Appalachian Sustainable Development

Wildcraft class: painted santa gourd
2023-12-02 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | ASD Greenhouse, 17444 Singingwood Lane, Bristol, Virginia, 24202, United States
We had some birdhouse gourds left over from our painted gourd class earlier in November, and so we thought we’d use them for a Painted Santa Gourd event. Come and get festive with us as you bring Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick to life on a birdhouse gourd! All supplies are included, plus we’ll have bottled water and an assortment of hot drinks like tea and hot chocolate.

Dress in layers, as the event is inside the greenhouse.

Get tickets here. (https://events.humanitix.com/wildcraft-classes-painted-santa-gourd)

Winter Farm to Table Supper
2024-01-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Bloom, 601 State Street, Bristol, Virginia, 24211, United States
Embrace the season with this chic Winter Farm to Table Fundraising Supper at Bloom, where you’ll enjoy an impeccably curated 5-course menu prepared by Chef Josh Fehr. This risk-taking culinary team is known for their creative dishes that please the palate and highlight the best in locally-sourced ingredients. Each course will be perfectly paired with the exquisite flavor profiles of Tumbling Creek Cider Company’s fresh and clean ciders. Served in the elegant ambiance of Bloom, this will be an unforgettable experience for the senses. Get tickets here.

Ask An Agroforester: Funding Edition
2024-01-25 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia
Are you interested in silvopasture and other agroforestry funding opportunities but don’t know where to start? Join us for this FREE, VIRTUAL presentation and discussion of three large grant programs now active in the Southeast. Representatives from each grant will give short presentations and will field questions about funding eligibility, processes, and requirements. We will talk about the similarities and differences between these programs and share how some of them can (or in some cases, explicitly cannot!) stack together with other funding programs to help individuals cover additional costs Learn more and register today – click the button below!

Ask An Agroforester: Duron Chavis
2024-02-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be featuring Duron Chavis in our February 28th session, discussing his pivotal work in Urban Agroforestry in Richmond, VA. Stay tuned for more details!

SEED STARTING/PROPAGATION, Bristol VA
2024-03-21 18:00 - 19:30 | ASD Greenhouse, 17444 Singingwood Lane, Bristol, Virginia, 24202, United States
Join us for an introduction to seed starting at our new property at 17444 Singingwood Lane in Bristol, VA. ASD and area Master Gardeners are teaming up to provide you with all the information you need for starting seeds indoors, direct sowing outdoors, propagation, and we’ll also touch on seed saving!

Seed starting workshop @ bluefield Library
2024-03-26 18:00 - 19:30 | Tazewell County Public Library, 108 Huffard Drive, Bluefield, Virginia, 24605, United States
Come join ASD and Tazewell County Master Gardeners for an introduction to seed starting at the Tazewell County Public Library in Bluefield Virginia on March 26 from 6-7:30 pm. We will discuss the how, when, and why to plant cool and warm season crops. We will explore which companion plants grow well with your crops to help keep pests away and your garden looking magnificent! We’ll discuss which seeds you can save and how to plan ahead for years to come. As a bonus, you’ll be able to learn about the advantages of soils blocks and how to make your own! We are excited to partner on this, and even more excited to share our knowledge with you for a happy, fruitful growing season!

Ask An agroforester: Adam Taylor
2024-03-27 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia
Are you wondering how to manage complex Agroforestry systems like Silvopasture and Alley Cropping? Join us and learn from a pro! Adam Taylor manages Virginia Tech’s Catawba Sustainability Center farm, which implements all kinds of Agroforestry projects and practices. If you’re a farmer or land manager – this one’s for you!

Ask an agroforester webinar: Dana Beegle and Ryan Huish
2024-04-25 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia
Mark your calendar for Thursday, April 25th. We’ve got a great panel for you, all about Youth Engagement in Agroforestry. Dana Beegle and Ryan Huish are joining us for a deep discussion about how to get young people involved and keep them coming back for more. If you’re working with youth, you won’t want to miss it! Learn more and register.

