Sarah and I recently led a Succession Gardening Workshop on a pretty Saturday morning at the home of Sharon Hevener and Bill Rich in Hightown. When I agreed to lead the workshop, I thought it would be a simple workshop to prepare—though I’m no expert, I’ve been gardening for years now and this workshop was [...]
(Photo to the left: Laurie, Kayla and Lisa salting the cabbage for kraut!, Photo to the right: Beet Kvass!
Last week, the fellows on Allegheny Mountain were graced with Dawn Storey’s presence for a workshop on fermentation. Dawn is a fermentation enthusiast and owner of Farmstead Ferments in Charlottesville, Virginia (http://www.farmsteadferments.com/). Her arrival came at [...]
“If you have a bag of seeds, and you watch it grow, it will set you free.”
I heard this quote a few years ago while reviewing documentaries for an environmental film festival, and something about it has stuck with me ever since. After living at Allegheny Mountain School for the past three months, I [...]
Last Friday, Jenna and I headed down the mountain to the Highland Farmer’s Market to facilitate a home cheese-making demonstration. Thanks to our lovely goats, beautiful weather, and supportive community, the Allegheny Mountain School table proved to be quite the hit. Below are some photos for you all to enjoy. Be sure to check out [...]
It was an oppressively hot day by our mountain standards, and many of the fellows were seeking intellectual engagement and relief indoors as the sun began its agonizingly slow descent in the West. A low rumble began filtering down through the trees, slowly building to a thunderous crescendo which heralded the arrival of our latest [...]
Last weekend we had a reunion of the 2011 Fellows; it was so wonderful to see many of our old friends! Everyone wasn’t able to be there, but for one weekend, Coriena and I were joined again with Lara, Spencer, Eli, and Matthew. We got to show them everything we’ve done this year, reminisced about [...]
Naturally, we lost power that night. It was exciting really – reminded me of when I was a kid and even the most subtle wind would make our humble valley light up only by stars – electricity was something we often went without. Gathering around the Beta House, we [...]
July was another scorcher, with a major storm or two to break the heat and split our cherry tomatoes (fluctuations in water availability cause the skins to burst as the fruit swells). We’re glad they’re growing, though, and I can recommend two new varieties for this year: Dr Carolyn, a ghostly-yellow mid-sized ‘mater, and Tess’ [...]
