Pruning Workshop - Winnetka
2026-01-21 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | IL
Learn to cut with confidence at one of Cook County Extension’s fruit tree pruning workshops this winter. After a demonstration and introduction to the principles of pruning, our instructors will guide you through hands-on implementation.
You are welcome to join us for one, or all of these workshops:
Jan 21, 10 am – 12 noon at Backyard Flower Lab, Winnetka
Jan 21, 1 – 3 pm at the Talking Farm, Skokie
Feb 7, 10 am – 12 noon at Farmworks in Chicago (westside), in partnership with Neighborspace
Feb 20, 10 am – 12 noon at 71st & Crandon Organic Garden, SouthShore Chicago; in partnership with Neighborspace
If you have your own tools and gloves, please bring them and be sure to dress for the winter weather. We will only cancel in the event of SEVERE weather. Please include your phone number so we can contact you in case of a short-notice cancellation.
These events are open to the public and free to attend, but pre-registration is required. Please understand that due to insurance purposes, no children under the age of 5 may be permitted on-site.
If you’d like to preview some fruit tree pruning webinars to get a head start, please see:
Introduction to Fruit Tree Pruning
Pruning Old and Neglected Fruit Trees
If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Batka at 217-300-8636 or sbatka@illinois.edu

Fruit Tree Pruning Fundamentals Virtual Workshop
2025-12-17 19:00 - 20:30 | IL
Click HERE for details.

Cider Social
2025-11-02 10:00 - 15:00 | IL
Cider Social – Sunday November 2, 2025

Harvest Festival at CBG
2025-10-19 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022
2025 Harvest Festival – October 18-19 – Midwest Fruit Explorers

Chicago Botanic Garden’s Heirloom Fest
2025-08-23 10:00 - 2025-08-24 16:00 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022
Heirloom fest at the Chicago Botanic Garden 2025 – Midwest Fruit Explorers

Orchard Walk
2025-08-02 13:00 - 14:30 | IL
Tour an eco-friendly suburban garden in La Grange, hosted by Veronica T.
All details are HERE.

2025 Summer Picnic
2025-07-20 10:00 - 16:30 | IL
Stay Tuned!! The venue will be announced shortly.

Free Community Orchard Maintenance & Care Workshop
2025-05-15 09:00 - 11:00 | Dean and Barbara White Community Center, 6600 Broadway, Merrillville, IN, 46410
See all details here:
Free Community Orchard Maintenance & Care Workshop, May 15 – Midwest Fruit Explorers

Grafting Workshop
2025-03-23 13:00 - 16:30 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022
Details are here: 2025 Grafting Workshop Sunday March 23

Kurle Memorial Lecture
2025-02-23 11:00 - 12:30 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022
Full event details are HERE.

2025 Southwestern Illinois Commercial Tree Fruit School
2025-02-11 08:00 - 14:00 | Barefoot Restaurant, 106 S Water Street, Hardin, Illinois, 62047
Event Date(s): February 11, 2025
Event Time: 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Location: Barefoot Restaurant, 106 S Water St., Hardin, IL 62047
Event Fee: $35.00

Support the success of your tree fruit operation with practical research-tested best practices from industry experts at the 2025 Commercial Tree Fruit School. Whether you’re a seasoned grower or new to the practice, the program features a wide range of topics to help you meet the challenges of commercial fruit production in Southwestern Illinois. This year’s school will be on Feb. 11 at a new location, the Barefoot Restaurant in Hardin (106 S Water St., Hardin, IL 62047). New this year, there will be no afternoon presentations, and the program will conclude after lunch. Registration will begin at 7:45 a.m., and the program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Full event details are HERE.

2025 Annual Business Meeting
2025-01-26 11:30 - 16:00 | IL
2025 Annual Business Meeting – Sunday, January 26

Event Description: The Club’s annual potluck business meeting day is Sunday, January 26, 2025.
What better way to chase away the winter chill than with a steaming bowl of homemade soup?
Our annual business meeting will begin with our annual Soup Bowl Luncheon. Potluck hot lunch will be followed by election of officers, other club business, and much gabbing about fruit growing as usual.
Date: Sunday, January 26th
Time: 11:30am (setup); noon – 4:00pm (meeting)
Location: See Grapevine or Members Only page
Directions: See Grapevine or Members Only page
Event Details: This is a member only event. See your Grapevine newsletter or the Members Only page for additional details.

Apple Cider Social
2024-11-03 10:00 - 15:00 | Al’s house
Cider Press at Al Cosnow’s House
Sunday November 3rd, 2024 10 am to 3 PM CST
**Note: Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 AM on Nov 3rd
Details in September Grapevine or Members Only page.

2024 MidFex Harvest Festival
2024-10-19 10:00 - 2024-10-20 16:00 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022
Full details on Harvest Festival are HERE.

NRCS Conservation Practices Field Day
2024-10-17 16:30 - 18:00 | IL
Reimbursable conservation practices like cover crops, pest management conservation systems, irrigation, soil carbon amendments, raised beds, high tunnels, and stormwater runoff management are now available to small scale urban growers.
Extension educators Zack Grant and Kathryn Pereira, along with Growing Home Farm Manager Ezra Lee, will discuss the conservation practices implemented on Growing Home’s diversified vegetable farm; and speak of their contract experience with the NRCS program.
High Tunnel Management
Vendors and Equipment
Structures like High tunnels, caterpillar tunnels
We’re thrilled to welcome Joseph Bridges and Alicia Lozano, the USDA NRCS field agents for Cook County who will be on site to meet farmers and answer your questions about applying for these reimbursement programs.
Learn more about the event.

