Monthly Archives: March 2014

Upcoming Workshops: Aquaponics, Mycology, Herbal Medicine, Building Soil, Lacto-Fermentation, Fruit Tree Grafting

The Living Arts School has a great lineup of workshops in March and April.  Check it out!

From The Living Arts School:

Introduction to Aquaponics, Saturday, March 8th, 1-4pm

Curious about aquaponics?  Have you considered putting in a system of your own?  This workshop is for you!  Aquaponics is a food production system which combines the wisdoms of aquaculture and hydroponics to create a symbiotic relationship between plants and fish.

This workshop will offer the fundamentals of aquaponics as well as design considerations and system construction.  Join us for a combination of lecture, tour and review of aquaponics systems on the farm.  We will cover the topics listed below…

  • Benefits of Aquaponics                  ·   System Start-up Procedures
  • System Types & Design                  ·   Bacteria and the Nitrification Cycle
  • Fish Selection and Health                  ·    Plant Selection and Health
  • Ongoing Maintenance Procedures         ·   Tips and Tricks

For those who are interested, after this introduction workshop, we’ll be offering a follow-up Build an Aquaponics System in the coming months.

Instructor Avery Ellis is an Ecological Systems Designer.  He holds a Masters of Ecological Design and a BS in Biology. He first explored these concepts during a semester abroad in India, where he studied permaculture, renewable energy, waste water treatment, and natural building methods.  Upon completion of his Bachelors degree, he gained personal experience on an organic farm, spent a year as a solar installation specialist, and was a supervisor for a recycling company intent on net zero waste.  He continues to study permaculture design in Colorado and is one of the only certified greywater installers in the state.

No experience necessary. Please bring a notebook and pen, all other materials will be provided.  For participants ages 14 and older, minimum of 4 participants, maximum of 15.  Pre-registration is required.

Basic Mycology: Mushroom Cultivation, Saturday, March 15, 1-5pm

This introductory mushroom cultivation workshop will explore the mushroom life cycle, types of mushrooms, basic cultivation skills and concerns, and three easy methods of cultivation.  We will also take an in-depth look at considerations around myco-agriculture and myco-remediation (using mushrooms in agriculture and in cleaning up toxic waste).

This class is hands on and will teach three easy to use mushroom growing techniques. Participants will walk from this course with an Oyster kit, the knowledge of how to produce Oyster kits en masse, how to get further ‘mileage’ out of old mushroom kits by creating garden beds, and how to inoculate logs and stumps.

Come one, come all, and bring your friends!  Freshly brewed Chaga mushroom tea will be available, but bring your own snacks.

Instructor Jared Urchek, the owner and operator of Boulder High Country Mushrooms, is a purveyor of fine, gourmet fungal food and medicine.  Beginning his fungal studies through a basic permaculture course, he furthered his studies through Paul Stamets’ Mushroom Cultivation and Mycoremediation courses. With a fully functional mushroom laboratory and cultivation space located at the 63rd St Farm in Boulder, Colorado, he travels the land searching for the most delicious, most medicinal mushrooms to culture and offer back to his fellow humans.

No experience necessary.  All materials provided.  For participants 15 and older (participants under 15 are considered on a case-by-case basis), minimum of 4 participants, maximum of 17.  Pre-registration is required.

Herbal Medicine Making, Saturday, March 29th, 1-4pm

Herbalism is the use of plants for medicinal purposes, and this workshop is the perfect introduction to discovering the hidden medicinal qualities in every day, and not so every day plants.  We will explore the virtues existing in garlic, cabbage, honey, salt, comfrey, arnica and more…  And we will learn how to make a tincture, a poultice, a salve, a green juice, a compress and tea out of fresh, quality ingredients.  Save money and heal yourself naturally!

Participants will get to sample the herbal concoctions made in this workshop, and will leave with an information packet to aid in their journey as herbalists.

Instructor Brigitte Mars is a medical herbalist and nutritional consultant who has been working with Natural Medicine for over forty years.  She has taught Herbal Medicine at Naropa University, Omega Institute, Esalen, Kripalu, The Mayo Clinic, Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition, The School of Natural Medicine and Just for Health.  She blogs for the Huffington Post and Care2.  She is also a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild.

