Happy Valentine’s Day
“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.” Robert Fulghum
May you find that person with the ideal weirdness for you.
As the winter starts chilling the earth, we take this opportunity to pause, spend more time indoors, reflect, evaluate, plan and organize. We also take this moment to cultivate our knowledge, making time to read each day, gleaning wisdom from all the books and journals we’ve collected this past year. Moreover, it’s a perfect occasion to dream and set goals for the coming year. If the truth be told, it isn’t really a time of pause but more a time of bringing of all our energy that has been focused outward into the world inside.
During the winter months, Mike and I set forth goals and intentions for Know Your Roots creating better ways we can reach and assist more people on their journey. This year we are pleased to offer a broad series of classes and workshops throughout the year, no matter whether you’re a budding herbalist, orchardist, or a seasoned veteran, there’s a class for you. Please join us this year as we celebrate the earth and healthy living.
Exploring Plantain Saturday, April 8, 2017 ~ Noon-3:00pm
Some call it the ‘band-aid’ plant but Plantain is oh-so-much more. Come explore this very common and abundant plant to see the diverse ways it can be used. From head to tail, we will discuss the healing properties and understand why this herb was known as life medicine. After this class, I bet you’ll never look at this plantain the same way again.
Students will make an infused oil and lip balm to bring home.
$40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 4/2
Soothe Thy Skin
Saturday, June 3, 2017 ~ Herbal Hoedown
Everyone’s skin needs attention. Herb infused oils are fun to make and can heal the roughest of skins. Explore the magical healing properties of calendula, comfrey, and plantain. Learn to make an infused oil and healing salve.
For more information ~ Herbal Hoedown
Golden Answer
Saturday, September 2, 2017 ~ Noon-3:00pm
Explore the amazing world of Goldenrod, an herb with much more healing power than you ever knew. Did you know that Goldenrod has 7 times the antioxidant levels of green tea? Come learn about its abilities to ameliorate allergy symptoms, support the urinary system, and soothe pain. And that’s just for starters. Students will make tincture to bring home.
$40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 8/27
Nourishing the Liver
Saturday, October 7, 2017 ~ Noon-3:00pm
The liver works very hard for our bodies, bearing the brunt of clearing our bodies of toxins and other waste. Let’s learn about some plants in our backyards that nourish and support our fabulous liver. Come join us, explore the land and learn to identify the nourishing roots and herbs that grow in our backyards. During this class, we will walk the land, identify plants, discuss their properties and use them to make yummy and nourishing ingredients for our soups and salad.
We’ll explore herbs, learn to harvest, and feast on a nourishing root soup and salad.
$40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 10/1
Pruning and Renovating Apple Trees Saturday, February 18, 2017 ~ 11:00am-4:00pm Iconic trees of old farmsteads provide many with a great chance to learn about apple growing and starting your own orchards. Last year we pruned a few trees that hadn’t seen much attention. This year, we’ll look at how those trees responded and finish pruning the remaining trees in the orchard. This will be a day of pruning discussion and practice while we work to bring some old trees back to life. This is a hands-on workshop, but tools are not provided – bring your loppers, shears, and handsaws with you. Or just come listen and learn. $40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 2/12
Holistic Apple Scab and Fireblight Control Saturday, April 1, 2017 ~ 11:00am-4:00pm Apple scab and fireblight are two of the biggest disease issues apple growers ever have to contend with in any given season. 2016 was a relatively low pressure year, but who knows what 2017 will look like? In this workshop we will discuss the biology and ecology of each disease, disease cycles, forecasting tools, varietal resistance/susceptibility, control opportunities, and what to do if the inevitable strikes! We will use a variety of approaches to examine trees and leaves, discuss how to assess current year infection potential, and how to use techy forecasting tools to better prepare and holistically manage for these nefarious diseases. $40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 3/26
Crop Load Management for Productivity and Quality Saturday May 13, 2017 ~ 11:00am-4:00pm Crop load management is more than just fruit or blossom thinning. It’s about managing the fruit load on your trees for optimal yield, quality, and nutritional value. How you manage fruit load has a direct effect on return bloom for next year’s crop, as well as the quality and productivity of this year’s harvest. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the basics of floral bud induction and development, flowering and early fruit development, return bloom, and crop load management tactics (yes, including thinning). Trees should be at or close to bloom so we can study the flowers in situ and discuss the direct impact your practices can have not only on this year’s crop, but next year’s as well. $40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 5/7
Soil Health for Perennial Fruit Crops Saturday, June 24, 2017 ~ 11:00am-4:00pm Managing orchard fertility is about more than just fertilizer. The fact is your orchard soil is a giant digestive engine, chewing up carbon, nitrogen, and minerals to feed not only your trees but the soil food web. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the basics of your soil so you can better understand what’s going on right under your feet, the mineral connection, and what you can do to improve the soil’s health and overall vitality to grow better fruit. Last year we discussed the basics of soil chemistry, physical characteristics, and soil biology. This year we’ll focus more on the practical aspects of what you can do to holistically improve your soils, but we’ll also go over some basics methods you can use to assess your overall soil health and fertility. $40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 6/18
Building Biodiversity through Biodynamics Saturday, August 19, 2017 ~ 11:00am-4:00pm In this workshop we’ll use the biodynamic principle that your farm is a living organism to discuss principles and practices behind biodiversity and how you can use it to build a stronger, more resilient farm and orchard. $40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 8/13
Assessing Fruit Quality at Harvest Saturday, October 14, 2017 ~ 11:00am-4:00pm Determining when fruit is ready to pick can be tricky especially if you’re looking for specific quality characteristics, such as for hard cider, storability, or fresh eating quality. Fruit is NOT magically ready when it turns red! In this workshop we’ll discover how to assess fruit quality and learn how much fruit quality can change over just a few days or weeks. Learning how to determine optimal harvest time involves knowing your objectives, taking note of obvious changes such as seed color, skin color, aroma, acidity, tannins, and overall taste, and measuring brix, starch, titratable acidity, tannins, firmness, and more. We’ll go over each metric and how to use affordable instrumentation accurately. $40 or $35 for those who pre-register by 10/8
Stop back periodically at Know Your Roots, as we will be adding more classes, walks and workshops throughout the year. Space is limited, so pre-registration is required for all of our classes. All classes will be held in Trumansburg, NY unless otherwise noted.
