Shade Your Stream Symposium
2026-06-06 09:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Why Now Matters:
Western North Carolina has always lived close to its water. Storms like Hurricane Helene reminded us how quickly that relationship can turn — leaving eroding banks, damaged buffers, and overwhelmed watersheds across the region.
The Shade Your Stream Symposium was built for this moment.
Whether you’re dealing with active erosion or just want to do right by the creek on your property, the knowledge and the experts are here — and it won’t cost you a thing.

FREE EOV & Ecology Farm Tour with Mikey
2026-06-06 10:00 - 11:30 | Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Road , Fairview , NC, 28730, United States
Join us Friday, June 6 for a free EOV & Ecology Farm Tour led by Mikey Hans-Barrientos. This guided pasture walk offers a closer look at how regenerative farming, animal health, and land stewardship all connect to the food on your plate.
During the tour, guests will explore our grazing system and learn about the four main grasses that make up our pastures, comparing fresh growth with dried forage and discussing the nutritional value each provides for our cattle. Mikey will also share how Hickory Nut Gap fits into the regenerative agriculture movement through Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV), including our role in building one of the largest regenerative grazing data sets in the Eastern United States.
Out in the pasture, members of our farm team will discuss animal wellness, body condition, and how careful management impacts the quality of the meat we raise. The tour will wrap up at the Farm Store & Butchery, where guests will sample the protein discussed in the field and hear about the importance of honoring the whole animal while connecting the journey from farm to plate.
Date: Saturday, June 6th
Time: 10am – 11:30am
Location: Hickory Nut Gap Farm
Cost: FREE
After the tour, guests are welcome to make a day of it—shop the store, explore the grounds, and enjoy the beauty of springtime. We look forward to having you out on the farm!

Campground Open Day
2026-06-07 12:00 - 16:00 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Come See What The Fuss Is About!
On Sunday, June 7th, Winding Stair Campground is throwing open the gates for a free, drop-in Open House at our working farm and campground tucked into the mountains outside Franklin, NC.
Bring a picnic!
It’s the perfect day for some snacks next to the beautiful Nantalaha river.
Take a self-guided tour through our quiet, private campsites, walk the farm, and meet the sheep.
No reservations, no agenda, just a good afternoon outside in one of the most genuinely peaceful corners of Western North Carolina.
Our team will be on-site to answer questions and show you around.
– Explore the campground and find your favorite future site
– Walk the farm and tour the working grist mill
– Meet the Icelandic sheep (they are friendlier than they look)
– Ask us anything about camping, the land, or what makes this place different
– Meet the friendly folks from Fish Tales, showing us some fly-fishing demos beside the river!
Sunday, June 7th, 2026
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Winding Stair Campground
7984 West Old Murphy Road Franklin, NC 28734

Own the Supply Chain: Farmer’s Guide to Microprocessing | Melvin Hill Meats
2026-06-08 14:00 - 15:00 | Online/Virtual
For many livestock producers, the journey from pasture to plate is stalled by the “middleman” bottleneck. Whether you are currently using custom slaughterhouses or are considering building your own facility, understanding the jump to a USDA-inspected operation is the key to scaling your business and serving your community.
Join the Knox Good Food Fund for a technical assistance workshop featuring Craig Taffaro, owner and operator of Melvin Hill Meats. Craig brings a “boots on the ground” perspective, having navigated the complexities of the industry firsthand.
This workshop is designed specifically for cattle and livestock farmers who want to understand the reality of microprocessing—beyond just the theory.
What We’ll Cover:
– The Microprocessing Landscape: A look at the legal framework, regulatory requirements, and what it actually looks like to operate a small-scale facility day-to-day.
– The Leap to USDA Inspection: Moving from “Custom” processing to “USDA-Inspected” is a major milestone. We’ll discuss the growing pains, the documentation requirements (HACCP), and the infrastructure shifts necessary to make the transition.
– Navigating the Bottlenecks: Real-world advice on how to manage throughput and maintain quality.
– Q&A with Craig Taffaro: Get your specific questions answered by someone who has built and managed a successful operation.
Why Attend?
As part of the Knox Good Food Fund’s mission to increase access to healthy, local foods in underserved areas, this workshop aims to empower farmers to build more resilient, localized food systems. By mastering the processing side of the business, you aren’t just increasing your own profit—you are helping to feed our community.
Who Should Attend?
– Cattle, hog, and small ruminant farmers.
– Entrepreneurs interested in starting a micro-processing facility.
– Agricultural advocates and food system stakeholders.

