The Go Local Card celebrates the interdependence of our businesses to each other, public education and to the youth in our community.

Our community values equitable educational opportunities for everyone and the Go Local Card is an annual fundraiser for Asheville’s city public schools.

Since inception, we have raised nearly $220,000 for our schools. This program connects 4,000 children and their families to a healthy local economy and locally owned businesses that support their school.

The upcoming Journeyperson course is now available AT NO COST! Due to some timely grant funding, we can offer this in-depth farmer training for farmers in years 3-7 with no associated tuition fee! The course consists of monthly cohort meet-ups and 2-3 in-depth workshops, plus mentorship!

In addition, a select number of participants will also receive matched FUNDS for your farm savings account (Savings Incentive Program) and money to spend on a professional development opportunity of your choosing! Want to attend a workshop on livestock management? OGS will contribute towards that fee! Are you saving money for a farm asset? OGS will contribute up to a certain amount to that investment.

The Journeyperson Program is for farmers who have been independently farming for three or more years and are serious about operating farm businesses in the Southern Appalachian region.

The Go Local Card celebrates the interdependence of our businesses to each other, public education and to the youth in our community.

Our community values equitable educational opportunities for everyone and the Go Local Card is an annual fundraiser for Asheville’s city public schools.

Since inception, we have raised nearly $220,000 for our schools. This program connects 4,000 children and their families to a healthy local economy and locally owned businesses that support their school.

This training is led by Community Food Strategies and is geared toward community leaders, educators, and folks working in the food system. We will look at how racial inequity is perpetuated by institutional and structural systems and is normalized to the extent of being nearly invisible. Simultaneously, our country’s agricultural system has an unacknowledged debt to Black, Indigenous and people of color. Together, we will build understanding around historical and current impacts of structural racism on our food and agricultural systems.

Instructors will share best practices and challenges around engaging racial equity personally, institutionally and culturally. You will leave this training with greater awareness of our shared history, of our interconnected liberation and healing, and a greater capacity to address all forms of marginalization and undo food system inequities to the benefit of all.

Lunch is provided. Space is limited to 35. Register and RSVP at dreamingstone.org/upcoming.

We will follow state regulations with COVID protocols and will keep participants informed before and after the event concerning any heightened risks, or protocol changes.

The Go Local Card celebrates the interdependence of our businesses to each other, public education and to the youth in our community.

Our community values equitable educational opportunities for everyone and the Go Local Card is an annual fundraiser for Asheville’s city public schools.

Since inception, we have raised nearly $220,000 for our schools. This program connects 4,000 children and their families to a healthy local economy and locally owned businesses that support their school.

The upcoming Journeyperson course is now available AT NO COST! Due to some timely grant funding, we can offer this in-depth farmer training for farmers in years 3-7 with no associated tuition fee! The course consists of monthly cohort meet-ups and 2-3 in-depth workshops, plus mentorship!

In addition, a select number of participants will also receive matched FUNDS for your farm savings account (Savings Incentive Program) and money to spend on a professional development opportunity of your choosing! Want to attend a workshop on livestock management? OGS will contribute towards that fee! Are you saving money for a farm asset? OGS will contribute up to a certain amount to that investment.

The Journeyperson Program is for farmers who have been independently farming for three or more years and are serious about operating farm businesses in the Southern Appalachian region.

Welcome to the wonderful world of willow! Willow basket weaving is a traditional craft historically practiced throughout much of the world. Archeological evidence shows Native American pack baskets dating back to 900 BC, while they also tout themselves as one of the most common crafts throughout all of Europe. Willow is incredibly strong, beautiful, and rich in ethnobotanical relationship to human history that can still be touched today.

In this three-day willow basket immersion, instructor Tyler Lavenburg will show you how to weave up a mighty-fine carry-all basket, using the “stake and strand” method. By the end of this class, you’ll walk away with your very own beautiful and functional messenger bag style baskets with shoulder straps or handles of your choosing. These baskets can be used for just about anything, from harvesting food to carrying your computer!

