• Visioning Notes

• Visioning Attendees
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Audio from the Art & Community discussions:

Part 1

We welcome your comments and/or additions!

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

food for life  in the new millennium   

a gathering about the source and protection of life
held in beautiful rural tennessee — May 21-31, 2009

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

For 2009, we’ve returned to a full week+ schedule and a festival atmosphere. Plan to attend for a 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. Sequatchie Valley Institute’s 11th Annual Food For Life :

Registration

• 2009 Food for Life registration form »

Food for Life 2009 — Schedule

(subject to change – please call if you want to be sure about a particular workshop)

Food for Life is run on Central Time.

THURSDAY, MAY 21

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

4:00-6:00  *  EDIBLE LANDSCAPING/FOREST FARMING (Patrick Ironwood) – Patrick 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 (Facilitator: Sandorkraut) – 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, MAY 22

8:00-9:00     BREAKFAST

9:15    MORNING CIRCLE

9:30-10:30  *  INTRODUCTION TO FERMENTATION (Sandor Katz) – Experience how simple it is to harness the transformational power of microorganisms to make foods and beverages more delicious, more nutritious, more digestible, and more stable. Learn about the healing qualities and nutritional importance of live-culture ferments, as well as their illustrious history and integral role in human cultural evolution. Empower yourself with simple techniques for fermenting these healthful foods in your home. Be part of the fermentation revival!

10:45-12:15  *  FOOD, EVOLUTION AND BODY ECOLOGY (Rachel Fee-Prince)- A discussion centering around our evolutionary relationship with food and the paradigm shift happening now concerning our food & illness.  We will look at our species growing intolerance to staple foods, our immunity, gut flora & the mysterious endocrine system.  How big is the picture?  How are we evolving now?  And how do we tend the garden within?

12:30-1:45     LUNCH

2:00-5:00  FERMENTATION – WINE AND BEER (Andrew Armstrong and Patrick Ironwood) – We’ll keg an ale brewed the prior weekend, learn a bit about brewing, and participants will each fill a bottle to take home and savor when the time is right. We’ll also learn to make a simple country wine from local ingredients.

5:15  DINNER

6:45  “FLOW” (Asha Ironwood, Facilitator) – For 84 terrifying and informative minutes, filmmaker Irena Salina makes a very persuasive case for stopping the commoditization of water and ensuring that everyone has access to clean drinking water. Salina interviews an array of researchers and activists who all describe the frightening international situation: dirty water kills more people than wars, the world is quickly running out of clean water, and water has become a valuable commodity for multinational corporations to exploit for profit.

SATURDAY, MAY 23

8:00-9:00     BREAKFAST

9:15     MORNING CIRCLE

9:30-11:45  CHOICE OF TWO WORKSHOPS:

* TOO MUCH FOOD?? (Carol Kimmons) – Safe and Healthy Food  Preservation.  This hands-on workshop will cover fun and easy methods of canning, pickling, freezing, and drying your surplus from the garden or market.  Materials and instruction booklets included.

*  PLAY WITH YER FOOD (Michelle Kimmons) – A hands-on crafts workshop just for kids! (…yes, grown-ups are welcome to participate as well). Hope your imaginations are hungry, because Michelle is cookin’ up some creative fun! This year, we will learn about pollinators and how they help us grow our food. We’ll look at examples of them and make pollinator masks and head-dresses! Your refrigerator has never seen art like this!

12:00-1:15     LUNCH

1:30-3:15    *  ECONUTRITION (Joel Kimmons) – Lets talk about nourishment- ecology and where we fit in- how can we live an inspired gastronomic experience while nourishing the earth and all her communities.  Local food, CSAs, farmers markets, community gardens, green spaces, school gardens, cooking, eating,  and how to be more than just poop factories.  Bring  short questions (or don’t) and we will work towards the best  answers in a real world and whole world perspective.

1:30-3:15  (same time as Econutrition) Composting & Vermiculture for Kids -- (Tricia Baehr & Trish Woolbright) We will explore composting & vemiculture, how it works, what can be composted and what can not, the science behind it all and how it’s an important part of making food grow and taste great! Bring a container any size that will work for your household composting and your child will get decorate it artistically. Dress appropriately to get dirty and have fun!

