Below is a presentation delivered at the annual PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) Conference.
[slideshare id=11568001&doc=pasa2012-120214094917-phpapp01]
Slideshow
Primitive Skills Weekend Workshop
When: August 19th-21st
Where: Wild Meadows Farm~456 Smith Road~Schellsburg, PA 15559
Schedule: Plan to arrive at Wild Meadows Farm on Friday August 19th by 6:00pm for a dinner, introductions, movie, and discussion. Saturday and Sunday we will do hands on activities which includes a guided forage walk, awareness exercises, primitive shelter construction, wild edible plants, fire by friction, cordage making, solar still, primitive cooking with a steam pit, use of throwing stick as a hunting tool, and more.
The cost of this workshop is $150, which includes nourishing wholesome vegetarian food, materials, and instruction.
Lodging is separate from the workshop fee:
camping $10
shared room $15
private $20
GUEST INSTRUCTOR
Kenneth Point is an organic vegetable gardener on a mission to get more families out and growing in their own back yards. His focus has been in the areas of ornamental edibles, heirloom vegetables, and edible weeds and wild plants. Kenny was introduced to a survival and nature awareness school in New Jersey run by Tom Brown Jr. In addition to attending classes at the Tracker School, Kenny has practiced wilderness skills at Earthwalk Northwest in Washington State and primitive skills at the Virgin Island Sustainable Farm Institute in St Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Today Kenny works as a Compliance Auditor at a medical center, but still manages to find time for hiking, camping, and raising organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Kenny also writes about his personal experiences in the garden over at the Veggie Gardening Tips website.
Join us after lunch on Sunday, August 21 to create a round basket using a variety of locally harvested leaves and vines. The 2 hour class will be given by award-winning basket maker Loretta Radeschi of Bedford, PA. Loretta’s inspiration for her baskets comes from Native American cultures, especially the Cherokee and Choctaw, her love of nature and the beauty of Bedford County’s ridges and valleys. Wool, llama fleece, leaves, branches, feathers, vines and bark are among the materials Loretta uses in her one-of-a kind baskets. Fee for the class is $20 including materials.
Registration deadline by August 16th
To sign up, contact Michelle @ 814 839 4962
or email MLKJ21@gmail.com
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Forest Garden Design Intensive with Dave Jacke and Friends, April 15th-24th
We are excited to announce Wild Meadows Farm will be hosting a nine day intensive course with author Dave Jacke and friends entitled:
Edible Ecosystems Emerging: Food Forestry for the 21st Century.
For more info or to register please check out the event webpage.
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Permaculture Design Certificate Course @ Phipps
Get your PDC in Pittsburgh! It’s inexpensive!!! Hands-on!
Permaculture Design Certificate Course at Phipps
Join us at the Phipps Garden Center for 6 weekends of intensive permaculture design and practice!
Primary Teachers: Darrell Frey, Three Sister’s Farm and Bioshelter
Elizabeth Lynch, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Juliette Jones, Pittsburgh Permaculture
Dates: January 29, 30, February 12, 13, 26, 27, March 12, 13, 26, 27, April 2
Time: 9am-4:30pm
Cost: $770 Phipps members, $850 Non-members
Location: Phipps Garden Center, 1059 Shady Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa 15232
Be your own landscape designer! This intensive weekend course will teach you the secrets of ecological design; learn how to garden like nature! Capture and store water on your site, reducing irrigation costs; build soil and use plants that mulch, reducing your need for artificial fertilizers; and design more sustainable garden systems, reducing your maintenance and maximizing the yield and aesthetics of your property. Visit local examples of permaculture design, use mapping and site analysis tools and complete a guided design project.
This course will challenge both beginning designers and experienced gardeners alike.
Permaculture design is rooted in agriculture and horticulture, yet is far reaching and interdisciplinary in nature, making connections to city planning, ecology, architecture, and appropriate technology. This course covers the foundations of ecological design and addresses how these concepts can be applied to both urban and rural settings in order to create regenerative landscapes.
