http://www.oly-wa.us/SustainSouthSound/WorkshopGuide.php Lots of good free workshops for any Olympians or South Puget Sound folks.
Co-sponsored by GRuB, Oly Food Coop, Sustainable S. Sound, and the County.
I'm doing the soils and tools workshops
... No permies yet... but plenty of permie-ness
Skills for Healthy Sustainable Living:
A Community Education Series
Sponsored by GRuB, Sustainable South Sound, the Olympia Food Co-Op and Thurston County.
Welcome to the first annual collaborative workshop series. Together we can educate ourselves to create a sustainable, hunger free, healthy and resilient community.
All workshops are free unless otherwise listed (donations always welcome). Registration required for all workshops, call (360) 357-2380 or register online.
February
7th - Garden Planning for Seed Saving @ GRuB, 12-2pm
This workshop will help backyard gardeners plan their gardens for maximum yield and to give an introduction to seed saving.
10th - Sugar Blues @ Fertile Ground Guesthouse, 6-7:30pm
This class will permanently change your relationship with sugar. You will leave this class understanding the causes of your sugar cravings and you'll receive practical tools for dealing with them.
18th - Raw Compliments to Your Meal @ GRuB, 6:30-8:30pm
Are you looking to incorporate more raw and living foods into your diet? Wondering how you can do that in the cold winter months? Would you like the transition and preparation to be quick and easy? Add even more healthy options into your already existing way of eating and create 2010 as the Best Year Ever!
20th - Seed Sorting Party @ St. John's Episcopal Church, 11-2pm
Help sort seeds for GRuB's 2010 backyard gardeners! Potluck, entertainment, and childcare will be provided!
21st - Knife Skills For the Home Kitchen @ GRuB, 1-4pm
This class will explore the different types of knives that are useful in the kitchen, the different material the blades are made with, and we will practice a variety of cuts to make appealing dishes.
21st - Seed Exchange/Potluck @ GRuB, 5-7pm
Do you have seeds you would like to share with other local gardeners? Interested in growing new crops, or new varieties of familiar crops? Join us for a seed swap and potluck. Bring seeds to share, envelopes or containers to take home seed, and a dish to share.
25th - Stronger Gums, Stronger Teeth @ Fertile Ground, 7-8pm
This class is for those of you who are looking to improve the health of your mouth by using a natural dietary approach. You will learn about foods that strengthen the gums and teeth, and have been used to prevent cavities and reverse gum disease.
28th - Successful Plant Starts @GRuB, 1:30-3:30pm
In this workshop we will demonstrate how to start seeds in your home to get a head "start" on the season. Taught by a former greenhouse manager, we go over basic planting, lighting, watering, and fertilizer, and how to make a greenhouse small enough for apartment dwellers.
March
4th - Baking Bread Gluten Free @ GRuB, 6:30-8:30pm
Bread is supposed to be the staff of life, but what do you do when you are gluten intolerant or allergic to wheat? Come learn the techniques to master gluten-free yeasted bread.
9th - Condiments and Sauces @ GRuB, 6-8pm
Need to flavor up your boring chicken and lack luster veggies? Learn how to prepare Spring Green Pesto, Apricot-Balsamic Spread, Asian Sesame-Soy sauce, Coconut Cilantro Cream, and more...
10th - Start Your Own Community Garden @ GRuB, 6-8pm,
Sliding scale donation of $5-$25
Interested in starting a community garden in your neighborhood? This workshop will cover the basics, from choosing a site and governance model to design and implementation.
13th - Build or Expand your Backyard Garden @ GRuB, 1-3pm
Sliding scale donation of $5-$25
Come learn how to build your garden from GRuB's Kitchen Garden Project, which has built 2,200 gardens for low-income families since 1993. The workshop will include raised bed construction, double digging, sheet mulching and local material suppliers.
16th - Clarity From Your Diet @ Fertile Ground Guest House, 7-8pm
Are you distracted, stressed, and feel like you are being pulled in all directions? What if you could bring more clarity into your life by simply updating your diet? Together, we will prepare a "Clarity Meal," and discuss how eating certain foods can help to bring you focus and an uplifting feeling of purpose. By making a few simple changes, the world can open up for you. Taught by nutrition counselor Ava Waits.
20th - Making Medicine and Food with Fresh Nettles @ Fertile Ground Guest House, 5-7pm
Come learn the folk method for tincturing fresh nettles and a few exciting food preparations for this rejuvenative and abundant herb.