Class Schedule Overview:

-Day One: Settle in, prepare materials, make the base of your basket and add in the spokes.
-Day Two: Weave up the body of the basket and turn down the rim.
-Day Three: Choose between leather or cotton webbing to make and attach straps to your basket. Leave with a beautiful, one-of-a-kind basket ready for any adventure!
T
yler will teach a variety of basket weaves, explore propagation and harvesting of willow for basketry, and celebrate the rich history of weaving this amazing plant into our lives.

This class requires a good bit of hand strength and determination; be prepared to stay focused and work long hours. Please bring a sharp knife, a pair of garden pruners, and a blanket or chair to sit on.

The Go Local Card celebrates the interdependence of our businesses to each other, public education and to the youth in our community.

Our community values equitable educational opportunities for everyone and the Go Local Card is an annual fundraiser for Asheville’s city public schools.

Since inception, we have raised nearly $220,000 for our schools. This program connects 4,000 children and their families to a healthy local economy and locally owned businesses that support their school.

The upcoming Journeyperson course is now available AT NO COST! Due to some timely grant funding, we can offer this in-depth farmer training for farmers in years 3-7 with no associated tuition fee! The course consists of monthly cohort meet-ups and 2-3 in-depth workshops, plus mentorship!

In addition, a select number of participants will also receive matched FUNDS for your farm savings account (Savings Incentive Program) and money to spend on a professional development opportunity of your choosing! Want to attend a workshop on livestock management? OGS will contribute towards that fee! Are you saving money for a farm asset? OGS will contribute up to a certain amount to that investment.

The Journeyperson Program is for farmers who have been independently farming for three or more years and are serious about operating farm businesses in the Southern Appalachian region.

After six years of hard work, the dream of using The Learning Garden as a hub for public gardening education is finally a reality. The Learning Garden, located at the Extension Office, 49 Mt. Carmel Road, is offering the public the opportunity to Visit and Learn in the garden on selected 2nd and 4th Thursdays, February – October. The Thursday in-person programs will consist of five garden-specific series. Visitors can walk around before or after the program and soak in our lovely gardens. Our gardens will open at 9:00 a.m. and all the demonstration programs run between 10-11:30 a.m.  To ensure a good learning experience, attendance will be limited and registration will be required.

Dahlia Series
February 23 – Getting Your Dahlias Ready for Planting
August 3 – Disbudding Dahlias for Better Blooms
October 26 – Dividing and Storing Dahlias

Dye Garden Series
May 4 – Planning Your Dye Garden
June 22 – Introduction to Natural Dyeing
July 27 – Fresh Indigo
August 24 – Botanical Printing: Printing with Leaves and Flowers
September 28 – Dyeing with Hopi Black Sunflower
November 9 – The Magic of Indigo

Rose Garden Series
March 9 – Pruning Roses
April 6 – Climbing Roses
April 13 – Rose Pests and Pathogens
May 20 – Growing Beautiful Roses (Saturday Seminar)

Sun & Shade Garden Series
May 11 – Planting a Native Butterfly Host Plant Garden
June 29 – Foodscaping Edible Plants in Flower Beds
August 31 – Dealing with “the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” Plants
Sept 14 – Native Butterfly Life Cycles in the Fall Garden

Vegetable Garden Series
March 23 – Building an ADA Compliant Raised Garden
April 26 – Planting Root Crops: Leeks, Onions, Carrots, Parsnips
May 25 – Planting a Seed Saving Garden
June 8 – Common Vegetable Garden Pests
July 13 – Kid Friendly Gardening
                                       August 10 – Preserving Your Vegetable Harvest

In addition to the Thursday programs listed above, The Learning Garden will present a series of ninety minute (+/-) hands-on seminars covering various gardening topics. These in-person programs will be held at The Learning Garden on selected Saturday mornings, February – September.

