Veggiestock 2022

When: Saturday, June 4th 10am-2pm

What: Veggiestock is a FREE annual food and garden festival presented by the Windham Community Food Network. This is an opportunity for local artisans, musicians, non-profits and food vendors to share their talents with our community while promoting the underutilize garden spaces at Lauter Park.

Lauter Park is located at 557R Jackson St, Willimantic, CT. Right on the Windham/Mansfield town line on RT 195. There will be free parking available if arriving by car. If arriving by bus please use the “Foster Drive at City Line” stop across the street.

When: While supplies last

What: Perhaps the most popular component of Veggiestock is the seed and seedling distribution. The Windham Community Food Network believes everyone should have the opportunity to grow their own food. This is why we distribute FREE seeds, seedlings and compost to attendees. Vegetable, fruit and flower seeds/plants are given on a first come first serve basis. Bring your own bucket to pick up some compost while you’re at it too!

While it’s not mandatory we ask anyone who receives these free resources to participate in our Plant-A-Row program. If you have any extra produce you’ve grown donate it back to us at our Community Fridge location at Whitewater Park on Bridge St, Willimantic. Your donations will be used to feed community members in need.

When: 10:30am

What: Join Michele Maclure of Thyme Traveler’s Herbals & Creations for an eye opening stroll around Lauter Park. You’ll learn all about the plants that surround us everyday, how to identify them and their potential medicinal uses!

When: 10:45am, 11:45am, 12:45pm

What:The Grow Windham Youth CORE will lead a tour of their garden, established in 2016. This is where they grow fruits, vegetables, and edible fungi for the Windham community. Through a variety of methods–some experimental, some time-tested–the Windham Youth CORE, GROW Windham,and many volunteers all provide opportunities for the community to prep, plant, and take root. A garden coordinator facilitates the participation of groups from local schools, universities, places of worship, organizations, and individuals in order to maximize networking and the community of urban farming practice. The food produced at the Thread City Family Garden benefits many in the area, donated to the Community Table project, and used by the Windham Youth CORE in their Sofrito and hot sauce production.

The Windham Area Interfaith Ministry (WAIM) Community Garden was “created” in 1993 as a communal organic garden space for people who had no other place to exercise their growing heritage, or simply produce vegetables as a supplement to their diets or income.
Today, it consists of two sections: the “Upper Half” (90’ x 175’) is divided into twenty-four 20’x20’ plots for individual gardeners to cultivate. The individuals have full control over where the yield from their plots goes.
The lower portion of the garden (70’x100’) is the “Communal Half” — a large vegetable garden maintained by volunteers, the produce from which is donated to the Covenant Soup Kitchen and the ACCESS food bank.