3:30-5:00  *  TONIC BEVERAGES (Sandor Katz) – No need to spend $4 for a small bottle of kombucha anymore. Learn how easy it is to make your own kombucha at home, as well as other energizing and delicious live-culture tonic beverages, including kefir, water kefir, and beet kvass.

5:15-6:45  *  CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN 1st, 2nd and 3rd WORLD: Green response to the collapse of the Great Toxic Bubble (Sandy Hepler) – Coming to Your Neighborhood Soon.  This workshop will have a special emphasis on food and nutrition.  Experiences and food costs will be drawn from Sandy’s experiences in Nicaragua which are typical of many 3rd world countries.

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

SUNDAY, MAY 24

8:00-9:00     BREAKFAST

9:15  MORNING CIRCLE AND FERMENTATION CHECK-IN

9:30-11:00  *  WILD EDIBLES AND NATIVE PLANTS (Carol Kimmons) 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  *  HANDS-ON HERBALISM (Rachel Fee-Prince) – We’ll prepare one herb three ways, exploring how each medium changes the herbs actions as well as discuss many other herbs & their applications.  Relaxed discussion atmosphere with plenty of  Q&A time.  Bring a small glass jar with lid if you wish to take medicine home.

1:00   LUNCH

2:15-3:45  *  CHOCOLATE SURPRISE (Sandy Hepler) – Explore an all-time world favorite. Cacao itself is health food and can be made healthier.  Original Aztecs drank it as a hot, bitter, peppered drink (did they ever add honey?).  A really healthy, great-tasting chocolate is possible!  samples of delicious organic chocolate are guaranteed. These are handmade in northern Tennessee by Sandy Hepler himself, our Mad Kitchen Scientist.

4:00 *  FIRST WEEKEND CLOSING CIRCLE

MONDAY, May 25: Shiitake Inoculation – mass inoculation of hundreds of fresh-cut logs will double our Shiitake production capacity! Then Hike and swim in Lane Cove and Hicks Creek.

TUESDAY, May 26: Work day at Ulinawi, Moonshadow’s neighbor (see below)

WEDNESDAY, May 27: Work day at Ulinawi

This season Ulinawi is taking off with new agricultural and building projects!   We will be pasture-farming chickens, working towards a more animal-integrated landscape, as well as developing garden beds and row crops.

Also, we are simultaneously working on revolutionarily simple rural family housing and permanent earthbag and timber-frame thousand-year dwellings.  Other projects include developing a vermiculture system (worms), experimenting with rabbit breeding and mushroom cultivation and taking care of our goats.

Sometime during these two days, the following workshop will be offered.  Please be in touch if you are interested:

*  CHICKENS! (Ulinawi crew) – Join us for an all inclusive workshop designed for everyone interested in the basics of poultry production.  Topics will range from backyard coups for layers to small farm scale pasture based broiler production.  Learn about chicken tractors, the best breeds, alternative designs for layer housing, nutrition, sources for materials and more.  For the real enthusiasts, we’ll be doing live hands-on demos of how to turn a cute & clucking chicken into a yummy dinner!

THURSDAY, MAY 28

10:00  *  SEQUATCHIE COVE FARM TOUR – This day will start with a trip to the “Sequatchie Cove Farm,” a diversified family-run biodynamic farm working with available resources, focusing on grass-based animal protein (eggs, meat). They also raise bees and native plants, operate a pick-your-own berry patch and have made their own biodiesel.

12:00-2:15    ARRIVALS AT MOONSHADOW, TENT SET-UP and LUNCH

2:30-3:30  *  PERMACULTURE (Patrick Ironwood) – The moonshadow homestead is a great example of permaculture.. we will explore and disscuss the key ideas behind these concepts.

3:45-5:45  *  BASIC BREADMAKING BY HAND (John Sweet from Niedlov’s Breadworks in Chattanooga) – There will be discussion, demonstration and participation in easy and reliable hand-mixing techniques, basic bread shaping, and baking of our handmade bread.

4:45-5:45  * ARTISTS/ACTIVISTS PARTICIPATORY THEATER – PART ONE – (Cerulean, Aurelia Crumb, Trish Woolbright and Patrick Ironwood) – Group games, improv, automatic play writing and exploring fearless narratives!  All ages invited to play.  We will create a play to be performed on Saturday night.