Start Your Regenerative Mushroom Farm Live Webinar (by donation)
2026-06-10 18:00 - 19:30 | Online/Virtual
This live workshop is for people who are serious about exploring mushroom farming as more than a hobby.
In 90 focused minutes, we’ll walk through:
* What a regenerative mushroom farm actually looks like in practice
* How the economics work at a realistic scale
* The phased path from beginner to viable producer
* Where most aspiring growers stall — and how to avoid it
* How to begin part-time while protecting your financial stability
This is not a hype-driven presentation or a quick-fix formula. It’s a grounded overview of how living systems grow — and how farms do too.
Whether you’re currently farming, working full-time elsewhere, or simply exploring your options, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of what’s possible and what it requires.
The workshop is offered by donation (suggested $25), with 50% of proceeds supporting The Center for Native Health.
We look forward to working with you.

The Power of Native Plants
2026-06-13 10:00 - 11:30 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Ornamental Plants look great. No argument there. And yet without native plants in the mix, your garden is missing the plants that local bees, moths & butterflies, salamanders, and songbirds depend on to continue to grow their families for years to come. Plus, you don’t have to choose one or the other. Knowing how to combine them is the fun part!
Adam Bigelow of Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions has spent over two decades walking, studying, and falling in love with the flora of Southern Appalachia. He knows what grows at 3,000 feet, what blooms underneath the hardwoods, and what belongs on your ridge, your slope, and your shaded back corner.
In this class, you’ll cover:
• Why Southern Appalachia is one of the most biodiverse regions in the country and what that means for your property
• Why native plants are so important and their many benefits for you and the local ecosystem that is your garden
• Which native species suit the specific soils, elevations, and rainfall patterns of WNC and North Georgia
• How to ensure you’re planting with your design preferences in mind combined with providing essential food and habitat for our native pollinators
• Common mistakes that quietly undercut the ecological work you’re trying to do
The first half is a talk and slideshow. The second half moves outside for a guided walking tour of the native plant section here at Winding Stair Gardens, where Adam breaks down what each species contributes to the life on your property, including keystone species (the plants that give your pollinator friends the best bang for your buck).
Worth clearing your Saturday morning for.
About Adam Bigelow: A horticulturist, botanist, and self-described “plant nerd” (aka the Joyful Botanist) based in Cullowhee, NC, Adam is the owner of Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions and a planning committee member for the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, the largest of its kind in the country. He brings serious field knowledge with a storytelling style that keeps the whole room leaning in.
All class attendees receive 10% off their entire plant purchase, same day.

Fermentation for Beginners
2026-06-13 10:00 - 12:00 | WNC FoodWorks, 570 Brevard Rd., Unit 9, Asheville, NC, 28806, United States
Join Colleen Queeney of Queeney Foods LLC for a 2 hour Beginner Class on Fermentation. You’ll learn all about how to ferment foods, enjoy tasting different fermented foods and go home with your own jar of personally flavored sauerkraut!
TIME: 10:00am to Noon, Saturday, May 16th, 2026
LOCATION:
570 Brevard Rd, Unit 9, Asheville NC 28806 – WNC Foodworks Training Room (Behind the WNC Farmer’s Market)

