Adult Opportunities

Growing Native Edible Plants

Learn about traditional uses of native plants and how to add them to your edible garden.

Content Detail

Did you know milkweed isn’t just for monarchs? With a little knowledge, this native plant is food for humans, too. Though not often considered as edibles, many native plants in Illinois and the Midwest are wonderful, traditional sources of food. Through storytelling and recipes, presenter Gina Roxas, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and a medicinal garden manager, will invite plant lovers to consider native plants differently when planning their next gardens.

In this presentation, explore the beauty of native plants, uncover their history with the first people of this land, and learn techniques for the responsible harvest and use of these plants in our daily lives. Consider big ideas that will transform the way you think about your garden:

  • Why do we garden?
  • What is a food plant, really?
  • How do our actions affect the space around us?

This program meets in person at the Arboretum.

Instructor: Gina Roxas, executive director, Trickster Cultural Center

Age: 16 and older

Course number: H301

Instructor

Gina Roxas, executive director, Trickster Cultural Center

Gina Roxas is the executive director for Trickster Cultural Center, a nonprofit Native American and community arts center in Schaumburg, where she also manages the native medicinal garden.

As a citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Roxas has studied the environment through a multifaceted lens of traditional teachings from her grandmother and family elders as well as the humanities and science. Her interests are ethnobotany, urban agriculture, and gardening.

What to Know

This class is held indoors.

Program Schedule

Friday, May 10, 2024, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Thornhill Education Center

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