UNITY — Join the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association on their main campus in Unity on Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for Farm & Homestead Day! This free, volunteer-run, family-friendly event includes over 50 skill-building workshops and activities centered around sustainable living.
Farm & Homestead Day’s workshops and activities span woodworking, blacksmithing, bike repair, crafting, fiber arts, gardening, cooking and more. Participants interested in gardening can learn about seed saving and sowing; learn to mow with a scythe; or build fairy houses and homes for bees and bluebirds. There are also opportunities for those interested in tradescrafts. Learn basic blacksmithing, whittle wood, or build a variety of useful objects. Those interested in cooking can attend workshops on topics such as fermenting veggies and curing bacon at home. Spinning wool, needle felting, rug hooking, making natural fabric dyes, and plenty of other fiber arts workshops are available throughout the day, as well. The event also features arts workshops such as book-binding, origami, sharing and learning to play music and poster-making.
The day kicks off at 9 a.m. with tea and crumpets. The first workshop offerings of the day start at 9:30 a.m. At 12 p.m., attendees can join together for a delicious potluck lunch and stone soup, which caters to vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike. Workshops run throughout the day, so participants are welcome to stop by at any time until the event closes at 3:30 p.m.
“It’s my favorite day of the year!” says Jenny Johnson, Farm & Homestead Day volunteer and crumpet maker.
Wondering what to bring? To make the most of the day’s offerings, MOFGA recommends the following:
- Bring your bike, and learn how to tune it up and repair it!
- The coordinators are striving for a zero-waste event, and encourage you to bring your own reusable dishware to use for lunch!
- Bring your garden, farm, and kitchen tools, and learn to sharpen them.
- Consider bringing a dish to share during the potluck lunch.
- Do you have extra veggies from your garden? Bring them to be added to the stone soup!
- The event also features a plant swap and “free cycle.” Bring plants to share from your garden (bare root only, please), or items like clothing and appliances, that need a new home.
More information, including the event schedule, can be found on MOFGA’s website! Visit https://www.mofga.org/trainings/annual-events/farmandhomesteadday/.
