Urine My Garden with the Rich Earth Institute

Urine My Garden: Why & How to Peecycle at Home

This webinar, hosted in partnership with the Rich Earth Institute covers why & how to fertilize your garden with urine. Reclaiming urine as a fertilizer is a safe and simple practice that gardeners everywhere can learn to reclaim “waste” as a resource, access an abundance of free fertilizer, and prevent downstream pollution. The presentation covers step-by-step instructions for fertilizing with urine in home gardens, informed by Rich Earth’s agricultural and social research. It introduces Rich Earth’s Home Gardening Guide and concludes with inviting participants to contribute to Rich Earth’s Community Science Survey. We will give a brief presentation and then have time for discussion for you to share your experiences and questions. Lake Champlain Basin residents can order a free peecycling kit for urine collection after the workshop. 

Why Peecycle? 

Human urine contains vital plant nutrients. When flushed, urine wastes precious potable water and can contribute to downstream nutrient pollution. But when urine is reclaimed as a fertilizer, it can be used to grow more food, thereby completing the local food nutrient cycle. The Rich Earth Institute is a nonprofit based in Brattleboro, VT and has been demonstrating urine nutrient reclamation for over a decade (as featured in the New York Times). Together, we can pee the change we need! 

FREE. ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Please visit this link to register. 

Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms

Join Herbalist Julie Mitchell from Eos Botanicals for a DIY, hands-on workshop that introduces participants to a few low-barrier ways to cultivate culinary mushrooms! Each participant will learn techniques to successfully grow wine cap mushrooms in perennial beds at home and engage in a hands-on process of creating an indoor oyster mushroom fruiting kit. Medicinal mushrooms will be touched on as well, with suggestions on how to incorporate them easily and when appropriate, or for daily use. Please note that masks will be required for this class, per instructor’s request.

Julie Mitchell is an educator, gardener, and herbalist who lives in Monkton, VT. She is the founder and owner of Eos Botanicals. The art and the science of being an herbalist have been a compelling force in her life for over 30 years. We have been lucky to have her teach workshops for the Co-op as part of our Co-op Classes at the Hannaford Career Center, including this exciting class! She is a gardener, wildcrafter, herbal product manufacturer, and herbal/health consultant, all with the intention to further both the health of the individual, as well as the health of the environment.

Advance registration is required. Please register at least one week in advance. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All Program. To register, email Denise at the Hannaford Career Center (dsenesac@pahcc.org) or call (802) 382-1004. 

Spring Ephemeral Exploration

Join Vermont Master Naturalist Ali Zimmer for an ephemeral exploration and a walk on the wild (flower) side. Enjoy discovering various spring herbaceous plants in a medley of learning including identification, history, medicinal and culinary uses as well as some folklore of the plants that call the fields, woods, and river side of Wright park home.

Ali is a VT native, naturalist, and outdoor enthusiast whose fascination with plants is linked to a deeper desire to find meaning and connection with place and the greater natural world as well as health (our own as well as the living world around us.) Ali enjoyed participating in the Vermont Master Naturalist program as well as numerous herbal studies and courses and has over a decade of experience leading various wild adventures (walks/ talks/demonstrations).

Advance registration is required. Please register at least one week in advance. Classes are capped at 15 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All Program. To register, email Denise at the Hannaford Career Center (dsenesac@pahcc.org) or call (802) 382-1004. 

On the Cusp: Ayurvedic Seasonal Transition

Ayurveda is a health care system that follows the cycles of nature as a way to stay healthy. During winter, the predominant elements building in our bodies and minds are water and earth. As it starts to warm up, this accumulation begins to liquefy and move, making us more susceptible to colds and allergies. Seasonal transitions also activate more air and ether elements which are responsible for movement, circulation, and the health of our nervous system. Join Jen Peterson for a discussion and exploration of the 6 tastes in Ayurveda and how we can nourish ourselves with specific food to help detoxify our channels and calm the nervous system and feel fantastic on the cusp of Spring.  

Jen Peterson is an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, experienced Yoga Teacher, and Reiki Practitioner living in Bristol, VT. Her business, Yoga Grace offers individual sessions, group classes, and workshops using the powerful tools of Yoga and Ayurveda to help you heal yourself and thrive. 

