We’ll be pruning in the orchard and vineyard Saturday and Sunday, Feb 20-21.

If you are interested in learning proper techniques for pruning fruit trees and grape vines, come on out and join us for a fun weekend in the trees and trellises.

Wear work clothes, comfortable climbing shoes, gloves, hat and eye protection. If you have hand pruners, please bring them and we’ll sharpen them for you.

For our regular crew and those familiar with SVI, we’ll be working at moonshadow’s orchard and vineyard, and probably also at Uno and Dos near sweetgum.

Those of you who are first-timers or unfamiliar with the land, please check in at Sweetgum (the houses just across the creek at the entrance).

There’s a lot of limbs piled up, so a bonfire on Saturday night is also a possibility.

Directions to SVI »

Johnny Kimmons of Sequatchie Valley Institute will join john johnson and forestry management students from the University of Tennessee for this informative workshop explaining the methods and benefits of sustainable small-scale forest management. Local, sustainable, low-input, positive impact forest management for lumber, firewood, wildlife habitat and fungiculture will be discussed, with hands-on work for participants.

Discussions will begin during the Wildflower Hike on Saturday, April 17. Hands-on Workshop will take place Sunday, April 18.

• Low-impact and positive impact technology and ethics, making forest healthier through sustainable management practices.
• Mindset: waste not – limbs – shiitakes, wildlife, firewood | lumber off ground to dry | sawmill – mulch, slabs, building/siding, sawdust (fire, compost, toilets)
• mindset: anything in forest to encourage wildlife, you encourage fertility — reap profits of encouraging wildlife.
• discussion group – personal and social ethics, goals, outcomes
• STIHL safety and operation video
• chainsaw maintenance – adjustment, sharpening, fule mixture, lube
• chainsaw safety – equipment, protective gear and clothing, starting
• cutting, bucking, felling
• lumber extraction tools, FARMI tractor winch demonstration
• axe, handsaw, pruning tools
• Wood Mizer sawmill, lumber sorting, selection and storage

Low-impact and positive impact technology and ethics, making forest healthier through sustainable management practices.

At SVI, we have a waste not mentality with our wood. We use all parts of the tree, including what is normally considered waste wood.

We harvest mainly deadfall and windfall lumber. When a tree falls, we begin a process:

• Live hardwood limbs are used in our fungiculture grove to grow shiitake mushrooms. Dead limbs are used for firewood.
• Smaller brush is piled to encourage wildlife,  which directly benefits the fertility of the forest ecosystem.
• Large trunks are raised, in situ, off the ground to dry and cure.
• At the sawmill, side slabs are used for siding simple buildings. Sawdust is saved for fire kindling, garden mulch and toilet compost

A sliding-scale fee of $25-50 will be charged for this non-profit educational program. Participants may choose to camp out on Saturday night: please call ahead to arrange a camping spot.

For directions to SVI, which is located in the Cartwright community half-way between Dunlap and Whitwell, 45 minutes from Chattanooga, or for more information, contact us at 423-949-5922, or email officemanager [at] svionline [dot] org

Come and join the Sequatchie Valley Institute staff and friends… and the ragwort, dwarf buckeye, phlox, bloodroot, trout lily, trilliums, wild geranium, dogwoods, redbuds, etc! in the beautiful Sequatchie Valley for our spring wildflower hike, on Saturday, March 29. The hike will be accompanied by expert naturalist, john johnson of UT.

We will begin hiking at 11 am Central Standard Time (12 noon Chattanooga time — EST). Early birds (10:00 am CST) may enjoy a biodiesel tractor-pulled hayride up the hill to the start of the hike. There will be a choice of a long, strenuous hike deep into the Gulf, or a shorter, more relaxed walk.

Plan to take lots of pictures! You are welcome to come early to visit our gardens, hand-crafted homes, and crafts gallery, which will be open for purchases of fine nature-based crafts produced by our staff, and specialty books. If you wish, you may bring a picnic lunch to eat at one of our beautiful picnic areas in the woods.

A sliding-scale donation of $5-20 will be used for our non-profit educational programs. For directions to SVI, which is located in the Cartwright community half-way between Dunlap and Whitwell, 45 minutes from Chattanooga, or for more information, contact us at 423-949-5922, or email officemanager [at] svionline [dot] org

SVI 2009 Events

We’re having our first SVI Board Meeting of the 2010 at Moonshadow. Anyone who has been, or would like to be involved with Sequatchie Valley Institute is welcome to attend.

We hope to see you all here… bring food, beverages, and a towel for after hot tub if you are into that!

Open house and walkabout time is all day Saturday. The board meeting will be from 4-5pm Central time, with potluck following.

You all are welcome to come out anytime on Saturday, and stay the night if you like. Please let us know ahead of time if you plan to sleep over, so we can arrange sleeping space. As always, if you plan to stay over, please bring some natural food to help out with meals the next day. Food and work trade are available to offset housing & community fees.

