The ins and outs of permaculture, pasture poultry, and sheep shearing can be mystifying for those not well versed in the life of a farmer.
The FEAST program aims to lift the veil on all things agriculture.
“We want to expose people to things that might change their lifestyle in small ways,” said Rusty Diggs, coordinator of this year’s workshops. “We hope these are classes that get people thinking about how they can get resources on the island.”
Now in its fourth year, FEAST, which stands for Farm Education and Sustainability for Teens, is offering classes just for adults.
“We didn’t have enough teens to support the summer program,” Diggs said. “So we opened it up to adults. This coming school year we hope to offer FEAST as part of the school curriculum.”
FEAST has been a favorite of island high schoolers, who can receive school credit for participating. Diggs says many past students have now graduated, so they are waiting for “a new batch” to come through.
Island farmers have been presenting classes on bee keeping, permaculture, and poultry since the end of June. Many of the specialists donate their time to the program.
Upcoming workshops include “Blacksmithing for Teens” on July 19 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.; “Blacksmithing for Adults” on July 20 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.; “Native and Medicinal Plant Walk” with Ryan Drum on Aug. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; “5th Season,” a class that will help preserve the summer’s abundance for the coming school year, on Aug. 8 and 9 from 8:30 a.m. to noon; and “Food Preservation” on Aug. 18 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
“We picked classes that have been the most successful in past years,” Diggs said. “There could have been twice as many, but we narrowed it down.”
Most recently a group of adults were treated to two days of homestead knowledge on the Coffelt Farm in Crow Valley. Participants learned about sheep, wool, and how the farm’s pasture-fed chickens are harvested.
“Once you eat a Coffelt Farm chicken, you will never go back to store-bought,” Diggs said. “Sometimes when you give something up, you are actually getting more.”
The last class of the summer will be on food preservation, led by Diggs.
“It can feel intimidating, but all of it is quite simple,” she said. “This is a bumper year for blackberries, so we’ll be making jam … we want to give knowledge of what’s here and what can be used. We have a pharmacy in our backyard.”
How to register
Call Krista at The Funhouse at 376-7177 or email krista@thefunhouse.org. For more info, visit www.funhouse.org or www.feastprogram.org.
