Food Forest Gardening Workshop, Take Two

At ENCM’s McCoy Cooperative Garden, we are creating edible plant “neighborhoods” that demonstrate interconnection in a way that shows a healthy and abundant plant community as well as pointing toward the healthy and abundant communities of neighbors working cooperatively together.  Would you like to learn about edible forest gardening with us?

Edible Forest gardening is the art and science of putting plants together in woodland like patterns that forge mutually beneficial relationships, creating a garden ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts. (See Dave Jacke at www.edibleforestgardens.com for more).

Please join us on Saturday, Aug. 25 from 9-11am for a Food Forest Gardening: Perennial Food Production Systems workshop with Jeremy Lekich of Nashville Foodscapes. Jeremy works to reconnect people with their food source by growing food where they live and will lead us as we learn about the sustainability, abundance, and richness of growing edibles through food forests.

Check Jeremy out at http://nashvillefoodscapes.com/team.html.

When: Saturday August 25, 9:00am-11:00am

Where: ENCM McCoy Cooperative Garden, 807 Main St., Nashville 37206

Rain or shine! We can go indoors if there's rain.

Let us know you're attending by emailing Hilary at Hilary@encm.org

Our garden workshops are donation-based, with the proceeds going to our community garden program. Our workshop leaders are providing a service to the community by teaching us about what they love to do. We are thankful for their donation of time and enthusiasm.

Upcoming workshop: Wild Edible & Medicinal Herbs -- Liz Meeks, July 28th

The garden crew is looking forward to seeing you.

Hilary -- Garden Coordinator & Educator

Trent -- Garden Site Manager 

Hands on Herbs Workshop w/ Liz Meeks

what: herb workshop

when: August 27 @ 10:00am

where: McCoy Garden (807 main st 37206)

cost: free (but we'll pass the hat for our speaker)

This class will focus on identifying and using healing plants that grow naturally in our backyards, or are easily cultivated.

Liz Meeks, community herbalist and gardener, will attempt to dispel the myth that a 'medicinal herb' is something that must be purchased at a health food store or must be concocted by someone in a white lab coat. We will learn that many healing plants, aka 'weeds' offer themselves freely at our doorsteps, in the back alley, and voluntarily in our gardens. We will meet at the ENCM campus, which is home to Versatile Dandelion, Powerful Poke, Incredible Plantain, Iron-rich Yellow Dock, and the often overlooked Smartweed and Amaranth. The garden also offers Echinacea, Rosemary, Sage, Mint, Thyme, Lavender, and Parsley, all with healing properties beyond the kitchen. Let's see what else we can find!

We will go through all the steps of making a fresh plant tincture, or alcohol extract. We will also discuss extracting herbs into vinegar and honey for those who wish to avoid alcohol, or simply want to try something different.

We will touch on basic cultivation techniques for a few of my favorite herbs including Calendula, Comfrey, Holy Basil, St.John's Wort and Yarrow.

The world of herbs offers endless opportunities to explore, create, and connect with the natural world on a deeper level. Please join us for what is sure to be a fun workshop!

As always, sign up in comment space below and direct all questions to justin there.

*a special note for this workshop*

A very slight but very real possibility exist for this workshop to be rescheduled. Liz is scheduled to assist a birth that has yet to be. So it may be that liz becomes preoccupied during the workshop time because shes helping bring a person into the world. Stay tuned here for updates. And look for an email update if we have to reschedule. In advance, thank you for your understanding.

ENCM Pizza Party

Cob Workshop #2

WOW! The cob oven project has started.

Beau Bristow of the Old World Oven Co. is offering ENCM the gift of a cob oven in our McCoy Memorial Garden at 807 Main Street.  "Cob" or "abobe," in Beau's words, "refer to clay used as a building material. Wood-fired ovens were originally built with clay and still are in many cultures. Though an adobe oven is simpler than a brick oven, it lacks nothing in it’s cooking ability.  Adobe ovens are also a “greener” alternative to brick ovens because they use ingredients that can be found locally and don’t require energy-intensive mining, processing, and shipping. They can also be broken down and returned to the earth easier than bricks and concrete."

We're excited to for this great opportunity and the oven's educational potential and community gathering possibilities.  Please follow along with us on this adventure on our facebook page and/or on our blog.  Find Old World Oven Co. online here.  [The images below are works of Old World Oven.  The one currently being built at ENCM is a hybrid--brick foundation with a cob oven on top].

McCoy Memorial Garden, April 2011...just beautiful