Author: bbdg_wp

24 Jun

Posted at 17:00h in Stories: Writing
[caption id="attachment_8222" align="alignright" width="207"]Some of the beautiful flowers grown in our gardens The beautiful campus of the Folk School inspires the writer in all of us.[/caption] The cusp: a potter at her wheel, wood turner at his bench, weaver and loom, blacksmith and forge, fiddler and fiddle, glass-maker and fire, writer and page. Craft communities are small heavens open to ordinary and extraordinary people. As I prepare to teach Crafting Words at the J. C. Campbell Folk School (Aug. 22 - 24) I am drawn to what unites artists. How does a poet meet a photographer? With awe and respect. We share ideals: perseverance, attentiveness, desire, delight, despair, communication, and the ability to acknowledge the muse and at times, let her have her way.

15 Jun

Posted at 14:06h in Work/Study & Host Program
[caption id="attachment_10900" align="alignright" width="244"]Host Bonnie - Chard Bonnie wearing her favorite hat and gathering rhubarb from the Vegetable Garden for her Cooking Class.[/caption] The hosts at the Folk School keep the show running smoothly. Unlike the year-round staff who go home at night and the regular students who are here for only a week, they are fully involved in the daily life of the School for a four month period. Without further ado… Let’s get to know a little bit about our current senior host, Bonnie Lenneman! CP: Where are you from and what do you do there? BL: I am originally from Michigan, but most recently I was working for a non-profit in Portland, Oregon. CP: What about the Folk School appealed to you before you first came? BL: Last spring I was leaving my job at the non-profit and I wanted to do something new & different that engaged both my artistic/creative side and also involved doing something outdoors. The Work/Study program was a perfect fit!* The Sing Behind the Plow motto also appealed to me - the idea of working more closely with the land and celebrating the simplicity and satisfaction of our labor. (*Bonnie came here first as a Work/Study in Fall 2013, now she is host)

11 Mar

Posted at 11:11h in Stories: Gardening & Homesteading
[caption id="attachment_10177" align="aligncenter" width="480"]IMG_4556-Lettuce Lettuce in the Vegetable Garden is harvested by Work/Studies and brought to the Dining Hall[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_7303" align="alignleft" width="291"]Greenhouse Starts Kale, Spinach, and Lettuce transfer seed starts in the Folk School Green House[/caption]

The Folk School’s vegetable garden provides organic, seasonal produce for our Dining Hall and our Cooking Studio. This time of the year, lettuce, kale, mustard greens, and collards transfer from their green house tray location to the earth. Volunteer Coordinator/Gardener Joe Baumgartner and the Work/Study crew have been busy tending to the seed starts and prepping beds since January.

[caption id="attachment_8227" align="alignright" width="206"]Salad with Kale and lettuce from the Vegetable Garden Salad with Kale and lettuce from the Vegetable Garden[/caption]

Much of what is planted in the garden supplies and supplements the salad bowl and vegetable dishes in the Dining Hall. When you enter the Dining Hall check out the sign next to the menu board which details exactly what the Dining Hall is using from the garden each week. Next time you enjoy salad or veggies at lunch or dinner in the Dining Hall, take a post-meal stroll over to the Vegetable Garden to see what's growing.

[caption id="attachment_7626" align="aligncenter" width="450"]Folk School Garden Frances Juhlin teaches about heirloom vegetables in the Folk School Garden.[/caption]