Cooking and Gardening Classes at the NOFA-VT Winter Conference!
University of Vermont
February 11-12, 2012
I can’t think of a better way to get excited about planting my spring garden and cooking with the abundant fresh foods of summer than by attending the annual winter conference of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT).
Don’t let the farming part of their name fool you, the NOFA conference is an awesome resource for all of us who are enthusiastic about growing a few veggies or keeping a few chickens in our backyards or cooking with food from our local farmers.
This year, I’ve especially got my eye on some really enticing-sounding home-scale workshops:
- Fruit Wines (Saturday from 3:45-5:00)
- Making Cultured Milk Products - yogurt, kefir and creme fraiche (Saturday from 2:15-3:30)
- Wild Mushroom Foraging (Saturday from 3:45-5:00)
- Backyard Poultry: Eggs, Meat and More! (Sunday from 2:15-3:30)
- Cooking New American Food (featuring cuisine from Bhutan, Burundi, and Somalia) (Saturday from 10:45-Noon)
- Easy Composting for Gardeners (Saturday from 10:45-Noon)
- Making Pickles: Lacto-fermentation Basics (Sunday from 10:45-Noon)
Wendy Johnson, Keynote speaker on Sunday.
I also can’t wait to hear what keynote speaker, Wendy Johnson, has on her mind. Wendy is a fascinating combination of Buddhist meditation instructor and organic gardening mentor from San Francisco. Her Sunday keynote address, The Ground of Resilience, promises to be insightful during these economic and environmentally uncertain times.
Wendy says, “"Deep ecological farming and dynamic community are rooted in the wild resilience of the living earth. As the 2011 growing season delivered tempestuous weather and economic uncertainty from Burlington to Bangladesh, we were reminded how deeply our lives intertwine with the elemental world. In these times of challenge and change, what are the practices that ground and sustain us? How do we emerge with renewed focus and bravery and cultivate the Ground of Resilience?"
While these talks engage all us adults, the Children’s Conference, held just down the hill at Edmunds Elementary School, offers kids ages 6-12 fun and engaging workshops on cooking, farming, animals, and more.
We’re so lucky to have all of this and more just up the hill from the Co-op. You can find out all the details and register online here. Hope to see you there!