The Gray Hill School Farm (GHSF) has organized a blueberry pick event with a pantry demonstration on July 16th, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The event is free to attend and will be held at RabbitEye Farm(279 Grayhill School Road, West Point, GA).
Attendees will pick blueberries for their own use and to fill their pantries for the winter. The event is from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, but you may arrive early. All bags and buckets will be provided.
A short demonstration will happen at 7:00 PM on different ways to preserve blueberries. Examples and discussion will be available on canned blueberry jelly, canned blueberry juice, dehydrated blueberries, blueberry wine, canned blueberry pie filling, specialty blueberry drinks for kids, and of course frozen blueberries. This event is rain or shine.
There is no charge for this class. Special thanks from the Gray Hill School Farm organization go to RabbitEye Farm.
The Gray Hill School Farm has organized classes for learning how to can and preserve food beginning July 11th, 2024. The sessions are free to attend and will be held every other Thursday evening from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Long Cane United Methodist Church Hall (51 Long Cane Rd., LaGrange , GA). Classes will proceed every other Thursday through August – (class dates include: July 11th, July 25th, August 8th, and August 22nd.)
What’s First?
The first canning process to be shown, on July 11th, will be on canning green beans. This is a pressure canner process and will be demonstrated fully from preparing beans, setup of equipment, and processing. The instructor is Ms. Nora Ayers.
Further Subjects
Further classes will depend on ripening sequence of various fruits and vegetables. Some foods require water-bath canning while others require pressure canning and some may be turned into jelly or jam. A variety of things such as tomatoes, peas, and figs will be shown.
Depending on interest, preservation processes other than canning may also be demonstrated in later classes, such as dehydrating, fermenting, and freezing.
There is no charge for this class. Special thanks from the Gray Hill School Farm organization go to Ms. Nora Ayers, Long Cane United Methodist Church Outreach Program, and the Grayhill Gabbettville Garden Group.
Please call 706-518-8869 if you are interested in attending.
The second and third classes of our sewing series have gone extremely well. (Also see below about a NEW canning class.)
Everyone has either brought their own machine, or there has been an extra machine for them to learn on. We’ve also had extra surprises! All of the classes have remained strong and have averaged about 10 students.
Second week
During the second class, Ms. Nora brought her embroidery machine to demonstrate and use during the class. It was intriguing to see all the possibilities with so many things already loaded into the memory of the machine. The setup looked easy with special sized hoops to clamp the fabric into. After a pattern was selected and the colors of the thread chosen, all you had to do was click a button and watch the magic. When embroidery was put onto one of the aprons, it really enhanced the project.
Third week
During the third class, it was all about surge machines and how to cut out a more complicated pattern. Ms. Nora demonstrated and let everyone use her surge machines. She gave some great tips on pattern layout, marking with special pens, cutting, and what to sew first. She even brought her huge cutting pad that fit perfectly onto one of the wooden tables in the room. This allowed the cutting to be accessed from all sides.
There were three surgers available, one 4-string and two 5-string machines. Surgers create a finished seam enclosed with an additional overlock. The seam looks very professional because it is trimmed and sewn at the same time. Two were preloaded with white thread, and the other with black thread. If you have never used a surge machine before, it is a true game-changer. The speed at which you can complete seams is phenomenal – and SO FUN! Initially, the surgers look a bit intimidating, but once you start using it, seeing the crisp and pristine edges that it makes is really satisfying.
New projects were introduced that were perfect for these surge machines. There were patterns available in multiple sizes to cut for two different tiered dress projects. One was an adult dress, and the other was a young girls dress. Students could choose to do either or both. Samples of the finished sizes were also available to see and try on as well as understand how to do a few easy modifications, if desired.
Here are a few photos from the third class. (We forgot to take any photos at the second.)
Sewing continues
This sewing class will continue weekly each Monday from 6:30PM to 8:00PM at Long Cane Methodist Church (51 Long Cane Rd., LaGrange , GA) throughout the month of July and possibly further if interest remains high.
Canning and preserving
The Gray Hill School Farm is introducing another class – Canning! This is the time to begin canning and preserving food from the garden to enjoy during the winter. Beginning Thursday, July 11th, classes will be held every other Thursday from 6:30PM to 8:00PM at the Long Cane United Methodist Church Hall (51 Long Cane Rd., LaGrange , GA). First class is about canning green beans. Look for a more in-depth blog post from Gray Hill School Farm about this canning class. Read more here: https://www.grayhillschoolfarm.org/2024/07/02/canning-classes/
The Gray Hill School Farm is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization which strives to be a catalyst for community sustainability through research and education. Sharing knowledge and encouragement for the benefit of all. West Point, Georgia, USA
