Land of Milk, Honey, and Cider

September 22 & 23, 2007

What do sheep, bees and apples all have in common? They are the focus of a fun filled, hands-on workshop weekend your whole family will enjoy! Come out to the beautiful rural landscape surrounding Stelle and have the opportunity to milk a few dairy sheep, extract honey from honeycomb, and press apples for cider.

Saturday

9:30 Introductions and Orientation - We will meet at the CSC office in Stelle and take a few minutes to get to know one another. (Directions and map)

Harry Carr

10:00 Mint Creek Farm - Visit with Harry Carr and his 400 sheep at Mint Creek Farm. Harry has converted the farmland surrounding the Stelle community into a certified organic meadow. He will give you a tour of his operation and describe the dietary benefits of grass fed meat and dairy. Learn how rotational grazing of a grass and legume based ecosystem improves food quality in ways our food specialists are only now beginning to understand. Experience the tranquility of a meadow filled with contented sheep. At the end of the tour you will have the opportunity to milk some of Harry’s dairy sheep.

12:00 Lunch - made with the freshest ingredients

1:00 Intro to Beekeeping - Mark Hoffman will share over 15 years of beekeeping experiences with a short introduction to beekeeping – including a honey extraction demonstration where you can help! This introduction will include the basics or beekeeping, interesting quirks of honey bee behavior and some of the challenges faced by beekeepers today. Honey bees are unlike any other 'livestock' humans would normally raise. Just when the beekeeper thinks he/she understands what they will do next - they take an unexpected path. Sometimes this can lead to a bumper crop of honey, and sometimes it results in loss of a crop, or even loss of the entire hive.You will have a chance to view the inside of a beehive as well as touch, smell, and maybe even taste the inside of the hive (some honey- that is) - with the bees removed - of course. This workshop will be held at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast (Directions and map)


Head Start school children trying on a beekeeping helmet.	Mark Hoffman uncapping a honey frame.

4:00 Yogurt Making Demonstration - Julie Larsen will walk you through the simple steps of making this healthy and delicious food. We will be using milk from Harry’s sheep which has several benefits over cow’s milk. The next morning you will be able to enjoy how the slight tartness of the yogurt compliments the lovely sweetness of the honey.

5:30 Dinner

7:00 Evening Campfire and Sharing

Sunday

9:00 Breakfast - hearty meal to give you energy for the entire morning

10:00 Cider Making – The cider press will be set up and ready to turn the apples you pick into delicious juice. Everyone will have a chance to man the crank and experience the steps involved in cider making. Bring some containers along so you will be able to take some home with you. This workhop will be held in Stelle near the volleyball court. (Directions and Map)


Grinding Apples	Preparing to Squeeze	Getting in the Flow

Location: Stelle, Illinois

Cost for full workshop and meals: $125.00 per adult.
Children over age 3: $50

Cost for Saturday only: $90 per adult, $35 per child

Cost for any individual session: $50 per adult, $20 per child

To maximize your experience, this event is limited to 30 people. We recommend you register early.

Overnight lodging is available at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast, in the homes of Stelle residents, or in area hotels. Camping space is also available. Click here for further details on lodging.

For more information please e-mail us ……..
or call 708-828-4325.

To register by mail, please mail your payment-in-full (check or money order) to the address below by September 18, 2007.

Please send to:
Center for Sustainable Community
127 Sun Street
Stelle/Cabery, Illinois 60919

Our Presenters:

Harry Carr

Harry Carr moved to Stelle from New Jersey at age 20, and over the past 30 years has applied his entreprenurial spirit and unlimited energy to a variety of businesses and projects. He and his wife Gwen own and manage About Frames, a Stelle based picture frame making business that employs 25 individuals in and around Stelle. Fifteen years ago Harry bought a 40 acre conventional corn and soybean farm one mile from Stelle and after considerable education and experimentation, and with much help from Gwen and their two children, Jonathan and Raya, converted it into an organic grass and legume based farm now known as Mint Creek Farms. Early in that venture a friend gave Harry a few sheep - and now those sheep have multiplied into a flock of 400 plus. In 2003 the Carrs bought the farmland adjacent ot the Stelle community and subsequently turned it into a lush meadow. In 2005 the Carr family applied for and received organic certification of their farm. Harry, a member of the CSC board of directors, understands the benefits of converting to a grass and legume based farming system and enjoys sharing that knowledge with others.

Mark Hoffman

MARK HOFFMAN
Mark serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Sustainable Community and has been engaged in the Stelle Community for over 20 years. Mark grew up on a wheat and cattle farm in central Kansas, and his farmboy roots provide the foundation for a number of agricultural pursuits include beekeeping, raising poultry, and operating the permaculture oriented gardens at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast two miles from Stelle. Professionally, Mark works as a technical writer and engineer and as the webmaster for the CSC website.

Julie and Zorro

Julie Larsen
Julie lives just north of the Kankakee River State Park with her husband Jim and daughter Grace (as well as Zorro her pet goat, a couple llamas, a flock of chickens, and four beehives). She has a passion for sustainable living, holds a masters degree in environmental biology, has operated an organic flower and vegetable farm, and was chef/owner of a café in Chicago. She is also CSC's Outreach Coordinator.