6:00     DINNER

7:30    “LIFE AND DEBT” (facilitator, Jeff Rodgers) “Life and Debt” explores the effect of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) policies on developing countries through Jamaica’s experience with the organization. Jamaica, having gained its independence from Britain in 1962, found itself struggling as a result of the oil embargo the following year. In order to receive loans from the IMF, the country entered into a tricky agreement with its lenders. The terms of the loan stipulated that Jamaica had to agree to reduce trade barriers by withdrawing its local import restrictions, and thus enter the world market. The local economy became flooded with foreign goods, which were cheaper than those produced locally, resulting in a loss of jobs and economic self-reliance.  A powerful example of the cycle of dependence is seen through the method of milk production.   Jeff will lead a discussion after the movie.

FRIDAY, MAY 29

8:00-9:00     BREAKFAST

9:15    MORNING CIRCLE

9:30-10:30  *  SLOW FOOD, FARM TO SCHOOL, PRESERVING FARMLAND (Trish King) – Discussion on the philosophy of Slow Food USA: promoting good, clean, and fair food.  How will a good, clean, and fair food system benefit communities?  What are the implications for institutional food systems such as school lunches?  What will happen to our local food economy as land use changes and farmland is threatened by sprawl?  From a global movement to the local food scene, we’ll discuss what it means to live Slow.

9:30-10:30 (During Slow Food) PLANT A SPAGHETTI GARDEN (Tricia Baehr)  - Kids will have fun starting seeds for their very own spaghetti garden. Plan for the kids to get dirty and their spaghetti garden will get a great start with a rich composted soil. Then we’ll plant the seeds for tomatoes, zucchini, oregano and basil for the children to take home and watch grow! Please bring 4 recycled tin cans or other recycled containers that they can decorate and punch holes in for drainage.

10:45-11:45  CHOICE OF TWO WORKSHOPS:

* BEER BREWING, BOTTLING AND KEGGING (Andrew Armstrong) – We’ll keg an ale brewed the prior weekend, learn a bit about brewing, and participants will each fill a bottle to take home and savor when the time is right.

*  ARTISTS/ACTIVISTS PARTICIPATORY THEATER – PART TWO (Cerulean, Aurelia Crumb, Trish Woolbright and Patrick Ironwood) – We look for the play. Characters start appearing…

12:00-1:15     LUNCH

1:30-3:30  * HANDS-ON TEMPEH AND VEGETABLE FERMENTATION WORKSHOP (Sandor Katz): More fermentation demystification. In this multi-tasking workshop we’ll ferment tempeh and sauerkraut/kimchi.

3:45-5:45 CHEESE-MAKING FOR BEGINNERS (Spiky) – What more needs to be said?

6:00  DINNER

7:30  “MAN AND FUNGI: A JOURNEY INTO THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF MUSHROOMS ON EARTH (Tradd Cotter)

SATURDAY, MAY 30

8:00-9:00     BREAKFAST

9:15    MORNING CIRCLE

9:30-11:30  *  MUSHROOMS: CULTIVATION, COMPOSTING AND BIOLOGICAL FILTERS (Tradd Cotter) – Participants will learn the basics of log and straw cultivation of most edible mushrooms.  Included will be techniques for enhancing yields of garden crops by creating hybrid systems to optimize water conservation, filtering livestock runoff using mushroom compost filters, and converting agricultural and household waste streams into edible protein.  Creating perpetual and circular systems will also be discussed.

9:30-11:30 (same time as Mushroom Cultivation) THE MAD HATTER TEA PARTY (Tricia & Birke Baehr) – Kids can wear their favorite hat as we explore herbs and teas, tasting, smelling and touching different things from the garden and woods while learning about the healing properties and health benefits of drinking tea. Bring a small recycled container for your child to make their own tea blend to enjoy at home after the workshop.

11:45-1:00     LUNCH

1:15-3:00  *  FARM ACTIVIST NETWORKING PANEL - (Padgett from Sequatchie Cove Farm, Sandorkraut from Little Short Mountain Farm, Bradley from Ulinawi, Trish King from Slow Food and Land Trust for TN, a representative from Crabtree Farms and a representative from Williams Island.  Asha Ironwood, facilitator)

3:15-5:15   *  ARTISTS/ACTIVISTS PARTICIPATORY THEATER – PART THREE (Cerulean, Aurelia Crumb, Trish Woolbright and Patrick Ironwood) – One last rehearsal…

5:30  DINNER

7:00 PERFORMANCE BY THE FOOD FOR LIFE IMPROV THEATER TROUPE – After dinner theatre. Please bring instruments. Dress: festive.

