• Fuel Load to Furniture

    $65.00

    Saturday | August 27 | 9 AM to 12 PM

    Location:  Ridgewood Ranch

    A woodworking workshop using suppressed growth Doug Fir poles and hand tools to produce fine rustic furniture, with master woodworker John Cunnan.

     

  • Eating & Growing Wild: “Salad University”

    $35.00

    Eating & Growing Wild: “Salad University”

    $35

    Sat | Mar 26 | 2pm-5pm (PST)

    Instructors: William Taylor and Jaye Alison Moscariello

    Format: Zoom

    Learn about Floodgate Farm’s creations using wild plants, learn to identify, how to use, and the health-giving properties of dozens of plants, both cultivated and wild. These can also bring additional income to new or established farms. We will show photos of what we use in the salad mix, smoothies, wild chips. We will also cover drying plants for winter use in colder climates, make a smoothie using the ones we grew in Massachusetts, and discuss how we make our wild chips and other products. There will be time for questions and discussion, and we’ll offer electronic access to handouts.

    Instructors’ Bio:  Bill Taylor, Farmer from 2003-present, gardener since 1972, Salad University Instructor, Pianist, Composer.  Jaye Alison Moscariello, Painter, Farmer since 2009, Salad Univ. Instructor, Self-Taught Raw Foods Chef, Producer, filmmaker.

  • Introduction to Natural Building

    $30.00

    Introduction to Natural Building

    $30

    Sat | Mar 19 | 1:00pm – 4:00pm

    Instructor: Amanda Fischer

    Format: Zoom

    Join Amanda Fischer of Muddy Hands & Healthy Home Artisans for an introductory exploration of the art of Natural Building. This class will demonstrate different natural building wall systems, including their function and application. We will discuss each material’s thermal properties and explore site- and climate-specific design. Let’s reconnect with home while supporting our health, the planet, and future generations. Come with questions for your current or future project ideas.

  • Herbal First Aid: Medicinal Plants of Mendocino County

    $150.00

    Herbal First Aid: Medicinal Plants of Mendocino County

    $150

    Fri | Mar 18 & 25 | 3 – 5 pm

    Instructor: Tara Bluecloud, Clinical Herbalist

    Format: Zoom

    There is medicine all around us, if you know how to use it. Participants in this two-day workshop will gain valuable knowledge of the uses and applications of common local plants that can be safely administered in minor first aid for both humans and animals. We will cover the identification, preparation and application of at least five medicinal plants that are easily found throughout the region.

  • Medicinal Mycology: Spore to Harvest

    $40.00

    Medicinal Mycology: Spore to Harvest
    $40

    Sat | April 16 |11:00 am – 1:00 pm

    Instructor: Michael Cole of Optimistic Orchard

    Format: Zoom

    Are you interested in cultivating medicinal mushrooms for personal use or for profit, or do you simply want to understand the process? If so, come along on a journey through each step of cultivation! We will explain how to cultivate medicinal mushrooms from spore to fruiting body, including making grain jars, inoculation, transferring from jars to bulk substrate, introducing fruiting conditions, harvesting, and avoiding contamination. We will teach you how to do all this while keeping your environmental impact in mind and will answer any questions you may have.

  • Bookkeeping and Taxes for Small Farms and Businesses

    $25.00

    Bookkeeping and Taxes for Small Farms and Businesses

    $25

    Sat | April 2 | 10am-12pm

    Instructor: Michael Foley

    Format: Zoom

    Every small business and start-up needs basic bookkeeping skills. Join us to learn about basic bookkeeping concepts, what you need to keep track of, how to inform your bookkeeping with taxes in mind, and tips on ways of keeping your books, including paper and pen, spreadsheets, and accounting software (NOT Quick Books or Quicken, which are unsuitable for small-scale uses). Participants will be given access to a spreadsheet designed for small farm use, and questions will be encouraged during the workshop and in follow-up communication.

  • Medicinal Mycology: Healing Properties

    $40.00

    Medicinal Mycology: Healing Properties

    $40

    Sat | Feb 26 | 11:00am-1:00pm

    Instructor: Michael Cole of Optimistic Orchard

    Format: Zoom

    The DNA in fungi more closely resembles the DNA in the animal kingdom than it does the DNA in the plant kingdom. Mycological tinctures have many health benefits and can have positive impacts on your physical, mental, and emotional health. In this class we will learn about the benefits of medicinal mushrooms, how to prepare them, and how to do a double extraction process. We will also discuss complementary tincture ingredients, bottling, and proper storage, all while keeping environmental impact in mind.

