With spring in the air, the Sweet Water team is working hard in preparation for the upcoming season. Renovations are in full swing in the [Re]Construction House, the farm is being readied for the growing season, and seed starting in underway in the greenhouses. The Work-Shop is abuzz with Apprentices perfecting their carpentry skills and fulfilling orders for dance floors and fractals.
This month, we invite you to read about the changes at The Commons as warmer weather approaches. We look forward to seeing you at The Commons in the coming months! There GROWS the Neighborhood!
Meet Danny Salomon...Danny first visited The Commons in September of 2017 while visiting Chicago. In 2018, he came back to learn more about SWF’s practice and, within six months, was invited to become a SWF Human-in-Residence. Humans-in-Residence are lifelong learners, artists, and contributors of all ages and talents that engage in an immersive and generative experience with lasting impact. During his intensive, 2-week residency at The Commons this winter, Danny stayed in the Think-Do House and worked alongside the SWF team on renovation of the [Re]Construction House, design and build of a storage system for a shipping container, and, most importantly, becoming part of the SWF Family.
WEEKLY VOLUNTEER DAYS: Join the Sweet Water community as we prepare for the 2019 farming season! Each Wednesday from April 3 - May 15, SWF is looking for 10 volunteers to help us prepare the farm. Activities include: clearing out rows, tilling, laying down woodchips and soil, and transplanting.
[Re]Rooting @ The Commons: Exploring the Fifth Dimension of Citizenship
Join the Sweet Water community on Thursday, April 18 from 11 AM - 2 PM to celebrate the intersecting cultural traditions that emerge when networks of people work together to heal and reroot themselves in a sense of place while utilizing art and architecture as vehicles to respond to the trauma of a century of segregation, redlining, disinvestment, disconnection, mass incarceration, and marginalization.
Workshops will range from woodworking projects, indoor and outdoor gardening/farming techniques, and print-making. More details coming soon. Registration requested. Click here to register.
FRI
MAY
17
Remake Learning Days: Radical Imaginations @ The Commons
Sweet Water Foundation is excited to take part in the Remake Learning Days Chi festival. The festival, presented by theChicago Learning Exchange (CLX), will turn Chicago into an open and dynamic learning laboratory with more than 100 hands-on, learning opportunities in schools, museums, libraries, parks, and community centers across the city. All ages are welcome. Activities will include seed starting and transplanting, movement workshops, and nature-inspired art.
SAVE-THE-DATE: 2nd Annual Juneteenth @ The Commons
Save-the-date for Sweet Water Foundation's annual celebration of freedom and community. Free food, music, arts + craft, community-building and more.
More details coming soon.
STAY TUNED FOR OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS AT
THE COMMONS
RECIPES
The Best Baked Sweet Potato Fries
There's nothing like farm fresh potatoes! SWF market visitors have been requesting sweet potatoes, so this year, the SWF team will be planting sweet potatoes along with regular potatoes. Sweet potatoes are more nutritious than white or yellow potatoes. They are high in vitamins and antioxidants such as Vitamin A. According to Food Revolution Network, there are over 6,500 varieties of sweet potatoes that vary in color size, texture, and taste! In anticipation of warmer weather, try out this recipe for The Best Baked Sweet Potato Fries as a side dish to go alongside a burger, veggie sandwich, or chicken! Thank you to Ali from Gimmie Some Oven for this simple, tasty recipe.
Got Rain Barrels?
Help us reduce our water usage buy donating an unused rain barrel and/or purchasing a new rain barrel. Click the image above to purchase the best priced rain barrels, as recommended by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
