Pickings from Sanborn Mills Farm

Farm Pickings

News and Updates from Sanborn Mills Farm

— February 7, 2024 —

February is the border between winter and spring.

~ Terri Guillemets

Sign-Ups for Our 2024 CSAs Now Open!

This year, Sanborn Mills Farm offers two different subscriptions for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. We have a share for Farm-grown vegetables and also a share for Farm-grown cut flowers. Our CSA provides a weekly bounty, with pick-ups on Wednesday afternoons from 1 – 6 p.m. The 18-week vegetable CSA runs from June through October, and the nine-week cut-flower CSA runs from July 24th through September 18th.

You’ll find more information and sign-up information here. Our CSAs tend to become fully subscribed quickly, so don’t hesitate to register.

Upcoming Workshops of Interest

Sanborn Mills Farm’s 2024 Workshop Program is set to open in early April, but it’s never too early to register for a favorite. Many of our workshops fill quickly, so if there’s a workshop or two that catches your interest, make a point to register soon. The full schedule of 2024 workshops is posted on our website here.

Here are three upcoming workshops that may be of particular interest to you. Click on the workshop title for more information and to register.

Foraged Weaving

May 10-12

Instructor: Rachel Snack

Focusing on exploring the world of weaving with plants, this workshop connects participants with the language that can form between yarn and the natural world. Participants will forage for

materials around Sanborn Mills Farm and learn how to use flora as weft within their weavings. This can include methods of plying, braiding, or knotting to create weft and using inlay or a supplemental material while weaving on the loom. While this workshop is beginner level, participants must know how to warp and dress a loom. This is not a complete introductory course, and those interested should not sign up for this workshop if they do not already know how to weave.

Mokok: A Bark Basket

April 6

Instructor: Jennifer Lee

A Mokok is a Northeast Woodland Native American-style container made of bark stitched with spruce roots. The bottom is rectangular, the top is round or oval. These baskets were originally used to harvest and store food and accoutrements. In this class, participants learn to sew with spruce roots that you’ll prepare. If the roots are thick enough, you’ll split them. An inner and outer rim is made by splitting a red willow stick that is bent gradually. Different stitching patterns will be shown. If you finish in time and so desire, you can embellish your basket with a collar and /or appliqué.

Introduction to Indigo Using Extract Powder

April 12

Instructor: Sara Goodman

In this one-day class participants will learn to make an iron vat with powdered indigo extract, ferrous sulfate, and slaked lime (calcium hydroxide.) This is the easiest and most stable of the natural vats and is a good place to begin an exploration of dyeing with natural indigo.

Skills and Techniques:

• Make an indigo iron vat with powdered indigo extract, ferrous sulfate, and slaked lime
• Learn how to use and maintain the vat over time.
• Learn some basic shibori techniques.
• Dye 2 cotton bandanas
• Over dye one piece of natural fiber clothing brought from home

www.sanbornmills.org

Photo Credits

Top photo by Lea Rossignol.

Workshop photos courtesy of the instructors.