Summer Field School: Season Extension with TNT Farm N Greenhouse
2024-05-02 18:00 - 19:30 | Virginia
Join us at TNT Farm N Greenhouse for a class of Season Extension. Season extension provides early and late harvests, winter harvests, and longer harvest windows. These techniques also offer pest and disease control. These opportunities translate into more income. Learn more and register.

Agroforestry farm tour series - Stop #1
2024-05-03 09:30 - 14:00 | Lick Skillet Farm, 800 Lick Skillet Lane, New Market, Tennessee, 37820, United States
Join us for stop #1 on our 2024 Agroforestry Farm Tour, as we visit Lick Skillet Farm in New Market, TN.

Come see 400 silvopasture trees installed with innovative protection methods on a commercial-scale grass-fed cattle farm. Tour includes an in-depth look at how the system works, including challenges with livestock, maintenance, and funding. Discussion will also include silvopasture applications in hog, chicken, and sheep operations. Afterwards, we’ll have a networking session aimed at connecting producers with natural resource professionals and the programs they offer.

FREE, but registration is required.

Plant Sale - ASD's Late Bloomers Greenhouse
2024-05-06 10:00 - 2024-05-14 18:00 | ASD Greenhouse, 17444 Singingwood Lane, Bristol, Virginia, 24202, United States
We’re having a plant sale! The ASD “Late Bloomers” Greenhouse will be open 10 am – 6 pm the week of May 6 – every day EXCEPT Wednesday, 8th – plus on May 13 & 14. We have 300+ trays (that’s more than 10k seeds) of veggie, herb, and flower starts, priced at $2 per soil block. Address: 17444 Singingwood Lane in Bristol, VA. All proceeds from our Late Bloomers social enterprise go back into Groundwork, our workforce development program.

Farm to Table Supper with The Pakalachian and TC3 @ Kelly Ridge Farms, LLC
2024-05-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Kelly Ridge Farms, 30558 Old Saltworks Road, Meadowview, Virginia, United States
A limited number of guests will experience a three-course, locally sourced seasonal meal prepared and served family style by Katlin and Mohsin Kazmi of The Pakalachian. Hosted by Kelly Ridge Farms, LLC, guests will enjoy a unique, curated menu that features items not currently on the menu, perfectly paired with Tumbling Creek Ciders (pressed and fermented on the farm). Depending on the availability of local ingredients, the final menu will be announced in early 2024. This intimate dining experience will heighten your senses in every way. Click here for tickets.

Katlin and Mohsin will source seasonal ingredients to prepare and serve a family style meal highlighting the best in Springtime local faire. Upon arrival, guests can mingle and learn more about the farm. Cider will be available for purchase before and after the meal. Supper is sure to please and also inspire with a mix of vibrant dishes that blend culinary elements of both Southwest Virginia and South Asia. Each course is expertly paired with locally sourced Tumbling Creek Ciders. Seating is first come-first serve. Layers and sturdy shoes are suggested.

Guests who arrive by 5:00 pm are invited to enjoy a special tour of the orchard, conducted by Tumbling Creek Cider Company co-owners.

Tumbling Creek Cider Company was formed by four friends in 2018, with a mission of creating high-quality apple-to-bottle cider focused on our local region and community here in Southwest Virginia. With a focus on hand crafted cider, they built a production facility, and then started grafting cider apple trees and building the orchard. In 2020, they opened their tasting room in Abingdon, VA. Learn more at: https://tumblingcreekcider.com.

The Pakalachian food truck based out of Abingdon, Virginia, strives to creatively blend the culinary elements of both Southwest Virginia and South Asia to produce unique, vibrant dishes that benefit local Appalachia. Owned and operated by Mohsin and Katlin Kazmi, this food truck is anything but ordinary. Each dish is curated to combine the comforting elements of the foods Katlin and Mohsin grew up with as kids. Learn more: https://www.thepakalachian.com.

