Workshop List for CT NOFA's Winter Conference, Part 6

Yes, that says part 6! Here is the ever-growing list of workshops for CT NOFA's Winter Conference on Saturday, March 5th at Manchester Community College. Featuring Keynote Speaker, Shannon Hayes, the all day conference will feature some of the best speakers, vendors and exhibits on local, organic gardening, farming, landscaping and sustainable lifestyles in and around Connecticut!  For a full list, please visit - http://ctnofa.org/events/CAOC/2011/2011%20winter%20conference.html where you can also register online!

Daniel MacPhee – Cultivating the Campus – Raising Crops and Consciousness

Starting with the example of the Yale Farm, we will discuss approaches to engaging students and community members in the practice and appreciation of sustainable urban agricultural systems.  We will touch on issues of garden design, volunteers, educational programming, and season extension.  Please come with questions and experiences to share.

Daniel is the Farm Manager and Educator with the Yale Sustainable Food Project in New Haven, CT.  He coordinates a 1 acre urban market garden with the help of student interns and community volunteers of all ages, and gives various workshops on organic farming and self-sufficient living.

Jane & Ken Maher – Quick Pickles: Make ‘em today, eat ‘em tomorrow!

So easy and so delicious! A hands on workshop where we’ll make garlic infused dills, sweet crunchy mixed pickles, exotic Asian pickled daikon, and the ever popular soy eggs. Participants will leave the class with their very own containers of homemade pickles!

Jane Maher is a NOFA board member and ran “SnootyFood”, her specialty food business.  She manufactured and sold thousands of containers of award winning pickles at farmers markets, retail stores, and restaurants.  Jane loves teaching people about good local food, and how to prepare it. She is also the founder and Chairperson of Oxford’s  fall “Made in CT Fair”. 

Bryan O’Hara & Anita Johnson – 1. Maintaing Soil Health on Organic Farms and Gardens. 2. Winter Vegetable Gardening

1.       We’ll discuss soil management practices that promote healthy soils and crops.  Topics will include cover crops, tillage, and mulching with emphasis on maintaining optimum soil water, air, and organic matter.

2.      This workshop will present techniques for growing winter hardy vegetables using unheated hoop tunnels and row covers. Structures, crop selection, timing, cultivation, soil preparation, wind protection, harvesting, and storage will be discussed.

Bryan O’Hara farms at Tobacco Road Farm in Lebanon, CT.  He has 20 years experience growing vegetable crops for farmers markets and wholesale accounts.  Paul Bucciaglia farms at Fort Hill Farm in New Milford, CT.  He produces over 40 organically grown crops for CSA shareholders and farmers markets.

Dr. Kim Stoner and Marie Pulito – Cohousing – A More Sustainable Way of Life

Kim and Marie are founding members of Green Haven, Inc., which will be building the first cohousing community in Connecticut. Kim is an entomologist, singer, and clerk of her Quaker Meeting.  Marie is a nurse specializing in lactation, co-founder of SHARE Haven Time Bank, a Unitarian, and wife to farmer Brenda.

Kim and Marie are founding members of Green Haven, Inc., which will be building the first cohousing community in Connecticut. Kim is an entomologist, singer, and clerk of her Quaker Meeting.  Marie is a nurse specializing in lactation, co-founder of SHARE Haven Time Bank, a Unitarian, and wife to farmer Brenda.

Dr. Carl A. Salsedo – The Biodiverse Gardener: A Conversation Exploring Diversity, Veganism and Growing Your Own Food

Much of the current environmental and gardening literature explores the natural world or specific aspects of this world. This workshop will review steps each of us can do (the gardener) to empower oneself. Creating a diverse landscape, becoming a vegan and growing your own vegetables are steps toward achieving a sustainable self and world.

Dr. Carl Salsedo has been with the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System since 1975. His Gardening with Nature series on Connecticut Public television is a series of vignettes that promote sustainable landscaping practices in the landscape. Broadcast since 2001 on CPTV this series is also accessible through the web. Carl has lectured regionally, nationally and internationally and is the author of numerous publications. His yard and gardens are part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. In 2010 Carl's first book entitled “Gardening: Cultivating An Enduring Relationship with Nature” was published.

This project was supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant # 2010-49400-21847.