4 dates to choose from in 2022!
Sunday, July 17 - 2-4 p.m.
Saturday, August 20 - 2-4 p.m.
Sunday, September 18 - 2-4 p.m.
Join us for our Bee-to-Bottle Tours at Next to Nature Farm. We will take you through the entire life cycle of a bee and discuss how they work tirelessly to collect nectar and produce honey for us to enjoy. You'll learn about honey harvesting, extraction, and even get to bottle your own 12-ounce honey to take home.
This class occurs both indoor and outdoor and will happen rain or shine. Cost is $15 per person, ages 5 and under are free. We ask that you arrive 10 minutes early for the class so we can begin promptly.
Only a few left!
Saturday, June 11 | 1-3 p.m.
Join us for our make-and-take jam/jelly class where we will make Honey and Thyme Blackberry Jam and Native Kansas Grape Jelly. You will learn the basics of canning jams and jellies, including an overview of needed equipment and best practices for successful (and safe) canning. Each person in the class will work with the class instructor to help make a batch of jam and jelly and each person will take home one half-pint of each jam or jelly to enjoy.
Class will be held at Next to Nature Farm, 23338 Kissinger Road, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Class will begin at 1 p.m. (approximately 2 hours for class).
Honey and Thyme Blackberry Jam is a low-sugar, sweet-savory jam that can be used on grilled meats or used in a traditional method of jam on toast or biscuits. The Native Kansas Grape Jelly is one of our best sellers - this shows you how to use local fruits to produce delicious products!
Participants will also receive safety information for canning, handouts, and recipes for further canning experiences. Class is limited to 8 participants and pre-registration is required.
Only a few left!
Saturday, June 18 | 2-4 p.m.
In this class, you will learn how to make kombucha. Kombucha contains probiotic, or friendly, bacteria. These microorganisms are known to boost a person’s health. There is some evidence to suggest that kombucha has a range of health benefits, including benefits for gut health, mental health, infection risk, and liver health.
Kombucha is easy to make and inexpensive (if you are a kombucha fan, you will save so much learning to make this yourself). In this class, you will get a S.C.O.B.Y. (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and samples of homemade kombucha. Since S.C.O.B.Y. reproduces itself, it is the gift that will keep on giving!
Participants will learn:
Tickets required in advance. Limited class size of 8. We will consider offering another course if there is demand.
Only a few left!
Saturday, July 9 | 2-4 p.m.
Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. In this class, we will discuss the right vegetables for pickling, and walk through the pickling and canning process, step-by-step. Through learning the process of pickling, you can safely create pickled products that will last for many years.
We will pickle local, seasonal vegetables including cucumbers, zucchini and other seasonal vegetables. Each participant will bring home a pints of their own hand-crafted refrigerator pickles.
Class will be held at Next to Nature Farm, 23338 Kissinger Road, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Class will begin at 2 p.m. (approximately 2 hours for class).
Participants will also receive safety information for canning, handouts, and recipes for further canning experiences. Class is limited to 8 participants and pre-registration is required.
Saturday, July 16 | 2-4 p.m.
Want to capture the taste of summer? Put up those tomatoes in the garden and taste summer all year around! In this class we discuss canning tomatoes and learn the blanching process for whole tomatoes, the difference between hot and cold packing, and make a simple Italian sauce for soups and stews. This is a make-and-take class and you will get a pint of Italian tomatoes to take home. We will also cover making salsa and marinara and provide recipes for several ways to can tomatoes.
Class will be held at Next to Nature Farm, 23338 Kissinger Road, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Class will begin at 2 p.m. (approximately 2 hours for class).
Participants will also receive safety information for canning, handouts, and recipes for further canning experiences. Class is limited to 8 participants and pre-registration is required.
Saturday, July 23, 2022 | 2-4 p.m.
Pressure canning is required for certain foods, including meat and low-acid foods like green beans. If certain foods are not prepared correctly, botulism will occur which is a deadly toxin. In this class, we will discuss what foods must be pressure canned, the equipment needed, cleaning and preparing foods for pressure canning, and safe pressure canning practices.
We will prepare a vegetable soup and a marinara with ground beef. Each participant will take home a quart of prepared vegetable soup at the end of the class. All participants receive materials on low-acid and high-acid foods and additional recipes.
Sunday, June 5
11:00 a.m.
Next to Nature Farm
We are very excited to welcome a regional and national expert on pollinators to Next to Nature Farm! Courtney Masterson, ecologist and environmental educator, will relate the value of native plants, introduce basic native gardening skills, and share tips on how to provide for pollinators in your gardens and landscapes. Learn more about Courtney and her work for native landscaping at her Facebook page.
This is a free class but we do need pre-registrations so we can prepare for the class with class size.