100% of all proceeds benefit Appalachian Sustainable Development.

Agroforestry Farm Tour Series - Stop #2
2024-05-31 09:30 - 13:30 | 2857 Fox Chapel Road, Duffield, VA 24244, 2857 Fox Chapel Road, Duffield, Virginia, 24244, United States
Join us for stop #2 on our 2024 Agroforestry Farm Tour, as we visit Appalachian Cove Farm in Duffield.

Come learn about integrated agroforestry practices from ethnobotanist and forest farmer, Dr. Ryan Huish. Ryan has applied his research interests in botany and sociocultural anthropology to his home and farm, where he and his family practice forest farming, silvopasture, alley cropping, multifunctional riparian buffer zones, indigenous plant agriculture, and animal husbandry (kunekune pigs, small ruminants, cattle, chickens, and guardian dogs). He has used NRCS cost-shares to develop a diverse agroforestry landscape. As an associate professor of biology at UVA-Wise, Ryan and colleagues completed an NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant to expand agroforestry in Appalachia. His family will provide live music and light refreshments. Max capacity: 25.

Learn more and register here.

Management Intensive Grazing with Trevor Hansard
2024-06-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Virginia
Red Tail Grove is a 10-acre regenerative farm with a focus on multi-species intensive grazing and market gardening. They are entering year two of the business, and year three of farming. Grass-fed lamb, organic eggs, various veg, and some cut flowers. Their products are produced utilizing intensively managed grazing practices that produce high-quality meat and eggs, while simultaneously improving the soil and pasture vegetation.

Intensive Grazing also dramatically reduces overhead costs (permanent fencing, tractors, meds, feed, etc. all unnecessary), improves soil/plants over time (which leads to increased stocking rates), promotes pasture diversity (aesthetically attractive, good for native birds/insect species).

They sell their products direct to consumer, to businesses/restaurants, and will be at the Abingdon Farmer’s Market in 2023 with greatly expanded veg/flower production going into the Spring. Additionally, Red Trail Grove will have egg-producing hens the entire year (started them as chicks last spring), and should actually have lamb in a couple months (which will provide their first animals to sale).

The cost is $10/class or $50/all 8 classes. It is available for free to military veterans, but also available for free to anyone interested in trading the cost for 8 volunteer hours.

Click here to register.

Tazewell Garden Party @ the Growing Together Community Garden
2024-06-21 16:00 - 18:00 | Virginia
Stop by the Growing Together Community Garden on June 21 from 4-6 for a bit of food, fun, and games for everyone. We’re hosting this event to share all the programs and services ASD offers to farmers and gardeners of any level, and to the community through training, education, and food donations. Tour the garden, stop by our info tables, visit with other community members, and play a few games.

You can RSVP on our Facebook event here.

GYO Workshop: Food Preservation - Tazewell County
2024-06-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Virginia
Join us June 24 (6 pm) at the Tazewell County Public Library (Bluefield Branch) for our Food Preservation Grow Your Own Workshop.

Associate Professor Ryan Dorkoski will join us for an exciting evening about… pickles! Ryan is a pro when it comes to fermentation. He will explain the science behind it, and provide some samples of his own creations. He will even help us make our own pickles to take home!

Email mbradley@asdevelop.org to save your spot.

FOREST FARMING AT SHADE TREE VALLEY
2024-06-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Virginia
Join us on ​Thursday, June ​27th at Shade Tree Valley, a small family forest farm outside of Broadway, VA. Shade Tree focuses on forest-grown products, ranging from slow-growing woodland botanicals to fire starters and smoke blocks for the grill. The Powers family will give us a site tour and discuss their methods for establishing and growing woodland botanicals, including goldenseal, ramps, and ginseng. We’ll also discuss their decision to focus on Agroforestry in general and how the grilling and smoking product line has come about and what it takes to manage that in the woodland. Bring sturdy shoes and a “dare to be different” attitude as we think outside the box and enjoy a morning together in the woods.

