Category: Workshop

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!

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

Timber Framing and Thatching — Upcoming Work Days — Saturdays & Sundays June–July, Free (Space is Limited)

May 12, 2021

This year we’ll be building a timber-frame compost and garden hutch, and we’d like to invite you to come join us to get some hands-on experience. Timber framing was the dominant wood-based building method for hundreds of years before modern stick framing was developed to take advantage of smaller, cheaper pieces of wood. Instead of … More Timber Framing and Thatching — Upcoming Work Days — Saturdays & Sundays June–July, Free (Space is Limited)

Upcoming Workshop — Gathering Prairie Seeds, Oct. 18, 1–4 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)

October 9, 2020

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. 18, 1–4 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)

Upcoming Workshop — Hand-Harvesting Wheat, Jul. 25, 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m., $20 (Space is Limited)

June 12, 2020

We’re trying to grow and harvest all of our food this year to simulate the collapse of fossil fuels. As part of that, we’ve purchased a tenth of an acre of organic wheat from a neighbor. In late July, we will harvest it using scythes and sickles.  Then it has to get tied into sheaves … More Upcoming Workshop — Hand-Harvesting Wheat, Jul. 25, 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m., $20 (Space is Limited)

Upcoming Workshop — Gathering Prairie Seeds, Oct. 19, 1–4 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)

October 10, 2019

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. 19, 1–4 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)

Upcoming Workshop — Installing Solar Panels, Oct. 5, 1–3 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)

September 25, 2019

We are installing solar panels on the institute and we’re doing it ourselves (see our blog posts on this topic here). If you’ve considered doing it yourself but want to get a little hands-on experience and an idea of the scope of the job before going forward, this workshop is for you. The federal tax … More Upcoming Workshop — Installing Solar Panels, Oct. 5, 1–3 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)