CELESTE GUSTAFSON: MAKING MEDICINALS WITH HERBS

celeste_handouts1

celeste_handout2

EMMA FRANKLIN: EASY BRASSICAS & COOL WEATHER GREENS

emma-planting-timeline

Saturday, March 2: The Big Day

Saturday’s the big day of the 2013 festival!   Classes, films, tastings, seeds swap, interest roundtables, more films….

All events take place at UA Global Campus on the Fayetteville Square. Map here.  When you arrive, CHECK IN at registration booth in street-level lobby. You will get a detailed program at check in. Admission is by donation.  At the door, it’s cash or checks, so if you want to get a supporters pass on credit card, tonight’s your chance.

Bring a notebook, pen and your own coffee mug and you’ll be outfitted for the day!

Don’t miss Brad Lancaster’s afternoon keynote.  After today’s three-hour presentation to more-advanced growers, Brad asked how many would attend his home-scale presentation on Saturday. Nearly every hand in the room went up. Afterwards I overheard a lady getting a glass of water say to her friend, “After that, you just don’t look at a glass of water the same…” Brad teaches great ideas you can start on…next weekend!

8-9 Registration & Coffee. Info & Vendor Fair Opens.

1130-130p Lunch Break/ Vendor Fair/ Interest Group Roundtables/ FREE Community Seed Swap by Fayetteville Community Garden Coalition. 

11:30-12:30 Sponsored Tasting: Lean Green Gourmet. Visit their table in the Information & Vendor Fair

12:30-1:30 Sponsored Tasting: Greenhouse Grille Visit their table in the Information & Vendor Fair

12:00-1:00 Interest Roundtables: Community conversations, totally casual. Meet up with other folks who share your interests and share information.
•Lexicon of Food: What do the terms organic, local, locavore really mean? Farmer James Maginot of Beyond Organics Farm will moderate this discussion on the terminology of the food movement.
•Urban Gardening: Peter Nierengarten, Director of Sustainability and Strategic Planning for the City of
Fayetteville will moderate this conversation on the particular challenges and opportunities of growing within cities.
•Find Your Food: Local Markets, CSAs & More. Farmers Mariah and Ira of Summer Kitchen Farm will moderate this conversation on exploring options to eat more locally.

130-330p PUBLIC KEYNOTE PRESENATION: BRAD LANCASTER

Water-Harvesting Presentation: Turning Drains Into Sponges and Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance
This inspiring  presentation shares eight universal principles of water harvesting along with simple strategies that turn water scarcity into water abundance. They empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscape plans at home and throughout your community. Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls. You’ll see examples enhancing local food security, passively cooling cities in summer, reducing costs of living and energy consumption, controlling erosion, averting flooding, reviving dead waterways, minimizing water pollution, building community, creating celebration, and more.

3:30-4:00 Sponsored Tasting: Ozark Natural Foods Tasting table in the Information & Vendor Fair area (4th Floor).

Saturday Evening—FESTIVAL FILMS: Make A Difference Night Films start at 6:30 King Corn (90 min) , 8:10 Big River (27 min) 8:40 Homegrown Revolution (14 min) (Included in all Festival Passes, or $5 per film suggested donation)

We hope to see all you garden, food and farm enthusiasts (as well as your friends, neighbors and family) in just a couple of days at Dig In! 2013. Please consider forwarding this email to your friends and networks in case they haven’t heard about all the events available this weekend. With classes, talks, tastings, info-fair, vendors, films, all celebrating local gardens, food and farms, there is something of interest for everyone.  The teachers, speakers, volunteers and supporters are all working hard to make this a green and growing (and tasty!) event you won’t want to miss.

Dig In! is offered on a donation basis so that everyone who wishes can attend. The festival is funded entirely by donations and sponsors, so if you are able, we invite you to pre-purchase supporters passes that both help fund the event and also make festival day registration a breeze: http://diginfestival.com/supporters/

Handy links below. You’ll also find all these links under the “2013 Festival” tab at the www.diginfestival.com website.

