The Edible Gardens are the primary educational outreach program of Green City Market (a not for profit organization and Chicago's largest sustainable farmer's market). The gardens are open to the public from April to November and welcome more than 25,000 visitors annually. Located in Lincoln Park Zoo's 'Farm-in-the-Zoo', the project was established in 2005 and now comprises over 5000 square feet of organic fruit and vegetable gardens.
The Edible Gardens are specifically designed to engage children, adults and school groups with hands-on growing, weeding, compost making and harvesting, and introduce them to the concept of "farm-to-table". The Gardens are supervised and planted by Jeanne Pinsof Nolan, founder of The Organic Gardener Ltd. and Green City Market's Organic Gardener.
The gardens are the perfect springboard for edible education in the Midwest and offer Chicago’s children and families a wonderful opportunity to sink their hands into the soil and learn where their food comes from on a first-hand basis.
Local schools & community organizations can arrange a free tour of The Edible Gardens. Tours consist of:-
• An interactive tour of the gardens
• Tasting of seasonal produce
• Hands-on garden activity (e.g. planting, watering, turning compost, harvesting, seed saving)
On Wednesdays, scheduled tours of The Edible Gardens can be combined with an interactive visit to Green City Market, located across the road from the gardens. The market portion of a scheduled field trip includes a guided tour of the market, a meet and greet session with a local farmer and a seasonal tasting table where 5-7 seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs will be made available for tasting.
Field trips to The Edible Gardens vary with the seasons. Garden curriculum may include lessons on pollination, organics, seed germination, composting, distinguishing fruits vs. vegetables and climate.
To arrange a tour or field trip please email ediblegardens@greencitymarket.org for more information.
Free hands-on gardening workshops are also held at the garden each month and are taught by Jeanne Pinsof Nolan. Topics are season specific and focus on methods for growing food locally and organically. Visit the website for more information and to rsvp for an upcoming workshop.
The Edible Gardens are open to all from April through mid-November, weather permitting, on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10:00am - 1:00pm.
Green City Market Website: http://www.greencitymarket.org
Lincoln Park Zoo 'Farm-in-the-Zoo' Website: http://www.lpzoo.org/farm-zoo
