Visit our Food Forest on the north end of the garden, towards Cullerton. This site, as the rest of El Paseo Community Garden, is a community managed space maintained by volunteers. Please remember to take proper care and follow the Foragers Rule of Thumb: take less than ⅓ of a particular harvest. We hope that this site brings you closer to plant communities of the Midwest and contributes to the “permanent agriculture” of Chicago. Let us take care of the earth and the earth will take care of us. 

Visit our Plant Library to learn about our plants and their uses. Compiled by Nina Lawrin of Loveren Collections, Everyday Forage, and the Chicago Permaculture Teaching Institute.

Land Acknowledgment

Chicago is the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: The Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi Nations. Many other Tribes like the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Sac and Fox also called this area home. American Indians continue to call this area home and now Chicago is home to the third largest Urban American Indian community that still practices their heritage, traditions and care for the land and waterways. –American Indian Center of Chicago 

Get involved

Join us for Stewardship Days every Sunday during the garden season from 10 am to 1 pm to volunteer and join our “swamp” team.

Help us in renaming our permaculture site! 

Permaculture (stands for “permanent agriculture.”) was popularized by New Zealanders Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978, who studied many indigenous cultures and natural systems. Bill is an interesting guy, but the techniques of permaculture far predate his work.

Permaculture is based on three ethics: Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share. 

Check out our word cloud as we unpacked what “permaculture” means.

What would you like to name our food forest site?

Scroll to the bottom to see other replies/ comments.

Forager’s Rule of Thumb:

As a community forager, you are a steward of this land. In this site you will be able to find and connect with many native, edible, medicinal, pollinator, and utilitarian plants. As a community we gently remind you to take less than ⅓ of a particular harvest so that collectively we can promote an ecologically sound environment. We are a large insect, animal, bird, and human community.  Please be mindful that we all coexist and limit your harvest of one particular plant so that we may all benefit (including the plant!). This community permaculture site was designed to educate so that you can be equipped with additional information to plant these species in your own backyard/space and more easily identify and engage with them throughout the city.  We hope you learn and enjoy the El Paseo Permaculture Site! 

Thank you

This project was made possible by the 2018 Comed Green Region Grant, 2019 Openlands Treeplanters Grant, and a Country Financial Sponsorship.

Special thanks to lead designer, Nina Lawrin, owner of loveren collections; Everyday Forage, and Co-Founder of the Permaculture Chicago Teaching Institute.

Thank you to our community of volunteers, and our partners listed below:

 

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