We have a LOAD of fabulous classes coming up this fall!

First our awesome DIY Herbal Medicine with Lynn, our favorite "herbologist"...

September 10 , Make Your Own Herbal Medicine $50 1.00-2:30 pm, $50. If you are interested in making your own herbal remedies, this is the class for you. Herbs to help with colds, allergies, getting to sleep and fatigue, will be available for you to mix and match and make your own special blend to suit your specific needs. Meet the herbs in their fresh and/or dried forms. The class includes all the necessary equipment for you to take home a pint of your own concoction. Learn what master herbalists around the country are using for which ailments. Class taught by Lynn Parkey, herbalist and reiki practitioner.

Then, some craziness with the lovely Zan Asha!


September 17 - Beginning Organic Beekeeping 101 11:00-1:30

Learn the basic principles of natural beekeeping as based on the principles of Zan Asha’s WWII era grandfather, before chemicals were even invented for the home or the fields! Chemical-free beekeeping uses the natural social behaviors of the bees in order to best serve them. You will learn: basic bee social structure, basic equipment and setup of hives, chemical free management of diseases and pests and natural problem solving. Take this class now and be WAY ready for your Springtime beekeeping adventures! $50 early registration/$60 at the door. Class taught by Zan Asha of The Renegade Farmer, class held at Prairieland Herbs - please register online here: http://therenegadefarmer.com/?p=2979

September 17 - Beginning Organic Beekeeping 102 2:00-3:30 For the more advanced beekeeper, and for those who have taken 101 classes, this is the class for you. Still utilizing all natural, humane beekeeping practices, we will discuss more advanced beekeeping techniques including swarm capture and prevention, hive splitting, honey harvesting, varietal honey making, humane use of bees for commercial gain, and WINTERIZING your bees. If you have any questions or problems you are experiencing with your hives, please feel free to bring them to this class as well, and Zan will do her best to answer them! Class taught by Zan Asha of The Renegade Farmer, held at Prairieland Herbs - please register online here: http://therenegadefarmer.com/?p=2979

October 1, DIY Herbal Tea Blending $30 1.00-2:30 pm $35. Herbal Tea Lovers Unite!! Come make your own blend of herbal tea! Make infusions of 20+ herbs and decide for yourself what you like best! The best part is you get to take home your favorite!! YUM!!! Class taught by Lynn Parkey, herbalist and reiki practitioner.

October 15 - Dyeing with Indigo - $35 1-4 PM The Japanese word Shibori means “to fold” or “to crumple.” The technique has been used for centuries to create unique color patterns on fabrics and fibers. Indigo is a common dye plant famous for producing beautiful shades of blue and purple, most famous as the coloring agent used in blue jeans. In this workshop, we’ll put some contemporary twists on ancient Shibori methods and use modern, pre-reduced natural indigo to create unique patterns and textures. Each participant will learn the technique of dyeing with indigo, practice a variety of Shibori tie-ups and manipulations, and take home a one-of-a-kind hand-dyed t-shirt.

No previous dye experience is needed. Bring an old shirt or apron to wear in class – these dyes are permanent!

Sign up for these classes by following this link!

We are all a-buzz about bees!

Next Saturday, April 30, Zan Asha of The Renegade Farmer will be here - from THE BRONX, folks - to teach us natural beekeeping!

This is going to be a GREAT class, chock-full of information you won't find elsewhere. Zan is a third-generation beekeeper, and uses techniques her grandfather used! She has extensive experience in urban beekeeping. It is going to be an AMAZING class.

Please note - you do not need a farm to keep bees. You do not need a lot of special equpment, and given the yield, it does not cost a lot. Urban beekeepers are welcome to this class! It's a wonderful class for brand-new beekeepers (such as us at Prairieland Herbs), but will also contain helpful information for experience beekeepers interested in learning more natural techniques.

We have negotiated a "package deal" on a basic beekeeping setup with local bee suppliers at Spring Valley Honey Farms. Here's the breakdown:

2 deep hive bodies, assembled and painted
20 frames for deep hive bodies
Screened bottom board
telescoping cover
inner cover
2 honey supers, assembled and painted
20 frames for honey supers
smoker
hive tool

All this for $260.

