FarmAssist
Productions
We
are a small, independent farm and food advocacy, teaching, celebration
and networking organization. Currently we are functioning under
the fiscal sponsorship of Four Winds Inc., a fully accredited
501(3)c nonprofit. We work toward the inter and independence
of our farmer and non-farmer neighbors as we strive for increased
Bioregional Foodshed Security in the Greater Hudson Valley and
the metropolitan areas we serve. All donations to support and
expand our work are tax deductible to the full extent of state
and federal law.
Hello
Everyone,
We
are constantly adding workshops and events, the following is
the latest schedule.
We
are super pleased to have Chef David Wurth
costarring with Moscovy Ducks
at our first Celebrity Chef Guerilla Dinner
in a gorgeous private home in Great
Barrington (see end of listings). Details,
registration and locations can be found at the links at the
end of each short description.
Best,
Gianni
518.392.8545
Sorry
for any repeats!
COMING
RIGHT UP, NOT TO BE MISSED
10.17.10
Sourdough Baking With Matt Funiciello of Rock Hill Bake House
Back
by popular demand!
Mat
t Funiciello is the master baker/owner of
Rock Hill Bake House and has been a life long food activist.
He is a spirited and deeply knowledgeable teacher. This workshop
is suitable for you if you have never baked a frozen bun and
also if you are an advanced baker. This man understands the
true nature of grains and the alchemy of sour dough like no
one else. This is a particularly exciting time to take up or
expand your baking, as we are seeing the re-emergence of heirloom,
non GMO varietals in our region. http://farmassistbread.eventbrite.com
NEW:
11.10.10
Slow Money 101, What You Need To Know When Looking For Investors,
John K. Freidman, Esq.
Farmers
and small food producers are increasingly savvy about marketing
their own products and very often need investors to help move
their business to the next level. John's experience in this
niche is exceptional and he will introduce the basic concepts
necessary when approaching potential funders. All class attendees
will receive a free copy of the Slow
Money Primer ,
authored by John. Location to be announced. http://farmassistslowmoney.eventbrite.com/
CONFIRMED,
ALSO NOT TO BE MISSED:
11.5.10
Radical
Homemaking, Reclaiming Domesticity From a Consumer Culture,
Shannon Hayes It
is our extreme pleasure to bring Shannon Hayes to our area.
The Hayes family has a long history of farming, education and
activism and Shannon 's book has truly captured this transitional
moment in small farming, homesteading, post peak consumerism
and the reclamation of the kitchen table. Her message speaks
to the work many are doing to recapture the independence of
the individual household from the 'To-Go' corporate culture,
while restoring community, ecological integrity, social and
economic justice and democracy through small but profound measures
of individual action. This is the next step in the maturation
of a movement that our region is the poster child for. She has
not only written the bible and is a major voice of this movement,
she is one of our own. http://radicalhomemakers.eventbrite.com/
Celebrity
Chef Guerilla
Dinners
These
dinners will be held in private homes and are fundraisers for
FarmAssist Productions.
Twelve
to fifteen guests will enjoy a butchering demo (a very teachable
moment),
cook
alongside one of our Celebrity Chefs and then sit down at a
communal table for a fabulous candle lit meal filled with brilliant
conversation and awe inspiring story telling.
Main
courses will include veal, goat, lamb, rabbit, young pig and
a
pan-Asian (vegan – butchering noodles?) theme. Plenty of wine,
of course…
What
happens in the kitchen – stays
in the kitchen!
We
fully guarantee truly memorable evenings for all!
We
are SUPER pleased that our first dinner will be cheffed by Locavore
Chef
David Wurth ,
will
be held in a gorgeous
private home in Great
Barrington ,
Massachusetts on
Sunday, November
7 th .
Menu details forthcoming. Location disclosed upon registration.
http://farmassistguerilladinners.eventbrite.com/
Thank You!