Saturday Seminars
February 18 – Tool Selection and Sharpening
March 18 – Pruning Trees and Shrubs
April 22 – Gardening for the Birds
May 20 – Growing Beautiful Roses
June 17 – Pollinator Plants in The Learning Garden
September 16 – Bulbs for All Seasons

Each of the programs in The Learning Garden will be announced individually through this blog and on our website two weeks before each program.  Each announcement will include instructions on how to register. Mark your calendar and register to attend as many as you can.

The upcoming Journeyperson course is now available AT NO COST! Due to some timely grant funding, we can offer this in-depth farmer training for farmers in years 3-7 with no associated tuition fee! The course consists of monthly cohort meet-ups and 2-3 in-depth workshops, plus mentorship!

In addition, a select number of participants will also receive matched FUNDS for your farm savings account (Savings Incentive Program) and money to spend on a professional development opportunity of your choosing! Want to attend a workshop on livestock management? OGS will contribute towards that fee! Are you saving money for a farm asset? OGS will contribute up to a certain amount to that investment.

The Journeyperson Program is for farmers who have been independently farming for three or more years and are serious about operating farm businesses in the Southern Appalachian region.

The Go Local Card celebrates the interdependence of our businesses to each other, public education and to the youth in our community.

Our community values equitable educational opportunities for everyone and the Go Local Card is an annual fundraiser for Asheville’s city public schools.

Since inception, we have raised nearly $220,000 for our schools. This program connects 4,000 children and their families to a healthy local economy and locally owned businesses that support their school.

After six years of hard work, the dream of using The Learning Garden as a hub for public gardening education is finally a reality. The Learning Garden, located at the Extension Office, 49 Mt. Carmel Road, is offering the public the opportunity to Visit and Learn in the garden on selected 2nd and 4th Thursdays, February – October. The Thursday in-person programs will consist of five garden-specific series. Visitors can walk around before or after the program and soak in our lovely gardens. Our gardens will open at 9:00 a.m. and all the demonstration programs run between 10-11:30 a.m.  To ensure a good learning experience, attendance will be limited and registration will be required.

Dahlia Series
February 23 – Getting Your Dahlias Ready for Planting
August 3 – Disbudding Dahlias for Better Blooms
October 26 – Dividing and Storing Dahlias

Dye Garden Series
May 4 – Planning Your Dye Garden
June 22 – Introduction to Natural Dyeing
July 27 – Fresh Indigo
August 24 – Botanical Printing: Printing with Leaves and Flowers
September 28 – Dyeing with Hopi Black Sunflower
November 9 – The Magic of Indigo

Rose Garden Series
March 9 – Pruning Roses
April 6 – Climbing Roses
April 13 – Rose Pests and Pathogens
May 20 – Growing Beautiful Roses (Saturday Seminar)

Sun & Shade Garden Series
May 11 – Planting a Native Butterfly Host Plant Garden
June 29 – Foodscaping Edible Plants in Flower Beds
August 31 – Dealing with “the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” Plants
Sept 14 – Native Butterfly Life Cycles in the Fall Garden

Vegetable Garden Series
March 23 – Building an ADA Compliant Raised Garden
April 26 – Planting Root Crops: Leeks, Onions, Carrots, Parsnips
May 25 – Planting a Seed Saving Garden
June 8 – Common Vegetable Garden Pests
July 13 – Kid Friendly Gardening
                                       August 10 – Preserving Your Vegetable Harvest

In addition to the Thursday programs listed above, The Learning Garden will present a series of ninety minute (+/-) hands-on seminars covering various gardening topics. These in-person programs will be held at The Learning Garden on selected Saturday mornings, February – September.

Saturday Seminars
February 18 – Tool Selection and Sharpening
March 18 – Pruning Trees and Shrubs
April 22 – Gardening for the Birds
May 20 – Growing Beautiful Roses
June 17 – Pollinator Plants in The Learning Garden
September 16 – Bulbs for All Seasons

Each of the programs in The Learning Garden will be announced individually through this blog and on our website two weeks before each program.  Each announcement will include instructions on how to register. Mark your calendar and register to attend as many as you can.