A long-form improvisational narrative will be presented. Be prepared for fun!

SUNDAY, MAY 31

9:00-10:00     BREAKFAST

10:15    MORNING CIRCLE

10:30-12:00 *  ORGANIC MEATS, BUTCHERY AND SAUSAGE MAKING (Trae Moore) – We will talk a bit about butchery, sausage making and cured/fermented meats.  We may even make a bit of sausage too!

10:30-12:00 (Same time as Sausage Making) SPROUTING WITH SPROUTS! (Tricia Baehr) What’s more fun than watching food grow in your own kitchen and eating it in just a few days? Kids will learn all about sprouting, how it works, what you can sprout, recipes and ideas as well as a sprout tasting. Bring a quart jar and your child will go home with a grow it and eat it project! They’ll learn responsibility with rinsing and draining and about a healthy new food for life!

12:15-1:15  *  RAINBARRELS: A HOW-TO AND WHY (Jon Cable) – This workshop will be an overview of the purpose and use of rainbarrels followed with a demonstration of how to construct one with simple tools. There will be a hand-out for folks to take home to reference with helpful sources.

1:30-2:45     LUNCH

CLOSING CIRCLE and CLEAN-UP

Voices for Appalachia, Written and Narrated by Hundreds — A Portrait-Story Project (Casey and Cesco) – Being our own media. Be your own ethnographer and historian. A positive self-fulfilling paradigm of expression…

If you’d like to participate, you can write your anecdotal, Appalachia bioregional, narrative (with a clear sense of TIME, PLACE, and ACTION) in advance or on site. When Cesco is finished sketching your face (using a combination of wet and dry media), you will copy your narrative in your own handwriting onto the page around our portrait of your face. This series of hundreds of stories and portraits travels as a show, and the images also go online to make perspectives widely available.

• for more info about this project see: voicesforappalachia.org and portraitstoryproject.org

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)

• Food for Life flyer (Legal size – 8.5″x14″)
• Food for Life flyer (Letter size – 8.5″x11″)

Food Donations

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

Learn more about SVI and Food for Life

• Monessa Guilfoyle of WUTC interviews Asha Ironwood

We’re in for a special treat April 12, when progressive singer-songwriter David Rovics will be our guest. He’ll do 2 shows that day… an afternoon concert for kids of all ages, and an evening performance aimed at adults.

David is a political folkie in the vein of Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Billy Bragg, and Patrick Street. He’ll wake you up and challenge you to confront the inequalities and injustices you’ve been ignoring lately.

David has been called the musical voice of the progressive movement in the US. Amy Goodman has called him “the musical version of Democracy Now!” Since the mid-90’s Rovics has spent most of his time on the road, playing hundreds of shows every year throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Japan. He and his songs have been featured on national radio programs in the US, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Denmark and elsewhere.

He has shared the stage regularly with leading intellectuals (Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn), activists (Medea Benjamin, Ralph Nader), politicians (Dennis Kucinich, George Galloway), musicians (Billy Bragg, the Indigo Girls), and celebrities (Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon). He has performed at dozens of massive rallies throughout North America and Europe and at thousands of conferences, college campuses and folk clubs throughout the world.

Schedule

(Central Standard Time is 1 hour earlier than Eastern Standard time)

• 1:00 pm CST: Tour of SVI and Moonshadow
• 3:00 pm CST: David Rovics all-ages show
• 5:00 pm CST: pot luck dinner
• 7:00 pm CST: David Rovics performance

If you want to spend the night, it’ll be $5 per person – bring a tent and camping gear.

No pets, please. We love your pet animals, too… however they will likely cause problems with our domesticated animals.

You may wish to join David and others on April 13, as they protest the Y-12 nuclear weapons facility in Oak Ridge, TN. More information can be found and transportation arranged during the day at SVI. Please join us in April for this special weekend.

More info about David: davidrovics.com

Help spread the word: download a gig poster, print it up, and post it on your favorite bulletin board…

• 4-up Cards on 8.5×11″ layout (PDF)
• Poster on 8.5×11 layout (PDF)

If you’d like to see and hear what David is all about, check out the podcast video below…