July News

Adult & Family Programs

All classes are by pre-registration and pre-pay only.  If you are attending a monthly group that has a free first-time trial, please still register in advance.  Thanks - knowing how many people are attending a program makes it much easier for us to prepare!  Please pre-register for all classes by contacting Christa: (740) 363-2548.  See Calendar of Events for additional class details.

Tonight!  July 1 - Green Families get-together from 6:30-8:00pm.  Bring a picnic for an evening of summer fun and games. $20/year. Your first time with the group is free. 

July 7-11 - Farm Camp (Eco focus) for 9-12 year olds.  This camp still has openings!  Campers will care for the farm animals and garden each day.  They will be immersed in learning about the Earth through the themes of awareness, energy flow, cycles, change and interdependence, all while playing games, making food, and experiencing the forest and farm with all their senses.  $185.  Monday through Wednesday 9am-4pm.  Thursday 9am (overnight) through Friday at 1:00pm.

July 12 - Goat Raising for Beginners - 10:00am-noon.  Are you considering a dairy goat for your homestead?  Join us for a hands-on workshop with our Toggenburg goats.  Laura Ann Bergman will share her experiences with goat husbandry, including hand-milking, feeding, parasite management, and hoof care.  Come ready for the barn and a fun morning of learning with Liberty, Nadia, and the other goats in our small herd.  $15/person or $25/family.

July 15 - Herbal Study Group - 1:30-3:30pm.  This month's focus will be on chamomile and feverfew.  This is a hands-on group and a great place to get more comfortable using herbs.  All skill levels welcome.  $10/year. Your first time with the group is free.

July 25 - Simplicity Circle - 7-9:00pm.  This month the group will view the film "Bright Tidings." The film is about a model of education at a residential school in southern Russia, spanning the typical kindergarten through secondary ages.  Students come from more than forty ethnic and national origins, living in full diversity. New approaches to moral and intellectual education allow students to cover the full school curriculum in the space of a few years, and to earn one or more university degrees by the time they are 15-17 years old.  Classes are run by the students themselves.  There is a complete immersion in the natural world.  The students have  designed, engineered and constructed their actual classrooms and living spaces--the entire campus is student built.  They cultivate, harvest, prepare and serve their own organic meals.  They design and sew their own concert and performance costumes--girls and boys alike.  Through mutual assistance and support, these children are building their bright futures together, bringing their life dreams to fruition.  We will view the hour-long film and then discuss it afterwards.  The group is $10/year.  Your first time with the group is free.  

July 26 - Spinning - 10am-2pm. With a simple hand spindle and a little bit of fiber you can easily make your own unique yarns.  This spinning class will introduce various equipment and methods used to process fibers for spinning.  Students will learn the basic techniques necessary for spinning any fiber starting with a hand spindle and moving on to a spinning wheel.  Woolen, worsted and plied yarns will be created.  Fiber and color blending techniques will be introduced.  Taught by Pat Bullen.  $25/person.  Please register ASAP so Pat knows how many materials to gather together for the class.

July 26 - Canning Circle - moved to August 2.

A look into August...

August 2 - Canning Circle - 2:00-6:00pm. We will pressure-can green beans together.  All participants will play a part in helping to preserve the harvest.  Pots will be boiling and the beans will be ready to clean.  You just need to bring yourself, a snack if you'd like one, and a willingness to roll up your sleeves and take part in the "process."  You'll leave with pints full of beans.  Gain the confidence to preserve from your garden or local farmer's market by canning with others.  $20/family paid in advance.  Limit 8 people.

August 5 - Green Families - 6:30-8:00pm. Come ready to creek hike!

August 6 - Canning Circle - 5:00-9:00pm.  We'll be hot water-bath canning tomatoes. $20/family.

August 7 - Working with Weeds - 6:00-8:00pm.  Learn how to work with weeds instead of giving up when your garden hits that mid-season overgrown look.  All is not lost!  Stratford's farmer Jeff Dickinson will teach ecological weed control strategies. $10.

August 11 - 15 - Farm Camp for 9-12 year olds.  This camp still has openings!  Campers will get their hands dirty as they take care of the animals, the gardens, and make their own food in this fun and engaging week at Stratford.  $185.  Monday through Wednesday 9am-4pm.  Thursday 9am (overnight) through Friday at 1:00pm.

Mark your calendars!

September 5-7 - Women of the Earth Retreat - more information coming soon!

September 20 - Stratford's annual fall Harvest Fair - 10:00am-5:00pm.

Volunteer News

For all volunteer interest and communications, contact Jane: (740) 363-2548.  For more on volunteering, visit our Volunteer home page.

Fall Farm and Nature Guides are needed!  Approximately 4,000 children visit Stratford each year and the numbers are growing.  With the increasing numbers of children and adults looking for guided field trips, we need more dedicated Farm & Nature Guides!   Farm & Nature Guides lead small groups of children on adventures around the farm and nature preserve.  You do not need to have experience.  Christa Hein, Stratford’s Education Director, will take you through the steps of becoming a Stratford Farm and Nature Guide in this two-part training:

Part 1 – Wednesday, September 3rd (9am-1pm)

Part 2 – Wednesday, September 10^th (9am-1pm)

If these dates do not work for you and you are still interested in becoming a Stratford Guide, please contact us because we may be able to schedule an extra training date.

The Farmer needs a hand during this growing and harvesting season. Being a Farmer’s Helper may include preparing and maintaining the fields, haying, animal chores, carpentry, fence building, and other farm maintenance and upkeep. 

If you enjoy gardening, we are doing lots of planting, weeding and harvesting in the greenhouse, children’s garden and landscape beds.   This is a good way to learn all about organic gardening.  Come help us seed flats, transplant, water, weed, and harvest produce.

We are also in need of Saturday volunteers to maintain our Saturday visitation hours.  Volunteer Receptionists answer the phone, take messages, greet and direct visitors to activities, trails, u-pick areas and they sell farm products. 

We are already looking towards our fall Harvest Fair on September 20th.  If you know you would like to volunteer that day for our biggest event of the year, drop Jane an email and she will add you to her list.

Farm News

Produce currently available: cabbage, cauliflower (only another week or so), zucchini, yellow squash, patty pan squash, cucumbers, kale, collards, beet greens, and edible flowers (borage, lemon gem and tangerine gem marigolds, and nasturtium).  Edible weeds are free!

We are sold out of maple syrup for the year.  We are currently out of local honey, but will be getting more within a week or two.  We are running pretty constant on our egg supply, but it is always a good idea to call ahead if you are coming out just for eggs, as some days see more drop-in visitors than others.

Various cuts of freezer meat available.

Other News

Jeff, Christa, Chris, Jane, April & Mary

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