Have you been wanting to learn how to make your own kombucha? Kombucha is a beverage filled with health promoting minerals, enzymes, and probiotics. Learn about the beneficial properties and how to make it yourself, taste test different flavors, and take home a “scoby” to begin making your own brew!
Not everyone is burning fuel and using tractors to get the job done around the farm. Some farmers still work their land the old fashion way, with horses, oxen and walk-behind or ride-along equipment. In this workshop & demo, we will learn how the farmers communicate with, instruct and train oxen for farming from former Wolfe’s Neck educator and program participant Katie Josephs and her 4-H team. They will introduce their team of oxen to us and teach us how they are rigged up for work, and how they respond to commands. We’ll take a hay ride up to our vegetable plot and see the action begin as the oxen plow up a few rows!
Start spring with an overview of orchard care for your backyard garden. We’ll start in the conference room for a brief lesson in fruit tree grafting and pruning, led by ReTreeUS program manager, Richard Hodges and Jason Lilley of UMaine Cooperative Extension. We’ll cover grafting science and techniques which will then be practiced out in the orchard.
From there, we’ll head up to the Banter Orchard for a field lesson on pruning young apple trees, and next to the vegetable plot to demonstrate proper grafting in the field. Workshop members will graft their own Black Oxford apple trees – an heirloom Maine variety! – which they will get to bring home and plant.
Explore the coast of Wolfe’s Neck in this workshop by learning about seaweed and its health benefits. Sample different varieties and leave with ideas on how to incorporate seaweed into your daily life. Ages 12 and up.
If you think you generate a lot of compost in your household, imagine what it looks like on a farm scale! In this workshop, we’ll discuss what it takes to manage food waste and biomass (leaf piles, grass clippings, etc.), both in your own gardens and on our farm. Learn the science behind what’s in your compost pile, followed by a walking tour of compost in action. The workshop will include both a lecture and a walk around barn and chicken tractor.
As we approach colder weather and flu season, it’s time to get ready with your own herbal remedies. This Immune Berry Syrup will keep your body healthy by supporting your immune system. Craft your own syrup to take home using blackberries, farm-grown ginger, and more!
Come out to the farm and explore best practices for winter growing. Participants will tour our year-round growing infrastructure and then venture inside to talk about extension practices for the backyard grower (weather depending). Topic covered include: What plants need to grow all winter, understanding photoperiod, microclimates, greenhouse components, maintaining soil fertility in a closed environment, designing your winter garden.
Are the bugs and weeds in your garden getting you down? This workshop digs into integrated pest management and integrated weed suppression management practices. We’ll focus on organic solutions to help you get out of the weeds. Topics covered include: Pest identification, crop rotation & interplanting, deep organic pest control, and timing crops according to pest life cycle.
Join us for a walk through the woods to gather white pine needles and forage for other edible plants to make tea with. We’ll come together around our forest fire pit to make a big batch of “tree tea” and talk about the health benefits of our ingredients.
In this workshop, we’ll be making a healing salve perfect for dry winter skin, and a great addition to your natural medicine cabinet to use on burns, scrapes and bug bites. Take home your own tin of salve made from farm-grown calendula, comfrey and plantain mixed with beeswax and oil. Ages 10 and up.
