The Sustainable Living & Farming Tour is an opportunity for people to learn more about living a simpler and more sustainable life by visiting examples and partaking in hands-on applications in the greater Leavenworth area.
Over the course of one weekend, participants will choose between various workshop offerings and site visits that educate, inspire and motivate a path towards sustainable living. Participants will form connections to local food, the surrounding environment and the people that are 'walking the talk' of sustainability & stewardship.
Interested in hosting a tour or workshop? Fill out our interest form HERE
Are you curious how our food and yard waste becomes nutrient rich compost? Join us for a tour of Winton Mfg Compost Works, an industrial composter located just east of Coles Corner. Winton opened last summer and has the capacity to compost much of the organic waste in the Wenatchee Valley into nutrient dense compost that is then sold back to local farmers and residents. Come up and see the process first hand and learn all about the composting process.
Are you curious how our food and yard waste becomes nutrient rich compost? Join us for a tour of Winton Mfg Compost Works, an industrial composter located just east of Coles Corner. Winton opened last summer and has the capacity to compost much of the organic waste in the Wenatchee Valley into nutrient dense compost that is then sold back to local farmers and residents. Come up and see the process first hand and learn all about the composting process.
Join Upper Valley Mend on a glean at a local farm or orchard. The glean will take place on Friday September 15th in either the morning or evening. Exact timing and location will depend on weather and smoke conditions and the schedule of the farmer and what we will be gleaning. It is hard to know what that will be so far in advance but that’s what makes farming so interesting. You never know what to expect!
The gleaning program helps harvest excess produce from farms, orchards, farmers markets, and backyard growers that would otherwise go to waste. We can divert on average 40,000 lbs. of food waste every year while also helping to increase access to fresh produce in the valley. We distribute this food through food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, the correctional facility, and our Mobile Produce Pantry along with many other partners in the valley as well as on the other side of the Cascades.
Join us for a tour of Crickside Bloom flower farm, Nicholson fruit stand, and a look around the apple & pear trees. Then enjoy some traditional fun as we bring out the cider press and hand press fresh apple cider to enjoy around the gardens. Nicholson Orchards is a fourth generation pear farm in Peshastin. Our fruit stand has been providing fresh fruit to the valley for over 25 years. In addition to tree fruit, we also have an organic, no-till flower farm: Crickside Blooms. Note, please bring a reusable cup to enjoy the cider!
In this fun, hands-on, accessible & inclusive workshop, you’ll have an opportunity to practice creative reuse while learning about some of our best local pollinators – native bees! You’ll have the opportunity to enjoy our therapeutic garden, observe and learn to identify different varieties of bees and other pollinators, learn some of the benefits of providing housing for native bees, and gain creative inspiration. Then, using salvaged construction materials, art supplies, and your creativity, you’ll get to make a Bee Hotel to take home with you.
Nicole Haskey is a Teaching Artist, Native-and-Honey Beekeeper, and is the Director of the TRAILS Day Program at Tierra Village. She is as passionate about accessibility and inclusion as she is about pollinators and the arts. Along with participants of TRAILS, she will lead you step-by-step in the process of making and decorating a native bee hotel. All ages & abilities welcome!
Let's talk food! Come dream and scheme our way into an in(ter)dependant food future for the Upper Wenatchee Valley. With an eye towards climate change, infrastructural uncertainty, and social equity for all beings, we'll discuss truly local subsistence pathways. Informed primarily by indigenous strategies from our biome and beyond, we'll also be calling on ideas from the worlds of permaculture, nutrition, and ecology. Note that this event will be held outdoors and there will be a short walking portion over uneven terrain. Participants should bring weather appropriate clothing, water, and perhaps a notebook.
Ivy Spiegel Ostrom was partially raised by the flora and fauna of the Upper Wenatchee Valley. She studied Environmental Studies at Williams College, specializing in the relationship between humans and their landscape. She is a plant nerd, fully committed to the transition into an indigenous, sustainable, and ancestral lifeway.
This session will give you an introduction to pruning basics. Dana will cover topics such as what to prune when, choosing the right tool for the task, disease prevention, and more.
Dana owned and operated an organic landscaping business for 8 years in Seattle, WA before moving to Leavenworth last spring. For plant health and productivity, she is a proponent of choosing the right plant for the location in order to minimize pruning needs…even though pruning is one of her favorite garden tasks.
Join us for a tea walk through the medicinal herb gardens of Infuse Organics. Everything will be provided for this event, an herb journey into native and common herbs that can be used for nutrient-rich teas and remedies. Grab your provided scissors and basket and go home with your very own fresh bundle of fragrant, functional herbs. See you on the farm!
Infuse Organics is a medicinal herb farm using no-till and other sustainable practices to produce herbs, vegetables and berries to provide healthy, eco and affordable skin and body care to the community and beyond. From seed to sale, every action our company makes has the health of people and planet in mind. We are constantly finding new ways to serve our community through education, sustainable practices and quality, healthy products.
