Oyster Mushroom Cultivation Workshop

*Sunday, June 27th, 1-3:30 pm at the BADSEED Market, 1909 McGee, KCMO, 64108

Join Tena Bellovich, Mushroom Aficionado and owner of Shroom Heads Organic Farm, and learn the magical process of growing gourmet Oyster Mushrooms on logs. Students will engage in a short discussion on the process of mushroom cultivation including cloning and making spore prints, transferring the mycelium from agar to grain, and from grain to wood dowels.

Students will then get a hands-on experience as they receive a log, oyster plugs, cheese wax, and a demonstration on how to plug your logs. Everyone will take home their (newly plugged) oyster mushroom log, and enjoy the wonderful world of fungi first-hand!! Bring your own drill with a 5/8 inch drill bit.

Cost of Class - $30

The Essentials of Herbalism & Plant Based Medicine-Making

*Sunday, Aug 8th, 1-4 pm at the BADSEED Market, 1909 McGee, KCMO, 64108

Don’t know an infusion from a decoction?…..well have no fear, herbal medicine-making Guru, Amy Bousman, is here. In this course, Amy will equip students with the necessary “herbal lingo” and basic knowledge to navigate their way through the wonderful world of herbs. Students will receive a healthy dose of intriguing herbal history, and then get hands-on as they learn to make Hyssop-Infused Honey (a fantastic anti-viral remedy great for coughs and sore throats) and an alcohol-based Lemon Balm Tincture (another fantastic anti-viral herb great at lifting one’s spirits and soothing strep throat).  Each student will walk away with a four ounce container of Lemon Balm Tincture (a $36 dollar value!), a dropper bottle for their final tincture, one cup of Hyssop Honey, and abundant knowledge empowering them to make plant based medicines in their own home (for free!).

Cost of class: $50

Strange Brew: Kombucha “mushroom” Tea

*Tuesday, August 31 or Tuesday, Nov. 2 , 7-8:30 pm at the BADSEED Market, 1909 McGee, KCMO, 64108

The Chinese called it the “Immortal Health Elixir” because they believed Kombucha balanced the Middle Qi (Spleen and Stomach) and aided in digestion, allowing the body to focus on healing.

Join BADSEED Farmer, Brooke Salvaggio, in a relaxing evening sipping “brew” and learning the art and magic of making Kombucha tea.

Students will take home their very own Kombucha culture and written instructions for care and brewing techniques.

*(If taken good care of, your Kombucha “mushroom” will accompany you on life’s many journeys and spawn “kombucha babies” to give to your friends!!)

Cost of Class: $25

Not just a fad, but a way of life for many, preserving our food also helps preserve our health! Learn how to make the many canned goods you buy at the market and wonder…”how do they do that”? From sweet strawberry preserves to smooth tomato puree to multi-purpose pepper relish, organic farmer, Tom Ruggieri, and local foodie, Emily Akins, will show you how. Students will be instructed on canning science, safety, and technique while making some tried and true (oh so delicious) recipes—family secrets that are meant to be shared. At the end of this 5 hour intensive, hands-on course students will take home 1 flavorful jar of the day’s accomplishments. **All ingredients are organic, and produce is from local farms.

Sunday, June 6^th, 1-6 pm - Preserves and Jellies

There are many ways to make preserves and jellies, and each “canner” has their favorite way. We will prepare these sweet treats using 4 methods, so that students can experience them all. We will make jams and jellies using pectin, sugarless pectin, no cook pectin, and finally the old fashioned way of cooking the fruit and sugar down until it sets into a wonderful preserve!!

Planned recipes (depending on fruit availability) include strawberry preserves, mint jelly and orange marmalade. Come ready to taste the delectable differences and decide on the method you like best.  *Water bath

Cost of Class - $50

Sunday, July 18^th, 1-6 pm - Pickles and Condiments

You can’t beat a good homemade pickle (and you can’t stomach a bad one.) Learn how to make and perfect the good ones and become a “pickle guru”. The techniques and subtleties of pickling are many, and we will prepare several different types of recipes using multiple techniques.

Tom will share his recipe for a pickle loved by all, the cornichon. We will also make the sweetest and crunchiest lime pickles you can find. We will then switch to other vegetables and prepare another favorite, dilly beans. A fourth recipe will be selected based on what is fresh and available at the time of the class. *Water bath

Cost of Class - $50

Sunday, August 15^th, 1-6 pm - Tomato Sauces, Juices and Salsas

Ah, the tomato!! So versatile and delicious, you must learn to capture it in the summer for fall and winter eating. This very red day of recipes will include preparation of a smooth and delicious pureed tomato sauce. Learn the quick ways of cleaning tomatoes and the benefits of the food mill—giving you both sauce and juice from the same tomato.

Another must for tomato season is salsa. We will prepare two types: cooked and oven roasted. And how about catsup/ketchup? Are you ready to be one of those people who actually makes their own? You will learn this simple recipe, along with a similar one for pizza sauce. *Pressure canning

Cost of Class - $60

Sunday, October 10^th, 1-6 pm - Fall Harvest

When the Fall harvest comes, be ready to can, freeze and squirrel away the final bounty of the season. You will learn it all in this homesteading tour de force.

Canning recipes will include a savory apple/pear chutney, green tomato salsa and pepper relish. We’ll show you how to let nature ferment you cabbage into a wonderful sauerkraut, conveniently in a one quart jar. Freezing techniques will be discussed and demonstrated so you can save the late harvest of greens, broccoli and other veggies. Finally, we will discuss how to store the many vegetables that don’t need freezing or canning, but just a good place to rest over the winter, like potatoes, beets, carrots, squash, onions and garlic. *Water bath, pressure canning, freezing, root cellaring

Cost of Class - $60