Illinois's Right to Garden Law--How one local citizen's advocacy expanded the rights for everyone to grow their own food: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20, Glenside Public Library, 25 E. Fullerton Ave., Glendale Heights. Learn how Nicole Virgil's nearly 6 year struggle to grow food for her family in her Elmhurst garden ultimately led to Illinois becoming one of only two states to establish The Right to Garden law. Free. Seating is limited. Register by calling the library at (630) 260-1550, or through their website.

🍅Free Tomato Plants🍅

Tomato taste test winners available: As promised, we are offering seedlings of the tomato varieties which won for best flavor overall or in their categories at our annual Tomato Taste Test. The following types will be available for pick up at the Sustain DuPage garden once reserved. They are Velvet Red cherry, White Currant, Korean Long Paste, Golden Jubilee, and Rose de Berne.

Tasters loved the prolific fruiting of the White Currant, which is smaller than your average cherry but packed with sweet flavor. Because it will reseed itself each year, it's an annual that acts like a perennial in our region. The Velvet Red Cherry has unique fuzzy leaves so it's as pretty as it is tasty. Korean Long, a cooking tomato entry, was the big surprise of our 2023 event. It beat out the majority of the fresh-eating slicers and beefsteaks for flavor, the first time a cooking tomato placed that high in the overall rankings. It's very versatile, whether fresh or cooked, and worthy of the win. Rose de Berne is our garden favorite when it comes to a classic red slicing tomato; this prolific Swiss heirloom performs very well in our climate, producing delicious tomatoes for fresh eating. The top ranker in our yellow tomato category was Golden Jubilee. This beat out the competition with its bright yellow, tasty flesh.

These plants were all saved from seeds grown in DuPage and selected for performance and flavor. This means they're already adapted to our region! Limited quantities of each type will be available for pickup from our garden on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested should email lindsayz@sustaindupage.com to make their reservation request.

Food Security Squad

We’re baaaaack! The Food Security Squad will be returning to an active project this summer! Our goal is to connect SD member gardeners/growers, who have extra produce, with local food pantries that support DuPage County residents in need. Please consider planting an additional plant or two in your home garden of tomatoes, beans, peppers or the like, knowing the excess will go to support the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry and the People’s Resource Center of Wheaton. Details of the project will be in the July newsletter. If you are interested in volunteering with the FSS, please send an email to dianef@sustaindupage.com

Diane dropped off 90 tomato plant seedlings at the People's Resource Center. These were left over from the SD Seedling Swap held at the Wheaton Library on May 18. PRC plans to give them out to families/individuals picking up food, so they can plant them in their home gardens.

Ample Harvest - is a great resource to donate extra produce from your garden to local food pantries. Ample Harvest links growers with food pantries based on location. Once the SD Food Security Squad is operating, we will be gathering our own extra produce and making a group donation, so that members will not have to contact the pantries on an individual basis. Until then, for information visit https://ampleharvest.org/about-us/

Creators

Member Kate Flemming will be running a workshop on creating herb smudging bundles using garden materials. We will meet in our garden space at 1926 N. Main St. Wheaton at 3:00-4:30 PM. For those wishing to participate, we recommend a $5 fee to cover material costs. This event will be limited in number, so please RSVP here.

Kay Nolan (AKA me), taking on the newsletter as of this month. I live in Winfield, in the home my parents built in 1955. I've lived other places - Carbondale, Aurora, Wheaton, Heidelberg Germany, Sheffield UK - but mostly Winfield. I have an incredible husband for 55 years named Bill, 3 kids and 4 grands, ferocious guard dog Regen, and a passion to garden. I'm looking for the story keepers.

Storykeepers: Don't be keeping stories. If you have a story or know someone who has a story, let me know: kayn@sustaindupage.com.

We'd like to thank Connie Schmidt, government reporter for the River Prairie Group Sierra Club and League of Women Voters, for compiling this report covering the Forest Preserve's May meeting. This link will open as a separate file.

Cicada Adventures: Saturday, June 1, 9 a.m. to noon, St. James Farm, Warrenville. Activities and hikes for all ages. Free. DuPage Forest Preserve District. Also at Fullersburg Woods, Oak Brook, June 6 1 to 4 p.m. Information: cicada adventures

Home Plant Sale:

Sustain DuPage volunteers David and Anton will host their annual plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, at 441 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park. This popular event features native perennials as well as some annuals, as well as the chance to tour their lovely garden. 20% of proceeds are donated back to Sustain DuPage! Send questions to davidb@sustaindupage.com

Seed Swap: Sunday, June 2, 1 to 3 p.m., Glenside Library, 25 E. Fullerton Ave., Glendale Heights. Join Glendale Heights Garden Club to swap freshly harvested seeds and cuttings with fellow garden enthusiasts. Drop-in, no registration required. Information: (630) 260-1550.

Arbor Evenings: Wednesdays though Aug. 21, 6 to 8 p.m., Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle. Bring blanket or chair for seating. Admission tickets benefit the Arboretum mission. For information and tickets, visit https://mortonarb.org/explore/activities/events/arbor-evenings/#performance-schedule

Date	Sustain DuPage Event Details
6/01	Gardeners Workday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon, 1926 N. Main St., Wheaton. Also Saturdays 6/8, 6/15, 6/22, 6/29.
6/01	Plant Sale: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., SD volunteers David and Anton home, 441 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park. Information: davidb@sustaindupage.com.
6/05	Gardeners Worknight - Wednesday, 5:30 to 8 p.m., 1926 N. Main St., Wheaton. Also Wednesdays 6/12, 6/19, 6/26.
6/13	Leadership meeting - 6:30 to 8 p.m. Active members are allowed to attend and observe via Zoom. For the link and details, email info@sustaindupage.com.
6/21	Right to Garden - Thursday, 7 p.m. Glenside Public Library, 25 E. Fullerton Ave., Glendale Heights. Registration required by calling (630) 260-1550.
6/30	SD Creators Smudge Bundle Workshop@ Sustain DuPage garden. 3 to 4:30 p.m. $5 suggested donation. RSVP required since space is limited.

If your organization's event falls within the mission of Sustain DuPage and you'd like to advertise it in our newsletter, please contact us at info@sustaindupage.com.