Workshops

Upcoming Workshops and Classes in 2023:

  • RESCHEDULED: Saturday, March 18th, 11 am to 1 pm – Home Vermicomposting Workshop with Community Compost Company Are you interested in harnessing the many benefits of setting up a worm bin in your home? Earthworms like red wigglers and Indian blues not only digest food scraps that would otherwise be destined for the landfill, they produce worm castings (worm poop)–an excellent soil amendment.

    Learn the ins and outs of vermicomposting! In this workshop we’ll explain how worms digest organic material and create worm castings, what worms can and can’t eat, how to set up and maintain your worm bin at home, and how to harvest and use vermicompost to enrich your soil and boost the health of plants.
    Each participant can build a basic worm bin during the workshop. Materials and worms will be provided. Admission cost is $40 per attendee. One child may attend for free with each adult registrant and help to construct the worm compost bin.

Community Compost Company is a local, women-owned business that provides food scrap collection services and soil products through their brand Hudson Soil Co. You can learn more about their services and products at communitycompostco.com.

  • Sunday, April 23, 10 am – 12 pm – Flowers: Getting Started & Blooming on with Lauren of Alchemy Farmhouse  Dream of a garden filled with flowers and having your own freshly-cut blooms? This can be your year!

    Join Lauren Tamraz of Alchemy Farmhouse, Gardiner’s CSA flower farm to learn about growing beautiful and reliable plants. This workshop will cover how to decode a seed packet, choose varieties, organize your layout and maximize your season. Novice gardeners welcome. More experienced growers can benefit from our Q & A and hands-on portion. All participants will sow their own seeds to transplant into their dream gardens later at home. Make 2023 your most flower-filled summer yet!

    Admission cost is $25 per attendee and includes all materials.

    Learn more about Lauren and Alchemy Farmhouse at https://www.alchemyfarmhouse.com/ 

  • Saturday, May 27, 2 pm – 4:30 pm – Botanical Dying Workshop with Kaitlyn CroninIn this class you will learn two different methods of dyeing with locally foraged and grown plants, some right from the farm! Each participant will be provided two antique handkerchiefs that will be scored and soaked with mordant prior to the class for best results with the dye process. With the skills you have acquired from this workshop you will have a stocked tool belt to be able to dye your textiles / clothes at home! One method is creating a dye pot with a few different local plants, and learning which plants, mushrooms, barks, roots, nuts, seeds, flowers, leaves, and household vegetables you can use to dye fabrics. This method is most similar to a “tie dye” method where you can fold and submerge your entire fabric in a color that will dye the fabric. The other method is bundle dying, where you can arrange a variety of different flowers and leaves in a pattern and wrap the bundle around a stick and see the individual shapes and patterns on the fabric post soak.Both of these techniques have been used for thousands of years by people all around the world before synthetic dyes became popular. The hues and shapes created by these natural dyes reflect the environment we live in and link us back to our ancestral way of crafting.And no, “dying” is not a typo, along with being a botanical and fungal whisperer, instructor Kaitlyn Cronin is also a Death Doula. She will weave themes of transformation and transition throughout the class to create a multifaceted learning experience.Admission cost is $40 per attendee. All materials are included in the attendance cost.

Stay tuned for more 2023 events!

Do you have a skill you’d like to share with us? Please let us know!

 _____________________

Don’t see what you’d like to learn? Please contact us!

Pre-registration is required.

Classes are held at Phillies Bridge Farm, 45 Phillies Bridge Rd, New Paltz NY 12561
Please contact us if you have any questions.