from the garden

Fourth week of January, 2011

winter

Carrots - tendersweet, cosmic purple, yellowstone

Broccoli/Purple Cauliflower

Turnip Roots and Greens

Scallions - evergreen

Swiss Chard

Salad Greens - mixed lettuces, arugula, baby mustard, radicchio

Braising/Cooking Greens - red russian kale or collards

Lactofermentation -  Sauerkraut and Kimchi

Shitake Mushroom

Fresh Florida Citrus - grapefruit, orange, tangerine, calamandon, kumquat

As you have noticed, we have dispensed in bulk all the value added goodies, the lacto fermented vegetables and the staple crops (pumpkin, winter squash and sweet potatoes).  Please refrigerate the jams, relishes and fermentations.  The canned goods can be stored for at least 6 months and eaten whenever you like. Please enjoy them.  We thought getting these to you now would simplify things for Cody in the future.

Complete with fruition, the gardens rest.   The farmers rest and dream and sigh and laugh.

Summer

Sun in the form of light and heat drapes heavy on the farm.  Fruiting and flowering and pollinating - the gardens are abuzz with activity.  Growth and maturation are abundant; and we are always happy to enjoy the vegetables of summer.  We continue to look for rain and all that it brings, including relief for all of us.  Working out in the summer sun seems hotter sooner than we can remember. 

Spring 

Spring has arrived in the gardens; and the flowers of the plants are abuzz with the songs of the pollinators. Gone are the remnants of winter's freeze; and the earth is greening all over with renewal. March and April plantings are energized with major summer croppings.  Peas are flowering; beans, squashes and cucumbers are climbing trellises; potatoes push through the mulch; tomatoes, eggplants and peppers rise up through the rye and vetch. The cycle of growth is visible, and the transformation of small seedlings to vital plants occurs almost overnight.  We witness and welcome with a light heart the celebration of spring on the earth and the farm.

Alachua Conservation Trust

Blue Highway

Emiliano's

Harmony Gardens

Iraloke Farm

Joe's Place

Northwest Grille

local and national organizations

Slow Food Gainesville

Sustainable Alachua County

Gainesville Farm Fresh

Local Harvest

Biodynamic Association

Slow food USA

Civic Media Center

books and other media

Self-sufficiency workshops are designed to be mutually supportive. It is our intent to revive sustainable and traditional ways by sharing skills that are at once practical, ecological and economical for everyday living. Your support of these workshops fosters the livelihood of small, working farms; deepens personal awareness and responsibility; promotes local environment/economy and strengthens community.

Check back  for a new Fall schedule. 

Offered in a natural setting, workshops are “hands-on” experiences: informative, relaxing and fun. Workshops have limited offerings and space and fill quickly, so early registration is recommended. Work-study scholarships are available. Southern hospitality is supplied with biscuits and tea. Bring a cup and bag lunch. Workshops are out of doors whenever possible, so please dress appropriately for weather. Thank you for your support. Most workshops are $50. many also have a materials fee.

To Register, send us an email from the contact page. Please include workshop in the subject line.

The Art, Spirit and Practice of Working with Healing Plants

Two classes will be offered to share the magic of working with healing plants. These classes  may be taken independently; but if you take both classes, you may deduct $20 from the second class.

Part 1: Wildcrafting and Cultivating Medicinal Plants

Spend a sweet day out doors refining and increasing your awareness of the gifts of the natural world.  This workshop will focus on philosophy and methods of working with medicinal plants, from seeds to harvest and fruition.  We'll cover cultivation, as well as ethical and ecological wildcrafting, the art and practice of gathering plant materials from the wild  with good spirit and intent.  Techniques and energetics of hqrvesting and storing roots, leaves, flowers and fruits for medicinal use will be demonstrated.  Participants will harvest and prepare plant materials during the workshop.

The follow-up class "Herbal Nourishing and Healing Preparations" will cover in detail the practical application of making nourishing and tonic plant medicines from wildcrafted and cultivated plants.

