Living Close to Home Series
Presented by Venetucci Farm
Interested in a more sustainable lifestyle? Join us for a full slate of classes, including Making Goat Cheese, Canning, Raising Honeybees and Raising Backyard Chickens. Stay tuned for new classes like our Native Plant Hike, which will be scheduled in June.
Spring 2013 LIVING CLOSE TO HOME class offerings for adults and families:
Guided Birding Hikes at Pinello Ranch
Spring Migration Series - May 25th (SOLD OUT, please email David Rudin for wait list)
This year we are expanding our offerings to better meet the demand. Migration in the spring is far more concentrated than fall migration, with shorebirds like American Avocets in late April, followed by song birds in early May. Find out more and register for a Guided Birding Hike today.
Please join Education Coordinator David Rudin at Pinello Ranch for a field outing identifying birds and looking for nesting activity. PLEASE NOTE: The hikes will go forward regardless of weather. Sorry, but no refunds will be available.
Native Plant Hike: A Walk on the Wild Side (Register)
Venetucci Farm and Pinello Ranch
Saturday June 1st - 8:30 a.m.-11:30a.m. Cost: $15.00
(Adults and Children Ages 6 and up, accompanied by an adult)
Venetucci Farm, 5210 S. Hwy 85, Colorado Springs, CO 80911
Join native plant enthusiast, Linda Overlin, for a walk in the wild areas of both Venetucci Farm and Pinello Ranch on Saturday, June 1. Explore the native riparian vegetation, snack on edible weeds and wildflowers, learn some of the ethnobotanical uses for the wild plants in our area, and understand the importance of this riparian corridor to the people and animals of the Pikes Peak region.
What to Bring: Wear good walking shoes for rough ground, water, day pack, snacks, sunscreen, camera, dress for the weather. Pre-Registration required: Class size limited to 20. Register early.
For Questions: Contact Linda Overlin. Register NOW.
Growing Edible Mushrooms (Register)
Saturday, July 13, 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.| Cost: $45.00|Limited to 20 participants. Adults and children 12 years old and up accompanied by an adult.
Do you love mushrooms? Have you always wanted to grow your own, but didn’t know where to start? This hands on workshop will cover straw based oyster mushroom cultivation in addition to log cultivation.
Participants will make their own mushroom “kits” by pasteurizing straw and inoculating it with prepared oyster mushroom spawn. The workshop will teach how to care for the growing mycelium and in three to four weeks you will harvest a crop of mushrooms. The workshop will also teach how to extend the life of your mushroom kit by using it to create an outdoor mushroom patch in your yard or garden.
Edible and medicinal mushroom log cultivation is also included in this workshop.
Participants will learn to inoculate logs with mushroom spawn and will be provided with basic instructions for growing mushrooms from these logs. Each participant will go home with an inoculated log with mushroom species of their choice (shiitake, oyster, reishi, or turkey tail).
Workshop co-produced by Mike Essam, President of the Pikes Peak Mycological Society (PPMS) and Brian Barzee, longtime member of PPMS, and local purveyor of medicinal mushroom products. For questions, please email Mike. Register NOW.
Canning for Beginners (Register)
Saturday August 24th
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 (12 participant maximum)
Cost: $30.00, covers instructor fee.
(Adults and Children Ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult)
Venetucci Farm, 5210 S. Hwy 85, Colorado Springs, CO 80911
You joined the CSA and every week they deliver a box of delicious produce at peak ripeness. Or maybe you visit the local farmers’ market every week and choose from the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. You know it’s local, sustainably grown food and more nutritious than anything you could buy at the grocery store. If only there was a way to eat this way all year round!
Our grandmothers knew the answer to this problem. Join Bonnie Simon from Chickens in the Kitchen to learn Water Bath Canning. Water Bath Canning safely preserves fruits, pickles and other high acid foods for year round use. We’ll discuss the two methods of canning, proper preparation of canning recipes, the role of sugar and salt, adjustments for high altitude, and making sure your cans have sealed.
We’ll prepare and can a simple recipe during the class, and everyone will take home a jar to store and eat at leisure! For Questions: Call Bonnie Simon, at 727-580-3415, or email. You can also check out her website.
Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for more info about the return of this wonderful series in down-home sustainability education. For questions or concerns, please email us or call the farm at 391-8102.
CANCELLATION POLICY
It is difficult to fill class slots during the week leading up to the class thus our policy is as follows:
Cancellation one week prior to start date – full refund of registration fees;
No refund for cancellations within one week of class start date.
(Pinello Ranch Guided Birding Hikes will not offer refunds).
For more information on classes or on the Living Close to Home series, please contact David Rudin, Education Coordinator.