     

  • Soil as an Essential Ecosystem

    $40.00

    Soil as an Essential Ecosystem

    $40 ($30 w/ discount code)

    Tues | Feb 22 | 1 – 3 pm

    Instructor: Paul Maschka

    Format: Zoom

    Soil is life. In this course we will go deep into the biology and geology that makes up living soil. We will discuss how early agriculturalists and modern agriculture still do not understand the living dynamic that is soil, and why the hidden second half of nature beneath our feet is essential to our survival. We will discuss present-day viable alternative agricultural methods that perpetuate life, sequester carbon, and result in less disruption to the teeming ecosystem of living soil. The methods shared are human-scale practices with only small scale motorized equipment, if any.

  • Jumping the Regulatory Hurdles

    $25.00

    Jumping the Regulatory Hurdles to Managing a Food or Farming Business

    Sunday | January 29 | Noon to 3 PM

    Instructor: Michael Foley

    Location:  TBA

    Doing business requires more than just a passion for what you are doing, some capital, and an ability to market your product. This workshop deals with the licenses, permits and regulations that affect farm and food businesses

  • Cultural Competency in Agriculture

    $45.00

    Cultural Competency in Agriculture

    $45

    Sat | Jan 29 | 2:00 – 4:30 pm

    Instructor: Kanyon “Coyote Woman” Sayers-Roods & Anna Hope FarPorte

    Format: Zoom

    Join instructors Kanyon “Coyote Woman” Sayers-Roods and Anna-Hope FarPorte to deepen your awareness of what it means to be on the land growing crops. In this class we will study the history of colonialism, how historical land policy and present-day U.S. property laws impact our modern cultural awarenesses and social inequities. Participants will learn about Indigenous land care practices, how we all have ancestors Indigenous to land, the cultural origins of common crops, the importance of writing Land Acknowledgements and how to write them, and what actions can be taken to repair the injustices of the past.

  • Sida & Bidens Health Benefits

    $30.00

    Sida & Bidens Health Benefits

    $30 ($20 w/ discount code)

    Sat | Feb 5 | 2:00-4:30pm

    Instructor: William Bruneau

    Format: Zoom

    Join author William Bruneau for an exploration into the health benefits of genus Sida and Bidens, considered by many herbalists to be two of the most powerful herbal antimicrobials in the world, but virtually unknown in this country. Both herbs are exceedingly easy to grow, and William will explain how he has grown these tropicals outdoors in Willits for the past eight years. Sida and Bidens have been used to treat a range of ailments from staph to Candida, and the class will explore their many uses, with questions from participants welcomed.

  • Garden Photography

    $30.00

    Garden Photography

    $30 ($20 w/ discount code)

    Sun | Feb 13 | 1:00-2:30pm

    Instructor: Anna Hope FarPorte

    Format: Zoom

    Garden photography has many applications, including social media promotion, fine art, plant identification, and the sheer joy of capturing nature. Learn the principles of photo composition, ranging from individual plants to the whole landscape. Explore the key elements of lighting, focus, and depth of field, as well as the importance of timing to get the look and feel you want. These skills can be applied with high-end camera equipment or a cell phone, putting the power of photography in everyone’s pocket.

  • Organizing for Easy Living

    $20.00

    Organizing for Easy Living

    $20

    Thurs | Feb 3 | 7pm-8:30pm

    Instructor: Takashi Yogi

    Format: Zoom

    Learn ways to reduce chaos and make your everyday life smoother. If you are tired of clutter and often can’t find what you need, there are some easy methods that can help you get organized. This online course will be illustrated and will include interactive discussions with participants to address everyone’s individual needs. Specific situations we will discuss include the kitchen, the workshop, the farm, filing systems, computers, cars, and notebooks.

  • Best Practices for Regeneration

    $40.00

    Best Practices for Regeneration

    $40 ($30 w/ discount code)

    Tues | Mar 1 | 12pm- 3pm

    Instructor: Patricia Vargas de Gauder

    Format: Zoom

    Learn all about time- and money-saving best management practices on a regenerative farm. Guided by the seasons, we’ll cover a full year’s cycle from spring to winter tasks including how to build your own soil, create closed-loop systems of the land, reduce cost and work output, work with native and perennial plants, and create final products for storage and for sale. Discover how to adapt to each process as the seasons change, establishing best practice habits that create flourishing ecosystems which benefit self, community, and environment.

  • Getting Familiar with Electricity

    $20.00

    Monday | October 17 | 2:45 – 4:00 PM

    Instructor: Takashi Yogi
    Site: The School of Adaptive Agriculture at Ridgewood Ranch

    Most people use electricity daily, but have no idea of how it works. This class will remove some of the mystery and teach you to use electricity safely. We will cover basic circuits, appliances, simple repairs, house wiring, and how to avoid getting electrocuted. This is a hands-on class and we will measure electric current, monitor electric consumption, and wire electric outlets. Solar energy, LED bulbs, and batteries will be covered.

    Pre-registration is required, space is limited