Session

Descriptions

Saturday, May 24th

Sunday, May 25th

Saturday
Block 2 | 10:30 - 11:30 am

Plant a Food Forest

Grace Littlejohn
Garden with Grace · @AGardenWithGrace

In this workshop, you’ll learn the fundamentals of creating your own food forest. We’ll discuss the prep work necessary to determine your soil’s needs, select the ideal location, and gather the tools required for successful planting. We’ll also dive into the concept of a fruit guild by exploring various companion plants that work synergistically with fruit trees and why they’re beneficial. We’ll cover the different layers of a food forest, share examples of plants for each layer, and explore methods to reduce irrigation. You’ll also learn how to design your food forest for extended harvests, creating a resilient, self-sustaining system that will provide year-round yields.

  • Grace Littlejohn is a home gardener from Fauquier county with a passion for all things sustainable, beautiful, and productive. She specializes in designing and planting food forest systems, wildlife habitat, and drought tolerant landscapes. She hopes to make low maintenance beauty and food accessible for all gardeners and homesteaders!

Old World Cheese Making

Cole & Rona Sullivan
BonnyClabber Cheese Co. | Sullivan’s Pond Farm · @sullivanspondfarm

Learn the art of crafting traditional, farmstead cheeses using age-old techniques, relying on natural fermentation with raw milk (no rennet needed) from small, well-cared-for herds. Discover the nuances of affinage, including aging, creating unique rinds, and exploring different seasonings and shapes for your cheeses. Discuss the ideal conditions and spaces needed for aging cheese, and gain insights into feeding animals off the land for the best milk quality. Plus, explore sustainable practices, including using natural materials for wrapping cheese—leaving plastic behind. Perfect for aspiring cheese makers and those interested in small-scale, sustainable farming.

  • Rona & Cole Sullivan are a mother-and-son duo with a rich history in farming, cheese-making, and music. From 2000 to 2020, they worked together on their farm, creating a lush food frest and producing artisanal cheeses using natural fermentation techniques (without rennet). Rona began researching farmstead cheese making in 2000 and was deeply involved in every step of the farm's operations, caring for the herd and experimenting with old-world cheese-making techniques. They started selling cheese locally in 2007, quickly gaining a loyal following. Both Cole and Rona are talented musicians and perform in the greater Richmond area. (Cole and Rona are both performing at Farmstead Fest!)

Homeschooling in Community

Alycia Wright
Cultural Roots Homeschool Cooperative | Inspired Learning RVA · culturalrootsco-op.com

The final home frontier - Homeschooling. In today’s fast-paced digital world, homeschooling offers families the opportunity to slow down, reconnect, and cultivate a lifestyle rooted in sustainability and lifelong learning. This workshop explores the intersection of homeschooling and sustainability, highlighting the benefits of a nature-based education that nurtures curiosity, resilience, and hands-on skills. From incorporating gardening into your curriculum to using the rhythms of nature as a guide for learning, we’ll discuss practical ways to create an enriching educational experience that strengthens family bonds and fosters self-sufficiency. Whether you're new to homeschooling or looking to deepen your family's connection to the land, this session will provide inspiration, resources, and actionable steps to integrate land stewardship into your homeschooling journey. This conversation will also touch on how to create community supports in homeschooling.

  • Alycia Wright, M.Ed is a former educator turned homeschool mom for the last eleven + years. She founded Cultural Roots Homeschool Cooperative, a nonprofit located in Richmond, Va. Alycia has spoken at numerous homeschool conferences across the nation on the topics of building community, cultural pedagogy, and anti-racism. She and her husband have four daughters, ages 20, 16, 15, and 11. Since Covid, Alycia and her family have been stewarding eight acres in Montpelier Va, with plans to create a forest school, herbal gardens, and a food forest.

Freeform Invasive Vine Basketry

Laney Sullivan
Fonticello Food Forest | Holy River · holyrivermusic.com

Learn to make freeform baskets from invasive vines harvested directly from Moonrise! We will go over the basics of basketry and make sure everyone starts a basket of their own to take home.

Invasive vine harvesting will be happening during the Morning Activities time, join a vine harvesting walk to pick your own vines!

  • Laney Sullivan is a musician and community organizer from Richmond, VA. She is the co-founder of the Fonticello Food Forest and Earth Folk Collective. Laney’s work centers on building community, from organizing grassroots concerts and festivals to managing the gardens and free food pantry at Fonticello Food Forest Community Garden. Through her efforts, she combines music and activism to foster connection and sustainability within her community.

Easy Build: Chicken Tractor (Part II)

Dwayne Jones
Redd Cabbage Farms | Redd Cabbage Cares · @the.joneses

Each part of this multi-session demonstration may be attended individually. This is a hands-on building workshop.

Constructing a chicken tractor doesn’t have to be a daunting task. We’re going to grab a few pieces of wood, a roll of hardware cloth, a few screws, and some basic power tools, and let the fun begin! You’ll also learn why chicken tractors are such a great tool for providing your chickens with fresh forage while keeping them safe and contained, all while improving your garden soil naturally.

  • Dwayne, a self-proclaimed handyman turned farmhand, is a Richmond native with a passion for gardening and farming. After spending about 15 years as a novice gardener, he decided to take things more seriously over the past five years, driven by the desire to create a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle in the face of today’s uncertainty. When he's not pulling weeds, petting pigs, or hunting for eggs, you’ll find him in his workshop searching for drill bits—though he's convinced the chickens are hiding those too!