Suddenly, the whole farm is tinged with gold—zinnias, sunflowers, golden rod, and sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes) are in bloom. The leaves of the Black Walnut trees are turning from green to gold as and the Sumac leaves are drenched in magenta and gold. Fall arrives next week as the Autumnal Equinox falls on September 22. The day and night will be of equal length. Then we will begin the descent into the dark toward the Winter Solstice on December 21 after which the light begins to return.
As the growing season winds down, we’ve spent some time inside preparing for the Forest Garden Design Intensive we’re holding in October. We’ll be hosting students from all over the United States and Canada at our sister organization Heritage Creek Farm Camp. This course is a deep dive into the vision, theory, and practice of designing wholesome, dynamic, and resilient edible ecosystems using temperate deciduous forests as models. Design projects include designing forest gardens for: urban and suburban homesteads, an educational garden, and farm-scale locations. Participants will leave inspired and empowered to design food forests for themselves, friends, neighbors, and clients. There’s still time to register!
Preparing the Forest Garden Design Intensive Base Maps for the Design Projects
Looking for a more basic introduction to ecological design? Try our Introduction to Permaculture course! Permaculture is a practice that is steeped in deep observation, understanding relationships, and designing systems that meet our needs while simultaneously caring for the Earth and providing for future generations.
Upcoming events:
Foraging – September 18
Tending the Susquehanna Riverlands – September 22/23
Pawpaw Festival _ September 23/24
The Art of Seeing and the Science of Observation – September 24
Wild Lands Immersion -Primitive Skills – September 24 through October 22
Foraging – October 7
Harvest Festival (free to the public) – October 11 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Edible Ecosystems Emerging: Food Forestry for the 21st Century – October 13 – 22
Breadbaking (full day workshop) – October 21
Offal: Tongue & Brains – October 26
Bowmaking – November 4, 5, 11, 12
Foraging – November 4
Making Soup Stock – November 15
Foraging – December 2
See you at the farm!