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Food Sharing Workshop

Food Sharing Workshop 2011

On May 21st 2011, Community Outreach hosted an interactive Food Sharing Workshop in Southeast Portland. Brentwood-Darlington Center transformed into five food-related workshops, engaging participants in herbal tea-making; harvesting seeds; planting in containers; meal planning and nurturing fruit trees. People chose a workshop that resonated with their interests and spent time together in small groups. Following their hands-on project, participants came back together in full group to enjoy a meal and shared learning through reflection. At the end of the day, folks took home plants they potted; tea cultures to brew; lunch bags made of recycled material, and loads of great information – all for free!

Participants shared what they learned:

Kombucha

  • Easy to learn how to make kombucha and helps to save money
  • You can share resources with others
  • Kombucha has health benefits: digestion, immune, energy, hair and skin

Seed Cycle

  • It is important to save seeds
  • We should consider where seeds come from and the varieties
  • Seed saving encourages biodiversity, generational stewardship and eliminates waste

Householding Talk

  • Learned to look at the food cycle for the whole year
  • Can start by looking at what you have and build up
  • Encourages household sustainability

Fruit Production

  • There are many varieties of one tree
  • Trees use energy from the ground for fruit
  • Fertilizer can balance the soil
  • Trees under stress release chemicals and scab fruits
  • Trees are humanistic

Container Gardening

  • How to choose the right plants
  • Succession planting
  • Containers are more mobile – can move them according to light, shade and space

Watch a video of the 2011 Food Sharing Workshop:

Hands-On Projects

Kombucha & Herbal Tea: Myste French gave step-by-step instructions for making kombucha and discussed the health benefits of drinking this tea. She demonstrated the skills and supplies needed to do this at home and provided each participant with a culture to get them started brewing at home.

Householding Talk: Harriet Fasenfest from Portland Preserve taught participants how to calculate and plan their food stores. Through intimate, informal dialogue participants learned how to match their time and skills to their food needs.

Seed Cycle: Kayla Preece from the Seed Ambassadors Project taught participants about the seed cycle, from growing plant starts from seed to how to save seeds for the next season. The project also included a demonstration on winnowing, a process that separates seeds from other unnecessary materials.

Fruit Production: Dan Franek, a Botanic Specialist for the City of Portland led a tour of the Green Thumb Orchard and Learning Gardens. Participants learned how to grow and care for fruits, their various uses and the tools needed to effectively grow, prune and harvest fruits.

Container Gardening: Karen Wolfgang and Isabel LaCourse from Independence Gardens shared ways to maximize food production in small spaces. Participants were given a chance to pot and take home their own plants. The workshop ended with a tour of the Learning Gardens in SE Portland.

Donations were generously provided by Dennis7Dees and the Mirador Community Store.

Explore resource handouts that were provided at the workshop:



Food Sharing Workshop 2009

On May 9th 2009, people selected one service or skill-building project that resonated with their interests. The day included three hours spent in a hands-on project and reconvening to share lunch and reflections. Each project group reported back on insights gained, skills learned, and their most inspiring moments from the day.

Watch a video of the workshop:

Hands-On Projects

Canning Demonstration and Householding Talk: Harriet Fasenfest from Portland Preserve taught participants the basics of food preservation including canning, freezing, drying, and root cellaring. She demonstrated how to can asparagus. The group discussed how to prioritize and make decisions around being your own producer and processor of food.

Fun Farm Work and Egg Co-op Presentation: Prairie Hale with Zenger Farm led the group on a tour of the farm grounds teaching about the history of the land, native bee keeping, and crop rotation. They met with members of a chicken cooperative and were introduced to the joys and challenges of urban chicken keeping.

Cooking with Local Ingredients Class: Lisa Bersani with Ecumenical Ministries Food and Farm Partnership led the group in making frittatas, hollandaise sauce, roasted asparagus, garlic, potatoes, caramelized hazelnuts, homemade salad dressing, potato and leek soup, and polenta pizza. They discussed the financial, health, and environmental benefits of using locally available ingredients for cooking.

Garden Work Party and History of a Community Garden: Jason Skipton with Janus Youth Village Garden Programs and the Seeds of Harmony gardeners invited the group to observe their committee meeting where they creatively brainstorm ideas and solutions for the garden. They spent the day in the garden learning gardening tips, sowing lettuce seeds, and rotating compost.

Walking Tour to Identify Urban Edibles and Tincture Making: Carly Boyer with Urban Edibles led the group on a 2 hour walk through the Sabin neighborhood. They learned to identify herbal and medicinal plants. The tour ended with a lesson in tincture making.

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