Pruning Workshop at Shelly Kibbler's in Cary IL
2024-09-29 13:00 - 16:00 | IL

Orchard Walk and Seminar: Defending Your Orchard from Four-legged Pests
2024-08-11 13:00 - 15:00 | IL
See event details HERE.

Orchard Walk with Deb Graham
2024-08-04 13:00 - 15:00 | IL

NRCS Conservation Practices Field Day
2024-07-31 17:30 - 19:30 | Star Farm, 5156 S. Carpenter, Chicago, IL, United States
For information, go.illinois.edu/NRCSFieldDay
https://registration.extension.illinois.edu/start/nrcs-conservation-practices-field-day
Illinois Extension, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
You will learn about:
Composting Facility
Conservation Plans
EQIP high tunnel program
Cover Crops
Mulch
Raised beds
Pollinator Strips
Bee Hives
If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Batka at 217-300-8636 or sbatka@illinois.edu

2024 Summer Picnic
2024-07-14 08:00 - 17:00 | IL
See all details HERE.

What's New in the World of Pawpaws - Zoom Lecture
2024-06-25 18:30 - 19:00 | IL
NAFEX is hosting a Zoom lecture about What’s New in the World of Pawpaws on June 25 at 6:30 pm CST.

NAFEX membership ($19 per year) is required. NAFEX members receive access to current and past Zoom lectures, annual meeting conference videos, and the quarterly Pomona journal.

For details see: https://nafex.org/index.php/event/pawpaw-101-and-ksu-pawpaw-program-update-a-virtual-interest-group-meeting/

NAFEX Zoom Lecture - Breeding Future Apples and Pears
2024-03-26 18:30 - 20:00 | IL
Are you curious about what’s going on in the world of apple breeding besides crispy apples? Maybe the future releases of a 100 year old pear breeding program peak your interest? Either way join NAFEX on March 26th as Christopher Gottschalk, Ph.D. of the USDA ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station discusses these topics and more.
The meeting will be held on ZOOM and by phone from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central time. This virtual NAFEX Interest Group meeting is FREE with your $19 NAFEX membership. Find the ZOOM link and call-in numbers in your inbox or on our member Interest Group page. Plan to join us!
NAFEX members receive access to current and past Zoom lectures, annual meeting conference videos, and the quarterly Pomona journal.
For details click HERE.

2024 Grafting Workshop
2024-03-24 13:00 - 16:00 | Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 60022
2024 Grafting Workshop Sunday March 24

Fruit Trees And Brambles Pruning Workshop
2024-03-16 09:00 - 12:00 | McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. 14, Crystal Lake, IL, 60012, United States
PRUNING: FRUIT TREES AND BRAMBLES
McHenry County College, Center for Agrarian Learning
Saturday March 16
9 a.m.–Noon
Building A, Room A229
$20
Instructor: Rich Tobiasz

This workshop includes a lecture followed by hands-on activity outdoors on the MCC Student Farm. You’ll learn about pruning both fruit trees and raspberries and blackberries. Systems covered will be best practices on standard and semi-dwarf orchard-style trees, training dwarf pear and apple trees on high density trellised systems, and bramble care based on varietal. Learn in-class and then head out to the Farm for demonstrations on our 2022 plantings, including hands-on opportunities. Dress for outdoor, possibly wet/cold conditions.

NAFEX Lecture: The Best Apples and Pears for Cider Making
2024-02-27 18:30 - 19:30 | IL
NAFEX is hosting a Zoom lecture about “The Best Apples and Pears for Cider Making” on February 27 at 6:30 pm CST.
NAFEX membership ($19 per year) is required. NAFEX members receive access to current and past Zoom lectures, annual meeting conference videos, and the quarterly Pomona journal.
For details see:
Which are the best apples and pears for making cider and perry?

Pruning Workshop
2024-02-11 13:00 - 15:00 | IL
Pruning Workshop – Sunday February 11th

2024 Southern Illinois Fruit and Vegetable School
2024-02-07 08:00 - 17:00 | Doubletree Meeting & Event Center, 222 Potomac Boulevard, Mt. Vernon, IL, 62864

2024 Kurle Memorial Lecture - Deirdre Birmingham, The Cider Farm
2024-02-04 13:00 - 14:30 | IL
Session #1. Deirdre Birmingham, The Cider Farm

Deirdre Birmingham is an owner and orchard manager of The Cider Farm, a certified organic cider orchard in Mineral Point Wisconsin growing cider apples for cider and brandy production.

They started with hand-grafted varieties of French and English cider apples. The Cider Farm now includes a Cidery and Tasting Room on Madison’s west side. Deirdre is excited to talk to our group about the challenges (and many rewards!) of nearly two decades of learning to grow these varieties organically in our Midwest conditions.

Date: Sunday, February 4, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Zoom Meeting ID: See Grapevine Update notice or Members Only page.

2024 Annual Business Meeting
2024-01-14 13:00 - 16:30 | IL
The Club’s annual potluck business meeting day is Sunday, January 14, 2024. What better way to chase away the winter chill than with a steaming bowl of homemade soup? Our annual business meeting will begin with our annual Soup Bowl Luncheon. Potluck hot lunch will be followed by election of officers, other club business, and much gabbing about fruit growing as usual.

Date: Sunday January 14, 2024

Time: 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Location: See Grapevine or Members Only page

Directions: See Grapevine or Members Only page

Event Details: This is a member only event. See your Grapevine newsletter or the Members Only page for additional details.