Kitchen
Culture Workshops, Fall 2010
Entire
Schedule: http://farmassistproductionsfall2010.eventbrite.com/
Hi
Everyone! We are very proud to bring you this group of teachers,
workshops, lectures and events. Early registration is highly
advisable as we intentionally keep these small, so that everyone
has a practical, hands on experience and can then go forth and
share the information with their family and neighbors. If you
would like to conduct a workshop or just have a good idea to
share, please contact FarmAssist Productions. Please
use the links at the end of each class description for further
information and to register. A
complete listing of all events offered by FarmAssist can be
found using the link to right of any registration page.
Please
check back as we are constantly
adding workshops and events.. November thru January will be
fun filled and delicious with Celebrity
Chef Guerilla Dinners . To be automatically
apprised of new workshops and events, you can subscribe to the
RSS feed. Much more to come...
My
Very Best,
Gianni
10.17.10
Sourdough Baking With Matt Funiciello of Rock Hill Bake House
Back
by popular demand!
Mat
t Funiciello is the master baker/owner of
Rock Hill Bake House and has been a life long food activist.
He is a spirited and deeply knowledgeable teacher. This workshop
is suitable for you if you have never baked a frozen bun and
also if you are an advanced baker. This man understands the
true nature of grains and the alchemy of sour dough like no
one else. This is a particularly exciting time to take up or
expand your baking, as we are seeing the re-emergence of heirloom,
non GMO varietals in our region. http://farmassistbread.eventbrite.com
10.24.10
Seed Saving Secrets With Chris Kemnah of Otter Hook Farm
Chris
and Samantha Kemnah of Otter Hook Farm CSA are part of the young,
smart and committed wave of farmers who are literally changing
our shared landscape. Hudson Valley natives and experienced
growers, they know what varieties do well in our soils and climate,
Chris is a geologist and has a unique love and understanding
of our soils and growing environment. This year in addition
to offering a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, they grew
over 60 varieties of tomatoes, Freedom Ranger broiler chickens,
are milking a family cow (spectacular milk!) and raising two
beautiful little boys, Alex and Benjamin, in the family farm
tradition - and
saving seeds for next year !
http://farmassistseeds.eventbrite.co
m
10.30.10
Mushroomology With Skotty Kellogg
Mushrooms
are not just delicious and medicinal, they are a very low maintenance
perennial crop, a mushroom log can produce for up to five years
with minimum care. We will learn several growing techniques
and everyone will go home with their own logs. Dress warm, bring
a bagged lunch and snacks and be prepared to do some work. http://farmassistmushroomology.eventbrite.com
10.31.10
Cider Vinegar, Lactofermentation & Acorn Flour Delicacies
with Gianni Ortiz & David DeLozier
Used
for hundreds of years as a daily tonic, apple
cider vinegar
is easy to make and provides many benefits. Often referred to
as the Original Gatorade, it also offers many natural protective
properties against viral and bacterial infections. Come learn
how to make your own in addition lacto-fermented
veggies
and how to cook with the lost ( and
delicious!)
native staple White
Oak Acorn
- used in puddings, ‘corn’ molasses and ginger bread, pie crusts,
chili, etc... For Native Americans having an ample store of
acorns was the equivalent of having an insurance policy to get
through the winter and this year there was a bumper crop. http://farmassistvinegaracorn.eventbrite.com/
11.5.10
Radical
Homemaking, Reclaiming Domesticity From a Consumer Culture,
Shannon Hayes It is
our extreme pleasure to bring Shannon Hayes to our area. The
Hayes family has a long history of farming, education and activism
and Shannon 's book has truly captured this transitional moment
in small farming, homesteading, post peak consumerism and the
reclamation of the kitchen table. Her message speaks to the
work many are doing to recapture the independence of the individual
household from the 'To-Go' corporate culture, while restoring
community, ecological integrity, social and economic justice
and democracy through small but profound measures of individual
action. This is the next step in the maturation of a movement
that our region is the poster child for. She has not only written
the bible and is a major voice of this movement, she is one
of our own. http://radicalhomemakers.eventbrite.com/
11.10.10
Slow Money 101, What You Need To Know When Looking For Investors,
John K. Freidman, Esq.