Course Topics
Permaculture Ethics & Principles
Observation & Ecological Design
Site Analysis & Assessment
Edible Forest Gardens
Water Harvesting
Natural Building
Greenhouse & Bioshelter Design
Compost & Soil Building
Mapping, Surveying, & Presentation
Group Design Projects & Design Charettes
Transition Town Movement
Contact:
For more information- Juliette Jones, jjones@phipps.conservatory.org, 412/441-4442 x 3902
To register- Sarah Bertovich, sbertovich@phipps.conservatory.org , 412/441-4442 x 3925
Primitive Skills ~ October 22-24
REGISTER NOW!
DESCRIPTION
Reconnecting with the natural world can give us meaning and guidance in an increasingly sterile and destructive culture. Foraging, fire making and other survival skills may seem unnecessary in today’s modern society but even in an urban environment they can come in handy. Hands on activities include guided forage walk, debris shelter construction, water collecting and location, solar still, and using a bow-drill for fire making.
GUEST INSTRUCTOR
Kenneth Point is an organic vegetable gardener on a mission to get more families out and growing in their own back yards. Introduced to the hobby of gardening when he was ten years old, Kenny quickly developed a knack and a passion for growing plants and gardens of all kinds.
After graduating from college with a degree in accounting, Kenny pursued his interests in organic gardening by spending several years managing the gardens and orchards on a forty acre organic farm just outside of York, PA. His focus has been in the areas of ornamental edibles, heirloom vegetables, and edible weeds and wild plants.
It was around this same time that Kenny was introduced a survival and nature awareness school in New Jersey run by Tom Brown Jr. In addition to attending classes at the Tracker School, Kenny has practiced wilderness skills at Earthwalk Northwest in Washington State and primitive skills at the Virgin Island Sustainable Farm Institute in St Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Today Kenny works as a Compliance Auditor at a medical center, but still manages to find time for hiking, camping, and raising organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Kenny also writes about his personal experiences in the garden over at the Veggie Gardening Tips website.
REGISTRATION
The cost for this workshop is a $150, which includes lodging in an 1850’s rustic farmhouse, vegan/vegetarian cuisine, and instruction. Discounted fees are available for Bedford, Fulton, and Blair County residents of PA and Garrett County residents of MD.
SCHEDULE
Plan to arrive by 7:00 PM on Friday evening for a meal and to share/hear stories. We will be starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday and ending the workshop on Sunday by 3:00 PM.
For further questions, email Kim Walsh at info(at)wildmeadowsfarm.com or call at 814-839-4962.
LOCATION
Wild Meadows Farm ¦ 456 Smith Road ¦ Schellsburg, PA 15559
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Natural Building Weekend Workshop ~ June 11-13
Register Here by June 9th
FRIDAY FILM & DISCUSSION: 7:30 pm (FREE & OPEN to the Public)
GARBAGE WARRIOR (2007)
What do beer cans, car tires and water bottles have in common? Not much unless you’re renegade architect Michael Reynolds, in which case they are tools of choice for producing thermal mass and energy-independent housing. For 30 years New Mexico-based Reynolds and his green disciples have devoted their time to advancing the art of “Earthship Biotecture” by building self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony. However, these experimental structures that defy state standards create conflict between Reynolds and the authorities, who are backed by big business. Frustrated by antiquated legislation, Reynolds lobbies for the right to create a sustainable living test site. While politicians hum and ha, Mother Nature strikes, leaving communities devastated by tsunamis and hurricanes. Reynolds and his crew seize the opportunity to lend their pioneering skills to those who need it most. Shot over three years and in four countries, Garbage Warrior is a timely portrait of a determined visionary, a hero of the 21st century.
Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.
Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
Building with natural materials locally sourced is the ideal. Designing dwellings that integrate food production, water capture and storage, healthy living space, passive solar, and energy efficiency is the essence of permaculture. These topics and more will be examined and discussed. Hands on activities include constructing an outdoor cob oven.