You can choose to buy the hive bodies & supers unpainted and unassembled, and do that yourself. That option costs $214 total.

The bees cost $75, and he would like if you could reserve your package by today. HOWEVER, if you don't reserve your package, he will still be able to supply you with bees after the class.

Last but not least, you will need some protective clothing; however, the cost on that varies, depending on your comfort level. I chose to go with a simple netted hat and gloves and will wear thick white clothing; you can purchase special bee jackets or even full bee suits. The costs on your protective gear will be $40 for the simplest, and up to over $75 for the full suit. That choice is entirely up to you.


This should be everything you need to keep bees!!! Amazing, right??

If you want to take the class you are in NO WAY obligated to purchase anything from Spring Valley; they are just a local option and Curt and Connie have been very helpful to us and have everything needed to get going in beekeeping. Curt also mentioned that the smoker he offered is the most expensive on the market; he said that is because he feels it is the best, and therefore the only one he wants to sell. However he was very clear that you could easily order a cheaper smoker for elsewhere if budget was a concern, so I am passing that information on to you as well.

There are still spaces in the class, we would love to have you come! Please register here if you are interested.

Feel free to contact Spring Valley Honey Farm at (515)480-6076 if you would like to chat with them about gear, or order your supplies. They are located just past Perry on highway 141.

Here are some fun pictures from last Saturday's pastamaking class. I think everyone had a really good time!!

Terri is teaching our pastamaking class this Saturday, and she sent me these pictures...these are the class samples - YES you will get to taste these in class!! You'll learn to make pasta using an inexpensive pasta machine (I find them at garage sales all the time for $10), simple ingredients (eggs, flour, salt, oil), and very little time. Terri has LOADS of recipes for yummy pasta sauces too. Fresh homemade pasta freezes beautifully and cooks in literally minutes. You could also dry it and use it to make wonderful holiday gifts. You will make regular pasta, angel hair pasta, and ravioli. Still a few spaces available, grab a friend and register here!

Our wonderfully talented friend Angie is teaching a papermaking class at Prairieland Herbs, Saturday, September 11, from 1-3! She took some wonderful pictures of the process. I think it's so amazing to take JUNK MAIL, and turn it into something useful and beautiful! And have fun and be creative at the same time.


This class is going to be a lot of fun - we'll play with adding dried herbs and flowers, maybe some natural colorants, and even animal fibers, to add texture and interest to the paper. Angie is a creative genius, and super-friendly. Fun is guaranteed. :)





Also you get to take your paper-making screen (provided in class) home with you, so you can make more paper at home!




If you're interested in this class, please register online!

Just some pictures from our Freezer Jams class on Saturday. It was a really fun class, I'd do it again next year! (or in the winter, if there is enough interest...). We made Ginger-grape jelly, Blueberry jam (with option of adding sage or lemon balm), and minted white peach black raspberry jam...using all local fruit and herbs :)

Saturday, July 31 we're going to have a a WONDERFUL class on making Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes. it is not to be missed! Sign up now if you are interested!

Whoo! I can finally post again! Blogger was being dumb and I finaly had time (read: patience) to sit down and figure out how to fix it. Whoo!

So first I'd like to remind you that this Saturday is our FREEZER JAMS class! If you are interested, please register ASAP as I need to know how many people will be attending!
:)

We had 2 celebrities visit the farm, Saturday.

First, the fantastic Miss Effie.....she drove all the way from Eastern Iowa to teach us how to make CHEESE! She taught 12 students how to make mozzarella cheese, then we feasted on 100% made-from-scratch pizzas afterwards. We hope to lure her back with promises of Picket Fence Ice Cream...she teaches a fantastic array of classes on local foods, canning and preserving,and more. It was a fantastic class, and we hope to offer it again in the fall. (Just pick a day, Miss Effie - you have a permanent standing invite to Prairieland Herbs!)

Abby did such a good job blogging it...I suggest you go check out her fantastic post :)

The other celebrity to visit PLH was the infamous CHICKEN HAT!

