The Chatelaine's Keys

Sharon December 20th, 2010

I broke my little toe this weekend, which I mention because while it is completely unimportant (the only things you can do about broken toes is tape and whine, I’m good at both ), I’m using it as an excuse to take some time off this week and post lightly over the next couple. Don’t ask me to explain how a broken toe affects my ability to type, or why I’m using it as an excuse to spend more time on my feet baking cookies and cleaning house instead of sitting quietly at the computer. It makes no sense, but after a busy, hectic first half of the month, i figure the majority of my readership is probably too tired too to notice the logical inconsistencies. So while I will post the second part of my review of The Witch of Hebron and my 2011 predictions and probably some other stuff when the spirit moves, I’m going to be quieter than usual since everyone else is going on vacation too, and because I have a perfect, if incoherent excuse. If it helps, I give you all official permission to use excuses that make no sense either for things. Try it out! “Sorry, I can’t come to the office Christmas Party because there’s a llama in my parlor” or “I forgot to get you a present because spleen’ might actually be more satisfying than the real answers.

Meanwhile, I do have two announcements. First, the first three people to request our round robin copies of Kurt Cobb’s _Prelude_ (kindly donated by Kurt to make it possible that low income folks with no copies at their library get to join in next month’s book club selection) be sent to them (send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll hook you up with the person who had it last) will get it - the first round of readers is done with it. I’ll post a “they are taken” update on this post after the first three, but won’t respond to all requests, so if you don’t hear back, try again when I announce the next round.

Second, over Martin Luther King weekend in January, I’m going to run my second annual winter Apprentice weekend. Last year 10 of us gathered at my house in upstate New York to talk, eat, knit (or whatever) and to learn woodstove cooking, livestock care, goat milking, herbs, and a host of other projects. It was a blast, and I made some wonderful friends, so I’m very excited about doing it again. Cost of the weekend is by donation, and I have one for someone who would like to barter for a spot in the class by doing some dishes and general help keeping things from all going to pot . I’ll ask everyone to bring some food and help with meals. Weekend begins Friday evening and ends on Sunday, and the exact agenda will emerge once the participation is in - I’m hoping we’ll make cheese, run a mini-adapting in place class and share a lot of knowledge as well as a host of other things. This is an adult weekend, although obviously parents that can’t be parted from nursing infants are welcome to bring them. I will be running a family weekend in May, that people are welcoem to bring their kids to, but this is for grownups (mostly because it is January and the thought of a bunch of cranky kids stuck in the house doesn’t seem super compatible with the adults doing anything useful ). I can house quite a few people at my place - last year everyone was able to stay with me, but there are also local hotels and bed and breakfasts I can hook you up with. Email me at [email protected] if you’d like to come to my place for a weekend and join us!

Sharon

• Classes , books
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admin September 23rd, 2010

Some new things to alert you all of.  First of all, two speaking dates are coming up for me, and I hope you’ll meet me there.  The first is at the ASPO-USA conference coming up - I’ll be speaking on Thursday and Saturday along with John Michael Greer, Nicole Foss, folks from the The Oil Drum, former Secretary of State James Schlessinger, Bob Hirsch and a host of others. I hope you can join us. 

Second, I’ll be in New Haven for a two day event focused on urban Adapting-In-Place. (Isn’t that cool, the idea is really getting out!)  I’ll be speaking on Friday night and then part of a Saturday lineup that includes many community groups and resources.  It’s going to be great.

Aaron and I are also going to be teaching the Adapting-In-Place Course, which is a whole-view of what it takes to make your home and community into a place where you can go forward into a lower energy future.  We’ll talk about everything from what’s inside your walls and how to meet everyday needs to security, community and building energy resilienct.  The class is online and asynchronous, and lasts for 6 weeks, beginning October 5 and running until November 9. This will be the last class we run on this subject for some time, because I have to finish my book on the same subject, so this is the last chance until at least next year.  The cost of the class is $180 or equivalent barter and I also have five scholarship spaces for low income participants who couldn’t ordinarily afford the classes.  Email me at [email protected]

Finally, make sure you keep checking the pages on this site - I’m slowly but surely getting new stuff up!

