High school students learn to plant, harvest vegetables

Hidden within the Greenbelt Forest Preserve, a garden grows.

Within the garden, high school students learn how to plant, care and harvest various vegetables. But something else grows, too — self-confidence, ability to work as a team and knowledge to eat healthy.

It’s all part of the Green Youth Farm, a program run by the Chicago Botanic Garden and Lake County Forest Preserve District.

Gloria Ciaccio, spokeswoman for the Chicago Botanic Garden, said the farm was created to offer a job skills training program for area youth. The Greenbelt farm in North Chicago became the first site and has expanded to four sites through Cook County.

“When people say that I work at a farm, they don’t believe me,” said Carlos Rodriguez, 17, who loves to bring tomatoes and tomatillos to his North Chicago home.

Promoting the program at high schools, students apply and go through an interview. Laura Erickson, who along with her husband, Kevin, works with students, said three years ago, all 20 students who applied were selected. This year, 90 students applied, and 25 were selected.

Part of the program is learning to maintain the garden, which students began in mid-May and continue through October. Students can be found seeding and weeding, watering and harvesting. Kevin Erickson said students also attend workshops to learn organic farming, what is compost and the food system chain.

“The great thing about this program is they learn tangible gardening skills they can translate to home for their own personal gardens,” Laura Erickson said.

The garden is 1½ acres and features more than 100 crops including tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, onions, apple and pear trees, greens and cucumbers. It also features a variety of native plants. Laura added the garden reflects what customers demand such as tomatillos.

“Whatever our customers demand, we try our hardest to grow that,” she said.

Much of what the students harvest is sold at the Green Youth Farm farmstand, which is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The staff also operates the garden from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays through Oct. 8.

Laura Erickson said a large percentage of customers are those who receive assistance through the Women Infant and Children program. Students recently went to a local WIC office and gave a cooking demonstration using vegetables they grow. They also brought pre-assembled boxes to give to WIC clients because often due to distance or language barriers, they cannot find fresh produce.

“We bring the produce to them and show them how they can cook with it,” Laura Erickson said.

Meal preparation is an essential part of the Green Youth Farm program for students. They explore ways to cook the foods they harvest, preparing meals for each other and understanding a healthy lifestyle.

Ciaccio said many recipes have been compiled into a cookbook called “A Season of Cooking with Green Youth Farm.” The cookbook costs $12.95 and can be ordered by visiting the website www.createspace.com/3628227.

Part of the program also is offering job training exercises. Laura Erickson said the top skill students say they learn is public speaking whether they are giving garden tours, helping customers at the farmstand or presenting a business plan to area restaurants.

“The first week I was really quiet. I was a mess,” said Arturo Martinez, 16, of Waukegan. “It’s really cool because working at the garden will open bigger opportunities for me.”

Kevin Erickson said by creating this garden, students demonstrate to the community how they can do something similar at home and what is possible to grow in the Chicago area.

“It can be as small as having one small plant in your kitchen window,” he said. “We’re not expecting people to come out and want to be a farmer.”

Expect many gardens to start coming up through Lake County started by some experienced students.

Elisa Flores, a 16-year-old from Waukegan, said, “When I’m older I hope to plant my own garden in my backyard. You save a lot of money and it’s healthier for you.”