GOALS OF THE WORKSHOP
- Learn about natural building techniques
- Construct an outdoor cob oven
- Enjoy an age-old technique of community building & design
INSTRUCTORS
Andy Purke has been an artisan blacksmith for over 20 years and is an accomplished homesteader and “jack of all trades.” He’s locally sourced all the materials to construct a cob oven and knows the phases and challenges of foundation digging & building, dry-stacking stones, and cob oven mixtures.
Joel Cahalan is a certified permaculture teacher and aspiring biointensive gardener whose mentors include Dave Jacke and John Jeavons . He manages the production aspects of Wild Meadows Farm and in a former life co-founded and helped manage a successful worker cooperative (thehubbikecoop.org). He dreams of a future in which all species are respected and valued and humans live in harmony with their home planet. Other interests include all things related to bicycles, anarchism and nature.
REGISTRATION
To register, click HERE. Please register by June 9, 2010 so that we can plan accordingly.
The cost for this workshop is a sliding scale fee of $150-$200 which includes lodging in an 1850’s rustic farmhouse, vegan/vegetarian cuisine, and instruction. Work trade is available and negotiable. Discounted fees are available for Bedford, Fulton, and Blair County residents of PA and Garrett County residents of MD.
SCHEDULE
Plan to arrive by 7:00 PM on Friday evening to attend the film showing followed by a community discussion. We will be starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday and ending the workshop on Sunday by 3:00 PM.
For further questions, email Kim at (info(at)wildmeadowsfarm.com) or call at 814-839-4962.
LOCATION
Wild Meadows Farm ¦ 456 Smith Road ¦ Schellsburg, PA 15559
This workshop is a collaboration of Chesapeake, Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS) and Wild Meadows Farm.
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Biointensive Gardening Weekend Workshop May 21-23
Register here by May 17th
DESCRIPTION
Peak oil, peak water and climate chaos are looming. Learn how you can grow all your own food while building soil in as little as 4,000 square feet. Starting with a 100 square feet garden bed and 10 minutes a day you can learn the techniques while providing healthy organic food for your family. Hands on activities include double digging, transplanting, and compost preparation.
GOALS OF THE WORKSHOP
- Understand elements of biointensive gardening
- Plan and design your own gardens to enhance your diet
- Skill-building through hands-on practice
FRIDAY FILM & DISCUSSION: 7:30 pm (FREE & OPEN to the Public)
The World According to Monsanto – 2008
French filmmaker Marie-Monique investigates Monsanto and its corporate influence on government and technology. Combining secret documents with accounts by victims, scientists and policy makers, she guides us through a path of misleading reports, pressure tactics, collusion, and attempted corruption. And we learn how the company systematically tricked governments into allowing dangerous genetically modified (GM) foods into our diet-with Monsanto in charge of determining if they’re safe.
GUEST INSTRUCTOR
Jennie Cejka started gardening at five, taught by her father in southern California and is still actively gardening. She moved to Montana and worked for the University of Montana in the Health Sciences Department for 3 years. She met and worked for Larry Olsen, at his homestead school in Stevensville, Montana. In 1993, she met Steve Moore at Wilson College, PA and began to learn biointensive techniques for gardening. She met and took a course with John Jeavons in 1994 and has been using biointensive methods for the last 17 years. Jennie’s approach to gardening is from a historical point of view; what has been successful for our ancestors without using chemicals and heavy machinery can work for us today. Jennie is a Master Gardener through the Penn State Extension Services program and provides gardening workshops throughout South Central Pennsylvania and Western Maryland. Since 1996, her family manages a homestead of 16 acres that includes 44 biointensive beds, orchards, fields, chickens, goats, woods, and a creek that runs through their property. In her spare time, she enjoys spinning, weaving, and soap making.
REGISTRATION
To register, click HERE. Please register by May 17, 2010 so that we can plan accordingly.
The cost for this workshop is a sliding scale fee of $150-$200 which includes lodging in an 1850’s rustic farmhouse, vegan/vegetarian cuisine, and instruction. Work trade is available and negotiable. Discounted fees are available for Bedford, Fulton, and Blair County residents of PA and Garrett County residents of MD.