Festival Overview Schedule is here: http://diginfestival.com/schedule/  Check it out to see what sounds most interesting to you. When you check in at the festival, you will receive a festival program booklet with this information, plus details and room numbers, and much more. Classes, films, interest groups and more!

Getting There:  Parking, Map to Global Campus, Etc: http://diginfestival.com/map_parking/ Please arrive early to locate parking for the day.  There are parking/deck maps at that link too.

Free After-School Film for kids and parents on Thursday: http://diginfestival.com/schedule/

Keynote Speaker: Make plans to see Brad Lancaster’s presentations! Come the dry summertime, you will want this information on creating landscapes that harvest their own water.  There is a Friday afternoon talk geared for farmer/market-sized growing and a Saturday afternoon talk geared for home-sized applications. http://diginfestival.com/schedule/ More about Brad here.

Reception Friday evening: Join the teachers, volunteers and producers to sample the delicious treats of sponsors BHK Kafe and Arsaga’s at The Depot. Tickets are $15 each at the registration desk (street-level lobby of UA Global Campus). Reception is included in Foodie, Locavore, Friend of the Farm supporters passes! Premiere films start after the reception.

Films! There are so many to choose from. Don’t miss the premiere films shown Friday evening. Schedule here: http://diginfestival.com/schedule/  Film descriptions here: http://diginfestival.com/feature-film-schedule-at-dig-in-2013/

See you there!

The Dig In! Crew

Here’s an overview of the 2013 festival!   We hope you will consider buying a supporter pass if you are able, but remember the conference is offered by donation also so that it is available to everyone. Suggested donation is $5 per class, film, talk. It’s going to be a great time. 

(You may need to “refresh” your page to see changes if you have visited before.) 

All events take place at UA Global Campus on the Fayetteville Square. Map here.   When you arrive, check in at registration booth in street-level lobby. You will get a detailed program at check in.

Thursday, February 28

• After School Special—4:00-5:30 p.m. What’s on Your Plate - a fun-filled movie about where food comes
  from. The film follows two eleven-year-old city kids as they talk to food activists, farmers, new friends,
  storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates. This
  movie is free and open to the public – everyone welcome. This is a great film for kids, but adults will love it
  too. Donations gratefully accepted. A co-production with Apple Seeds, Inc.

• Evening—Films: Festival Starters 7 p.m. Truck Farm and 7:55 Fresh This showing of Fresh sponsored by the Fayetteville Chapter of The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Friday, March 1: Farmer Friday

One morning track designed for farmers and aspiring farmers. A second morning track for gardeners with some experience. Followed by a special keynote presentation of interest to both groups and and to water conservationists too.  Farmer Friday is offered by donation, with $20 suggested for the full day, but we want Farmer Friday available to all growers who are interested, so please come as you are!

• 9:00-9:30 Registration and Welcome: Street level Lobby

• Farmers Morning Session 1: 9:30 to 10:45—”How to Sell More” Lori Boatwright, Public and Media Coordinator, Fayetteville Farmers Market, and Nicki McNelly, Manager, Bentonville Farmers Market

• Farmers Morning Session 2: 11:00-12:00—”Small Farm Financing” Charlie Stockton, FORGE, Financing Ozark Rural Growth and Economy (forgeonline.com)

• Gardeners Morning Session 1: 9:30 to 10:45—“The Generous Garden: Designing Landscapes That Give As They Grow” with Leigh Wilkerson & “Backyard Fruit” with Guy Ames. 

• Gardeners ( & Growers welcome too)  Session 2: 11:00-12:00 — “Fundamentals of no-till gardening: start and run a garden or farm with no machine, high yields and great peace” with Patrice Gros. 

• 12 noon: Lunch and Conversation: Lunch provided by Ozark Natural Foods for full-day participants.

• Afternoon Keynote Session & Conversation: 1:00-4:00—“Planting the Rain: Principles, Practices, and Tips for Water-Harvesting Earthworks & more” Brad Lancaster, author  of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond.  (www.harvestingrainwater.com)  Food is virtual water – originating from the source of irrigation. Local, sustainable food is all the rage, but we can take it further by growing that food with local, sustainable water. This talk covers the growing of food using rainwater  for irrigation. Case studies include rain-fed greenhouses, dryfarming, backyard market gardens , and climate-appropriate plantings.

