PRESENTATION TOPICS - Speaking

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Perennials are not only beautiful and long-living, but many are edible. In this presentation, we’ll cover some of the well known common edibles and introduce you to a few “not so common” ones, you might be surprised to discover. Learn how to enjoy beauty and bounty from the same space and plants with examples and pictures from Home Oasis Farm west of Chippewa Falls.

Are you interested in having chickens but have some questions? This presentation is designed to set you up for success. We’ll cover terms, classifications, breeds, housing, care and more to help you determine “if” and “which ones” are best for you! I have been raising chickens (egg and meat) for over 20 years. I enjoy sharing my successes and not-so-successful learning adventures to help others along their way.

 Oyster Mushroom

Make and take an oyster mushroom toilet paper roll.

Shiitake Mushroom

Inoculate a 12" shiitake log to take. 

Mid-winter our family begins preparations for syrup season.  We often have 4 generations working together while making our “liquid gold.” Our mid-sized maple syrup operation is a combination of the old and the new. We still individually collect from each tree and use a wood fire to heat our stainless-steel evaporator. This presentation shows our process while offering options to modernize or scale down production to meet your needs. We affectionately call ourselves “syrup snobs” because after making your own maple syrup; no other syrup compares. 

In this educational presentation, we will explore the benefits of chickens for you and your garden.  We'll cover nitrogen, compost, and waste management along with helpful tips on housing and the best breeds for different purposes and locations. With over 20 years of  'chicken raising' experience, I like most all things chicken. I'll share some of my successes and failures, to hopefully keep you from repeating my mistakes. 

I began growing Wine Cap mushrooms after purchasing some at an organic farm conference. I like eating mushrooms, so why not try growing them myself? The bug has bitten and I've continued to venture into Shiitake, Oyster, and recently Maitake mushrooms. In this talk, we'll learn about "beginner" mushroom varieties along with their preferred substrates and discuss some do's and dont's to help you along the way.  Be forewarned, mushroom growing can be addicting.

Fermentation can be good for preserving, flavor, probiotics, and other nutritional benefits.  What can be safely fermented?  Let's check and learn together.  I enjoy fermenting various vegetables and making my own Kombucha.  A Kombucha starter SCOBIE, recipe and instructions can be part of this presentation.

Thank you for the scobie.  I had been meaning to start a batch of kombucha but was not sure where to get a quality scobie from.  Now no excuses...and my batch has been started.  So thank you so much.

 Thank you for the excellent talk on edible perennials yesterday!  Frankie   

Thank you so much.  Really enjoyed your talk!  Donna

 Hi Dora... I loved your presentation for our Ozaukee Master Gardeners virtual meeting.   Jenna
 

Thank you also for the mushroom presentation.  I'm glad I was able to participate.

 Thank you, Dora!!  Your presentation was wonderful!!   Barb