Cheers,

Sharon

• Classes , appearances
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Sharon August 12th, 2010

This is the the time of year for most of us when everything is ripe and abundant in our gardens and at local farms, and learning to put food up can make it possible for you to enjoy summer in winter, and continue eating locally as long as possible. It can be overwhelming when you start preserving, so if you’d like a friendly voice to walk you through it, please join us.

The class is on-line and asynchronous, and you can participate at your own pace. Every week we’ll have projects involving what’s overflowing in our gardens and markets to get you familiar with the basics of preserving the harvest, and also help you build up food security by building up a reserve of stored food.

My hope is that at the end of the class, everyone will have a plan for how they want to go about increasing their food storage reserves, and will have tried the major methods of food storage. You will be able to watch the jars increase as the class goes on.

Here’s a rough syllabus:

Week 1, August 17 - Introduction to Food Storage, How much, where to put it, and how? Can I afford this? Low energy overview of food preservation methods. Storing Water, making space.

Week 2, August 24: Water bath canning 101, Preserving with Salt, Sugar and Honey, Bulk purchasing, sourcing local foods, finding food to preserve, what food storage can and can’t do.

Week 3, August 31: Dehydration basics, Tools you need and where to get them, Menu making and how to get people to eat from your pantry, Setting up your kitchen for food storage, Storing herbs and spices, Sourdoughs and grain ferments, Preserving foraged foods.

***September 7 No Class, Rosh Hashana and Instructor elsewhere ***

Week 4 September 14: Lactofermentation; Special needs and health issues; Storing food for children, pregnant and lactating women; Storing medications, gluten-free storage; Basic dairy preservation; Building up your pantry and Managing your reserves.

Week 5, September 21: Pressure Canning; Beverages, Teas and Drinks; Preserving in Alcohol, Coops and Community Food Security; More Menus and Recipes; Root Cellaring and in-Garden Storage.

Week 6, September 28: Season extension, Preserving Meats, Sprouting, The next Steps, Getting Your Community Involved, Teaching others, Food Preservation as a Cottage Industry.

We will try and track the seasonal produce coming in, support each other as we experiment with new techniques and build up our pantries as we go - and have a lot of fun! If you are interested in joining, cost of the class is $150 or equivalent barter. I also have three scholarship spots remaining for low income participants who would otherwise be unable to afford to take the class. If you’d like to donate to the scholarship fund, just let me know - 100% of your donation goes to making classes available to low income participants. Email me to enroll or with questions at [email protected].

Sharon

• Classes , Food Storage
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Sharon July 4th, 2010

Just to let you know, I’m going to be starting another class this coming week, beginning on Tuesday -  this one helping people get started with fall gardening and season extension.  If you are like most folks, you probably start out enthusiastic about your garden, but around the middle of the summer, you get focused on harvesting, or overwhelmed and let the cool season garden peter out.  And that’s a mistake, because with very simple and cheap methods of season extension and a little attention right about now (for those as northerly as me, a bit later for folks south of me in this hemisphere), you can be eating fresh produced well into winter.

Moreover, cool season gardening is satisfying and a lot of fun - fewer bugs, cooler weather, usually more rainfall - the conditions are optimal, the air is crisp and cool and there’s just no reason to watch things peter out when you could be enjoying your garden until snowfly - or longer in many places.

But getting the timing right of fall crops can be complicated and takes practice, and learning what techniques work and don’t to extend your season, or how to deal with hot weather at planting time can be challenging, and this class is for people from beginners to advanced gardeners who still haven’t figured all this out.

Like all my classes, this one is online and asynchronous. It lasts four weeks, from July 7 to July 27.  You participate when you have time, and while I put up most of the week’s material on Tuesdays, I’m available regularly through the week.  The class includes weekly readings, lots of discussion and planning help and guidance, and one 15 minute phone conversation to talk about any questions or problems you are having, or strategize on designing how to get the most out of your garden.

