Land Alliance Folk School

06/16/2026

I was caught by the scent of milkweed this morning while harvesting elderflowers. It was tucked in between the bushes, rivaling the elderflowers for beauty and elegance. For folks who think farming is idyllic, this is one job that truly is. The geese are nearby raising their young on the pond, the birds are scolding me for being too close to their nests, and I’m filling my buckets with lacy elderflowers. To top it all off, this milkweed has chosen to do its job in a place where I get to enjoy it up close.
This will be the third week of elderflower harvest and I’m eager to get all the wonder bottled up for you. For those of you who’ve been waiting, I should have some ready next week, along with some fresh made botanical sodas at the second Summer Grill Night next Thursday.
Crazily, the first flowers have passed, and green berries are already emerging. The berry harvest will be here in just a few weeks!

06/14/2026

For those of you who are curious about wool, there was a fun moment yesterday that looks suspiciously like it will have to expand into another event. Shepherd, teacher of wool skills, and generally wonderful human, Greg Padget of led my friend Katherine and I through a day of washing raw wool, along with mini tutorials of skirting, carding and combing the wool into fiber that’s ready to spin. I have already encountered these skills, but with Greg‘s guidance I learned so much more and am eager to get my hands into it more regularly. I’d love to know if any of the rest of you would enjoy an offering like this. It would be great for Greg and I to get a sense of whether to offer a class or a workshop. Grateful for any feedback you can give!

06/09/2026

I’ve recently developed a line of botanical sodas, made from the elderberries/flowers, and am a tiny bit smitten. They make a delightfully refreshing drink or sample flight. On grill nights, I’ll also be offering three additional flavors highlighting other native plants (and a beloved interloper): Serviceberry Rhubarb, PawPaw, and Black Currant. Next time you’re at the farm, you’re welcome to give them a try. And if you want to join us for grill nights, please do! I’ll put a link in the comments.

06/04/2026

Photos from yesterday’s evening walk. The lambs are growing so fast! And elderflowerharvest begins today.

06/03/2026

There’s a theme of purple in the food forest at the moment. Starting with the rather exotic purple radish pods and their delicate flowers. The walking onions, purple kohlrabi, and Japanese mustard lend their own hues, and even the veins of the arugula flowers offer up a hint. I forgot to capture the first few serviceberries and currants which are taking their first steps toward ripeness. Truly it’s a jungle out there, but still lovely in so many tiny ways. Thanks to friend Stephanie for the purple radish pod seeds that she shared with me several years ago. They’ve been a wonderful addition to this wild space.

05/24/2026

Does anyone need some local dairy and some native prairie? A wild and wonderful farm near here is putting on a 5K this fall… Check out Connorridge Farms.

The Prairie Dairy 5k is on Saturday August 1, 2026. It includes the following events: 5k and Virtual 5k.

05/16/2026

05/14/2026

In case you're not receiving my newsletters and would like to, here is the latest!

Before we get too excited about everything else, I want to remind you that Summer Grill Nights begin two weeks from today!  For those of you who loved The Elderberry Café, this will be an opportunity to enjoy our elderberry products in a whole new way.  Think summer farm picnic . . .