Friday Evening, March 1: Opening Night & Film Premieres!!

• Opening Reception sponsored by BHK Kafe and Arsaga’s at The Depot— 5: 30 p.m. Come and kick off the main festival with all of our friends, supporters, volunteers, teachers, and sponsors.  (This ticketed event is included in Foodie, Locavore, and Friend of the Farm Passes, or $15 per ticket)

• Farmer Friday:  FILM PREMIERE NIGHT starts at  7 p.m. Join us for the Arkansas premieres of Eating Alabama at 7 p.m.  and To Make a Farm* at 8:15. Two delightful new films, not to be missed, were the favorites of your Dig In! coordinators and are the highlight of our film series.  Included in supporters passes; suggested donation $5/film.

Saturday, March 2: The Big Day!

 Classes & Films Included in all Festival Passes or $5 suggested donation per session; seed swap and information/vendor fair are free. 

8-9 Registration & Coffee. Info & Vendor Fair Opens. Info/Vendor fair.

CLASS SCHEDULE:
9-10am Concurrent Class Session 1

1030-1130am Concurrent Class Session 2

1130-130p Lunch Break/ Vendor Fair/ Interest Group Roundtables/ FREE Community Seed Swap by Fayetteville Community Garden Coalition. 

11:30-12:30 Sponsored Tasting: Lean Green Gourmet. Visit their table in the Information & Vendor Fair
12:30-1:30 Sponsored Tasting: Greenhouse Grille Visit their table in the Information & Vendor Fair
12:00-1:00 Interest Roundtables: Community conversations, totally casual. Meet up with other folks who share your interests and share information.
•Lexicon of Food: What do the terms organic, local, locavore really mean? Farmer James Maginot of Beyond Organics Farm will moderate this discussion on the terminology of the food movement.
•Urban Gardening: Peter Nierengarten, Director of Sustainability and Strategic Planning for the City of
Fayetteville will moderate this conversation on the particular challenges and opportunities of growing within cities.
•Find Your Food: Local Markets, CSAs & More. Farmers Mariah and Ira of Summer Kitchen Farm will moderate this conversation on exploring options to eat more locally.

130-330p PUBLIC KEYNOTE PRESENATION: BRAD LANCASTER

Water-Harvesting Presentation: Turning Drains Into Sponges and Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance
This inspiring  presentation shares eight universal principles of water harvesting along with simple strategies that turn water scarcity into water abundance. They empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscape plans at home and throughout your community. Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls. You’ll see examples enhancing local food security, passively cooling cities in summer, reducing costs of living and energy consumption, controlling erosion, averting flooding, reviving dead waterways, minimizing water pollution, building community, creating celebration, and more.

3:30-4:00 Sponsored Tasting: Ozark Natural Foods Tasting table in the Information & Vendor Fair area (4th Floor).

400-500pm Concurrent Class Session 3

Saturday Evening—FESTIVAL FILMS: Make A Difference Night Films start at 6:30 King Corn (90 min) , 8:10 Big River (27 min) 8:40 Homegrown Revolution (14 min) (Included in all Festival Passes, or $5 per film suggested donation)

• UA Global Campus, 2 E Center St, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701
• map link: http://goo.gl/maps/4LYmf

• Parking Info: (printable pdf map at bottom of page at this link) Downtown Parking Info   Map of lots and meters here: http://bit.ly/15QkC0w

• Festival Schedule: http://diginfestival.com/festival-2013-overview/

• Film Schedule: http://diginfestival.com/feature-film-schedule-at-dig-in-2013/

• Cost:  The festival is offered  by donation. It is a not-for-profit event and your contributions and those of our sponsors make the festival happen. If you can, please consider a supporters pass.   You can also get a pass at the festival and/or donate what you can. Mainly: we want everyone to be able to attend—so come as you are! Check in at registration to get info and program.

• Registration: When you register at the festival you will get your festival armband and an informative program with everything you need to know about finding the classes, films and other events.

• If there’s any other info you need, please use the “contact us” tab above and drop us a line. Can’t wait to see you there!

