SIMPSON, Ill. – This summer, Illinois Extension staff and the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center are offering a unique opportunity for local youth to engage in outdoor education with a culinary component. The Grow, Harvest, Prepare, and Share program is designed to help youth rediscover where their food comes from and bridge the gap between outdoor exploration and culinary education. Participants can take part in gardening tasks, including planting, weeding, harvesting, and watering and learn about garden science concepts, such as soils, composting, and insects. In the kitchen, participants can use their harvested ingredients to make tasty recipes and learn how to use seasonal produce as part of the Illinois Junior Chef program. Youth have the option to participate in garden class, Illinois Junior Chef cooking class, or both!
This program is free and open to all youth. If a child is under 6 years old, a parent must accompany them during the classes. Space is limited and registration will close once it has reached capacity. For specific dates and times of the gardening and cooking classes and to register, please visit the Registration Page.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Jennifer Warren at jrwarren@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet access needs.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.