Brigitte is the author of many books and DVDs, including The Country Almanac of Home RemediesThe Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, Beauty by Nature, Addiction Free Naturally, The Sexual Herbal, Healing Herbal Teas, and Rawsome!. Her latest project is a phone app called IPlant.

No experience necessary.  All materials and supplies provided.  For participants ages 12 and older, minimum of 4 participants, maximum of 10.  Pre-registration is required.

Building Your Soil: Sheet Mulching & Soil Ecology, Sunday, April 6th, 1-4pm

Imagine gardening without digging—especially here in Colorado, where rocks greatly outnumber the soil. It turns out that digging creates its own problems, encouraging weeds to grow rather than the seeds you’ve planted.  Instead, build a lasagna garden—a method of layering soil (unfortunately, it isn’t a method of growing lasagna).

With this workshop, you’ll learn how to build your garden. It starts on an undisturbed piece of land (aka: on top of your grass!) You then can layer in composting materials, including all sorts of things you have on hand, such as fallen leaves, other composting material, and cardboard. With this method, you reduce waste and also reduce the amount of watering required, because composted soil retains water well—perfect for Colorado’s dry climate.

Join us to learn the basics of soil ecology and techniques you can use to create topsoil in 3 months—greatly speeding the process of creating topsoil that takes nature thousands of years.  This technique is part of the practice of permaculture, which is a sustainable method of agriculture. Once you’ve built great soil you can grow your dream garden. In this workshop you’ll gain hands-on experience in sheet-mulching (the more technical name of lasagna gardening) and can take that experience home with you to create your own topsoil.

If possible, please bring a shovel or a stiff-tined rake, and a pair of garden gloves.  All other materials and supplies will be provided.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Instructor Tara Rae currently garden-farms on the Front Range of Colorado.  Tara Rae holds an Advanced Permaculture Design Certificate and Permaculture Teacher’s Certificate.   An avid composter, she has been vermi-composting for over a decade, starting dozens of folks with worm farms every year.  She teaches at her home as well as around the state of Colorado offering various Permaculture and urban farming classes at schools and festivals.  She has managed several greenhouses, USDA-organic, non-certified organic, and permaculture farms with experience in 3 climate zones – cool and wet; cool and dry; and warm and wet.   Over the last 15 years, Tara Rae has worked in scientific laboratories for universities, taught water quality monitoring classes, and authored a nature center field guidebook. She holds a Master’s Degree in Freshwater Ecology, and works as an environmental scientist/ecologist for HDR EOC.  Her passion for sustainable living has led her to volunteer for the Sustain Arvada Advisory Board to City Council, making recommendations for sustainable community development and vitality.

No experience necessary.  All materials and supplies provided.  For participants of all ages (children 10 and under are free), minimum of 5 participants, maximum of 20.  Pre-registration is required.  Participants at all LAS workshops are required to sign a liability waiver and an image release as a part of our “Peace and No Worries” policy.  Thank you for your understanding.

Berry Good for You Jam: The Basics of Lacto-Fermentation, Saturday, April 12th, 10:30am-12pm

Berry Jam is the project we’ll do in this workshop on lacto-fermentation. Fermenting is an age-old and universal practice for preserving foods. Not only does it preserve nutrients, fermentation breaks food down into more easily digested forms. Foods that are difficult to digest (such as cabbage, milk, or soybeans) are more readily digested once they’ve been fermented. (Think sauerkraut, kefir, and tempeh.) Eating fermented foods is an incredibly healthy practice, directly supplying your digestive tract with probiotics essential to good digestion and strong immunity.

In this workshop you’ll learn the why’s and how-to’s of fermenting. Never tasted homemade sauerkraut? Now’s your chance, because there will be samples of several L-F foods. Best of all, you will take home your very own jar of “Berry Good for You Jam,” which you will have made in class.

Please bring a medium glass bowl and something to mash with. I like using my pastry cutter, but a potato masher or even a fork could work as well. If you have measuring spoons, bring those as well.  All other materials and supplies will be provided.

