N.O.F.A. summer conference!

 One of my all-time favorite events is coming up this August 7-9th, The Northeast Organic Farmers’ Association Summer Conference! Organic farming and gardening has been a passion of mine since I was a teen and this event is Mecca for  gardeners, farmers and wannabe farmers as well as anyone interested in sustainable living!

 There will be literally hundreds of different workshops with topics ranging from gardening and farming to herbalism and yoga. A lil’ something for everyone! I’ve attended 4 or 5 of these annual conferences myself since I discovered NOFA CT back when I was in high school.  It has always left me brimming with new ideas, inspiration, and hope for the state of our planet after being surrounded by and attending workshops presented by such enlightened and motivated people doing hard work in an effort to cultivate not only plants but, peace, community and knowledge!

 After attending many of these conferences I’m really freakin’ geeked up to be a workshop presenter at this year’s conference! In my workshop entitled  “Getting Into Raw Foods” I’m gonna talk about the transforming effects raw foods have had on me and the potential benefits they can have for you, explain some basics of a healthy raw diet and (of course) gonna crank out some yummy recipes and give out samples!!

 There will be a couple of great keynote speakers this year! ~

 Will Allen the CEO of the non-profit foundation Growing Power. This awesome organization supports community food systems all over the US and now internationally!! Check out this quick video to hear from the man himself! I can’t wait to hear his talk!  

 Paul Stamets, a Mycologist on a mission, will be talking about mushrooms, other fungi and their many uses and applications! He is also author of the book  Mycellium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World.  Here’s a video of him explaining 6 of the ways these awesome fungi can do it!

 This fun and educational  conference,  held at the University of Massachusetts, will also be loaded with activities such as craft workshops, dancing and live music!  Vendors selling everything from farm fresh goods to handcrafted natural soaps are gonna be setting up shop! I’ve picked up a good chunk of my sustainable living library at this annual event for great prices! If any of this stuff sounds good to you I strongly encourage you to check out the NOFA Summer Conference website and I hope to see ya there!! :0)