Our camping/community fees are $10 per day, per person for primitive camping or open shelter and $20-70 (double) for cabins and special housing. Bring warm bedding and a flashlight.

Agenda Items

• Mushroom Workshop planning (March 13)
• Wildflower Hikes planning (April 3 & 17)
• UTK Forestry Workshop planning (April 18)
• Food for Life planning (June 3-6)
• Bonnaroo crew planning (June 10-14)
• Other possible festivals
• Kiln shed progress
• Internships 2010
• Newsletter mailing
• Fundraising

SVI and the moonshadow crew will be found in Planet-Roo in the middle of Center-Roo for our seventh year of natural building demos, craft sales, solar stage performances and academy presentations. Come say hi and hang out in our cool (in more ways than you can count) straw bale and cob booth!

the sequatchie valley institute at moonshadow invites you to the twelfth annual

food for life  in the new millennium

a gathering about the source and protection of life
held in beautiful rural tennessee — Jun 3-6, 2010

Our twelfth annual comprehensive food conference includes skill-building workshops as well as discussion-oriented political dialogues.

Plan to attend for the week, weekend or even just a day.

Learn various food preservation strategies including canning, fermentation (sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, wine, beer, mead and champagne) as well as different methods of cooking, diet choices, health and nutrition. Attend workshops on edible and medicinal plants, seed saving, permaculture, biodynamic and organic gardening practices. Engage in theoretical and political explorations of the social and ecological implications of industrial agriculture. Discuss strategies for mobilizing against biotech and agribusiness, and promoting sustainable community-based food systems instead of global monopolies.

All workshops at the sequatchie valley institute are intentionally affordable using a sliding scale based on your income. Food exchange is available.

We ask $25 – $50 (sliding scale based on your ability to pay) per adult, per day, which includes meals and overnight camping. Ala Carte workshops are $10 for those who can’t attend a full day. Food trade (must be approved in advance) can trim $15 per day. Children, $10/day (parents are responsible for their own child care). For food trade, please contact us quickly to discuss our needs and your potential contributions, we prefer bulk and non-perishable, in case of duplicate donations; fresh food is okay, too.

Registration

• Registration form will be online soon…

Food for Life 2010 — Schedule

(Schedule will evolve as we add workshops and presenters – please call if you want to be sure about a particular workshop)

Food for Life is run on Central Standard Time.

THURSDAY, June 3

1:00 -4:00    ARRIVALS AT MOONSHADOW, TENT SET-UP and LUNCH

4:00-6:00  *  EDIBLE LANDSCAPING/FOREST FARMING  - This walk & talk will focus on specific species and strategies that have worked in Moonshadow’s climate… and what hasn’t.  After 35 years of research, the Moonshadow landscape has taught us a lot – we would like to pass this on to all interested in growing food and developing a relationship with the land.

6:15     DINNER

7:45    WELCOME CIRCLE and Vision Sharing – We’ll open Food for Life this year with a circle in which we will brainstorm about ways folks can reclaim food from corporate control. Bring ideas, visions, and fantasies of grassroots action to create better food choices. In our circle we will share our visions and inspire one another to action.

FRIDAY, June 4

8:00-9:00     BREAKFAST

9:15    MORNING CIRCLE

9:30-10:30  Workshop

10:45-12:15  Workshop

12:30-1:45     LUNCH

2:00-5:00  Workshop

5:15  DINNER

6:45  Movie & discussion

SATURDAY, June 5

8:00-9:00     BREAKFAST

9:15     MORNING CIRCLE

9:30-11:45  CHOICE OF TWO WORKSHOPS

12:00-1:15     LUNCH

1:30-3:15   CHOICE OF TWO WORKSHOPS

3:30-5:00  Workshop

5:15-6:45  Workshop

7:00  PIZZA AND WOOD FIRED COB OVEN DISCUSSION – we will disscus the ins and outs of wood oven use and tips on building your own… as we bake.

SUNDAY, June 6

8:00-9:00     BREAKFAST

9:15  MORNING CIRCLE AND FERMENTATION CHECK-IN

9:30-11:00  *  WILD EDIBLES AND NATIVE PLANTS - Walk through the fields and forest to discover plants which have fed and healed Appalachian humans for thousands of years.  Learn about current research on safe medical uses of our native plants.  Collect plants to make a “wild salad” for the evening meal.

