JULY 30, 2009 ISSUE
The Great Plant Sale August 1 and 2
Gardening Workshops Saturdays in August
Vegetables grow in cold frames, showing that growing winter vegetables is possible in the High Country. This will be discussed in one of the gardening workshops held on Saturdays in August at Earth Fare. Photos submittedGardens for Humanity will hold The Great Plant Sale on Saturday and Sunday, August 1 and 2.
Saturday’s sale will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 871 Pinnacle Drive, a right turn directly off King Street in Boone. Sunday’s sale will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Earth Fare in Boone, during the farmers’ market.
Both sales will feature “a nice assortment of goods: local plants that are adapted to this area,” said Jasmine Shoshanna, director of Gardens for Humanity.
Plants will include Anemone, Baptista, roses, butterfly bushes, blueberry bushes, boxwoods, lamb’s quarters and more. The prices are great and the plants are healthy, Shoshanna said.
Samples of pestos and other homemade foods will be available for testing at the sale.
Shoshanna led a series of gardening workshops throughout July that included teaching people how to make “honeys made with herbs mixed in, pestos made out of wild plants that grow along riversides… healthy edible plants,” she said.
Everyone was incredibly shocked by how well received the workshops were, Shoshanna said.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, [and it is] so exciting and fascinating to see the reaction natural foods…have been getting,” she added. “I think we have a pretty green community to start [with, and] I’ve never seen this kind of response before.”
Gardening workshops will also be offered on Saturdays in August, made possible by a partnership with Earth Fare. This second round of workshops that cost $65 each will give interested persons who missed the July workshops “another chance to see what all the excitement is about,” Shoshanna said.
Gardens for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that helps low-income people grow organic vegetable gardens and become more self-sustainable, Shoshanna said.
Since its inception, the organization has put in abut 27 different gardens for individuals, families, schools, a drug rehab center and a low-income community apartment, to name a few. It also offers full landscaping services and teaches how to set up compost systems and winter gardens.
Because space is limited, those planning to attend workshops must prepay each workshop’s $65 cost.
Upcoming Workshops
Wild Pestos
Saturday, August 8
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
After the group takes a weed walk to identify and gather different wild plants, everyone heads to the kitchen to make several types of wild pestos and then to taste test them. Those who have a food processor and favorite knife are encouraged to bring them.
Preserving the Harvest
Saturday, August 15
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Canning is only one of the many food preservation techniques; there are many great ways to preserve the harvest and they keep the life force of the plants stronger than canning. Experiment with several drying techniques, honeys, oils, vinegars and freezing techniques.
Amazing Chocolate
Saturday, August 22
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Learn about making easy chocolate and pick herbs from the gardens to blend in it. You’ll be surprised at the uses and samples of raw food desserts with great taste and no cane sugar used.
Growing Winter Vegetables
Saturday, August 29
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Learn how to prolong the growing season and harvest all winter to enjoy your own fresh veggies year round.
For more information on the workshops or about Gardens for Humanity, call Shoshanna at 828-297-4677.
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