Session

Descriptions

Saturday, May 24th

Sunday, May 25th

Saturday
Block 3 | 2:30 - 3:30 pm

Organic Healing Salves

Fern Joseph
Pinebrook Farms · PinebrookFarmsLLC.com

Join us for a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn how to craft your own organic healing ointments and salves. We’ll begin with an overview of the process, followed by a Q&A session to address any questions. Afterward, we’ll work together to create our products, ensuring you leave with a personal, homemade remedy. I’ll provide all necessary equipment and jars, so you can focus on the fun of making your own healing solutions.

  • Fern Joseph is a certified organic farmer with four years of experience growing a variety of vegetables, herbs, and hemp. Passionate about sustainable farming, Fern supports her community through CSA programs and vegetable giveaways. She believes in food sovereignty, advocating for access to clean, non-GMO food. Inspired by the Elders in her community, Fern also creates value-added organic products, including hemp healing ointments for pain, CBD oils for sleep, hot sauces made with her own herbs, and handmade soaps, including lavender, lemongrass, and hemp varieties.

Raising Hogs: From Homestead to Farm Scale

Tim Vaughan
Lillian Lee Farm · LillianLeeFarm.com

Tim will share practical tips and insights on how to raise healthy, happy hogs with minimal investment, emphasizing the ease and potential of small-scale hog farming. Learn how to get started raising hogs for personal consumption and then how to scale up to full a fledged farm enterprise. Considerations include: grower selection, infrastructure needs, and managing field operations. This talk will focus on how to plan for and raise hogs effectively and efficiently.

  • Tim Vaughan is a small-scale hog farmer focused on sustainable, regenerative practices. His upbringing on a homestead instilled a strong sense of independence, and an appreciation for raising his own food, which led to establishing Lillian Lee Farm in 2018. Along with his wife, Becky, they raise and produce 2,500 pounds of pork annually. Their unique approach centers around rotational grazing and silvopasture to rebuild soils, clear understory, and create a thriving ecosystem, all while minimizing infrastructure costs. Tim’s expertise spans from sourcing piglets to processing, though he currently uses a USDA facility for butchering. Tim is passionate about sharing his knowledge and empowering others to raise hogs successfully on a small scale.

Crop Planning

Amber Albee
Northside Director of Production, Shalom Farms · shalomfarms.org

This session will take you through the basics of creating a crop plan for any sized growing space. We'll walk through creating a propagation plan and a planting schedule, along with figuring out how many seeds you'll need and spacing requirements. You’ll also learn how to maximize your harvest and avoid common pitfalls, ensuring a productive and efficient growing season.

  • Amber Albee (she/her) has been growing vegetables and stewarding land for over 10 years, specializing in regenerative practices and no-till methods that enhance soil health and sustainability. Her dedication to sustainable farming has shaped her approach to food production, prioritizing the well-being of both the land and the community. She currently is the Northside Director of Production with Shalom Farms, a nonprofit farm and food justice organization in Richmond, VA.

Needle Felting

Emily Casey

Needle felting is a wonderful hobby for anybody who likes to keep their hands busy. Dry felting involves pushing a barbed needle into wool to create slowly evolving soft structures. Want to take a stab at it? Come by and make a little guy!

  • Emily is an early childhood special education teacher, toddler mom, and an amateur crafter.