Led by Fiber Artist Grace McFetters, this workshop explores the age old skills of producing your own fibers. Through demonstrations and hands-on activities. The workshop focuses primarily on fibers from animals (wool, hair, etc.) but will also touch on fibers from plants (flax, cotton, hemp, nettles, etc.). The workshop also includes discussion about animal management and care.
Join insect expert Richard McDonald ("Dr. McBug") as he explores the fascinating world of beneficial insects with us and what we can do in our own yardscapes and farmscapes to reverse the present loss of beneficial insect populations. The worldwide collapse of natural insect pollinators is disrupting ecosystems and our human food system. Many fruit and vegetable species that we rely on for food depend on natural insect pollinators.This workshop is a hands-on walking/talking/identifying workshop that has us entering into the life cycle of insects and learning what attracts and keeps beneficial insects in our landscapes. Make sure to ask Dr. Bug about his fascinating work identifying species of flies that attack Japanese Beetles.
Get an immersion into the many ways of turning locally harvested fibers into useful and artistic items. Learn about carding, cleaning, processing, dying, spinning, weaving, felting and much more through an afternoon of practical applications for locally produced fibers.
For thousands of years people have been making essential items from natural materials that surround them. Learn how to make functional and decorative bark baskets from the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), a common tree in central North Carolina. Fuz Sanderson, a teacher of traditional earthskills, leads us in a fascinating hands-on experience connecting us with this easy to learn craft. Everyone will go home with at least one tulip bark basket, and also the skills to build more bark baskets.
Join food scientist, Ben Harman, and a cadre of other skilled homebrewers in this exciting exploration of creating your own home beverages. Save hundreds of dollars by learning how to brew your favorite bubbly flavors in the comfort of your own home. Hone the finer points of craft brewing, control your brew's individual character, and express yourself through this traditional craft.
There are many reasons to know how to build temporary structures: natural or human caused emergencies, financial setbacks, place to host visitors or relatives, play areas, shade and protection for outdoor work or meeting areas, spaces for reflection and time alone, portable shelters for remote locations, to be more connected to the natural world, or just to create fewer environmental impacts. Led by Jenny Kimmel, who lived in a teepee in all seasons for several years in central North Carolina and then built her own Small House, and Harvey Harman (a builder with special expertise in alternative housing) learn about a wide variety of temporary structures from tents to treehouses and much more.
Led by President of the NC Storytellers Guild and master storyteller Steve Tate, learn the power and craft of story, something that has transformed and informed us from ancient times up to the present. Telling stories is part of what makes us human. We need to tell our own stories. They bind us together as people and create the fabric that leads to "community." Enter into the enthralling world of storytelling and learn how to better tell your story. From simple guidelines for what makes a compelling story to tips on how to present so your message can be heard and received, Steve will tell his original personal narrative about how a garden and a crow saved him from the Pit of Doom!
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As housing costs in the U.S. continue to rise, some say that vans, campers, and RVs have become the new “affordable housing.” Van living/camping is the rage, and many people have also converted buses and panel trucks into living spaces. Learn some of the options, and skills involved, to convert or remodel vehicles or older campers/RVs into longer-term, viable living spaces. In this workshop, we will see examples of what people have done to create such spaces and also get experience figuring out how to take older campers/RVs and upgrade them for continued long-term use.
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Making music and making music together with other people is an essential part of being human. It is a form of deep communication, a way of remembering story and history, a way of increasing the bonds between us, a creative way to express emotion and feeling, a form of entertainment and fun, and a way to connect us to the divine.We will spend half of the workshop looking at specific skills and patterns for successful song leading (how to lead group singing) and half of the workshop exploring ways to develop and write our own songs. Calling on our rich music cultural heritage, we will use examples from folk, gospel, Africa, bluegrass, and other traditions to accent the universality of music and how it helps people come together and create a stronger Community.
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Save money by creating your own personally curated collection of distilled essential oils for fun or profit. Led by Food Scientist Ben Harman and Herbalist Henrietta Cummings, discover the science of oil extraction and get creative. Oils extracted from your own herbs and produce can be used for aromatherapy, healing, candles, soaps, flavorings, and so much more.
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Homesteader and creative repurposer Sherri Powell will help us think about clothing differently. The first half of the workshop covers basic hand sewing skills everyone should know, such as how to sew on buttons, how to make simple alterations, how to mend and patch rips and holes in clothing, what should be included in a basic sewing kit, how to easily thread a needle, etc. The second half of the workshop gets into more intermediate skills including a demonstration of what else is possible using a sewing machine, cutting out patterns (or sewing clothing without patterns), and how to take an existing piece of clothing or cloth and turn it into something completely different.
Led by Bobby Tucker, a water resource engineer and regenerative farmer who practices combining animals with tree crops on his own farm, this workshop will cover a variety of successful strategies for mixed species agriculture. A focus of the workshop is combining animals and tree crops, but the workshop will also touch on other crops that can be successfully grown in combination with trees. The workshop will explore both how to turn open land into a pasture/forest mix and also how to take existing forest land and diversify its uses and potential crop mix.
Led by food scientist Ben Harman and a cohort of other local experts and practitioners, learn how to preserve your harvest, perfect your carefully selected pickled and fermented flavors, and safely adapt recipes to volumes and fresh produce you have on hand. Enjoy the healthy lifestyle of tangy, sparkling, naturally fermented foods with a lively community of co-learners. Learn why fermentation is a part of every traditional culture’s food experience.
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Fencing serves many purposes and at its best serves multiple purposes. It is equally useful in rural and urban settings. It can be used to keep things in or keep things out. It can be used to add decorative touches, mark boundaries, be a support for climbing plants, create microclimates, delineate spaces, help direct foot traffic or wind patterns, and so much more. Learn how to utilize many different types of fencing for functional and artistic benefits.
Survive hardships, learn skills for campouts or cookouts, and impress your neighbors by perfecting your natural wood-fired cooking techniques.Learn the many options for creative outdoor Dutch Oven Cooking. Join Food Scientist Ben Harman and Natural Chef Nancy Harmanfor an exciting workshop preparing Julia Child's celebrated Bœuf Bourgignon, healthy legume dishes, whole grain rice, and a special seasonal pie. Also covered will be how to cook additional items in a Dutch Oven, such as stews, combination dishes, bread, and much more.
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Join herb farmer and herbalist Henrietta Cummings for a hands-on workshop where we will make small batches of face and body creams. You’ll have cream to carry home and the experience to repeat at home for hand-made holiday gifts. We will cover various base oils and the benefits of each, some essential oil(s) to choose for the purpose of an individual cream. We will also cover two ways to make your own flower water other than the method of distilling to make hydrosols. You will learn Rosemary Gladstar’s “perfect cream” recipe that provides the right amounts of oils to waters to make a luscious cream every time from your choice of oils, hydrosols or flower waters, and essential oils.
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