The Tiny Diner and Farm Fall Workshop Schedule & New Menus Featuring Memphis!

The Tiny Diner and Farm is a small place with big ideas. We believe it’s the little things that count, so we’re creating menus with as many local foods as we can, including the stuff we grow ourselves. Every month we pay tribute to diner towns across the USA, exploring different ways to use our Midwestern bounty, this month it’s Memphis!

We’re producing energy with our patio roof/solar array, increasing urban soil fertility, and creating a natural habitat for pollinators and urban wildlife in what’s basically our own backyard. The Diner showcases biointensive urban farming methods and efficient water use strategies through its edible gardens and rain water catchment systems. From its hardscape to its landscape, this Diner was designed to provide a renovated example of whole system design: low impact, educational, and tangibly tasty.

The Tiny Diner and Farm will be hosting a series of workshops this fall at both locations, most classes are free or low cost. A complete schedule is listed below and also found online at http://tinydinerfarm.wordpress.com/upcoming-events/. Guests can RSVP to the class by sending an email to the [email protected], with the class title in the subject heading.

A “Winter Workshop and Skill Share Calendar” coming in December! If you are interested in sharing a skill or hosting a workshop at the Tiny Diner or Farmhouse, write to the the farm staff: [email protected].

SEPTEMBER

Hops! Planting & Growing the Bitter Vine
Saturday September 6th, 2014 at the TINY DINER
5pm-6pm
Fee: Free
Hops are better known by most drinkers as the bitter, bright favor they fnd in their favorite beers. Long before being boiled into this tasty libation, however, hops have a fascinating life as tough but elegant plants. Come learn more about the planting, cultivation, harvest, and history of these curious plants. Topics include historical uses, harvesting and drying techniques for hops. Instructor Ben Boo is the co-founder and chief horticulturalist at Mighty Axe Hops and holds a degree in Horticulture from the UofMN.

Introduction to Mycology: Applications and Concepts
Tuesday September 9th, at the FARMHOUSE
6pm-7pm
Fee: Sliding payment $0-$20 (pay what you can)
Jump into the world of mycological concepts and uses. Topics range from biology and ecology to bioremediation and other human uses of fungi. Instructor Martin Gordon is an emerging mushroom cultivator working with the Tiny Diner Farm to produce fresh oyster mushrooms.

Basics of Oyster Mushroom Growing
Saturday September 13th, at the FARMHOUSE
1pm-2pm
Fee: Sliding payment $0-$20 (pay what you can)
This class focuses on relatively easy and successful methods for cultivating oyster mushrooms on a small scale. Instructor Martin Gordon is an emerging mushroom cultivator working with the Tiny Diner Farm to produce fresh oyster mushrooms.Watershed 101
Saturday September 20th at the TINY DINER
10am-11am
Fee: Free
This class will describe what a watershed is, how water moves in and through a watershed and how to go with the fow of caring for this resource. Instructors: Dave Stack is a graduate of the 2013 Master Water Steward Class and has lived in Minneapolis for 37 years. He enjoys swimming and kayaking in nearby water ways and wants this resource protected. Betsy Blume is a fellow graduate of the Master Steward Class of 2013. She also enjoys nearby water ways and hopes to share with others how to protect them.

2nd Annual MinneHarvest Party at the Farmhouse
Saturday September 27th, 2014 at the FARMHOUSE
4pm-8pm
Free & Open to All!
Come celebrate the Tiny Diner Farm and Permaculture Research Institute’s 2014 season! We will have fresh farm dishes to sample, live music, an apple tasting, square dancing, farm stand produce for sale, a bonfire and so much more!

OCTOBER

The Funk of Fermentation
Wednesday October 8th, 2014
7pm-8pm
Fee: $5-$20 (pay what you can)
Class size limit: 20
Tired of paying $4 a bottle for Kombucha? Learn the basics of making and flavoring your own Kombucha in this workshop. Bring a jar or glass for samples to taste!Instructor Cody Mastel is a Permaculture Research Institute apprentice working with the Tiny Diner Farm crew to grow local delicious food for the Twin Cities area and also provides outdoor learning opportunities for youth. He enjoys and encourages experimentation and a DIY ethic – in his free time he hosts and participates in a skillshare & craftmaking group called Craftza.

Leaves and Salt: Lake-Friendly Lawn and Sidewalk Maintenance Tips
Tuesday October 14th, 2014
6-7pm at the TINY DINER
Fee: Free

This fall, when you rake your leaves and buy your sidewalk de-icers, think about next summer when you’ll want to swim in your favorite lake. Leaves and salt can wash into stormwater drains and then pollute lakes and rivers. This class will provide easy, practical tips for lawn and sidewalk care that will help protect our Minnesota’s summers!

Instructor Kristina Geiger is a certified Master Water Steward who works with her neighbors to improve improve the water quality of Minnehaha Creek.
Fall Clean-up at Farm
Saturday October 25th, 2014
Noon – 2pm at the FARMHOUSE
Fee: FREE!
Come learn how to prepare the Tiny Diner Urban Farm for a cold MN winter. We will be putting the farm to sleep by applying compost, insulating our top-bar beehive, finishing our compost piles and more! Bring gloves, wear close-toed shoes and work clothes.

NOVEMBER

Leaves and Salt: Lake-Friendly Lawn and Sidewalk Maintenance Tips
Saturday November 1st, 2014
10-11am at the TINY DINER
Fee: Free
This fall, when you rake your leaves and buy your sidewalk de-icers, think about next summer when you’ll want to swim in your favorite lake. Leaves and salt can wash into stormwater drains and then pollute lakes and rivers. This class will provide easy, practical tips for lawn and sidewalk care that will help protect our Minnesota’s summers!
Instructor Kristina Geiger is a certified Master Water Steward who works with her neighbors to improve improve the water quality of Minnehaha Creek.

Seed Saving for Home Use
Tuesday November 11th, 2014
6-730pm at the FARMHOUSE
Fee: Sliding scale $5-$20 (pay what you can)
Do you want to save some of your garden seed for use in the future? Come learn the simple basics about a traditional folk art that all farmers and gardeners used to be able to do. Help revive a vital tradition and save seed from the fruits and vegetables you love! Instructor Koby Jeschkeit-Hagen is a seed saving guide and founder of Seed Sages, which is an educational endeavor that seeks to build resilient seed stewardship and local seed hubs.