Cooking with Herbs Fundraiser
2026-06-13 13:00 - 14:30 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Your kitchen windowsill has been waiting for this.
Cooking with Herbs is a hands-on class built around one simple idea: the best flavors start before you ever turn on the stove. You will plant your own four-herb kitchen garden, learn what each herb does in the kitchen, and leave with recipes to put them to work the same week. And, the planter will look terrific on your kitchen table or on an outside ledge!
This is a fundraiser for Community Care Clinic of Franklin, a free and charitable healthcare clinic serving our community. The $25 class covers the cost of the herbs, soil, planter, etc; every dollar above $25 goes directly to supporting their work.
What You’ll Do:
Meet Your Herbs: Learn the personality of each plant, what it pairs well with, and how to harvest it without slowing it down
Plant Your Garden: Get your hands in the soil and build your own kitchen herb planter, ready for a sunny windowsill or a spot on the porch
Cook with Confidence: Walk through recipes that actually use what you are growing, so the planter goes home with a purpose
Give While You Grow: The set price is $25, and anything above that goes 100% to Community Care Clinic of Franklin
You will leave with a living four-herb planter, a set of recipes built around what you planted, and a reason to look forward to cooking dinner this week.
This one is a good fit for home cooks, beginner gardeners, and anyone who has ever bought a bunch of fresh herbs, used one sprig, and watched the rest go to waste.
About Community Care Clinic of Franklin: CCCF provides free, charitable healthcare to uninsured and underinsured residents of Macon County and the surrounding region. This event is one small way the Winding Stair Gardens community can show up for the people who show up for our neighbors every day.
There will be the opportunity to directly donate a custom amount to CCCF at the event.

Nearly Summer Mezze
2026-06-16 14:00 - 18:00 | Treska’s on Highland Lake, 215 Rhett Drive, Flat Rock, NC, 28711, United States
Join Hominy Farm and Friends & Neighbors for a Nearly Summer Mezze pop-up on Sunday, June 14, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Treska’s on Highland Lake. Mezze is a dining style popular all over the Mediterranean and Middle East that includes many small dishes: spreads, spreads, marinated vegetables, salads, and condiments.
This year we’re a bit earlier in the season, so we have a fun blend of spring and summer produce from local farms, flatbreads & bread from Hominy Farm, and a few supplements. The main menu is completely vegan, but we will be offering additional menu items for those who would like some chicken wings or feta. Because of the nature of this event, we may not be able to accommodate specific dietary restrictions but please reach out first and we will do our very best.
Treska’s on Highland Lake is a stunning venue replete with a covered pavilion, flower and vegetable farm, natural amphitheater seating with a view of a beautiful lake. We encourage you to carpool with a crowd, bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs & hang for a while!
Find ticket information here.

Start Your Regenerative Mushroom Farm Live Webinar (by donation)
2026-06-17 18:00 - 19:30 | Online/Virtual
Hey Folks! This live, by-donation workshop is for people who are serious about exploring mushroom farming as more than a hobby.
In 90 focused minutes, we’ll walk through:
– What a regenerative mushroom farm actually looks like in practice
– How the economics work at a realistic scale
– The phased path from beginner to viable producer
– Where most aspiring growers stall — and how to avoid it
– How to begin part-time while protecting your financial stability
This is not a hype-driven presentation or a quick-fix formula. It’s a grounded overview of how living systems grow — and how farms do too.
Whether you’re currently farming, working full-time elsewhere, or simply exploring your options, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of what’s possible and what it requires.
The workshop is offered by donation (suggested $25), with 50% of proceeds supporting The Center for Native Health.
We look forward to working with you.

