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 Remedies, The 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 Remedies, The 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!