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Powell River, BC
Multiple Sunday afternoons Jan 12 to Mar 22, at Sycamore Commons (Townsite Anglican Church) and other Powell River locations.

This series of workshops, classes and demos covers a variety of homesteading topics including food growing and preservation, baking, and crafts. Many sessions are hands-on and all are taught by local experts. You can attend as many classes as you wish.

UHSPR operates workshops in co-operation with the Sycamore Commons permaculture project and the Skookum Food Provisioners’ Cooperative.

Class Schedule

Date
Sun Jan 12	How to make your own  Dryer Balls (Cancelled)	FULL Beginner Sour Dough
Sun Jan 26	FULL Two-at-a-time Socks using the Magic Loop!	FULL Beginner Sour Dough (repeat 1)
Sun Feb 2	Learn to make Energy Bars
Sun Feb 16	Dye Your own Yarn! (Cancelled)	Soil Basics for Gardeners
Sun Mar 8	Plan your veggie garden, buy your seeds	FULL Beginner Sour Dough (repeat 2)
Sun Mar 22	Cancelled – More With Sourdough	Cancelled – Introduction to Aquaponics

These sessions aim to be zero waste and support local producers. Please help us reduce our carbon footprint by carpooling, biking, walking or using the bus to get to and from the sites.

Location

Most sessions take place at Sycamore Commons at the Townsite Anglican Church, 6310 Sycamore St. Please enter through the rear basement doors. Bus route 1 stops right outside, or across from, the church.

Cost

• Each workshop is individually priced. Materials fees are included in the price.
• Part Scholarships are available – contact Kevin directly: 604 483 9052 or kevin@kevinrwilson.ca
• Work trades are available

Deposit of $20 on registration, please – see registration form

Class Details 

Beginner Sour Dough- yes it really is that easy!

This class is offered three times due to heavy demand: Sun Jan 12 (FULL), Sun Jan 26 (FULL ), Sun Mar 8 (FULL ), all at 2 pm. 

Why not make bread the way it’s been made for eons. Not only is it richer tasting and fun, but it’s also better for our health. Sourdough uses wild yeast from the air to ferment the bread.
We will learn how to take care of our wild yeast starter, how to trouble shoot the stages of making bread and then bake it. We will talk about different flour, different ways to bake, and the benefits of sourdough versus conventional quick yeast breads.
Students will get some starter to take home. Please note that this is the SAME class on all three dates: you only need to sign up for one, not all three.

Cost: $35 includes ingredients
Length: 2 hr
What to bring: Jar to take home starter
Instructor: Kelly Von Bargen
Location:
Jan 12 – Cranberry Community Hall, 6828 Cranberry St
Jan 26 and Mar 8 – Townsite Anglican Church.

How to make Dryer Balls – Cancelled

Sun Jan 12, 2 pm

This class is cancelled due to low registration.

Dryer balls help your clothes dryer work more efficiently, and they can be made entirely from wool scraps instead of new materials. You get the best results with three or more balls. Kevin will demo how to make them and provide plenty of materials for you to make 3 or more balls to take home.

Cost: $30 includes materials
Length: 1.5 hr
What to bring: scrap feltable wool if you like
Instructor: Kevin Wilson
Location: Sycamore Commons

FULL Two-at-a-time Socks using the Magic Loop

Sun Jan 26, 2 pm

If you’ve seen Kevin knitting around town, it was probably socks using this method: two socks at a time using one long circular needle. You can even knit more than two if you like! You’ll get a pair of socks started using toe-up or top-down cast-ons, for you to take home and continue knitting. You should be comfortable casting on, and knitting with a circular needle, to get the most out of this class.

Length: 2 hr
Cost: $30
What to bring: Long (40″ / 100 cm or more) circular needle with a very flexible cord, suitable size for your yarn. Yarn to knit your socks. Check with me if you’re not sure what to bring.
Instructor: Kevin Wilson
Location: Sycamore Commons

Make your own Energy Bars and Balls

Sun Feb 2, 2 pm

Commercial energy bars are expensive! Learn to make your own using your favorite ingredients, local and organic if you like. You’ll  make bars to take home, and get a handout with multiple recipes.