Cost of the class is $100, and I have four spots still available for low income scholarship students. I ask that if you are applying for scholarship you give me a brief explanation of why you would qualify.    Anyone who would like to donate a part or whole of an additional scholarship spot can get in touch with me about that and 100% of the cost of your donation will go to making the class free for another low income participant.

To join the class or get more information, please email me at [email protected].  Here’s the syllabus:

Week I, July 6 - Introduction to the basics of cool season gardening and fall planting, garden planning, choosing varieties, estimating planting dates, finding space in your garden, designing for a three (or four) season garden.

Week II, July 13 - Introduction to Season Extension, strategies for extending your season, dealing with heat and cold, water and irrigation, cheap and dirty season extension techniques, timing for preservation.

Week III, July 20 - Cover cropping, using containers to extend the season, seed saving, Greenhouses, hoophouses and more advanced season extension, winter harvesting, recipes from a cool season garden, troubleshooting the fall garden.

Week IV, July 27 - Mulching, making the best use of small space, using vertical space in the winter, tropicals and pushing your zone hardiness limits,  Choosing perennials to extend the season,  Menus from the snow.

Cheers,

Sharon

• Classes , cool season gardening
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Sharon May 24th, 2010

Just a reminder that Aaron and I will be running our Adapting in Place Class online for six weeks, starting Thursday.  The class is asynchronous - you don’t have to be online at any particular time, just participate when you like.  The goal of the class is to help people develop a coherent plan for how to create a good and viable low energy life with what you have.  Previous participants have told us that the class was “life-changing.”

The cost of the class is $180 or equivalent barter, and I do have one remaining scholarship spot (thanks to several kind donors) available for a low income participant who couldn’t otherwise afford the class.  Email me for more info at [email protected].

Week 1  – How to evaluate what you have.  We’re going to concentrate on figuring out what the major concerns are for your place and your community.  We’ll talk about your region and its climate, culture and resources, your house itself, your community and neighborhood – the challenges you forsee and maybe ones you haven’t thought about yet, and your personal circumstances – how much money, time and energy you have to deal with it.  How does the definition of home change when we do this?  We’ll also talk about when adapting in place is not an option, or when you should consider relocating, and what your options are if you do need to leave or move.

Week 2 -  This week  will focus on your house itself – we’ll talk primarily about low energy infrastructure for heating, cooling, cooking, lighting, washing, etc…  About costs and options and choices for both private homes, renters and for communities as a whole.  We will also cover some renewable energy choices, especially low cost options.

Week 3 – We’re going to go into the walls of your building and into other mysterious home infrastructure- water, plumbing and toileting, insulation, keeping warm and cool and all the other things that your shelter does or could do for you.   We’ll also talk a bit about what’s in your soil and on your property and how to make the best possible use of it (this won’t get heavy emphasis in this class since we teach a whole class, garden design, on just this subject).
Week 4  We’ll focus on Family Issues – Sharing resources with both immediate and extended family (both biological and chosen), dealing with people who aren’t on board, building collective infrastructure, cannibalizing what you have and making do, dealing with the brother-in-law on the couch, helping kids adapt.  Also issues raised by young children,  disability, aging, college.
Week 5  - We’ll talk about finances, money, employment, retirement and savings, making do, getting along on a shoestring, thrift, starting cottage industries and businesses and community economics.  This is also when we’ll talk about transportation of all sorts. We’ll also begin discussing building a set of plans – 1 year, 5 year – to adapt to different scenarios.

Week 6 – We’ll talk about Community at every level, about how to build it, what to bring to it, how to get your neighbors to help, even if they are weird. How to get along with them even if you are weird , about models and ideas for bringing resilience and community to every level from the neighborhood to the state.  We’ll also talk about security, dealing with unrest or violence, and try and get those plans finished.

Hope you can join us!

Sharon

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