This workshop is free but registration is required. Click this link to register.

GYO Workshop: Food Preservation - Washington County
2024-06-27 17:00 - 20:00 | Virginia
Join us June 27 (5-8 pm) at Pleasant View Methodist Church, for our Food Preservation Grow Your Own Workshop.

Andrea Haubner from Virginia Cooperative Extension Services will teach us how to can preserves and vegetables.

Space is limited in the kitchen area (to make and take home the preserves) – it is reserved for Grow Your Own participants. There is space for others to come and learn, though! Email mbradley@asdevelop.org to save your spot.

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES With JUSTEN DICK
2024-07-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Virginia
Integrating operations is key to incremental success in farming. Farms aren’t about single product lines, but about how you can design your operations to support each other and build your assets (and soils) for the long haul. Shift away from extractive farming methods and focus on long-term success.

At Kelly Ridge, Justen will discuss their experience (both successes and failures) with building synergy in farm operations. Topics under discussion will include livestock (pigs, sheep, horses, chickens), alternative feeds, composting, pasture maintenance, kid rearing, specialty crops (such as hops), integrated processing services, fertigation, and more.

The cost is $10/class or $50/all 8 classes. It is available for free to military veterans, but also available for free to anyone interested in trading the cost for 8 volunteer hours.

You can register here.

FOREST BOTANICALS AND MAPLE SYRUP PRODUCTION AT LAUREL FORK SAPSUCKERS
2024-07-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Virginia
Laurel Fork Sapsuckers Sugar Camp is tucked away in the western part of Virginia, high in the Appalachian Mountains at 4,108 feet. This 600-acre mountain farm was purchased by the family in 1957 and has provided shelter, heat, food and decades of outdoor fun and recreation for five generations. The property contains a portion of the headwaters of the Laurel Fork stream, which is a native brook trout area that flows through the George Washington National Forest. It is also home to a high elevation cove forest, which contains native red spruce trees. Forest management and sustainability are extremely important to the family, who are proud members of the American Tree Farm System, and were awarded the 2019 Virginia Tree Farm of the Year.

The farm produces maple syrup, shiitake mushrooms, ramps, elderberry and ginseng. Current projects include creating migratory bird habitat through specifically designated timber harvests, planting non-timber forest products in the understory of more mature trees, establishing wild leeks (ramps) in wet drainages, and planting heirloom apple and pear trees to maintain the original fruit orchard.

This event is free, but registration is required. Click this link to register.

GYO Workshop: Heart-Healthy Cooking- Washington County
2024-07-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Virginia
Join us July 18 (6-7:30 pm) at the ASD Greenhouse for our Heart-Healthy Cooking Grow Your Own Workshop.

Gerontologist Frances Bale will bring some delicious dinner and talk about the effects of what we eat on our bodies – specifically, on our hearts! We will talk about nutrition in backyard gardening and attendees will leave with some great recipes to try at home (and full bellies).

Email mbradley@asdevelop.org to save your spot.

TN Agrability Project/UT Gardens Veterans Horticultural Therapy Workshop
2024-07-20 08:30 - 14:30 | Virginia
This 6-hour workshop is designed for current military personnel, veterans and spouses. Research shows that exposure to nature and gardening has been shown to improve mental health outcomes for veterans. This workshop will explore the following:

1. Career options for veterans and opportunities to learn about how TN AgrAbility Project can assist veterans.

2. Hands-on gardening/horticulture activities that can help assist veterans when starting a career in horticulture/agriculture.

3. Opportunities to network with other veterans with similar interests.

Learn more and register.