The chicken hat was made by Claire, and lives with Jill.... but has a life and personality of her own! She has an astounding presence....and inspires people to make very bad puns, apparently :) We are pleased she visited Prairieland Herbs!

Please note: We still have room in this Saturday's Classes - Enchanted Gardens, with Donna, and Natural Home Cleansers, with Maggie. PLUS! We have a FANTASTIC new lineup of classes announced! Sacred Spaces, Freezer Jams, Making and Using 5 Minute Bread Dough, Natural Dyes from the Garden, Sewing 101, Papermaking, and Pressed Flower Cards! Visit our Events Page for more information or to sign up.

FINALLY!!! Spring 2010 classes are on line!!

Learn to make this gorgeous beaded ring with local artist Sandra Thompson!


Or, how about a gorgeous gemstone pendant? Tracy Barton-Rouse of Compassionate Creations is teaching about the properties of the stones, and how to make beautiful gemstone pendants like this one.

You more of a foody type? Learn how to make homemade, yummy, ooey-gooey delicious mozzarella cheese, with the fantastic Miss Effie! (We will make and eat 100% homemade pizza at the end of class, and you'll take home a half pound of your own homemade mozzarella!)

Or, learn to make soap with KARLA! Make and take home your own TWO POUND BATCH of custom-scented soap!

Or, learn about Enchanted Gardens with Donna, or  Energy First Aid, or Heart Wisdom, with Mary Lea Holcomb! So many fantastic options. Visit our classes and events page to sign up now!

Local folks, you can now buy our goods at Adel Quilt Shop - it's a lovely store, and we're glad to have our items there!
In a couple of housekeeping notes - we have THREE spots left in this Saturday's Hot Process Crock Pot soapmaking class - if you're interested, there's still time to sign up!

For those of you that read the blog regularly, you know my grandpa (Donna's dad) has had some health problems this summer. Well, we are utterly delighted to announce, he has gone through his physical therapy with flying colors and will be returning home THIS FRIDAY! (He was in a local nursing home for physical therapy, after he had a stroke earlier this summer.) We're very excited! There is now a wheelchair acessible entrance to Donna's house, and a few other in-home modifications had to be made, but over all he is great shape and very, very ready to be home. Hurrah!!!!

The Classroom Project!

THose of us who constructed the classroom know what a huge undertaking it was. Here are a few pics - the first ones are from ca. 2001. We had a whole barn full of junk we had to get rid of, then strip the walls down, and break out old concrete.





Next: wiring, plumbing, insulating, doors, windows, heating.


And then for a while it looked like this: Usable, but not exactly tidy or neat.

But THEN, thanks to a generous gift of countertop and cupboards, we got it to look like this!





Neat, huh?? We're pretty pleased. :)

Quick note: Mercury Retrograde struck again, my computer is broken. And I can't update the website until I get it fixed. BUT - our first Soapmaking 101 class is FULL. There are still 5 spaces available in the Nov. 14th class. Sign up soon if you're interested!

Fall 2009 Class Schedule

FINALLY! The website is updated. (I've been a little busy - sorry folks)

September Luxury Soap of the Month is available - Bergamot Mint. YUM!!!!!!!


ALSO our fall class schedule is now available!

Aromatherapy Body Wraps, Healing Touch for Stress Management, Herbs for Cold and Flu Season, THREE Soapmak...ing Classes, and a Sock Knitting Workshop. Sign up now! :)

Spring 2009 Prairieland Herbs class schedule is announced!

Want to learn to make soap?
Or perhaps do some rust-dyeing?

Make Shea Butter Moisturizers?

Or perhaps enjoy some mother-daughter fun, making bath salts?


Register online for these classes - and more!

Just a quick note for local folks - check out the great free (or very low cost) programs offered by our local County Conservation office. I'm continually astounded by the wonderful programs they have! Want to learn about owls, how to do fly-tying, cross-country ski, compost with worms, or build bluebird houses? Dallas County Conservation has it all!

And the folks at Polk County Conservation are offering snow-shoeing, ice fishing, day trips, night hikes, and much more!

Check out your local County Conservation office to see what fantastic opportunities are available in your area!