Here’s an overview of the 2013 festival!   We hope you will consider buying a supporter pass if you are able, but remember the conference is offered by donation also so that it is available to everyone. Suggested donation is $5 per class, film, talk. It’s going to be a great time. 

(You may need to “refresh” your page to see changes if you have visited before.) 

All events take place at UA Global Campus on the Fayetteville Square. Map here.   When you arrive, check in at registration booth in street-level lobby. You will get a detailed program at check in.

Thursday, February 28

• After School Special—4:00-5:30 p.m. What’s on Your Plate - a fun-filled movie about where food comes
  from. The film follows two eleven-year-old city kids as they talk to food activists, farmers, new friends,
  storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates. This
  movie is free and open to the public – everyone welcome. This is a great film for kids, but adults will love it
  too. Donations gratefully accepted. A co-production with Apple Seeds, Inc.

• Evening—Films: Festival Starters 7 p.m. Truck Farm and 7:55 Fresh This showing of Fresh sponsored by the Fayetteville Chapter of The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Friday, March 1: Farmer Friday

One morning track designed for farmers and aspiring farmers. A second morning track for gardeners with some experience. Followed by a special keynote presentation of interest to both groups and and to water conservationists too.  Farmer Friday is offered by donation, with $20 suggested for the full day, but we want Farmer Friday available to all growers who are interested, so please come as you are!

• 9:00-9:30 Registration and Welcome: Street level Lobby

• Farmers Morning Session 1: 9:30 to 10:45—”How to Sell More” Lori Boatwright, Public and Media Coordinator, Fayetteville Farmers Market, and Nicki McNelly, Manager, Bentonville Farmers Market

• Farmers Morning Session 2: 11:00-12:00—”Small Farm Financing” Charlie Stockton, FORGE, Financing Ozark Rural Growth and Economy (forgeonline.com)

• Gardeners Morning Session 1: 9:30 to 10:45—“The Generous Garden: Designing Landscapes That Give As They Grow” with Leigh Wilkerson & “Backyard Fruit” with Guy Ames. 

• Gardeners ( & Growers welcome too)  Session 2: 11:00-12:00 — “Fundamentals of no-till gardening: start and run a garden or farm with no machine, high yields and great peace” with Patrice Gros. 

• 12 noon: Lunch and Conversation: Lunch provided by Ozark Natural Foods for full-day participants.

• Afternoon Keynote Session & Conversation: 1:00-4:00—“Planting the Rain: Principles, Practices, and Tips for Water-Harvesting Earthworks & more” Brad Lancaster, author  of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond.  (www.harvestingrainwater.com)  Food is virtual water – originating from the source of irrigation. Local, sustainable food is all the rage, but we can take it further by growing that food with local, sustainable water. This talk covers the growing of food using rainwater  for irrigation. Case studies include rain-fed greenhouses, dryfarming, backyard market gardens , and climate-appropriate plantings.

Friday Evening, March 1: Opening Night & Film Premieres!!

• Opening Reception sponsored by BHK Kafe and Arsaga’s at The Depot— 5: 30 p.m. Come and kick off the main festival with all of our friends, supporters, volunteers, teachers, and sponsors.  (This ticketed event is included in Foodie, Locavore, and Friend of the Farm Passes, or $15 per ticket)

• Farmer Friday:  FILM PREMIERE NIGHT starts at  7 p.m. Join us for the Arkansas premieres of Eating Alabama at 7 p.m.  and To Make a Farm* at 8:15. Two delightful new films, not to be missed, were the favorites of your Dig In! coordinators and are the highlight of our film series.  Included in supporters passes; suggested donation $5/film.

Saturday, March 2: The Big Day!

 Classes & Films Included in all Festival Passes or $5 suggested donation per session; seed swap and information/vendor fair are free. 

8-9 Registration & Coffee. Info & Vendor Fair Opens. Info/Vendor fair.

CLASS SCHEDULE:
9-10am Concurrent Class Session 1

1030-1130am Concurrent Class Session 2

1130-130p Lunch Break/ Vendor Fair/ Interest Group Roundtables/ FREE Community Seed Swap by Fayetteville Community Garden Coalition. 