Beekeeping with Steve Payne and Chad Overhold
2024-07-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Virginia
Begin in the Farm Clubhouse, where Steve and Chad will describe how to start your own apiary and then move to the apiary and open a hive (extra protective suits are available). The hope is to convince participants that this is hard, interesting, lots of fun, and well worth doing.

You will learn about how to connect with other beekeepers, learn more, and develop a support team. Steve’s beekeeper and good friend, Chad, will assist him. “He knows a lot more than I do,” says Steve. If you are interested in starting your own hive, Chad and Steve will gladly assist; however, you will need to wait until next spring, when they typically start new hives.

The cost is $10/class or $50/all 8 classes. It is available for free to military veterans, but also available for free to anyone interested in trading the cost for 8 volunteer hours.

Click here to register.

GYO Workshop: Heart-Healthy Cooking - Tazewell County
2024-07-30 18:00 - 19:30 | Virginia
Join us July 30 (6-7:30 pm) at the Tazewell County Public Library (Bluefield Branch) for our Heart-Healthy Cooking Grow Your Own Workshop.

Gerontologist Frances Bale will bring some delicious dinner and talk about the effects of what we eat on our bodies – specifically, on our hearts! We will talk about nutrition in backyard gardening and attendees will leave with some great recipes to try at home (and full bellies).

Email mbradley@asdevelop.org to save your spot.

Apple Orchards with Tom McMullen
2024-08-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Virginia
Visit Tumbling Creek Cider Company’s expanding orchards to learn about cider apple varieties, propagation, planting, maintenance, and how to re-establish the apple industry in our region.

We’ll tour the Old Orchard where we are rejuvenating 50-year-old trees and have planted many 3-year-old trees, the New Orchard as a high-density trellised system, and the tree nursery. The tour will end at the cider barn to sample some of our hard cider.

The cost is $10/class or $50/all 8 classes. It is available for free to military veterans, but also available for free to anyone interested in trading the cost for 8 volunteer hours. For more information click the ticket link above.

Click here to register.

OPENING CELEBRATION FOR THE FOREST BOTANICALS "STORYWALK TRAIL"
2024-08-18 14:00 - 17:00 | Virginia
Join us for this grand opening celebration of the Forest Botanicals Storywalk Trail at Flag Rock Recreation Area, to be held the closing day of the High Knob Outdoor Fest in Norton, VA. The celebration will include two trail walks, plus forest farming demonstrations, giveaways, native plant sales, herbal arts and crafts, food, and more!

About the Storywalk:

The 2-mile Storywalk loop consists of 10 interpretive signs placed along the Twisted Forest and Lake Lake Show trails at Flag Rock Recreation Area. Each sign details a different aspect of Appalachian forest herbs, celebrating their cultural, historical, medicinal, and economic importance to a diversity of people, stretching from pre-colonization to today.

Celebration Location:

The main event will be held at the Shelter Trailhead picnic shelters at Flag Rock Recreation Area in Norton, VA. Parking is extremely limited here and reserved for vendors and musicians. Visitors should instead park at the Norton Reservoir Trailhead. A shuttle service will be available to take people to and from the Norton Reservoir Trailhead parking area (where the Storywalk Trail begins and ends and overflow parking is located) to the Shelter Trailhead picnic shelters (where vendors, live music jam, and food truck will be). Use this pin for directions to the Norton Reservoir trailhead parking lot: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZanUkAH486cu7zfs5

Guided Storywalk Trail Times:

2:30 pm at the Norton Reservoir Trailhead (shuttle leaves Shelter Trailhead parking area at 2:20 pm)

4:00 pm (shuttle leaves Shelter Trailhead parking area at 3:50 pm)

Guided Storywalk Trail – Starting Location:

Each walk will begin and end at the Norton Reservoir Trailhead, starting with the Twisted Forest Trail at the Reservoir Trail and returning via Lake Lake Show. This 2-mile loop is a “novice” trail. Shuttle services will be available from the Shelter Trailhead.

