Cottage Gardens

About

Restaurant, Bakery and Greenhouse

Description

Cottage Gardens, a division of Seabird Enterprises, is located on Route 85 in the town of Colchester, CT. Cottage Gardens provides programs for individuals with disabilities in a variety of skill areas including baking, horticulture, landscaping, and crafts. For those who prefer baking, there is a bakery with a retail area. The bakery will feature muffins, cookies, pies, and breads. This provides skill training such as cutting, peeling, baking, and waiting on customers. Individuals learn to measure, sift, and mix ingredients before spooning them into tins or pans and baking up country fresh flavors to sell daily. In addition, Seabird hopes to receive permission to serve juice, coffee, and breakfast sandwiches in the morning, and for lunch, homemade soups and sandwiches.

For those wishing to work with the soil, they can work in the greenhouse learning such tasks as seeding, potting, transplanting, watering, and weeding both annuals and perennials. The greenhouse crew will also take care of the flower beds and planters that will surround the buildings. Part of the greenhouse will serve as a sales area where seasonal handcrafted items will be offered for sale. In the future, participants will be able to market plants and flowers grown in the greenhouse as well as organic produce grown in the field in the rear of the greenhouse.

Participants will also make crafts and seasonal items such as cards, Christmas wreaths, and painted pottery. Other participants who prefer wood working will be able to make such items as birdhouses, memorial boxes, and planters. The craft area also contains an area where participants enjoy their lunch. Whether a participant is working in the bakery, the greenhouse, the craft area, or the wood shop, they will find that every area has been designed to accommodate individuals that use wheelchairs.

Seabird has refurbished the 72 by 72 foot greenhouse as a woodworking shop. The property also contains the remnants of an apple orchard, which Seabird is in the process of bringing back to its former productive state.