The National Colonial Farm presents “The Way of Food”- a journey through Maryland’s food traditions.
Join us for a kitchen table conversation as we introduce you to the epicurean delights of colonial Marylanders. Learn how our tastes and the food itself have changed over 300 years as we explore the “receipts” (recipes) and meal preparation. This month’s theme is “The Chicken and the Egg; A Love Story,” featuring Chicken Terrapin and Williamsburg Stuffed Eggs.
You are invited to join the Accokeek Foundation for a birthday celebration in honor of Edgar, the farm’s rescued Eastern Box Turtle. We will have refreshments and will be making turtle crafts throughout the day as we learn fun facts about Eastern Box Turtles and their natural habitat. Be sure to join us in the Visitor Center and Museum Gift Shop at 1pm for cake!
Look up! The night sky is not only incredibly beautiful and full of wonders to behold, its continuous motion is the key to our understanding of how the universe works. Early peoples watched the sky, mapping patterns and tracking the intricate cycles of celestial motion, and told rich stories to explain it all. From these observations the first calendars, clocks, religions, and sciences were born. Our ancestors would know which constellations were up, what phase the moon was in, and which planets were visible at any given time. These skills are lost to many in modern times.
Participants will learn about the formation of the universe, celestial motion, and objects in our solar system. In class, we will look at images of gorgeous night sky gems like globular clusters, nebulae, galaxies, comets, planets, and moons. Afterward, we will go outside and reconnect with the night sky. We’ll look at the moon, identify planets, and find the summer constellations. During the walk, the instructor will share stories that people from around the world have been telling about the stars for ages. Once you learn the basics, the night sky will come alive as you’ve never seen before, and you’ll delight in learning new constellations as the earth turns through the seasons.
Participants should plan to bring blankets or chairs to sit on.
Rain Date: July 20
“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years, how man would marvel and stare.”–Ralph Waldo Emerson
About the Instructor:
Jennifer Borishansky is the director of The Community Homeschool Enrichment Center in Charlottesville, VA, where she teaches astronomy, anthropology, archaeology, and West African drumming. She is also member of the Charlottesville Community Drum Choir. Walking the path as both teacher and student, Jennifer cherishes the opportunity to share her passion with her community.
Hosted by the Accokeek Foundation’s Stitch ‘n Time Textile Club, Knitting for Beginners will introduce the art of knitting using hand-spun wool from the farm’s heritage sheep flock. Each class participant will assemble their own take-home knitting starter kit, complete with all of the necessary tools to learn the craft! Following the class, join the Stitch ‘n Time Club for an afternoon of knitting.
Join the Foundation’s Farm and Garden Coordinator, and traditional skills master, Dan Michaelson for this fun and practical learning opportunity for youth. Participants will learn to make cordage from bark, roots, sinew, and animal skins. In two hours, you will learn a basic technique for making cordage that you can use to adorn your wrist or catch a fish! This is a great opportunity for youth to gain practical skills while engaging with the natural world. We will be spending a portion of this class outdoors, so please wear weather appropriate shoes and clothing, as well as bring a water bottle and sunscreen.
This program will offer a first look into the world of ancestral archery, including lessons on sourcing and making bows and arrows from local materials, in the days before composite materials. The class will culminate with instruction and creation of an arrow that participants can take home with them.
This program is for children 10 years old and up.
Join Dan Michaelson, the Accokeek Foundation’s Farm and Garden Coordinator, for a tour through the Museum Garden and learn about perennial and rotational agriculture, botany, and food history. This is a great way to get ideas for your own garden and get a taste for what is possible in our region! Each class will have time for a Q&A session regarding strategies for your home gardens.
We will meet at the Education Center for a brief orientation before moving on to the Museum Garden. Please arrive a few minutes early, to allow for check-in.
Join Dan Michaelson, the Accokeek Foundation’s Farm and Garden Coordinator, for a tour through the Museum Garden and learn about perennial and rotational agriculture, botany, and food history. This is a great way to get ideas for your own garden and get a taste for what is possible in our region! Each class will have time for a Q&A session regarding strategies for your home gardens.
We will meet at the Education Center for a brief orientation before moving on to the Museum Garden. Please arrive a few minutes early, to allow for check-in.
Meeting monthly, this instructor-led botany study group will learn about the major plant families, while focusing on identification skills and basic botany terminology using Botany in a Day by Thomas Elpel as a reference guide. Textual studies will be supplemented with local plants in flower for a hands-on practice with identification keys. This study group is appropriate for beginning to intermediate botanists of all ages. Kids are welcome, but must have an adult with them, and must pay the full registration fee. The registration fee is for an 8-session course of study.
The meeting schedule is:
About the Instructor:
Holly Poole-Kavana
Holly is a lifelong plant enthusiast, and started formally studying herbal medicine in 2005, after she began working in health care. She is the owner of Little Red Bird Botanicals and is excited about the ways herbal medicine can help us all to have a little more control over our own health, and provide support to those we care about. She had apprenticed with herbalist 7song at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, completed the Clinic II program at Sacred Plant Traditions, studied at the Pacific School of Botanical Medicine, and holds a BS in botany.
This will be an in-depth class on raising goats on a small scale. Learn strategies for raising and managing goats on small acreage. This class is for both the serious small-scale producer and the homesteader. We will look at everything from selection of breeds to marketing your goats.
About the Instructor
Before joining the Accokeek Foundation, Polly Festa had been actively managing livestock for over 15 years. Having been born and raised on Hi Diddle farm near Cooperstown, New York, Polly had many opportunities to show in 4-H at county, state, and regional levels. Her livestock experience also includes breeding various types of cows and goats including Belted Galloways, Scottish Highlands, Jerseys, commercial beef, and meat goats. When she is not working hard for the Accokeek Foundation, she is home with her Brittany Spaniel, aptly named Brittany.