Farmers
and small food producers are increasingly savvy about marketing
their own products and very often need investors to help move
their business to the next level. John's experience in this
niche is exceptional and he will introduce the basic concepts
necessary when approaching potential funders. All class attendees
will receive a free copy of the Slow
Money Primer ,
authored by John. Location to be announced. http://farmassistslowmoney.eventbrite.com/
11.13.10
Homemade Soap, Tallow to Lather
– Laundry Detergent to Facial Soaps With Wanda Halten
We
will take tallow and turn it into a basic soap product that
can be used for laundry, dish and finely milled facial soaps
through traditional methods. We will take this basic product
and bring it through the first phase of milling, using essential
oils, algaes and herbals. They make for very special and treasured
Christmas gifts. This workshop will definitely sell out, so
please register early. http://farmassistsoap.eventbrite.com
11.14.10
The Art & Science of Root Cellaring with Jack Kittredge
Back
by popular demand!
Have
you ever wondered how food was preserved before refrigeration
and cryovacking? Enough was preserved to get whole families
through the winter and not one drop of electricity was used.
In the Hudson Valley we have many root cellars and experienced
keepers but many of these valuable structures have fallen into
disrepair. There has been a tremendous resurgence of interest
in natural, low energy over winter storage of fresh and preserved
produce - come learn how the many affordable ways to do it in
your own home, basement or yard. http://farmassistrootcellaring.eventbrite.com
11.20.10
Nutrient Dense Winter Microgreens & Kombucha Cocktails with
Deborah Doyle
Missing
your garden greens? OK, so you are into local and seasonal food,
or want to be - what do you do during the winter? Learn to sprout
and grow trays of microgreens that do not require lots of light
that are super nutrient dense, fresh and affordable. There are
many ways to create perfectly delicious versions of Kombucha
- sweet, savory, specifically medicinal. Take starter trays
and 'the kombucha mother' home with you. Please bring your own
sterilized jars or purchase beautiful bottles appropriate for
fermentation and storage. http://farmassistndmicrogreens.eventbrite.com
11.21.10
Medicinal Herbals To Get You Through The Winter with Stacy Pettigrew
Mother,
Journalist, Permaculturist, Activist and Herbalist Stacy Pettigrew
will share her great depth of knowledge and well researched
formulas with us just in time for winter cold and flu season.
We
will also discuss medicine-making. Hands-on activities will
include pressing a tincture, and making both an Arnica salve
for aches and pains and an anti-viral Elderberry syrup to take
home.: http://farmassistherbals.eventbrite.com/
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We
are VERY proud to present
A
BETTER world Lecture Series
Radical
Homemaking
Reclaiming
Domesticity From A Consumer Culture
Shannon
Hayes
November
5, 7:00pm, Saint Mary's, Hudson , NY
http://radicalhomemakers.eventbrite.com/
RADICAL
HOMEMAKERS:
RECLAIMING
DOMESTICITY FROM A CONSUMER CULTURE
Mother
Nature has shown her hand. Faced with climate change, dwindling
resources, and species extinctions, most Americans understand
the fundamental steps necessary to solve our global crises -
drive less, consume less, increase self-reliance, buy locally,
eat locally, rebuild our local communities.
In
essence, the great work we face requires rekindling the home
fires.
Radical
Homemakers is about men and women across the U.S. who focus
on home and hearth as a political and ecological act, and who
have centered their lives around family and community for personal
fulfillment and cultural change. It explores what domesticity
looks like in an era that has benefited from feminism, where
domination and oppression are cast aside and where the choice
to stay home is no longer equated with mind-numbing drudgery,
economic insecurity, or relentless servitude.
Radical
Homemakers nationwide speak about empowerment, transformation,
happiness, and casting aside the pressures of a consumer culture
to live in a world where money loses its power to relationships,
independent thought, and creativity. If you ever considered
quitting a job to plant tomatoes, read to a child, pursue creative
work, can green beans and heal the planet, this is your book.
A
suggested donation of $10 and a food pantry item at the door.
No
one will be turned away.
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