The Chatelaine's Keys

Sharon April 29th, 2009

Two fairly cool things (I hope).

 1. This Saturday, if you live near Beverly, MA and want to learn more about urban poultry keeping, my Mom and Step-Mom are holding an open house to encourage more people in the area to get chickens (I gather there are only six permits in the town of Beverly).  You can tour the coop, meet the girls, check out the new babies (six peeps, two of which are staying and four of which are moving in with my sister who already has three others), eat a chicken shaped cookie and vote for the best names for the peeps.  If things work out right, one of my sons will be dressed as a giant chicken as well (What?  You don’t have a chicken costume?).   Learn more about why you personally need chickens.  Or more chickens.  Because you know you do.

The address is 10 Harrison Ave, Beverly, MA 01915.  Questions?  Email [email protected].  More details here.

2. I’ve been getting a ton of requests lately to run the food storage and preservation class again, and after sitting down over our spring/summer schedule, I’ve figured out I can, if in a slightly different format.  I’m glad to be able to do so, with a heavy emphasis on preservation techniques, because this means that people who take it should be ready for the summer preserving season.

The class will be run online over six weeks, with new material going up on Tuesdays from mid-May to the end of June.  You don’t need a fast connection - dial up is sufficient.   The first class is Tuesday, May 19 and it will run until Tuesday June 23.  This class does *not* have to be run in real time - that is, you can follow along any day or time you want, asking questions, but Tuesdays are the days that I’m wholly available to you, and new class material and assignments will go up. 

I’ll post a syllabus later this week.  I’m hoping the new schedule will make the class more relaxing for most people, who often feel compelled to absorb a ton of material in my classes in a very short time.  We’ll cover the major methods of food preservation and what works best for each food (or each household).  We’ll also go over both beginner and advanced food storage and management - how to build up a pantry, what foods to store and for how long, where to keep them, how to find money in the budget, as well as water, medicines, special diets and non-food storage items. 

I do have a few spaces for low-income participants who can’t afford the class.  Email me if you’d like a scholarship spot (I have a few of them reserved for people who didn’t fit into other classes before, so if I promised you one the next time I ran the class, remind me).  These spots are for people who really can’t afford to take the class - because that number rises rapidly, I ask that people ask only if they really need them.  Every once in a while someone is kind enough to donate a spot for someone else - if you’d like to do so, bless you and email me to make arrangements. 

Cost of the class is $150.  You reserve a space by sending an email to me at [email protected] (please don’t use my yahoo address, simply because I am easily confused - I try to keep all the class materials in one place ) - I’ll send you a confirmation email within a few days with all the details. 

Cheers,

 Sharon

• Classes , chickens
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