Project

Chicago Rarities Orchard Project is a new organization founded to establish "community rare-fruit orchards" in Chicago. These orchards, designed for reclaimed urban spaces, are dedicated to preserving a few of the thousands of varieties of tree fruit that aren't commonly grown by commercial producers.

Fruit produced from our orchards will, in part, be used to fund the project and also be distributed throughout the community. Additionally, using empty lots for orchards provides democratic improvements to Chicago, such as creating beautiful open spaces for our neighbors and educational opportunities for our children.

We are currently working with NeighborSpace, the City of Chicago, and the landscape architecture firm Altamanu on our first orchard. Still, once we have our first site, it will still be many years before we expect any significant harvest. For this reason, we seek to establish an organization and community partnerships that will be sustainable for many years.

We are always looking for ideas, input, and partners. Get on our mailing list and make sure to visit our support page to find out how you can get involved.