Throughout the summer, 17 high school students from North Chicago and Waukegan have been learning how to harvest fruit, vegetables, herbs and even honey.
In a program sponsored by the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, the teens learn about horticulture, agriculture and entrepreneurship as they plant, weed, water, harvest and sell their crops at farmers markets.
On Wednesday, their harvest included 25 pounds of eggplant, 10 pounds of green beans, 2 pounds of tomatoes, 15 pounds of cabbage, basil and chives. They spent the morning working on the farm, on an acre in the Greenbelt Forest Preserve off Green Bay Road in North Chicago. They then sold the food at the Grayslake farmers market.
“We want to teach them different career opportunities in the green industry,” said Angela Mason, program coordinator for the Botanic Garden. They also learn about nutrition as they taste new foods.
The students receive a stipend between $900 and $1,200, plus proceeds from the market.
“People love our eggplant and wild greens,” said Brianna Sampson, 17, a senior at Waukegan High School. “You get to see all your hard work pay off.”