SCHEDULE
Plan to arrive by 5:00 PM on Friday evening to share a meal with other participants and to attend the film showing followed by a community discussion. We will be starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday and ending the workshop on Sunday by 4:00 PM.
For further questions, email us info(at)wildmeadowsfarm.com or call at 814-839-4962.
LOCATION
Wild Meadows Farm ¦ 456 Smith Road ¦ Schellsburg, PA 15559
RELATED RESOURCES
Ecology Action, Neo-Terra, Harmony Essentials
This workshop is a collaboration of Chesapeake, Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS) and Wild Meadows Farm.
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Forest Garden Weekend Workshop
Register here by April 12th
DESCRIPTION
Imagine a forest that provides an abundance of food, fiber, fuel and pharmacy while requiring a minimum of human intervention. The system works together in a multi-layered and resilient ecosystem. Learn how to design and create such a system for your own permanent or temporary dwellings. Hands on activities will include planting a forest garden, site visit to an established food forest, and sharing ideas in conviviality. To start off our weekend, a public film showing with the community of Bedford County, PA will take place in the barn on Friday evening at dusk.
GOALS OF THE WORKSHOP
- To understand basic concepts of edible forest gardens.
- To provide installation techniques & skills through hands-on practice.
- To inspire through existing designs & examples.
FRIDAY FILM: A Farm for the Future 7:30 pm (FREE & OPEN to the Public)
Wildlife film maker Rebecca Hosking investigates how to transform her family’s farm in Devon into a low energy farm for the future, and discovers that nature holds the key.
With her father close to retirement, Rebecca returns to her family’s wildlife-friendly farm in Devon, to become the next generation to farm the land. But last year’s high fuel prices were a wake-up call for Rebecca. Realising that all food production in the UK is completely dependent on abundant cheap fossil fuel, particularly oil, she sets out to discover just how secure this oil supply is.
Alarmed by the answers, she explores ways of farming without using fossil fuel. With the help of pioneering farmers and growers, Rebecca learns that it is actually nature that holds the key to farming in a low-energy future.
GUEST INSTRUCTOR
Darrell E. Frey of Three Sisters Permaculture Design, is a sustainable design consultant with a focus on sustainable community development. He is also co-owner and manager of Three Sisters Farm, a certified organic market garden farm with a large bioshelter (ecologically managed solar greenhouse). Mr. Frey’s background includes 22 years of commercial market gardening, 25 years teaching of sustainable design and consultation on sustainable systems application. Work experience and research includes ecological landscaping, organic farm design and management, sustainable energy systems, community food systems with an emphasis on diet and health, natural and green building, environmental education, GIS mapping and business planning.
Other work experience includes 18 years as an MR direct care worker, teaching gardening and landscaping to at-risk youth, managing farm interns and lecturing to groups of all ages. Mr. Frey has completed a BA in Sustainable Community Development at Prescott College April 3, 2006.
REGISTRATION
To register, click HERE. Please register by April 12, 2010 so that we can plan accordingly.
The cost for this workshop is a sliding scale fee of $150-$200 which includes lodging in an 1850’s rustic farmhouse, vegan/vegetarian cuisine, and instruction. Work trade is available and negotiable. Discounted fees are available for Bedford, Fulton, and Blair County residents of PA and Garrett County residents of MD.
SCHEDULE
Plan to arrive by 5:00 PM on Friday evening to share a meal with the other participants and to attend the film showing. We will be starting at 9:00 AM on Saturday and ending the workshop on Sunday by 3:00 PM.
For further questions, email us info(at)wildmeadowsfarm.com or call us at 814-839-4962.
LOCATION
Wild Meadows Farm ¦ 456 Smith Road ¦ Schellsburg, PA 15559
RELATED RESOURCES
Edible Forest Gardens, Agroforestry Research Trust,
This workshop is a collaboration of Chesapeake, Education, Arts, and Research Society (CHEARS), Threes Sisters Permaculture Design, and Wild Meadows Farm.
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