Mid-Year Farm Business Review & Reporting
2026-06-18 13:00 - 14:00 | Online/Virtual
Join us as we walk through the process of evaluating farm business performance at the midpoint of the year. Participants will review financial records, production data, and key performance indicators to assess progress toward annual goals. This course focuses on organizing and interpreting mid-year data to identify strengths, address challenges, and support informed decision-making for the remainder of the season.
This class is taught by Jennifer Badger, Area Specialized Agent, Agribusiness, NC Cooperative Extension Empowering Mountain Food Systems, North Carolina State University
Fee: No Cost

Beginner & Intermediate Mushroom ID
2026-06-20 11:00 - 12:30 | Asheville Tool Library, 16 Smith Mill Road, Asheville, 28806, United States
Take a deep dive into the complex world of identifying mushrooms! Learn over 25 safe to use species and differentiate dangerous lookalikes.
This Mushroom Identification class takes you deep into the complex world of identifying mushrooms, covering crucial features for safe foraging and characteristics of over 25 unique, rare, useful, and delectable mushroom species! We’ll take a close look at safe edibles and photographs of dangerous lookalikes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Participants take home an illustrated local mushroom ID “cheat sheet” and recieve a copy of the electronic presentation.
What to Expect:
• Learn anatomy, terminology
• Focus on hyper local varietals
• Emphasis on safe versus dangerous lookalikes
Our educators are are founders of Resting Point Farms and are certified in Wild Mushroom Foraging, Identification, and Food Safety through NC USDA. The workshop focuses on various species within the genera through the Blue Ridge Mountains, such as “Pecan Truffle” (Tuber iyonii), “Hen of the Woods” (Grifola frondosa), and “Lion’s Mane” (Hericium erinaceus).
Don’t miss this enchanting and fascinating class!

Drip by Drip: Intro to Irrigation Plumbing Principles
2026-06-23 15:00 - 18:00 | Asheville Tool Library, 16 Smith Mill Road, Asheville, 28806, United States
Learn the basic plumbing principles behind drip irrigation! Walk away with the knowledge to design, build, and troubleshoot your own system.
In a region where water conservation is no longer optional, drip irrigation is one of the smartest changes a gardener can make. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll cover the fundamentals of pressure and flow, explore why small obstructions and fine sediment can spell trouble for a drip system’s low-pressure design, and learn how proper filtration keeps everything running smoothly.
Participants will assemble a small working system from scratch, see how all the components connect, and work through real troubleshooting scenarios together. We’ll also take a walk over to the nearby community garden to see a recently installed system in action, ask questions, and observe how the principles we covered translate to a real-world setup. Whether you’re planning a backyard vegetable patch or a larger garden project, you’ll leave with the confidence and know-how to get water flowing exactly where it needs to go.

Take Root
2026-06-26 17:00 - 20:00 | Root Cause Farm, 26 Joe Jenkins Rd, Fairview, NC, 29730, United States
Join us at Root Cause Farm for a joyful evening of community, music, food, fun, and summertime magic on the farm.
📍 Root Cause Farm
26 Joe Jenkins Road, Fairview, NC
📅 Friday, June 26
(Rain date: June 27)
🕔 5:00–8:00 PM
🎟 FREE family-friendly community gathering
Enjoy:
🎶 Live music
🍺 Local beer
🍦 Ice cream
🎨 Art activities
🚜 Farm tours
💦 Giant waterslide bounce house & more
Bring the kids, bring your neighbors, bring a lawn chair, and come celebrate our very special community with us. Some activities and food vendors will have items available for purchase, including all-event waterslide passes for kids. Thank you to Cory Wall Real Estate for helping to make this event extra special.
We can’t wait to gather with you for an unforgettable summer evening at the farm. 🌻

Mushroom Growing for Beginners on the Farm!
2026-06-27 10:00 - 17:00 | The Forest Farmacy, 24 Davis Lane, Marshall, NC, 28753, United States
Hey Folks! If you’ve been curious about growing mushrooms but aren’t sure where to start, this is the one-day workshop for you.
You’ll learn core low-tech, outdoor mushroom cultivation methods that we teach in our 3-month online beginners course—distilled into a practical, accessible day on the farm.
You will learn:
* How mushrooms grow and regenerate the forest
* How to inoculate logs and make totems
* How to make your own cardboard spawn
* How to grow mushrooms on straw
* How to make woodchip beds
You’ll will go home with:
* Cardboard spawn to grow out mycelium
* A straw bag inoculated with Oyster mushrooms
* A log inoculated with Shiitake mushrooms
* Woodchips to start your own Wine Cap bed
Whether you’re currently farming, working full-time elsewhere, or simply exploring your options, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of what’s possible and what it requires.
We look forward to working with you!