Advance registration is required. Please register at least one week in advance. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All Program. To register, email Denise at the Hannaford Career Center (dsenesac@pahcc.org) or call (802) 382-1004. 

Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine

Join James Beard semifinalist chef Alganesh Michael of A Taste of Abyssinia in this hands-on class where we’ll explore Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine! Chef Michael takes pride in cooking & serving food in a traditional way using simple techniques and authentic ingredients, relying on a diverse range of herbs and roots to develop characteristics quintessential to the cuisine. We’ll prepare a few dishes and enjoy them in the traditional family style with Injera. 

Originally from Eritrea, located in the horn of Africa, Alganesh Michael now resides in South Burlington with her husband and two daughters. Michael describes herself as a former nurse turned homemaker for the last 16 years. Although not a chef by trade, she loves to cook and entertain. She has been collaborating with many Chittenden and Addison County restaurants, schools, and communities for over the past 6 years, popularizing Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine in the Lake Champlain region of Vermont.  Most recently she began offering weekly takeout dinners from The Mill Market & Deli in South Burlington. Additionally, she teaches cooking classes, hosts parties, and caters private events of any size.

Advance registration is required. Please register at least one week in advance. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All Program. To register, email Denise at the Hannaford Career Center (dsenesac@pahcc.org) or call (802) 382-1004. 

Zero Waste Strategies

Solving the world’s waste problem isn’t a quick or easy fix, but there are still plenty of ways that we can support positive change. Join Ben Kogan of Reusable Solutions in this empowering conversation where we’ll explore opportunities to reduce our personal impact on this planetary problem. We’ll learn more about the path an item takes when we throw it “away” or recycle it, we’ll hear about circular systems of reuse, and we’ll brainstorm swaps to reduce the number of items in need of disposal. Come with your questions and ideas, leave with a free reusable utensil set and a renewed commitment to a zero-waste lifestyle!

Ben Kogan is the Founder of Reusable Solutions, a sustainability consulting company focused on eradicating single-use plastic, breaking free from fossil fuels, and transitioning us to a circular economy. The company was started in 2020 and it houses various sustainability projects. Some of those include: organizing Imagine Zero: an aspiring zero carbon and zero waste music festival scheduled for May 13 2023, establishing the VT Can Carrier Reuse Program, and most relevant to this event, giving educational talks about Zero Waste. He lives in Woodstock, Vermont with his wife and son.

Advance registration is required. Please register at least one week in advance. This class is capped at 20 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All Program. To register, email Denise at the Hannaford Career Center (dsenesac@pahcc.org) or call (802) 382-1004. 

Parsi and Indian Subcontinental Cuisine

Delna’s journey from India to California to Singapore to New York and, finally, to Vermont, has given her vast experience to understand different global cuisine. She seeks to share with her Vermont community the rich heritage of Parsi cuisine, which evolved from Persian cuisine, and Indian subcontinental cuisine, which is diverse and not just limited to the widely popular North Indian food in America. Join Delna in this hands-on class where we’ll prepare a few of her favorites. Delna’s approach to home-style cooking centers fun and creativity while building kitchen confidence with basic knowledge, simple techniques, and local ingredients!

Delna Khambatta is the founder/owner of Delna’s Kitchen, located in Williston, VT, where she prepares ready-to-eat frozen meals inspired by her rich cultural heritage. She grew up in the predominantly vegetarian state of Gujarat but enjoys cooking all regional cuisine. Historically, the Parsis descended from Persian Zoroastrians who migrated to India in the 7th century AD after Arabs invaded Persia. Thus, you can taste the influence of other Indian subcontinental cuisine, given the adoption of local ingredients and spices. When she isn’t cooking up meals to stock the shelves at Co-ops and other local retailers, Delna enjoys culinary teaching, catering, hosting pop-up kitchens, and making pottery. She enjoys adding creative twists to traditional family recipes, substituting local and plant-based ingredients whenever possible. Her culinary instruction focuses on home-style Indian regional cuisine, which is balanced and very different than what is typically served in Indian restaurants in America. Her style of cooking is easy and simple to follow, focusing on simple techniques and inspired by local ingredients.
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Advance registration is required. Please register at least one week in advance. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. All classes are $30, or FREE for members of the Co-op’s Food For All Program. To register, email Denise at the Hannaford Career Center (dsenesac@pahcc.org) or call (802) 382-1004.