Instructor Catherine Lassen has always been interested in doing things from scratch, even living without electricity for certain segments of her life. She has a tried and true appreciation for the old-fashioned way of doing things, and isn’t afraid of a little purple sauerkraut juice seeping out of it’s fermentation jar. Her classes on lacto-fermentation offer a small window into her kind and compassionate approach to life, which she has shared with many on her journey as a celebrated teacher. A mother of 6, grandmother of 7, a yoga instructor, and a former homebirth midwife; she loves earthy pursuits: gardening, cooking, preserving. When she’s not puttering in the kitchen, she’s out bike-riding or ballroom dancing.

No experience necessary.  For participants ages 14 and older, minimum of 4 participants, maximum of 10.  Pre-registration is required.  Participants at all LAS workshops are required to sign a liability waiver and an image release as a part of our “Peace and No Worries” policy.  Thank you for your understanding.

The Therapuetic Value of Culinary Herbs, Saturday, April 12, 1-4pm

Did you know that blueberries are good for your eyes? Or that beet juice builds the blood? Find out this and more while taking a fascinating look at the therapeutic value of the plants and herbs you use in the kitchen. The practice of using herbs in cooking stretches back through time. People used herbs then, and use herbs now, to preserve and flavor food, and for the health-giving properties herbs can provide.

Bring a notebook and pen, and be prepared to learn about how you can enhance your cooking and your health through herbs you may already be familiar with, along with some you may not know about. You’ll leave with an herbed vinegar, and a renewed appreciation for the gifts of herbs.

Instructor Brigitte Mars is a medical herbalist and nutritional consultant who has been working with Natural Medicine for over forty years.  She has taught Herbal Medicine at Naropa University, Omega Institute, Esalen, Kripalu, The Mayo Clinic, Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition, The School of Natural Medicine and Just for Health.  She blogs for the Huffington Post and Care2.  She is also a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild.

Brigitte is the author of many books and DVDs, including The Country Almanac of Home RemediesThe Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, Beauty by Nature, Addiction Free Naturally, The Sexual Herbal, Healing Herbal Teas, and Rawsome!. Her latest project is a phone app called IPlant.

No experience necessary.  All materials and supplies provided.  For participants ages 12 and older, minimum of 4 participants, maximum of 10.  Pre-registration is required.  Participants at all LAS workshops are required to sign a liability waiver and an image release as a part of our “Peace and No Worries” policy.  Thank you for your understanding.

Peaches, Cherries and Plums on the Same Tree?: Fruit Tree Grafting, Saturday, April 26th, 1-3:30pm

Why harvest one type of apple when your single tree can be an orchard?  This is done by grafting branches from various types of apple onto a single apple tree.  This practice is a natural extension of saving seeds and farming, something people have done for more than 10,000 years. Grafting is also an ancient practice; 7000-year-old Chinese writings are the earliest description of grafting woody plants.  Aristotle wrote about grafting, and the Romans were famous for grafted olive trees.

Fruit trees are often grafted. This lets you grow fruit on trees using a sturdy rootstock that is perhaps better suited for the soil, or more resistant to disease. Grafting helps ensure a bountiful harvest of a fruit variety—with more predictability than is possible when you start apple trees from seed.  In this workshop, we’ll talk about several methods used in grafting, and how grafting works within families of plants, such as (of course) apples, and also the family of stone-fruit. (How about one tree that grows peaches, plums, and cherries?)

In this class, we’ll start with some apple tree rootstock, then graft onto it a scion—a branch of an apple variety.  We’ll also talk about selecting rootstock and how you can collect your own scions. As to the grafting—no need to worry—you won’t do your first tree surgery on your allotted rootstock. We’ll have some wood on hand that you can use to practice the steps to follow in grafting before you tackle the real thing. You’ll leave this workshop with your own grafted tree, and some fundamental grafting skills.

Instructor Wesley Swartz has always been close to nature.  He first started working in nurseries at a very young age and eventually traveled to Europe to supplement his education by working on organic farms and nurseries in Italy and Spain.  He has been managing a private orchard in Boulder for the last 5 years and teaches classes on orcharding and permaculture to interested community members.  Wesley truly loves everything associated with orchard life—beekeeping, composting, guild planting and grafting–and his passion for what he does is contagious.

