John and I had a blast attending a garden feast hosted by the Village Homesteading Mundelein group. If you are interested in organic gardening, traditional arts, food preservation, environmental programs, then heads up, local Lake County folks… this is a group you want to know about.
Oh…if you peek at their about page, they also list: home brewing, (Hey, John Kelly, we must have missed that part!) canning, recipes, painting…(I’m on board with that!), bee keeping and a whole other big pile of stuff. They have chickens on their logo, but I can’t honestly say I came across any.
Not yet anyhow. But if I do…Oh boy, will I be excited!
Anyhow, back to the weekend.
They hosted a garden party IN the garden, complete with a pig roast, and a long and delicious spread of food from their 1/10th of an acre of a garden. The food was fresh, mouth watering, unique and inspiring to imagine that the majority of it, (Not the pig, I don’t think) came from that garden.
It made me want to run right home and dig up every blade of grass I own and start planting.
But the reality is that I don’t have time to turn my yard into a sustainable organic oasis. John and I are just two people, who, despite our love for fresh, wholesome, organic home-grown food, also have a billion other hobbies and passions that require our energy and creativity. 
This is where a Community Project like this garden is so brilliant and amazing and wonderful I couldn’t help feel the excitement crawling from the balls of my feet to the roots of my hair. When people gather together for a common purpose, a purpose with vision, passion, common good, and is delicious and brings joy as well? There is no end to the wonderfulness it can provide. 
For more pictures of the gorgeous day, check out the Facebook album. (Sure, friend me if you want to, I’m friendly). Leave a comment here and tell me more about your homestead gardening experiences or stories. I’m interested. And share this post if you enjoyed it, I would love for people to know about this project!
I love thinking of you in a garden with a crowd as the sun sets. Laughing and sipping a glass of wine. We have a small garden and every year we start off going great guns! And by July and August we are up to our waists in weeds and digging through looking for our food plants, haha! But two things that have been absolutely NO work and have given us lots of food in spite of that are: a peach tree and black raspberry bushes. And they conveniently are not both overabundant int he same year, haha. We trade them for cukes with our neighbors and eat them right off the plants. But community gardens and CSA plans are also really great ways to eat healthily and keep those farmers in business. Thanks for these great pictures, they were a nice respite on a busy afternoon! xx a
Ah the weeds. Before going off to enjoy that community garden, we pulled two giant bags of weeds in our own garden at home. Nowhere near as fun at all.
Gardening with community is definitely more fun!
Community gardens are wonderful, not only for the bounty of the produce but also for the bounty of connection. In our busy lives we often connect with those close to us rather than will acquaintances interested in a common good, place or theme. Good for you for helping it thrive!
I love the entire movement toward eating food that is grown locally and is fresh, so community gardening is an excellent way for that to happen for people who don’t have the time, the land, resources or the education to do it themselves. Besides, there is something amazing that happens when you give to the land and it gives back to you, You really begin to understand the part we play in the cycle of life!
Sounds like you had an enjoyable weekend with your loved one, sharing and learning about organic gardening, painting and ideas you both enjoy.
One thing I really caught is how you would love organic gardening but know it isn’t reasonable with your zillion other hobbies and passions. You’ve set boundaries for yourself. Your energy and creativity only goes so far, and you do a great job of keeping your focus on your chosen few projects. You are such a good influence on me!
Elizabeth,
I need to be a good influence on me more often! It’s so HARD to set those boundaries! I have a huge amount of interests and so little time. One thing that works for me is to switch up my focus. I tend to do more theater in the colder months, more outdoor stuff in the spring and fall, and a lot more writing and painting in the summer when the heat and humidity keep me in the air-conditioning. It really comes down to knowing yourself I think!
What a yummy time! I love the pictures, they remind me of the pages of a Martha Stewart or Victoria Magazine! The day looked beautiful as well. How exciting to gather on a lovely day with like-minded people who enjoy serving each other and making things with their own hands that the community can enjoy. “Community” is so important and it’s so rewarding to be a part of a local community that is connected to the earth and all things natural and nutritious. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Donna Marie! I used to read Victoria magazine all the time, I didn’t know it was still around. Wouldn’t it be fun having pictures in that magazine? I’d swoon! One of the goals that Deb and I made for our business model last year was to cut the computer chains and break free from sitting behind the computer screen and get our business back out into our local communities by building friendships, relationship and networks. And the upside is that it is so much fun!
It was a wonderful day and the setting was just amazing! The Garden is just beautiful I swear it could be the set of a movie! The company was wonderful as well!
I agree! I can’t stop thinking about it! There should be more places like this. I want St. Andrews garden to be like this!!
We didn’t put in a garden this year… Can’t WAIT to do it next year. Even WITH our busy schedules, I find weeding relaxing. I just don’t ever let the “should” of weeds (or bugs) overwhelm the enjoyment of the plants, growing, and eating!