - 16:30 | Farm on Ogden, 3555 Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL, 60623, United States
Food Safety and Cottage Food Laws
This course is intended for aspiring food entrepreneurs and/or urban farmers who are hoping to create or expand their farm or local food business by providing seasonal, local food products all year long. We will cultivate an understanding of the basic techniques, food safety regulations, and business guidelines for producing value-added, local foods.
Zina Murray, The Logan Square Kitchen
Farm on Ogden, 3555 Ogden Avenue, Chicago

Crop Planning with Windy City Harvest
2019-02-16 10:30 - 16:30 | Farm on Ogden, 3555 Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL, 60623, United States
This workshop covers site analysis, vegetable garden plan components, space saving techniques and spacing, cool- and warm-season crops, crop and variety selection, three-season and succession planning. There will be crop plan examples and a template for you to start your own crop plan. Bring a drawing of your farm site with dimensions.
Melanie Bromberek, Windy City Harvest coordinator
Farm on Ogden, 3555 Ogden Avenue, Chicago
