Homegrown Fest - 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Homegrown Fest will feature mini-workshops from local experts on a variety of topics including gardening, homesteading, D.I.Y., cooking, preserving the harvest, and some sessions are geared for kids! Registration will be $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR HOMEGROWN FEST
Homegrown Fest is hosted by Grow Springfield in partnership with Lincoln Land Community College, genHkids and Illinois Stewardship Alliance. Homegrown Fest will feature 25 minute mini-workshops and a vendor fair. For sponsorship and exhibitor information, please contact Alana at alana@ilstewards.org.
Workshop Descriptions
Permaculture: Growing as a Community Ecosystem
Presenter: Keri Luly
Permaculture has many definitions, all of which make some reference to the importance of interrelationships and the effective use of varied tools. In our brief 25 minutes together, we'll sample just a few tastes from the permaculture smorgasbord, but you'll leave with some excellent resources and inspiration to learn more and think a bit differently when you step out into your garden.
Tour and Experience East African Cultural Cuisine “Without a Passport”
Presenter: Janet Zintambila
Participants will experience Exotic Traditional East African cuisine. In essence, finding locally East African foods you can serve Missionaries or friends. Participants will learn Swahili words(an East African language) for each ingredient.
Kids in the Kitchen: Simple Smoothie Recipes
Presenters: Neva Combs and Sylvia Reynolds
Kids show you how to prepare 4 nutritious smoothie recipes the family will love. Health benefits of each ingredient will be discussed and each workshop participant will have a chance to sample the final products.
Raising Backyard Chickens Right
Presenter:Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant
Whether motivated by extremely local food, or simply having a showy pet to decorate the yard, there are a number of things you need to know about raising chickens so that your family and your birds can live happy and healthy together. Learn more about how to choose chicken breeds, starting your chicks and considerations for building a coop and designing a chicken run.
Collaborative Community Gardening
Presenter: Andy Heck
Learn how to become involved in a collaborative community garden and explore the benefits. Avoid the frustration of neglected beds, absentee gardeners, and conflict. Learn skills from experienced farmers each week, discover new garden resources (seed companies, finished compost sources, etc.). Participants will have the option to take free seeds home with them.
Stocks & Broths: The Culinary Backbone
Presenter: Ashley Meyer
In this class we will discuss and demonstrate the differences between stocks & broth, and how to prepare, safely cool, and store them. Preparation of vegetable, chicken, and fish stock will be demonstrated, and we will discuss ways to upcycle what would otherwise be kitchen waste and turn it into a value added product. The variety of recipes that utilize stock/broth will be discussed.
Roots and Shoots: Cooking with the Whole Vegetable- For Kids
Presenter: Denise Perry
Participants will learn seasonal cooking using a variety of grains and local produce, and using the whole vegetable. Start cooking meals with local produce that your kids will enjoy!
So, You’d Like to Keep Your Own Honeybees
Presenter: Arvin Pierce
Keeping your own honeybees doesn't have to be complicated. If you go into it with the right attitude and basic knowledge, it can be immensely rewarding and fun! This workshop will help you decide if you're ready to become a beekeeper by presenting some basic honeybee biology, description of hive designs, and the basic equipment and resources needed to start you on your way to enjoying your bees.
Getting a Jump on the Growing Season: Starting Seeds Indoors
Presenter: Gus Jones
Simple indoor seed starting practices will be demonstrated. Class participants will also be instructed on the process of moving seedlings to larger containers once they have outgrown their original pots and getting plants accustomed to the outdoor environment.
Stretching Your Harvest: Cosmic Storage
Presenter: Eaten Alive
Play Tetris in the refrigerator and give your food the best conditions to preserve nutritional value. Learn to process vegetables to maximize their usability in the freshest states possible and interact with those foods to notice their maturity and deny the opportunity for wasting nutrients.
Salsaing It Up!
Presenter: Kimberly Moore
Learn how to make Fresh Salsa/ Pico De Gallo.
Drying, Preserving, and Infusing Roots & Herbs
Presenter: Amy Andrews
I will show an assortment of ways to dry, process and store roots and herbs for maximum potency. Then, I will demonstrate how to make simple infusions with a water or oil base.
Biotechnology: Understanding New Organic Products that are Just What the Plant Needs
Presenter: Mark McWilliams
Years of research has found what plants really need to flourish. The key is our relationship to soil and the microbes in the soil. New biotechnology offers many benefits that brings plant life back to the basics.
Fun Food Presentation
Presenter: Catrina Williams
Come learn how to make delicious garden food, with real ingredients and have fun while doing it!
Gardening with Kids
Presenter: George Sinclair
My objective is to get interested young people involved in sustainable gardening and beekeeping. The only skill needed is showing up!
Fibers to Fashion: Processing Animal Fibers into Wearable Items
Presenter: Alison Anderson
This workshop will cover the basic processing steps for transforming different animal fibers into yarn and then into hand knitted or woven items. Hands-on demonstrations will include: 1) Different fiber types, sources, and uses; 2) Blending and spinning fibers into yarns; 3) Using your yarns for knitting and weaving.
Lunch 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch will be available from 12 pm-1pm. A donation of $5.00 is suggested. (More details coming soon!)
