While the growing season may soon come to the end, there are simple ways to preserve the harvest! Canning foods is an easy way to preserve seasonal produce, to support local agriculture, and to be sure of what is in your food. Join us On September 10 for our final canning class of the season: Introduction to Canning Applesauce. The class will be led by Mary P. Hall. Mary grew up surrounded by canning, starting in her great grandmother’s kitchen. From a young age she helped her great grandmother as she grew and canned most of the food she served to her family. Although a career in communications and raising her family took her away from canning for several years, a desire to be more in control of the food she was eating and to be able to preserve the food grown in her own garden brought Mary back to preserving food. Each year, Mary and her now-adult children host marathon canning weekends, where they can jam, pickles, relishes and other goodies that feed their families throughout the year as well as making great gifts for friends. Mary lives in Manchester, Pennsylvania with her four cats, three chickens, too many fruit trees, and an unruly garden. The class will be held in our historic summer kitchen, so space is limited. Register today!
More than 15 people enjoyed our first The Living Landscape class on August 2. This opportunity for all ages to explore the farm with Woodland Steward Wilson Alvarez happens on the first Saturday of the month from 9 to 11.
Every month’s class will be different in response to what the land presents and what questions you ask. Topics covered may include:
Animal and insect tracking
Identification of wild plants
Tree and bark ID
Macro-invertebrates
Soil analysis
Reading the landscape
Nature observation
Bird language
Topography
Understanding water flows
Primitive skills
Come prepared for all weather, to get dirty, wet, and sometimes hot and sticky! This class is family and child friendly, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is per person, regardless of age. Our next The Living Landscape session is Saturday, September 7. See you there!
We’ve just added four more of our popular monthly foraging classes to the calendar!
September is a wonderful transition time between summer and fall and signs of abundance are everywhere! We’ll walk the property and see what is thriving on the edges. September Foraging – Plant Walk
In October, the days get shorter and the evenings get cooler, and soup becomes a welcome guest at the dinner table. This month, we’ll walk the property and forage for soup greens, grains, and roots. We’ll finish by preparing and sharing a batch of delicious wild soup. October 19 – Foraging: Soups
November is the time to begin digging roots. As plants begin to draw their energies into the ground to store them for winter, it’s time to dig some to be used as tasty root vegetables, process and dry them for coffee, tea, and medicine. We’ll demonstrate the process for transforming roots to ‘coffee’. November 9 – Foraging for Wild Roots.
In December many of the summer and fall offerings have died back, but there is still plenty for the adventurous forager to find! Come see what the land has to offer us as we move toward winter. December 14 – Foraging: Winter Offerings.
Upcoming events:
Farm Stand – Tuesdays 1 to 7 and Saturday 9 to noon at the farm
Online Farm Stand pre-order vegetables and flowers for pick up at the farm
August 27 – Tuesday Evening Farm Crew
September 7 – The Living Landscape
September 7 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
September 10 – Tuesday Evening Farm Crew
September 10 – Introduction to Canning: Applesauce
September 17 – Tuesday Evening Farm Crew
September 21 – Foraging Plant Walk
September 24 – Tuesday Evening Farm Crew
September 28/29 – Pawpaw Festival
October 5 – Cooking with Flowers
October 5 – The Living Landscape
October 7 – Kombucha Making
October 12 – Bread: Rising to the Next Level
October 15 – Woodland Steward Training Program
October 19 – Foraging: Soups
October 26 – Holiday Harvest Table I
November 2 – The Living Landscape
November 9 – Foraging: Roots
November 9 – Holiday Harvest Table II
November 19 – Bread Baking
December 7 – The Living Landscape
December 14 – Foraging: Winter Offerings
Custom Classes & Workshops
See you at the farm!
Foraging photos by Michelle Johnsen