11:30-12:30 Sponsored Tasting: Lean Green Gourmet. Visit their table in the Information & Vendor Fair
12:30-1:30 Sponsored Tasting: Greenhouse Grille Visit their table in the Information & Vendor Fair
12:00-1:00 Interest Roundtables: Community conversations, totally casual. Meet up with other folks who share your interests and share information.
•Lexicon of Food: What do the terms organic, local, locavore really mean? Farmer James Maginot of Beyond Organics Farm will moderate this discussion on the terminology of the food movement.
•Urban Gardening: Peter Nierengarten, Director of Sustainability and Strategic Planning for the City of
Fayetteville will moderate this conversation on the particular challenges and opportunities of growing within cities.
•Find Your Food: Local Markets, CSAs & More. Farmers Mariah and Ira of Summer Kitchen Farm will moderate this conversation on exploring options to eat more locally.

130-330p PUBLIC KEYNOTE PRESENATION: BRAD LANCASTER

Water-Harvesting Presentation: Turning Drains Into Sponges and Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance
This inspiring  presentation shares eight universal principles of water harvesting along with simple strategies that turn water scarcity into water abundance. They empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscape plans at home and throughout your community. Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls. You’ll see examples enhancing local food security, passively cooling cities in summer, reducing costs of living and energy consumption, controlling erosion, averting flooding, reviving dead waterways, minimizing water pollution, building community, creating celebration, and more.

3:30-4:00 Sponsored Tasting: Ozark Natural Foods Tasting table in the Information & Vendor Fair area (4th Floor).

400-500pm Concurrent Class Session 3

Saturday Evening—FESTIVAL FILMS: Make A Difference Night Films start at 6:30 King Corn (90 min) , 8:10 Big River (27 min) 8:40 Homegrown Revolution (14 min) (Included in all Festival Passes, or $5 per film suggested donation)

Thursday, February 28: Festival Starters

 4:00-5:15 p.m. What’s on Your Plate - a fun-filled movie about where food comes from. The film follows two eleven-year-old city kids as they talk to food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates. This movie is free, donations accepted and open to the public – families welcome!

 7:00 p.m.  Truck Farm  (48 minutes) - A simple concept with a big impact, Truck Farm is a mini-farm planted in the back of a 1986 Dodge pickup truck. Traveling and edible, the truck is a rural experience brought to urban New York City. With fresh produce delivered periodically around the neighborhood, Truck Farm teaches an imperative lesson about the importance and accessibility of urban agriculture.

7:55 Fresh (72 minutes) – This classic is a must-see to understand WHY local and organic food matter so much. Fresh presents the problems we face, but also celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

Friday,  March 1: Farmer Friday:  FESTIVAL PREMIERE NIGHT

7:00 pm Eating Alabama (63 minutes)  - In search of a simpler life, a young couple returns home to Alabama where they set out to eat the way their grandparents did – locally and seasonally. But as they navigate the agro-industrial gastronomical complex, they soon realize that nearly everything about the food system has changed since farmers once populated their family histories. A thoughtful and often funny essay on community, the South and sustainability, “Eating Alabama” is a story about why food matters. This award-winner is a true highlight of Dig In! 2013.

8:15  To Make a Farm (74 min)* – This one won the hearts of of all who previewed it. Named one of the ten most popular Canadian films at the Vancouver International Film Festival, To Make A Farm asks: what might the future of local food and farming look like? This beautifully photographed documentary explores of the lives of five young people who have decided to become small-scale farmers. VIFF calls To Make A Farm “exceptionally hopeful, giving us a close-range view of humanity along with a detailed portrayal of the nuts and bolts of agriculture.” Don’t miss this one!!

Saturday, March 2: Make a Difference Night

6:30 pm King Corn (90 min) – Another classic.  King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In the film, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat—and how we farm.

