I had the opportunity to attend the 2011 Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs PA this past weekend. It was a great event that I’ll add to my rotation of annual gardening shows and will definitely be recommending to others.
There was a flurry of activity with over a dozen stages running concurrent workshops from 10 am to 7 pm on Saturday, and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. In addition to the workshops and lectures there were plenty of exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, crafts, music performances, nutritious food, and fun activities for the kids.
Among the conference’s keynote speakers were; Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, Bryan Welch of Ogden Publications, Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet, Jerry DeWitt from the National Center for Appropriate Technology, and Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg, authors of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
A Rundown of Fair Workshop Topics and Lectures
The areas of interest and education for the Mother Earth News Fair included organic gardening, renewable energy, healthy cooking and eating, sustainable agriculture, food preservation, natural health and first aid, small-scale livestock management, food security, emergency preparedness, and various environmental topics.
Specific workshops geared towards the organic vegetable gardener featured:
- Harvesting and Storing Herbs
- Seed Saving in Your Own Garden
- Fall and Winter Growing Techniques
- Sustainable Backyard Beekeeping
- Innovative Composting Strategies
- Starting New Vegetable Gardens
- Space Saving Gardening Ideas
Sharing Lessons and New Discoveries from the Mother Earth Fair
The speakers were excellent and shared their own personal experiences and perspectives during the workshops and lectures. Ah-Ha moments for me included the realization of how chickens can enhance the sustainability of a garden or community, and a revelation of just how far the nutritional profiles of foods that we are consuming have declined.
Mother Earth News provided me with a behind the scenes access and the opportunity to interview many of the workshop speakers. I’m going through my notes and during October will post a series of articles here related to those conversations and the breakout sessions that I attended. Until then here are a few photos to share some of the experiences from the Mother Earth News Fair:
David Tracey: Urban Agriculture Workshop
Fiber Craft Demonstration
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Stage
Pat Foreman: The Chicken Whisperer
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