11:15-12:45  Workshop

1:00   LUNCH

2:15-3:45  Workshop

4:00 *  CLOSING CIRCLE

Lodging:

Accommodations are spartan: tent camping space is available and is included in the daily event/workshop fees. If you would like hotel/motel/b&b lodging, try the following:

• Mountain Inn & Suites — 17260 Rankin Ave, Dunlap, TN — (423) 949-2184 (10 miles from SVI, in Dunlap)
• Club House Bed & Breakfast – 512 Mountain View Cir, Dunlap, TN — (423) 949-4983 (10 miles from SVI, in Dunlap)
• Acuff Country Inn – 1156 Highway 28, Jasper, TN 37347 — (423) 942-6370 (20 miles from SVI, on I-24 exit 155)

Download the event flyer (pdf)

• Flyers will be online soon…

Food Donations

• SVI Food Donation Needs – Food for Life (pdf)

Learn more about SVI and Food for Life

• Monessa Guilfoil of WUTC interviews Asha Ironwood

The weekend begins with a simple & slow dinner, then an Artisan Collective and Novel-Tea Lounge, then a workday at Alpen Glow, followed by a Solstice Celebration & Dance Party Saturday night…

On Friday December 11, we will have space in Shukun (the open air covered pavilion next to Moonshadow) available to anyone interested in bringing things to trade, sell, share, give, etc. Artists will need to bring their own displays and there is plenty of space for everyone. Folks interested in the event are welcome to arrive Friday afternoon or Saturday morning to set up, and the event will be during the day on Saturday (as electricity is an issue due to solar power). Please call Patrick at 423-949-4598 with questions about the artist co-op or to reserve a space.

On Friday evening we will have food and games until 10:30ish Central time at Moonshadow. Covered structures and camping are available, so please see our website at svionline.org for a packing list, or call Chris Gilligan at 423-949-5922 for more details.

Saturday morning, on the 12th, stop by Sweet Gum to visit Carol & see her beautiful nature inspired pottery, then head up to Moonshadow, where we will share a hearty breakfast, then don our work clothes and all strain together (many hands make light work!) to raise the beams for Alpen Glow — the site for a wood fired kiln which local ceramic artists will someday utilize in partnership with Sassy Shadows. During this time and throughout the day, the artist’s co-op will be going on, as well as Novel-Tea-Lounge. As the sun goes down, the Moonshadow Mead Bar will be open for sale/trade and many other wild ferments will be explored. Our kitchen will be open to warm up/prepare food.

We will follow this with a celebration in the evening at Moonshadow to welcome the pending return of the sun. This includes a beautiful bountiful feast (please bring food), the Moonshadow Mead Bar, the Spastic Dance Party, games, gifts & all sorts of festivities! So, if you wish, bring your 5 favorite dance tracks in mp3 format to incorporate into the mix!

We encourage each participant in this event to bring a sampling of their favorite chocolate yummy. Seriously, if you bring a chocolate Santa Claus, we will hurl you into the pond. We’re talking dank chocolate here – no Hershey’s Cadbury or Russell Stover’s! We want organic/fair trade style deep dark delicious goodness. Your homemade chocolate confections are welcome.

Sunday morning will close the event with John Johnson’s infamous Dutch Oven Style Home-fries.

Parents will collaborate on childcare during the weekend, and we are looking for folks to help out in the following rolls:

• Meal Planning & prep
• food donations
• clean-up crews
• games/music (live would be great!!!)
• PA system to borrow

Come & be part of the fun!

It’s Open Studio Time!
For Sassy Shadows Pottery

December 12-13, Saturday and Sunday
11 am to 4 pm Central Time at Sequatchie Valley Institute in the beautiful Sequatchie Valley between Dunlap and Whitwell

• Natural leaf tiles, herb mugs, bird feeders, pendants and more BY CAROL KIMMONS
• Featuring Carol’s special pine needle and herb teas from our forests and gardens, hot spiced muscadine cider, really good coffee, and Johnny’s famous fudge.
• This is the time to get your locally made crafts for a truly Green Christmas.

All proceeds help support SVI, a non-profit educational organization emphasizing sustainable living, art, and environmental education.

BRING YOUR KIDS AND CURE NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER!

Come prepared for the outdoors–wear warm clothes and walking shoes.
Please RSVP, call or email for detailed directions
Contact: Carol-Kimmons [at] utc [dot] edu, phone 423-949-4598 or 423-949-5922.
See SVIonline.org and SassyShadows.com for more information.

Come work and learn with us! this weekend we’ll be cobbing our “Covulator” (the cob-obvulator, a strawbale chicken house and low-cost housing prototype), as well as doing a beam-raising for Exat, an earthbag-timberframe residence.

We’ll start friday afternoon with a cobbing 101 class, to be repeated sunday as needed. saturday we’ll be moving wood, raising the roundpole beams, attatching them to their posts, and raising and attatching the joists on top of that. saturday night, we’ll burn the largest fire we can find, and get some craziness out, then take it easy sunday, playing in mud, working on the covulator.

The workshop is free, though donations of currency, food, beverages, etc. are encouraged.

Please bring a tent and bedding if you’re planning on camping. Any dietary needs can be accommodated. If you’re bringing pets, please be prepared to tie them up (dogs and goats usually don’t mix).

For more information feel free to call us:
678-772-4616 (Marissa)
or
510-853-0888 (Bradley)

see you then!