preSERVE is a partnership between Slow Food Chicago, the North Lawndale Greening Committee, the Chicago Honey Co-Op, and NeighborSpace.  It was created out of a desire to get more deeply involved in community gardening at a neighborhood level.  North Lawndale was a natural fit because of our strong relationship with the Honey Co-Op and the Greening Committee, and past partnership on events like the Sweet Summer Solstice Potluck and Chicago TomatoFest. 2010 was preSERVE’s first year – and a great year it was!  With the help of over 100 volunteers and supporters, we created an urban garden on a formerly vacant lot that the Greening Committee and NeighborSpace had worked for years to obtain.  SFC volunteers spread mulch and compost, planted black eyed peas, crowder peas, and sweet potatoes, helped with weeding and maintenance, and shared in the harvest at Slow Food USA’s Dig In! event in September.  preSERVE also worked with the Chicago Honey Co-Op and Chicago TomatoFest to host potluck dinners to benefit the garden.

We have big plans for 2011, and we need your help! We’ll be preparing the garden beds, planting even more crops, and working with the community to increase the number of harvest days.  We are also getting a new fence and working to raise money for tools and garden benches.  But we don’t just need volunteers willing to get their hands dirty – we will also need help with the Solstice and TomatoFest potlucks and other fun events throughout the year.  And we’re looking for ways to expand our outreach into North Lawndale schools, so if you have experience working with kids and want to help out, we can use you! For more information, contact slowfoodpreserve {at} gmail(.)com or fill out our volunteer form.

2011 preSERVE Tentative Calendar of Events

(Dates in grey are estimates - more details will be provided closer to the event.  Check this website or the SFC Facebook page for updates!)
April 16th – Volunteer day to spread compost and plant seeds for spring greens (rain date April 17th)
June 4th – Volunteer day to plant sweet potato slips and peas (rain date June 6th)
June 24th – Sweet Summer Solstice Potluck (rain date June 26th)
July 16th – Volunteer day to weed garden
September 24th – Volunteer day to harvest peas, in conjunction with the Chicago TomatoFest Potluck at the Honey Co-op
October 8th –  Volunteer day to harvest sweet potatoes and remaining peas
October 29th –  Volunteer day to harvest remaining crops and plant garlic (tentative)

Preparing the lot for planting in spring 2010 by spreading mulch and wood chips.

Credit Damien Casten
Volunteers harvest the last of the sweet potatoes and black eyed peas at the 2010 Slow Food USA Dig In! event.  Credit Ben Helphand
Harvesting delicious sweet potatoes!

Credit Jennifer Sandy