Length: 2 hr
Cost: $40 includes ingredients
What to bring: Food processor (NOT a blender, not even a Vita-Mix: not a mini-food-processor: a good-sized one). Container to take home your goodies.
Instructor: Kevin Wilson
Location: Kevin’s home kitchen in Cranberry

Soil Basics for Gardeners

Sun Feb 16, 2 pm

Growing healthy food starts with growing healthy soil. This class will walk you through the basics of talking and thinking about your soil and give you the basic tools to figure out what management practices are best for your soil type and gardening needs.

Cost: $40
Length: 2.5 hr
What to bring: Note-taking materials
Instructor: Erin Innes
Location: Sycamore Commons

CANCELLED – Dye Your Own Yarn!

Sun Feb 16, 2 pm

You can create amazing colors and combinations like the expensive hand-dyed yarns in the stores! This hands on class will have you dyeing your own protein-based yarn (eg wool, alpaca, silk) using non-toxic dyes. We will cover multiple different dyeing methods and create several sample skeins. Much of the basic information is transferable to using professional acid dyes and natural dyes if you want to progress to that. Yarn for dyeing will be provided, but you may also bring your own if you want to dye a specific type eg sock yarn.

Cost: $40 includes materials
Length: 2 1/2 hours
What to bring: apron, latex or nitrile gloves, wool yarn (in a hank, not a ball) if you wish, waterproof bag(s) to carry yarn home in
Instructor: Kevin Wilson
Location: Sycamore Commons

Plan Your Veggie Garden, Buy Your Seeds

Sun Mar 8, 2 pm

What can I grow? How long will it take? How much space? What goes where? Seeds or plants? Help!

Kevin will cover the process of planning your vegetable garden from the very beginning, and help you answer all those questions and more.  Bring a garden layout with you and decide where to plant what: bring seed catalog(s) and make out your seed order. Some seed catalogs will be available at class. This class will be useful to beginner gardeners and those who have grown a food garden and would like to become more organized and intentional about their growing!

Cost: $35
Length: 2 hr
What to bring: Garden layout, seed catalogs
Instructor: Kevin Wilson
Location: Sycamore Commons

Cancelled – More With Sourdough (Sourdough 2)

Sun Mar 22, 2 pm

You’ve been baking sourdough bread, and have developed a taste for that complex rich flavour. Let’s get wild (with our yeast) and take that sourdough starter to new heights.
We will keep feeding that starter and make sourdough pizza, cinnamon buns, muffins and the best sourdough pancakes ever!
This class is for bakers who are comfortable making bread, understand how to feed a wild yeast starter (levain) and want to break out of the bread tin and into the wild-culture baking world.
If you don’t understand starters and basic bread baking, this isn’t for you.

Cost: $45
Length: 2.5 hours
What to bring: 
Instructor: Kelly Von Bargen
Location: Sycamore Commons

Cancelled – Introduction to Aquaponics – Hydroponics with Added Fish!

Sun Mar 22, 2 pm

Learn the basics of how to set up and maintain an aquaponics system. Whether you want to grow using a fish tank, IBC tote, or a pond this is a great introductory class.

Cost: $30
Length: 1.5 hr
What to bring: TBA
Instructor: Melissa Cain
Location: Sycamore Commons

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Registration

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Please send your registration using the button above, then pay your $20 deposit per workshop using one of these methods:

• Email bank transfer to uhspr-payments@kevinrwilson.ca
• Paypal:
  
• Cash or check (made out to Kevin Wilson): send to or drop off at 5865 Mowat Ave, Powell River, BC, V8A 4C2

Cancellation policy
50% refund up to 2 weeks before
No refund after that but you are welcome to send a substitute

Part scholarships and work trades are available – contact Kevin directly: 604 483 9052 or kevin@kevinrwilson.ca