Support Gardening, Nature Studies, & Soapmaking

Chances are, if you have ever been to the Folk Schools campus, you have engaged with our garden. This campus space provides a diverse array of crops, supporting numerous studios and many programs, including homesteading, nature studies, and soapmaking. The Cory Brown Memorial Dye Garden is filled with dye plants that create color for additional studios and programs on campus.

With your support, the Folk School can ensure that our gardening & homesteading, nature studies, and soapmaking programs continue to thrive. Your donation to this program can provide general operating support or focus on program needs, like gardening resources and equipment related to the studios. Your gift today will make an immediate impact. 

Support Gardening, Nature Studies, and Soapmaking

Week or Weekend Scholarships

The Folk School awards several scholarships each year, providing partial or full financial support for a weeklong or weekend class. Scholarships are awarded to individuals who demonstrate financial need along with an admiration for the Folk School’s unique education model.

Support a Gardening, Nature Studies, and Soap Making Scholarship

Cooking, Gardening & Homesteading, Nature Studies, and Soap Making Coordinator

Susannah Thompson

Susannah found the Folk School while looking for contra dance in western NC. Shortly after moving to the area, she earned her striped tights and wooden clogs as a member of Dame’s Rocket, one of the Brasstown Morris Dance teams. She has also been a teacher for over 20 years.

In forests and on camera, in school libraries, and in the kitchen, she enjoys creating new adventures for students of all ages. She started teaching at the Folk School in 2017 and is best known for her British Baking class. When she’s not in the cooking studio or on the dance floor, you can find her searching for salamanders, paddling local lakes, or assisting with wildlife monitoring projects.

Creative Program Advisor in Gardening & Homesteading, Nature Studies, Soap Making, Storytelling

Karen Hurtubise

Karen and her husband have a small farm and grow diverse crops including native plants, berries, tomatoes, mushrooms, turmeric, and ginger. They began a large organic vegetable, flower, and herb garden over 30 years ago in Hayesville, NC, and won a Southeast Regional Rodale Organic Gardening Garden-of-the-Year contest. Karen is a passionate advocate of healthy agriculture, local food, and forest farming. She has been teaching at the Folk School since 1994.