Canning Jam and Flower Arranging Workshops

There is no better time than the summer season to learn how to healthfully and safely utilize the many local fruits, veggies, herbs, and flowers available at the farmers markets, pick-your-own farms, and maybe even your own backyard. Wright-Locke Farm has a wide range of workshops this month that showcase how to find and prepare these seasonal items to enjoy with family and friends, or on your own!

Next week, the farm is hosting its Canning Jams and Sweet Preserves Workshop on Tuesday, August 29 from 6:30 - 8:30pm. Join Education Director Rebekah Carter to learn how to safely prepare and can homemade jams, jellies, whole and half fruits, and other sweet preserves using the hot water bath canning method. Featured topics to be covered include selecting the best ingredients, necessary canning equipment, sweet preserve making techniques, and proper canning procedures that ensure a safe shelf-stable end product. Each participant will help make and take home a jar of raspberry plum jam to enjoy.

If you are more interested in learning how to make beautiful bouquets, consider joining the farm for its Summer Flower Arranging Workshop with Ruth Trimarchi on Wednesday, August 30 from 6:30 - 8pm. There are limited spots in this workshop, so don't delay registration! Each participant will create their own unique bouquet using seasonal flowers grown from seed at the farm. These local and sustainably-sourced flowers are likely to include strawflowers, amaranth, orlaya, larkspur, ageratum, bupleurum, ami, statice, celosia, pincushion, asters, salvia, sorghum, bells of Ireland, zinnias, hydrangea, herbs, cosmos or marigolds among others. Weather permitting, the workshop will start with a tour of the flower fields and perhaps some foraging for wildflowers; a brief video; and then Ruth will guide participants in making their own flower arrangement to take home and enjoy.

For more information on the farm, including its education programs, events, and volunteer opportunities, visit our website: www.WLFarm.org