Southeastern Permaculture Gathering at Patterson School Foundation!
2026-07-30 16:00 - 2026-08-02 12:00 | Patterson School Foundation, 4646 Patterson School Rd, Lenoir, NC, 28645, United States
Join us for three days of learning and community. Topics include: Foraging and wild foods, permaculture, natural health practices, sustainable living, and open space.
Open to all with all levels of interest or skills around permaculture. Taking a day or three off mid summer is so rewarding, especially at this sweet 30+ year tradition of gathering and sharing stories, knowledge and good company from around the Southeast! This is open to all, and there are sponsorships for BIPOC.
There is camping as well as dorm rooms available, and wonderful food prepared all three days by an AWESOME farm to table chef/ farmer named Ed Weinberger!
SEPG grew out of our long-time location in Burnsville and found a new home at the historic Patterson School Foundation, the first agriculture School in North Carolina! It is no longer a school but it is a great facility and beautiful campus that hosts events and encourages more sustainable and resilient agriculture practices.
The beautiful part about this gathering is that we all come with wisdom and knowledge to share together, and we are all invited to learn and share together. You don’t have to though. You can participate at any level. We often have plant walks, bug walks, mushroom walks, and many circles under the trees or indoors throughout campus covering all subjects we bring to the table in “open space.”

Homegrown Dreams: Beginning Steps Toward Land-based Living
2026-10-13 19:00 - 2026-11-03 20:30 | Online/Virtual
Homegrown Dreams: Beginning Steps Toward Land-based Living
Are you dreaming of living more closely with the land, planning a homestead, or beginning a land-based business? This live online course focuses on how to forge the essential connection between sustainable land stewardship and a values-driven livelihood built on that land. We help you create a plan that aligns your goals with the land’s resources and develop concrete next steps toward making that plan a reality. We will delve into:

Options for land ownership and alternative forms of land access
Land assessment and beginning planning using a holistic approach–what to look for and how to plan from the resources you actually have
Prioritizing your needs and goals, so you don’t burn out and have joy in your life every day
Creating a step-by-step, focused plan for growth and progress
Lessons from others who have started successful farms or homesteads
Whether your interest is in full-time or part-time, individual or group, rural or urban homesteading, this is for you!

Hosted four Tuesday evenings in October-November, 7pm-8:30pm. Participants will receive session recordings and class handouts.

2026 Gather to Grow Forest Farming Conference
2026-10-23 12:00 - 2026-10-25 12:00 | The Inn at Virginia Tech, 901 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, United States
Who: Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition
What: 2026 Forest Farming Conference
Gather to Grow: Rooted in and Branching Out
Where: The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center
Blacksburg, VA, USA
When: October 23-25, 2026
The 2nd Gather to Grow multi day Forest Farming conference will be held in Blacksburg, Virginia from October 23-25, 2026 and feature learning and networking with the community at the heartwood of forest farming of botanicals, mushrooms, syrups, and decorative products in Appalachia and beyond.
The October conference will be held at the Inn at Virginia Tech & Skelton Conference Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, and will feature keynote speakers, learning, networking, and growing with the community surrounding forest farming of botanicals, mushrooms, syrups, and decorative products in Appalachia. Keynote speakers, an industry panel, regional meet-ups, producer stories, and an expanded expo are all things to look forward to.
Building on the success of the 2024 Conference in Roanoke, Virginia, where we honored the past, and shaped the future of forest farming, our 2026 theme is “Rooting In and Branching Out.” Connecting producers and buyers is a focus of this conference, as is continuing to build a base of informed and motivated new and beginning producers. As are preparing for harvest and workforce development
Mark your calendars and see you there!