Part 2: Herbal Nourishing and Healing Preparations   

Plants have been known historically as the “medicine of the people”. The traditional practices of gathering and preparing wild or cultivated herbs, weeds, vegetables and flowers is an ancient healing art, commonly used to treat a wide variety of ailments. This basic intensive course will demonstrate simple, traditional techniques for preparing fresh and dried plant material. Processes include water and oil infusions, decoctions, teas, tinctures, glycerites, salves, macerations, compresses, poultices, syrups, vinegars and baths. Making your own healing herbals is simple, empowering, satisfying, economical and effective. It is not the intent of this workshop to prescribe herbs or herbal treatments for specific health problems, rather to offer an overview of methods  for preparing plants for practical and personal use.

Essentials of Sustainable Gardening

This basic workshop provides a foundation of the principles and techniques of organic gardening with an added dimension of sustainable and spiritual practices for working with the earth.  Using an actual plot, we’ll cover universal and guiding principles; choosing a garden site; making and nurturing compost; building soil; utilizing amendments; constructing garden beds; use, function and care of hand tootls; selecting seed varieties with a focus on heirloom and open pollinated seeds; growing and transplanting healthy seedlings; conservation of resources, water, materials;  edible landscaping; natural, holistic approaches to diversity, pests and plant disease.  The concepts discussed and demonstrated are universal and applicable for any type of garden - vegetable, flower, kitchen, herbal, diversified or healing.  We will  focus on growing in Florida.  Both Pat and Susan facilitate this practical and substantial hands in the dirt course.

A Healing Garden: Cultivating Plants to create Healing Space

Cultivating plants for medicinal use is a time honored and sacred tradition.  Creating, growing and tending a medicinal space in your own home or yard is at once practical, ecological and wise.  This workshop will explore the creation of a healing garden, covering ancient prototypes and considering a variety of possibilities for working with one’s personal landscape to foster the growth of healing plants.  Practically, we will demonstrate a space with particular plants, flowers and vegetables traditionally known to offer healing energies.  We’ll discuss properties, propagation, planting and placement.  To create a healing space in which to gather healing plants or oneself is a journey of the soul.

Simple Herbals for Beauty and Rejuvenation

This workshop offers a beautiful opportunity to take some time just for yourself to enjoy a day filled with simple ways to nourish, restore, rejuvenate and relax as we luxuriate in natural toiletries and concoctions to delight the senses.  An “all hands and feet in” course we will make lotions, creams, bath salts, herbal baths, hair rinses, lip balms, masks, oils, scrubs, soaks.  Learn how to incorporate the use of herbs for body and bath, creating lasting moments to soothe, invigorate and enliven.

Savoring the Harvest: Traditional Food Preservation

This workshop meanders a way back into the past to rediscover the lost art of putting food by.  Traditional food preservation includes demonstration of techniques and processes for harvesting, methods for long-term storage including pressure canning, water-bath canning, pickling, lacto-fermentation, freezing, drying. Preserving your own food is sustainable, economical and deeply satisfying.

Seasonal Lacto-Fermentation: Raw Cultured Vegetables and Fruits

Culturing raw fruits and vegetables is a simple, natural and healthful method of food preservation.  Fermentation enhances and extends the life force of the cultured food. Lacto-fermentation is the process which allows lactobacilli organisms (naturally present in vegetables and fruits grown in fertile, organic, well mineralized soil) to convert sugars and starches in these foods to lactic acid. Eating raw foods in this way, encourages greater digestion, assimilation, elimination and protection. Come learn this artisanal craft and take home a jar of everything we make: sauerkraut, kimchi, vegetables and fruits.

Kitchen Wisdom and the Rhythms of Life

This class is filled with common sense, folk lore and ancient wisdom.  We’ll step into the warmth and comfort of the hearth  to rediscover, explore and taste the myriad of healing offerings from kitchens of our own past present, as well as those of other cultures.  We’ll discuss the useful and healing energies of many common cooking ingredients, covering herbs, spices, vegetables, flowers. Simple application of kitchen wisdom infused with an awareness of daily and seasonal rhythms will help to restore, empower and maintain health.   Included are recipes and samplings.