21st - Seed Saving Basics @ GRuB farmhouse, 1-3pm
This workshop gives an overview of seed saving for the beginner.
27th - Spring Gardening @ Thurston County Courthouse, 11am-1pm
Spring Gardening @ PUD 3 Shelton, 3-4:30pm
This is part I of GRuB's basic gardening series. Spring is in the air and now is the time to begin planning and mapping your garden. Get tips on choosing what, where & when to plant. We will provide you with all the basics for a successful garden including techniques for watering, thinning and succession planting.
28th - Soil Health Workshop @ GRuB farmhouse, 12-3pm
The soil is our living partner in food production. This workshop will give you the skills to evaluate an individual soil, and strategies for how to enhance its capacity to grow plants we eat. 31st - Spring Gardening @ ROOF Rochester, 5:30-6:30pm
See March 27th for description.
April
11th - What is a Seed? GRuB?, 12-2
We will discuss in layman's terms the structure of seeds, germination and development, and the nuts and bolts of plant sex - rated PG. After attending this workshop, seed savers will know the real difference between a hybrid, open-pollinated and genetically modified seed, and why genes (not jeans) are important to gardeners.
18th - Growing Nutrient-Dense Food @ GRuB, 1-3pm
Growing food that tastes good and is nutritious involves a direct correlation between the food, the soil and the eater. It also requires the right balance of minerals, biology and energy in the soil. In this workshop we will address methods to assess all three components of both the soil and the output from the soil.
25th - Plant Exchange/Potluck @ GRuB, 4-6pm
Did you start too many tomatoes? Have some extra squash starts to share? Looking for a some extra plants to fill in the holes in your garden plan? Bring your extra plants and a potluck dish and join us for a plant swap and potluck to kick off the gardening season.
May
22nd - Summer Gardening @ Thurston County Courthouse, 11-1pm
Summer Gardening @ Shelton, 3-4:30pm
This is part II of GRuB's basic gardening series. Bring your summer gardening questions. Get tips on harvesting, pest management and how to produce the most out of your backyard garden.
23rd - Basic Botany for Seed Savers @ GRuB, 1-3pm
This workshop will cover basic plant anatomy related to seed saving. We will discuss structure and function, flower morphology, and variability in inflorescence.
26th - Summer Gardening @ ROOF Rochester, 5:30-6:30pm
See May 22nd for description.
June
13th - Selecting and Maintaining Hand Tools @ GRuB, 1-3pm
The tools we use shape our gardening strategy and style. This workshop offers ideas for the selection and care of hand tools as part of labor saving gardening strategies. A portion of the workshop will be dedicated to tool sharpening. July
28th - Fall/Winter Gardening @ ROOF Rochester, 5:30-6:30pm
This is part III of GRuB's basic gardening series. Come learn about gardening year round and how to put your garden to sleep for the winter so it will continue to be productive year after year.
31st - Fall/Winter Gardening @ Thurston County Courthouse, 11-1pm
Fall/Winter Gardening @ PUD No3 Shelton, 3-4:30pm
See July 28th for description.
August
7th - Sustainable Urban Homestead Tour, All Over Olympia; Potluck from 6-9pm at the Wendell Berry Community Garden
Interested in learning how to make your home and lifestyle more sustainable? Come spend the day meeting some of the movers and shakers who are leading the way to a more livable community by developing sustainable urban homesteads. Experience organic vegetable gardens, edible forest gardens, composting systems, poultry keeping, raingardens, electric vehicle conversions, and more.
September
25th - Biointensive Gardening Workshop with John Jeavons, TBA
Note: There will be a fee for this workshop; the amount has yet to be determined
26th - WBCG Harvest Festival @ Wendell Berry Community Garden
Come join us for cider pressing, nut cracking, garden tours, food and music as we celebrate another successful growing season. More information on workshop locations:
* Fertile Ground Guesthouse: 311 9th Ave SE, Olympia
* GRuB: 2016 Elliott Ave NW, Olympia
* PUD No 3: 307 West Cota Street, Shelton
* ROOF: 10140 Highway 12 SW, Rochester
* St. John's Episcopal Church: 114 20th Avenue SE
* Thurston County Courthouse: Bldg1, Rm 152, 2000 Lakeridge Dr. SW
* Wendell Berry Community Garden: 928 Wilson St NE, Olympia
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