Can you fill your belly with a truly satisfying meal from the plants growing in your garden? Or, from locally grown food? This hands-on course focuses on growing five high caloric crops (potatoes, beans, corn, squash and quinoa). Twelve bi-monthly sessions span the growing season and include both classroom and field work. Some of the...
We will look at the family of bear roots, their uses, their habitats, and the stories that surround these sacred plants. Students will get to handle and sample some bear roots. We will examine plant relationships and discuss the technique of "dieta" and go on a general herb walk as time allows. Instructor: Blair Phillips...
Did you know that the number of small dairy farms has declined by 80 percent in the last 30 years? We are losing the traditions, knowledge and common sense needed to provide ourselves with healthy, wholesome milk. Most milk purchased in the supermarket has little in common with the amazing substance produced by a healthy,...
Agricultural and Horticultural Planning. Pollination mechanisms, isolation required, isolation strategies, timing, crop planning, plant families, nutritional needs. All the nuts and bolts you need to know to produce usable seed. Classroom discussion and in-the-field training. Seed is a great crop for small and subsistence farmers. Even very small gardens can produce seed that is salable...
In some of the old traditions, medicine carriers made a bundle that contained the herbs that were not easy to find and each of which had many uses. This class will examine herbs that may be a good fit to carry in one's bundle. Blair will share what he carries in his medicine bundle and...
This course will take you from beginner basic skills to building an actual 10X12 storage shed. We will cover basic tools, how to hammer nails, safety, laying out a pier foundation, building a floor, framing and erecting walls, exterior paneling, and roof construction. Session 1: June 29th, 8am to 5pm with hour lunch break Basics...
With the industrialization of food production came the end of local grain and flour – and the loss of infrastructure and knowledge for growing and processing the grain. Along with the local food movement there has come a revival of local, small-scale grain production and a renewed appreciation of the remarkable variety and utility of...
This workshop will cover all the uses and benefits of the Eder tree as well as tradition and legend of its use throughout history. We will be gathering summer elderberries and making a syrup with them that can be taken throughout the fall and winter to boost the immune system. Each student will go home...
In The Field. In the field at Golden Rule Garden and other sites on the ranch. This would be a hands-on session covering decisions during the growing season and in the field. Culling, roguing, breeding, trueness-to-type, selection criteria, adequate breeding populations, pest control, assessment, etc. Seed is a great crop for small and subsistence farmers....
Harvesting and Cleaning Seed. This would take place at the Seed Hub building at Golden Rule and in the gardens. It would be a primarily hands-on session. Seed is a great crop for small and subsistence farmers. Even very small gardens can produce seed that is salable to seed companies, if it is the right...