No experience necessary.  All materials and supplies provided, all participants will leave with a grafted apple tree ready for planting.  For participants ages 14 and older, minimum of 4 participants, maximum of 15.  Pre-registration is required.  Participants at all LAS workshops are required to sign a liability waiver and an image release as a part of our “Peace and No Worries” policy.  Thank you for your understanding.

This is only a few of the upcoming March and April workshops instructed by local permaculturists.  Check out the other workshops being offered at The Living Arts School!

 

Pikes Peak Permaculture Offering Two Design Courses in 2014

From Pikes Peak Permaculture:

“Through the Seasons” Permaculture Design Course

April-November, 2014

Course Dates and Times: One weekend a month for an 8-month run, starting the third weekend in April and continuing every third weekend through November. The class will meet from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 19-20, May 17-18, June 14-15, July 19-20, August 16-17, Sept. 20-21, Oct. 18-19 and Nov. 15-16, 2014.

Location: Various sites in the Colorado Springs area and Pikes Peak Region – a different site each weekend!

Program: Facilitated by Sara Foster, exceptional instructors will come from all over the state to teach and share valuable information to help you to understand and apply permaculture to everyday living. We will have interesting field trips, educational hands-on projects, inspiring lectures and opportunity to take what you’ve learned into the community.

Each student will participate in designing a site using the skills being learned. We will cover such topics as ecosystems and forestry, rainwater harvesting, small animal husbandry, bee keeping, vermicomposting, food forests and growing food, appropriate technology, urban permaculture, greenhouse design, aquaculture, community building and more!

More Information: Please email Sara Foster, sweetsara116 at yahoo.com.

Meals: The course will provide all meals, beverages and snack foods.  We will do our very best to accommodate dietary preferences and restrictions. If your diet is restricted, you may want to bring some food to supplement our efforts. To date, we have been very successful in this area.

Tuition
$1,150 by 3/16/14
$1,200 after 3/16/14

Tuition includes course material, textbook “The Permaculture Handbook” by Peter Bane, delicious food, and access to Pikes Peak Permaculture resources.

Financing the Course
Full payment is due with registration. There is a $100 cancellation fee and no refunds after 3/30/14.

Several work/study half-scholarships are available based on skills and financial need. Student loans are available from the Permaculture Credit Union. There may be scholarships available. Please see “Financing the Course” for more details.

Registration: Click here for a registration form you can print out and mail.

Payment can be made by check or through the Pikes Peak Permaculture website.  See Pikes Peak Permaculture website for more details.

 

Residential Permaculture Design Course

June 15-28, 2014

Course Dates and Times: Sunday evening June 15, 2014 through Saturday afternoon, June 28.
Sunday, June 22, is a “free day” for your own time and pleasures.

Location: Aspen Valley Ranch, Woodland Park (Pikes Peak Region, Central Colorado)

Program: Renowned Permaculturists Peter Bane (The Permaculture Handbook) and Marco Lam will join Becky Elder and  Sara Foster for what will be the first residential permaculture course offered in the Pikes Peak Region (our fifth design certification course to date)!  The course offers a wonderful mix of classes with top-notch instructors and exceptional guest speakers. We cover a broad spectrum of subjects, from ethics and principles to natural systems, soil and herbs to forestry, food systems to natural building, urban permaculture to the invisible structures of our human culture.

A residential course offers immersion into permaculture. Living on site with the instructors allows for outside class conversations and connections. Experiences will include engaging site visits, hands-on projects and an actual design-team final project. Camping in the aspen meadow, you will awaken to the north face of Pikes Peak every morning!

We invite you to join us for this fabulous course.  Get inspired, get certified!

More Information: Please email Becky Elder at rselder at comcast.net.

Meals: The course will provide all meals, beverages and snack foods. We will do our very best to accommodate dietary preferences and restrictions. If your diet is restricted, you may want to bring some food to supplement our efforts. To date, we have been very successful in this area.

Tuition (textbook included)
$1,400 if registered by 4/1/14
$1,500 after 4/1/14

Financing the Course
Full payment is due with registration. There is a $100 cancellation fee and no refunds after 5/30/14.
Several work/study half-scholarships are available based on skills and financial need. Student loans are available from the Permaculture Credit Union. There may be scholarships available. Please see “Financing the Course” for more details.

Registration: Click here for a registration form you can print out and mail.