8:10 Big River (27 min) – Following up on their Peabody Award-winning documentary KING CORN, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis have returned to Iowa with a new mission: to investigate the environmental impact their acre of corn has had on the people and places downstream. In a journey that spans from the heartland to the Gulf of Mexico, Ian and Curt trade their combine for a canoe, and set out to see the big world their little acre of corn has touched. On their trip, flashbacks to the pesticides they sprayed, the fertilizers they injected, and the soil they plowed now lead to new questions, explored by new experts in new places. Half of Iowa’s topsoil, they learn, has been washed out to sea. Fertilizer runoff has spawned a hypoxic ‘dead zone’ in the Gulf. And back at their acre, the herbicides they used are blamed for a cancer cluster that reaches all too close to home. A lively investigation and a worthy follow-up, BIG RIVER grows to ask is industrial agriculture worth its hidden costs?

8:40 Homegrown Revolution(14 min) – We’ll close with a challenge: What is YOUR homegrown revolution? For this family, in the midst of densely urban downtown Pasadena, radical change is taking root. For over twenty years, they been transforming their home into an urban homestead.They harvest three tons of organic food annually from their 1/10 acre garden, while incorporating back-to-basics practices, solar energy and biodiesel. You don’t have to go this crazy…but you could if you wanted to!

So plan to join us for films, classes and more at Dig In! Feb 28-Mar 2, 2013 in Fayetteville. Most of all: please spread the word and tell your friends! Check out the festival schedule overview too. Join us on facebook at:  www.facebook.com/Dig.In.NWA

(*licensing in process.)

Your Dig In! coordinators are busily lining up teachers, sponsors and funding for this year’s festival. Save the dates Feb 28th – Mar 2nd, 2013 for the best time yet. Please consider becoming a Dig In! supporter by purchasing advance passes. It really helps!

Schedule Outline Posted on Website

We are still getting all the many pieces of Dig In! in order…but you can see the schedule outline here:  http://diginfestival.com/schedule/

Brad Lancaster will be our keynote speaker!

Brad Lancaster is the author of the best-selling, award-winning books Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volumes 1 and 2, and creator of the information-packed website www.harvestingrainwater.com. Living on an eighth of an acre in downtown Tucson, Arizona, where rainfall is less than 12 inches annually, Brad practices what he preaches by harvesting over 100,000 gallons of rainwater a year.

 

Brad and his brother Rodd have created an oasis in the desert by directing this harvested rainwater not off their property and into storm drains, but instead incorporating it into living air conditioners of food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape that includes habitat for wildlife. This living example, dynamic public talks, and countless hands-on workshops have inspired thousands of citizens and numerous businesses in Tucson and around the country to harvest water and sustainably grow their local resources.

 

Brad’s engaging style and entertaining and informative speaking and teaching are in demand, resulting in interviews with National Public Radio, New Dimensions, and Natural Home and Garden, along with presentations and workshops for the Bioneers Convergence, the Green Festival, the Texas Natural Building Colloquium, the New Mexico Xeriscape Conference, organic farming conferences, the U.S. State Department in the Middle East, and more.

 

Brad Lancaster is a permaculture teacher, designer, consultant and co-founder of Desert Harvesters (www.DesertHarvesters.org). Brad has taught programs for the ECOSA Institute, Columbia University, University of Arizona, Prescott College, Audubon Expeditions, and many others. He has helped design integrated water harvesting and permaculture systems for homeowners and gardeners, including the Tucson Audubon Simpson Farm restoration site, and the award-winning Milagro and Stone Curves co-housing projects. His website is: www.harvestingrainwater.com (bio from www.regenerativedesign.org / photo via www.designbuildlive.org)

With the ongoing shortage of rainfall in the Ozarks, Brad’s drylands experience will be put to good use to help us turn our landscapes into lush and productive gardens, greenways and more.

The 2013 conference will add other new features:

• Additional programming for local school kids on local food and farming
• an advanced class with Brad for farmers, producers, and advanced gardeners as well as a presentation for the conference at large
• topic-roundtables for interest groups…time to network and exchange info with others who share your interests
• both a seed-sampling for gardeners as well as a seed-savers swap
• plus the things you loved about the last festival: films, classes, food-tastings, vendors and more

But mostly, please plan on joining us for all the fun!

