Learn to Spin: Fleece to Yarn — Upcoming Workshop, Oct. 17, 24 | $75/class or $130/both

September 20, 2021

In this two-part workshop, participants will learn to clean, card, and spin wool from a raw fleece, suitable for crochet, knitting, or weaving. We will use fleeces sourced from the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival Fleece Show for this class, which will be processed from raw wool into roving by washing and carding in Class … More Learn to Spin: Fleece to Yarn — Upcoming Workshop, Oct. 17, 24 | $75/class or $130/both

Upcoming Workshop — Gathering Prairie Seeds, Oct. 16, 1–3 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)

September 1, 2021

Just down the road from the institute is the Danky-Schelshorn Prairie. Until 2003, this land was under agricultural cultivation, but Jim and Christine decided to turn it back into a prairie habitat. The Danky-Schelshorn Prairie was established when Christine took a workshop at the UW Arboretum. Through their friendship with Steve Glass, they accelerated the … More Upcoming Workshop — Gathering Prairie Seeds, Oct. 16, 1–3 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)

CANCELLED: Join us at the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence this September — Sign Up Now!

August 24, 2021

UPDATE: The Permaculture Convergence has been cancelled for 2021. Check back next year. It is fall and that means it is time for the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence, a weekend of classes and socializing with folks from across the Midwest — September 24–26. We’ll be there to facilitate a workshop on thatching and also to attend … More CANCELLED: Join us at the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence this September — Sign Up Now!

Where Have We Been? Updates from Around the Institute

August 13, 2021

Our posts have been few and far between this summer and for good reason: spring, summer, and fall are our busy periods with crops going in, harvests coming out, and infrastructure and research projects to push forward. Today, we’ll be giving you a short update of the various things going on around here — with … More Where Have We Been? Updates from Around the Institute

Upcoming Workshop — Hand-Harvesting Wheat and Rye, Jul. 17( & 18?), 10 a.m.–4 p.m., $40 (CANCELLED)

June 9, 2021

Last year, we harvested industrial wheat by hand. We learned a lot from that process and decided to plant our own heritage wheat. In mid-July, we will harvest it using scythes and sickles.  Then it has to get tied into sheaves and stood up in shocks to dry. Once dry, it has to be threshed … More Upcoming Workshop — Hand-Harvesting Wheat and Rye, Jul. 17( & 18?), 10 a.m.–4 p.m., $40 (CANCELLED)

Flax to Linen — Upcoming Workshop, July 10, 24; August 7, $85/class or $225/all three

May 28, 2021

In this three-part workshop, participants will learn to harvest, process, and spin flax plants into linen thread suitable for weaving. We have a small flax plot that we’ll be harvesting by mid-summer. Join us and learn to harvest this easy-to-grow plant and then walk through the steps to turn it from a dried stalk into loose … More Flax to Linen — Upcoming Workshop, July 10, 24; August 7, $85/class or $225/all three

Interested in Landscaping, Food Systems, and Land Management that Mimics Natural Systems? — Sign up for a Permaculture Design Certificate Course from Madison Area Permaculture Guild

May 27, 2021

Our friends over at the Madison Area Permaculture Guild are offering a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course, starting in June. If you read our blog and haven’t heard of permaculture, you should definitely have a look at this wide-ranging discipline that integrates agriculture, land management, animal husbandry, and other allied fields with an eye to … More Interested in Landscaping, Food Systems, and Land Management that Mimics Natural Systems? — Sign up for a Permaculture Design Certificate Course from Madison Area Permaculture Guild

Warning: Cute Chicks Ahead — Thanks to the Victorian Technology Institute for Help with a Broody Hen

May 25, 2021

We’ve had two of our hens going broody all spring, named Dolores O’Riordan and Billie Holiday. Most chickens today have had the instinct to sit on a clutch of eggs bred out of them. Broody hens don’t lay eggs, which isn’t great for industrial egg production. This leaves humans to take over the hatching process. … More Warning: Cute Chicks Ahead — Thanks to the Victorian Technology Institute for Help with a Broody Hen

LTI in the News

May 20, 2021

We haven’t been posting on the blog lately because we’ve been really busy with spring planting. We also have an on-going bee-breeding project. We’re preparing for our upcoming timber framing work days. And we’re running a compost study. Our local paper, the Evansville Review, recently gave us a short write-up on the front page.