From ashley at svionline.org Sat May 10 19:25:34 2008 From: ashley at svionline.org (ashley ironwood) Date: Sat, 10 May 2008 18:25:34 -0500 Subject: [Sviannouncements] food for life! Message-ID: the sequatchie valley institute at moonshadow invites you to the tenth annual food for life in the new millenium a gathering about the source and protection of life held in beautiful rural tennessee. with a special tour of the sequatchie cove farm on the 16th. our tenth annual comprehensive food conference includes skill-building workshops as well as discussion-oriented political dialogues (see schedule below). learn various food preservation strategies including fermentation (miso, sauerkraut, kimchi, wine, beer, mead and champagnes) as well as different methods of cooking and diet choices, health and nutrition. attend workshops on edible and medicinal plants, permaculture 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. all workshops at the sequatchie valley institute are intentionally affordable using a sliding scale based on your income. food exchange is available. for more information: www.svilonline.org (you can now register online!) ashley at svionline.org (423) 949-5922 *********************************** FOOD FOR LIFE SCHEDULE 2008 (subject to change - please call if you want to be sure about a particular workshop) Food for Life is run on CENTRAL TIME? FRIDAY, MAY 16 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. 2:00 -2:15 ARRIVALS AT MOONSHADOW, TENT SET-UP and LUNCH 2:30-6:00 FERMENTATION - WINE, BEER AND TEMPEH (Ashley and Patrick Ironwood and Sandorkraut) - We plan to illustrate the art of fermentation by making 15 gallons of beer, 5 gallons of wine, 20 gallons of mead and 10 pounds of tempeh! 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. SATURDAY, MAY 17 8:00-9:00 BREAKFAST 9:00 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 look at examples of art inspired by food and make fabulous drawings using culinary herbs and spices! 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. 3:30-5:15 FERMENTATION SHOW AND TELL (Sandorkraut) - An eclectic introduction to the magic of fermentation. 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. Experience how simple it is to make your own kimchi, kefir, mead, and other fermented delicacies. Bring ferments to share (if you have any) and troubleshooting questions. Sandorkraut is the author of the much-loved book, ?Wild Fermentation.? A ?cultural revivalist,? he got his start teaching about fermentation at Food For Life. Check out his website at www.wildfermentation.com. 5:30-7:00 GLOBALIZATION AND THIRD WORLD POVERTY (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. 7:15 PIZZA DINNER (in the cob oven) SUNDAY, MAY 18 8:00-9:00 BREAKFAST 9:00 MORNING CIRCLE AND FERMENTATION CHECK-IN 9:30-11:15 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. 11:30-12:30 WILDCRAFTING AND MEDICINE-MAKING (Rachel Fee-Prince) - This workshop focuses on simple herbal preparations such as infusions, vinegars, syrups, and elixers. Learn how to use herbs daily to nourish & sustain the body, not just treatment for illness and dis-ease. Bring your taste buds. 12:30 LUNCH 1:45-3:15 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. 4:15 CLOSING CIRCLE please note my new email address ************************************ ashley ironwood sequatchie valley institute 1233 cartwright loop whitwell, tn 37397 423-949-5922 ashley at svionline.org www.svionline.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ashley at svionline.org Tue May 13 14:28:59 2008 From: ashley at svionline.org (ashley ironwood) Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 13:28:59 -0500 Subject: [Sviannouncements] april update Message-ID: <820697BD-FF5D-44D0-934C-C22FA7755C6D@svionline.org> greetings, friends! we've officially moved on from doing "building updates" and are now USING IT! so, this update will be about recent programs in addition to filling you in on the completion of the structure that still has no committed name. spring has been amazing this year - after last year's april freeze we are profoundly grateful for the abundance of flowers and green surrounding us. life is good! how fitting it is, then, to start with a recap of the wildflower hike (which actually happened march 29th)... despite the threat of rain, about 15 folks showed up for the hike with carol, patrick and john johnson. we wandered the trails finding many early spring treasures and making new friends. there are more pictures of the day on our website: www.svionline.org (in the what we do section). april was the month we finally slowed down a bit on building. after getting the roof on, rain was no longer a threat but an opportunity to enjoy the sound of pitter-pats on metal, protected by the structure and yet right there in the middle of a storm. alex put in about 50 steel braces so we can dance on the top floor in a hurricane and not worry about the structure falling over. bradley, meli, ashley and patrick put up the first floor to second floor's staircase. we had a small work day with alex, jeannie, wren, sean, mirel and quin. they helped bundle scraps, clean up the place and put up the first staircase's banister. patrick put in about 30 wooden braces, working over his head with a chainsaw - it was almost like being in a sandstorm! ashley, randall and patrick put in the wire fences (reclaimed from a llama pen) so nobody will fall off the second or third floors. and, that's that! here it is! and it is AMAZING! our first event to be held in the new "deck of infinite possibilities" was a day of concerts by david rovics, one for kids and an evening performance geared toward adults. david has been called the musical voice of the progressive movement in the united states. 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. we feel so fortunate to be able to share our close friend, david, with the extended moonshadow community. check out his website: www.davidrovics.com frank cook spent a full day leading plant walks and disscusions on healing plants, botany and philosophy. even with limited advertising, 17 people came to moonshadow for this gloriously enlightening day. we collected wild edibles for all our meals and shared teas throughout the day together. we are forming an ecovillage - and with it the village artisan collective! nada jones, from ulinawi; marissa harlin and rachel fee- prince, from satya; and carol, patrick and i from moonshadow have come together for our first collective project: the market at greenlife grocery in chattanooga. come check it out on wednesdays and saturdays if you live in the area. we'd like to welcome and applaud randall tomlinson, our head gardener for the spring and summer. what a blessing it is for us to have him here. whether he's in the garden, playing with the kids, washing the dishes or simply engaging in a conversation, his deep connection with everything he touches is inspiring us all. and for those of you aching to hear about beau's travels along the appalachian trail, we can report that he's doing great! he's hiking an average of 16 miles/day and loving every inch of it! he's way ahead of schedule and has already hiked 850 miles! every time we talk with him we are reminded of how much we miss him, and in the same breath are thrilled to know he's having the time of his life. so... may is upon us, full of workshops and planting. drop us a line and come on over for a visit! for life, love and dancing spirit, ashley ironwood and the moonshadow crew. please note my new email address ************************************ ashley ironwood sequatchie valley institute 1233 cartwright loop whitwell, tn 37397 423-949-5922 ashley at svionline.org www.svionline.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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