The Dig In! Crew:  Leigh, Charity and Cheri

Brad Lancaster is the author of the best-selling, award-winning books Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volumes 1 and 2, and creator of the information-packed website www.harvestingrainwater.com. Living on an eighth of an acre in downtown Tucson, Arizona, where rainfall is less than 12 inches annually, Brad practices what he preaches by harvesting over 100,000 gallons of rainwater a year.

 

Brad and his brother Rodd have created an oasis in the desert by directing this harvested rainwater not off their property and into storm drains, but instead incorporating it into living air conditioners of food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape that includes habitat for wildlife. This living example, dynamic public talks, and countless hands-on workshops have inspired thousands of citizens and numerous businesses in Tucson and around the country to harvest water and sustainably grow their local resources.

 

Brad’s engaging style and entertaining and informative speaking and teaching are in demand, resulting in interviews with National Public Radio, New Dimensions, and Natural Home and Garden, along with presentations and workshops for the Bioneers Convergence, the Green Festival, the Texas Natural Building Colloquium, the New Mexico Xeriscape Conference, organic farming conferences, the U.S. State Department in the Middle East, and more.

 

Brad Lancaster is a permaculture teacher, designer, consultant and co-founder of Desert Harvesters (www.DesertHarvesters.org). Brad has taught programs for the ECOSA Institute, Columbia University, University of Arizona, Prescott College, Audubon Expeditions, and many others. He has helped design integrated water harvesting and permaculture systems for homeowners and gardeners, including the Tucson Audubon Simpson Farm restoration site, and the award-winning Milagro and Stone Curves co-housing projects. His website is: www.harvestingrainwater.com (bio from www.regenerativedesign.org / photo via www.designbuildlive.org)

With the ongoing shortage of rainfall in the Ozarks, Brad’s drylands experience will be put to good use to help us turn our landscapes into lush and productive gardens, greenways and more.

The 2013 conference will add other new features:

• Additional programming for local school kids on local food and farming
• an advanced class with Brad for farmers, producers, and advanced gardeners as well as a presentation for the conference at large
• topic-roundtables for interest groups…time to network and exchange info with others who share your interests
• both a seed-sampling for gardeners as well as a seed-savers swap
• plus the things you loved about the last festival: films, classes, food-tastings, vendors and more

We are so pleased to share this announcement as all three of your Dig In! Coordinators will be a part of this new market! Cheri LaRue is creator and market-manager. Check it out:

There is a new and unique farmer’s market getting set to start in Fayetteville. Green Fork Farmers Market will open every Wednesday from 4-7pm in the breezeway of Nightbird Books on Dickson Street starting May 9th. You can drop by and select from naturally-grown, handmade and local items. Some of the products that will be available this year include beef, chicken, pork, eggs, honey, microgreens, vegetables, herbs, herbal products, plants, and baked goods.

What makes Green Fork Farmers Market a first in the Fayetteville area is you can also select and reserve your order online for pickup at the market. The other first is the focus on all naturally-grown products.

The online system adds convenience for you if you need to know ahead what’s available and  just drop by to pick up your order on the way home from a long day. On the other hand, you can also drop by to chat with your foodie friends and favorite farmers a bit, see what the growers have available on their tables, stop by Nightbird Books for a good read, and get a cup of coffee, glass of wine, beer, and delectable food from BHKKafe.

The website (link below) tells more about this special market and how it works. Please visit and click the “Sign In” tab at the upper right to register as a customer. That way you’ll get the Saturday evening email that lets you know what is available that week and that online ordering is open. You have till Monday midnight to get your pre-order reserved.

Green Fork Farmers Market will have a special sneak-peek market on Thursday, May 3rd at the Walton Art’s Center kickoff of Artosphere before Michael Pollan’s talk that night. (Parking at the WAC parking lot will be free that evening with a donation of nuts or peanut butter.) Visit anytime from 4-7 in front of the Walton Art’s Center. Music from 3 Penny Acre too!

 Sign up — before Saturday at 3 p.m. to get the sneak-peak market email — but sign up soon to be a part of Green Fork Farmers Market:

http://greenforkfarmersmarket.locallygrown.net/welcome

It’s free to sign up and no obligation to purchase. Can’t wait to see you there!