The Garden at Elawa Farm is to be planted, maintained and harvested by volunteers, following the historic master plan. Produce from the garden is available to the public for sale in the Garden Market as are products made thereof from the kitchen such as soups, muffins, jams and pestos. Volunteer activity is varied depending on where one likes to work, be it the physical labor in the garden, the culinary talents needed in the kitchen or the interactive skills required in the market.
In 2008, 147 volunteers (71 high school and college students) contributed 4,371 hours to the garden, coming in groups and individually. We are very proud to have a college student returning in 2009 for his sixth year of service with the garden; his younger brother is with us for his fifth year as well!
In the Garden
Monday-Friday, 9-5 pm
Weather permitting, work in the Garden at Elawa Farm begins May 1st and closes at Thanksgiving. Garden work includes digging, forking, planting, seeding, weeding, and watering. On the grounds we must mow, tend to our paths, hillsides and compost piles. Our tools, wheel barrows, hay bales, posts, garden buckets and flower arranging equipment are kept in the four horse stalls that are part of the farm buildings. Volunteers must simply arrive dressed ready to get dirty! Sturdy shoes, a hat and a water bottle are musts as would be special sun screens and insect repellents. It is a beautiful place to spend a few hours (skip the gym!), take in the fresh air, the flora and the fauna and of course the excellent company of the other workers.
Open Lands interns work day
planting tomatoes
pumpkin pickers
dahlia diggers
The Garden Market
Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 10-4 pm
The market is located in the former Wagon Shed opposite the Hay Barn. Produce from the garden and products made thereof such as soups, muffins, jams and pestos will be sold in the market. In addition, we will be selling corn from the Didier Farm in Buffalo Grove and fruits from the K and K Farm in Michigan.
Inside the market
Harvesting includes our cutting flowers which are picked late in the day prior to each market day. They are arranged into bouquets the next morning before opening and can be purchased at the farm or in town at Amidei Mercatino.
flower party
touch of elegance
cream of the crop
The Kitchen
The kitchen opened June 1st, 2008, as Sarah Bellini, our kitchen chef, began firing up the convection ovens, testing the new equipment and experimenting with recipes. Later in June the University of Illinois Extension Service gave a workshop to several regular volunteers interested in knowing the "rules of the road" in a commercial kitchen. In addition, the kitchen hosted five workshops in 2008 which featured Soups, Jams, Muffins, Holiday Chocolates and Gingerbread Houses.
preparations
Sarah Bellini sharing chocolate secrets
from soup....
to nuts!
to gingerbread houses
Please see Calendar of Events for 2010 kitchen workshops
847-234-1907 phone fax 847-234-9212
garden@elawafarm.org