Workshops

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Let's gather together to make apple butter; a time-honored Appalachian tradition. All supplies are locally sourced and provided. Get a discount on classes and programs when you become a member. All participants leave with a share of apple butter, knowledge, and new friendships. Bring your red hots to add to your jars if you prefer a spicier finish.  Traditional outdoor class takes place third Saturday in October and second Saturday in November; this is an all-day event. Kitchen classes using pressure cookers are offered July -October as apple varieties become available locally. Locations will be in and around Jonesborough, TN or at the Foundation farm in Mosheim, TN. Surrounding Central Appalachian county workshops will be developed as interest is expressed.  All materials are provided by the Foundation; cost is calculated based on cost of supplies and venue and will be shared equally among participants (become a member to take this class for FREE) Follow us on Facebook to be alerted to locations, dates, times, and registration.

Canning your own food is cost effective and much healthier than store bought canned foods, and you don't have to grown your own to can your own. Bulk produce can be purchased at local farmers markets and fruit / vegetable stands; supporting our local agriculture and entrepreneurial industries. Start with the basics of food canning. This class offers hands-on start to finish canning. Instruction in water bath and pressure canning, canning safety and best practices. Attendees take home fruits (or vegetables) of their labor. All supplies are provided and sourced locally. Canning 101 will be offered twice monthly during the growing and canning season (late June-September as supplies become available).  Approximate length of class is four hours. Classes will take place locally in Jonesborough, TN or at the Foundation farm in Mosheim, TN. Other classes will become available throughout Central Appalachia as interest grows in other locations (become a county ambassador to bring workshops to your area).  Cost for workshop is equal to the cost of sourced goods and location divided among all participants and will be published at registration. Follow us on Facebook to be alerted to dates, times, locations, and registration.

This class is required to check out any Foundation canning equipment.

Stone Soup is an old fable about a father and son traveling, who came upon a village. They were cold and hungry and asked villagers if they could spare a morsel of food, but they all said no and turned them away.  The father and son built a small fire in the village square, took out their travel pot, gathered some water from a nearby stream and began to boil the water over the open flame. Out of curiosity one by one villagers came from their homes to see what the father and son were cooking. "Stone soup" replied the father each time," but it would be much better with an onion, potato, carrot, celery, a little salt..." he told the villagers one at a time as they approached. The villagers eagerly ran to their homes to retrieve what little they had to contribute to the stone soup.  The father and son and all of the villagers ate their fill and shared their stories. Appalachian Farm Arts Heritage Foundation invites you to join us at the end of canning season to make and share Stone Soup. Bring what you have leftover from your garden and together we will prepare vegetables and can soup for all of us to take home a share. This activity is free to all that contribute to our Stone Soup. Follow us on Facebook to learn more about all of our activities, how you can be more involved, and to register for this and other activities of interest. Youth ages 8 and up are welcome to attend most of our workshops with an accompanying adult.

Take our hands-on bread-making workshop and learn to transform simple ingredients into a variety of delicious creations. From fluffy dinner rolls and crusty artisan loaves to sweet cinnamon buns and savory focaccia, this class highlights the versatility of yeast dough. You’ll master kneading, proofing, and shaping techniques while exploring ways to enhance flavor with herbs, seeds, and more. Not only will you save money and enjoy healthier, preservative-free options, but you’ll also experience the therapeutic joy of baking and the satisfaction of sharing your creations. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned baker, this class will empower you to make bakery-quality bread at home. This activity will be scheduled primarily during the late fall and winter months when we are warming our homes and garden chores are less time consuming. Monthly November-February. Each month will have a separate focus utilizing a basic yeast dough.  A separate batch of dough will be ready for us to utilize for kneading, proofing, shaping and flavoring at each meeting so class time can be shorter. Plan for 2-3 hours. Follow us on Facebook to register for classes. The cost of this class will be cost of goods and location (if applicable) divided by number in class; typically, less than $20. Youth ages 8 and up are welcome at no charge with an accompanying adult. However, if you want your youth to have their own portion of dough to work with they will share in the cost. 

This traditional Appalachian apple cake is time consuming and tests our dedication to process. The heritage of the apple stack cake is a near year long process of harvesting apples, slicing the apples and drying them to winter over. Only after the dried apples are ready are they used to make the multi-layer apple stack cake. Sugar was typically in short supply and so it is not uncommon to use molasses or harvested maple syrup. This workshop will combine modern convenience such as dehydrators and electric ovens instead of wood burning to introduce participants to the Apple Stack Cake. However, as the Foundation grows we will add some traditional method apple stack cake workshops.

Take a guided hike on the Foundation grounds to look for and identify wild edibles, medicinal plants, and mushrooms. Our expert guides will explain edible plant parts and processing techniques for best use. The hike is currently in development and will be offered twice each season, Spring, Summer, and Fall. $25 per person; youth ages 8 and up are welcome to join an accompanying adult at no charge. Foraging by participants is prohibited on the Foundation Grounds. To be alerted to the development of this activity follow us on Facebook.

This class combines some of our other offerings to provide a comprehensive but basic guide to woodland survival. Expert guided, on-site classes build your confidence in basic survival practices such as; fire building, water safety, staying warm and hydrated, raw foraging, temporary shelters, and woodland safety. This activity will be scheduled quarterly to test your skills in all climates. Follow us on Facebook to be alerted to class formation. $35 per adult;  youth ages 8 and up are welcome to join an accompanying adult at no charge. This is an introductory activity. If you have intermediate to advanced survival skillsets email us at AppyFarmFoundation@gmail.com to talk with us about partnerships to advance this area of self-sufficiency.

• Want to do a survival day for your homeschool, corporate, or church group? Contact us to make arrangements, minimum participants is 8 adults; youth ages 8 and up are welcome with an accompanying adult.

Plants make beautiful colors for dying textiles. Learn how to identify, harvest, and process plants for dying wool and fabric. This PROGRAM consists of multiple classes.

Learn the basics of power generation.  Design and create models of small scale power generating devices for home use.

This workshop is in development, and we are looking for experts to share their knowledge.