Payment can be made by check or through the Pikes Peak Permaculture website.  See Pikes Peak Permaculture website for more details.

 

 

 

Boulder CSA Fair, 3/15, 9am-noon at Impact HUB Boulder

From Local Food Shift:

Local Food Shift Group is sponsoring CSA Fairs in three locations along the Front Range—in downtown Ft. Collins on March 1, downtown Boulder on March 15, and in Denver on March 25.Boulder County Farmers’ Markets co-hosts a CSA Fair on Saturday, March 15, 9am-Noon at Impact HUB Boulder, 1877 Broadway, suite 100. “A CSA Fair, connects people face-to-face with farmers, discovering all the ways to directly support them, learn about food production and enjoy local food. They hear about summer opportunities and season extenders including winter CSAs and shares from controlled environment enterprises. It’s a celebration of farming and innovation,” says Brad Burger, Manager of Boulder Farmers’ Market.

For more information, email Laurie or call 303-494-1521.

– See more at: http://localfoodshift.com/event/522#sthash.Bm9SC0Ni.dpuf

Southwest Seed Library Hosts Its First Seed Swap this Saturday, 3/8

From Southwest Seed Library:

The Southwest Seed Library‘s First Durango Seed Swap is this Sat. the 1st at Turtle Lake Café (848 E. 3rd Ave-in the alley), from 10-am to 2pm.

There will be an heirloom presentation and seed libraries in every home talk. We will be sharing about the genetics and biology of seeds!  Growing seeds that grow seeds and grow well!  Learn to borrow from the Seed Library, general seeds saving workshop, termination of genetically modified seeds, exchange personal seeds with the community.

Bring snacks to share, seeds and friends.

Hope to see you there!
The Southwest Seed Library Crew

www.southwestseedlibrary.wordpress.com

4th Annual Seed Swap at The GrowHaus, Sat. March 8th, 1-5pm

This Saturday, March 8th, The GrowHaus will host its 4th Annual Seed Swap and Garden Teach-In.  It is taking place from 1-5pm at The GrowHaus, 4751 York St., Denver.  The day will include tours of the newly renovated facilities, food and live music, workshops with urban farmers, and activities for children and adults.  Suggested donation $10, or $5 with your own saved seeds.  For more information, visit The GrowHaus webpage.

Locals Avery Ellis and Adam Brock to speak at Permaculture Voices

Local permaculturists Avery Ellis and Adam Brock will be speaking at the Permaculture Voices conference in Temecula, CA.  The four-day conference, taking place March 13-16, 2014, features permaculture leaders from across the U.S. and as far away as Australia.  From Permaculture Voices: “We want big change.  We wanted to make an impact.  So we have put together over 60 sessions featuring over 40 world reknown speakers including Geoff Lawton, Michael Pollan, Dr. Elaine Ingham, Allan Savory, Joel Salatin, Mark Shepard, Toby Hemenway, Paul Wheaton, and Jack Spirko.  Just like you, all are committed and motivated to inspiring and enacting positive change in the world.”

Avery Ellis is a permaculture designer and instructor with several entrepreneurial ventures in Boulder, focused on residential food production, aquaponics, controlled environment greenhouses, and greywater systems. He hopes to bring awareness to appropriate technologies that can bring humanity into a new age of local food production and regenerative infrastructure.  His talk is titled, “Designing for Disaster: The Fire/Water Duality”.  Read more about the talk at the Permaculture Voices site.

Adam Brock is an urban permaculturist based in Denver, where he was born and raised. Adam is a co-founder and Director of Operations at The GrowHaus, a nonprofit food hub based in a reclaimed 1/2 acre greenhouse in inner-city Denver.  Adam’s focus within permaculture is on invisible structures and semi-arid polycultures, and he has collaborated as a facilitator with leading figures including Toby Hemenway, Peter Bane, Jerome Osentowski and Larry Santoyo.  Adam’s talks are titled, “Greening the Food Desert: Urban Permaculture in Denver” and “Towards a Pattern Language of Invisible Structures”.  Read more about the talk at the Permaculture Voices site.

Thanks to Avery and Adam for preparing talks on these excellent topics and representing permaculture on the Front Range of Colorado!