View the Event Flyer

Vendors

We are excited to welcome the following vendors to celebrate the treasure of biodiversity in the Appalachian forests through educational resources and herbal products, food, arts, crafts, and more!

The Oak and Holly, Natural Healing

Appalachian Sustainable Development

American Chestnut Foundation

Pollinator Rare Plants

Creasy Jane’s Herbal Remedies

Rogers Metals

Appalachian Teas & Botanicals

Mushy Stuff

Madi Bop Shop

Important Links:

View the event on Facebook

View the High Knob Outdoor Fest website

More about the Forest Botanicals Region Living Monument project

Monument Partners

The Storywalk Trail is part of the up and coming Forest Botanicals Region Living Monument, which seeks to highlight the cultural, historical, ecological, and economic significance of the region’s abundant understory of native medicinal herbs and forest foods. Professors Shannon Bell and John Munsell from Virginia Tech are collaborating with Appalachian Sustainable Development, forest botanicals practitioners, members of the community, and the City of Norton, Virginia, to create this living monument and sanctuary at High Knob.

FOREST FARMING WITH RYAN HUISH
2024-08-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Virginia
If you are interested in getting back to your Appalachian roots, what better way to do that than Forest Farming?

Ryan and his family have been gardening/farming for several decades at various places. At their current location, they steward a forest farm (growing edible, medicinal, and handicraft plants), and practice permaculture, no-till, animal rotation, and alley cropping. They also raise dairy goats, chickens, pigs, cows, and livestock guardian dogs. Sustainable agriculture and native food/medicine plants could be considered their specialty.

During this class, students can expect to learn about this specialty as well as funding sources to begin this important work.

The cost is $10/class or $50/all 8 classes. It is available for free to military veterans, but also available for free to anyone interested in trading the cost for 8 volunteer hours. For more information click the ticket link above.

Click here to register.

GYO Workshop: Season Extension - Tazewell County
2024-08-26 18:00 - 19:30 | Virginia
Join us on August 26 (6-7:30 pm) at the Four Seasons YMCA Tazewell Community Garden for our Season Extension Grow Your Own Workshop.

Attendees will learn about season extension by doing season extension at the Four Seasons YMCA Community Garden! They will learn about various season extension methods that can be used to grow year-round​. This is perfectly timed for people to start a fall garden, so they won’t want to miss out. They will be instructed by David Gabbert from our Groundwork program.

Email mbradley@asdevelop.org to reserve your spot.

GYO Workshop: Season Extension - Washington County
2024-08-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Virginia
Join us on August 29 (6-7:30 pm) at the Faith in Action Community Garden for our Season Extension Grow Your Own Workshop.

Attendees will learn about season extension by doing season extension at the Faith in Action Community Garden! They will learn about various season extension methods that can be used to grow year-round​! This is perfectly timed for people to start a fall garden, so they won’t want to miss out.

Email mbradley@asdevelop.org to reserve your spot.

SILVOPASTURE AT THE FARM AT WILLOW RUN
2024-09-18 10:00 - 12:00 | Virginia
Join us in Harrisonburg, VA at The Farm at Willow Run, where we’ll be discussing Silvopasture systems, the importance of genetic repositories, and cooperative land management. We’ll begin with a short discussion followed by a walking tour and conversation about this unique system.

The Farm at Willow Run is a 40-acre parcel owned by, and adjacent to, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community. The goal of the farm is to produce healthy, sustainably grown food to feed and nourish our local community and provide equitable community access to learn and experience food and farming systems. The silvopasture at Willow Run was installed over the last several years as a part of the Catalyzing Agroforestry Grant Program and is a great opportunity to learn about silvopasture establishment and see a young project. They’ve got many lessons to share from the fledgling phase of this system. We’ll also discuss the atypical land access model at the farm and the opportunity this has created for community-based agroforestry to thrive.

This event is free, but registration is required. Click this link to register.