Basic Soapmaking

Handmade soap is a luxurious and nurturing gift for yourself, your family and friends. This course covers everything you need to know to get started making great soap at home using only natural ingredients. A morning soapmaking demonstration includes discussion of equipment, supplies, ingredients, simple techniques, tips and troubleshooting. The afternoon provides a lively hands on opportunity for you to make a batch of soap. Making your own soap is fun, creative, economical and fulfilling.

Advanced Soapmaking

This soapmaking course delves beyond the basic recipes to create an endless array of luxurious soaps and soap products.  Included in this fun and creative workshop are demonstrations of techniques and processes for making a variety of unique and practical soaps.  We’ll focus on handmilled and specialty soaps, discussing additives, herbals, troubleshooting and storage.  We will also make shampoo, liquid soaps, translucent soap and household soaps, such as laundry detergent and dishwashing soap.

Taking Time for Bread

The key to finding time is making time, and this workshop focuses on traditional ways of taking time through baking bread. Bread is essence food and is the perfect melding of heart, hearth and hands. The art and practice of preparing breads reconnects us with our grandmothers and ancient folk who helped to sustain life through the nurturing goodness of fresh baked bread. Included in this day are techniques and tools for basic yeast and quick breads, as well as sourdough and other fermented breads.

The Art of Gourdcrafting

Gourds have been cultivated universally from ancient times to the present to create beautiful and practical objects for celebration and everyday use.  “Pottery” of the plant world, gourds have found use in almost every culture becoming vessels, dippers, bird houses, musical instruments, tools, jewelry and sacred art.  In this workshop, you will create your own work of art and function from a gourd.  We’ll begin with a discussion of processes, tools and methods, cutting, cleaning and preparing the gourd exterior and interior for decoration.  The afternoon will focus on techniques for designs and finishes, including carving, burning, dyeing and adorning your gourd with personal objects.  A day spent creating with the ancient gourd blends the past with the present, satisfying hand and heart.

Wines from the Wild and Other Healing Tonics

This workshop follows the traditional practice of a gathering of friends and community to honor and celebrate the gifts of the seasonal fruits of nature.  Wines from the wild are healing tonics and satisfying cordials.  A seasonal offering, this workshop is completely experiential.  We’ll begin in the cool of the morning gathering together to harvest the local fruits in season, then process them as necessary for transforming the fruit  into wine. In addition to tonic wines, we will make an herbal beer, a mead, a cordial, among a myriad of natural healing tonic elixirs.   Participants will share the bounty and the beauty of what is created during this fun and magical day.

• salad dressings: wild orange dressing, grapefruit vinaigrette, blueberry basil vinaigrette
• lacto-fermented vegetables: kimchi, sauerkraut, vegetable pickle
• pesto: basil, arugula
• sauces: roasted eggplant curry, tomato. basil zucchini
• pear butter
• lemon ginger pears
• orange marmalade
• syrups: glaçure citron
• soaps
• salves
• herbal vinegars
• herbal oils
  

We  also make availabe to CSA members:

• farm fresh eggs
• shiitake mushrooms
  

Our annual harvest includes the following open pollinated, heirloom vegetables and fruits:

beans, green and shell

beets

broccoli

cabbage

carrots

cauliflower

celery

corn

cucumber

eggplant

fennel bulb

fresh herbs

garlic

greens, leafy cooking

   collards

   chard

   kale

   asian

   mustard

leeks

melons

okra

onion

peas

   green shell

   edible pod - snap, snow

   southern

peppers - sweet/hot

potatoes

pumpkin

radish - spring/winter

salad greens

   mixed red and green lettuces

   arugula, radicchio, spicy asian, endive, escarole, mache, chervil, wild greens

spinach

squash

   summer

   zucchini

   winter

sweet potatoes

tomato

   cherry

   salad

   large heirloom

turnips

Our current seasonal, local farm harvest, last month of 2009-2010 season: deep summer

July

Vegetables:

• Beet root and greens
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
  
• Fennel bulb and leaf
• Garlic—elephant
• Green beans
  
• Okra
• Onion—spring
  
• Potatoes
  
• Summer squash
• Winter squash

Herbs:

• dill
• sage
• thyme
• oregano
• mint
• fennel
• basil
  

Flowers:

• rudibeckia
• zinnia
• sunflower