Trades Day features local artisans July 27 at Naper Settlement

Veronica Porter is a lifelong Naperville resident, an avid gardener and cook. With deep roots in the community, which was primarily agricultural until the 1970s, she has nurtured her love of organic gardening and cooking and recently opened Aunt V's Café in Naperville. She will be demonstrating the art of canning and food preservation during Trades Day from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 27 at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville.

"I feel like I caught the end of an era, when I grew up in Naperville -- we grew, gathered and preserved our food," Porter said. "In the summertime, our foods are at their peak and you can preserve them through a variety of methods, including canning and dehydrating, for the rest of the year."

Porter's new venture, Ask Aunt V "What's for Dinner?," is a series of gardening and cooking classes and events, which allows her to share her extensive knowledge of organic gardening, farm to table food integrity, cooking, food preparation and preservation, home and living life in a responsible, sustainable manner. In 2013 she earned her culinary license.

Tradespeople and artisans at Trades Day include the Riverwalk Quilters; the Lacemakers and Collectors Exchange (L.A.C.E.); woodcarving by Bob Hallstrom of the Blackhawk Woodcarvers; beekeepers Ed Bell, Ed.D. and Jo Ruggiero of Belfry Bees Honey; a demonstration of 19th century medical techniques by Dr. Trevor Steinbach; and Natasha Lehrer from Esther's Place. The buildings will be open for touring and there will be "Try It" stations for rope making, paper making and typesetting. There will be a demonstration of the Joe Naper Pumper, Naperville's first piece of firefighting equipment and a butter making demonstration.

It's also a Settlement Sunday with free do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes from Culver's that will be served from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Admission is $12 adults, $10 seniors and $8 youth 4-12. Naperville residents, children 3 and under and members are free. For more information, visit www.napersettlement.org or call (630) 420-6010.