Urban Growers Collective mixes Halloween and food education at South Chicago farm

Roman McCruder, 9, is still eating his candy from last Halloween.

He said he got lots of good candy last year when he dressed as superhero Blue Beetle. He said he allowed himself just three pieces a day.

Roman hasn’t figured out which houses give the best candy, but he said he’s keeping an eye out for motion-sensor Halloween decorations.

Last year he got scared by an animatronic werewolf, though he and his dad laughed about it afterward. He said the best part of Halloween is trick or treating, which he enjoys doing with his family — especially when he’s able to get some Dots, his favorite candy.

“My favorite part of Halloween is the time I get to spend with my family,” he said, adding that he will be going as "Star Wars" character the Mandalorian this year.

His mom, Sarah Garner-McCruder, isn’t as afraid of being scared. Rather, she’s a fan of haunted houses and scary movies, especially the “Halloween” series. She and Roman have watched “Lake Placid” together, but he still avoids haunted houses.

Garner-McCruder said October to December is her season of the year, with the warm apple cider, endless baked goods and time spent together with family.

“Spooky season is right up there with Christmas,” said Garner-McCruder, who lives in Auburn Gresham. “Three months of good baking and eating, it’s a comfort time.”

The two were among dozens of kids and parents at the Urban Growers Collective’s second annual Harvest Festival on Saturday in South Chicago, where the collective operates a 7-acre farm.

Roman got to make a spooky snow globe and a pin of a green spider web — green is his favorite color. Garner-McCruder was more focused on the fact that the farm activities were educating her kids on the seed-to-table cycle.

“It’s important for kids to learn where their food comes from,” Garner-McCruder said. “There’s this disconnect between kids and the grocery store, they don’t know where their food comes from. Knowing that gives them a greater appreciation for what they have, so gratitude this time of year is important.”

Mykele Deville, farm ambassador for Urban Growers Collective, was one of the many staffers helping out with farm tours and activities, which included making bouquets of flowers and a game that had kids trying to match plants with their seeds.

Deville said the celebration grew out of a desire to teach kids about farming and agriculture, especially in an urban environment where spaces like the collective's farm are rare.

“When you live in a city like Chicago, even as adults, it’s really easy to not fully understand the circle of where your food comes from,” Deville said. “So when we invite kids here to dress up and have a good time, they also get to see food comes from the ground, or taste a cherry tomato that tastes like candy to them. … Nothing compares to the physical sensation of being amongst nature.”

Beyond that, though, he hopes the annual festival inspires kids to get involved with plants and food, whether through gardening in their yard or careers in agriculture.

This month, the collective has harvested 15,000 pounds of produce, including at least 500 pounds of squash.

“We want copycats, we want kids to grow up and know that if they see a plot of land, they can understand what’s going on in the soil and plant and grow their own food. They don’t have to depend on systems when they can be the system themselves,” Deville said.

But the focus on food and farming didn't leave Halloween off the menu.

Bennetta McMorris and her granddaughter, Taylor, 6, were busy painting pumpkins. It’s one of their many stops at different trunk-or-treating events, which McMorris said she prefers over trick or treating, which she said has become too dangerous.

The two attended the festival together last year as well, and were surprised to see a number of new activities, including the pumpkin painting.

Taylor, whose face was painted like a ladybug, was more concerned about making sure she got some Twix or Reeses when she’s able to don her Princess Peach costume later in the week.

“It's safe, it’s in the neighborhood, it’s teaching kids about eating healthy,” McMorris said. “Something like this gives them a safe space to do things in.”