Courses

Make your own sausage flavored the way you like it using your favorite meats. As a class, we will make and take home 4 to 5 kinds of sausage of your choosing from a list of about 10 varieties. These will be fresh, non-smoked, non-cured sausages like bratwurst, breakfast sausage,…

Lace up your baking shoes and get ready for an artisan breads baking marathon. Combining the skills of our popular Artisan Breads I and II courses, this two-and-a-half-day intensive course allows students to dig deep into hand-crafted, long-fermented and hot-hearth baked breads. We’ll explore pre-ferments and a long cool rise…

This tutorial is intended for students with some experience with bowl turning on an electric lathe, and who want to learn more advanced woodturning methods. We will explore turning asymmetrical forms from bark-edged bowls to unusual end-grain pieces and burls. The tutorial will include selection of wood, cutting of bowl…

Cranks wind, gears turn, dragons chomp and birds fly. Welcome to the whimsical world of automata: simple wooden machines that delight and amaze. Join Cecilia Schiller for a four-day exploration of the art of making wooden machines and the mechanisms that make things move. Starting with the design process in…

Fall means apples in abundance! In anticipation of the season, join Chef Graden for an exploration of the versatile applications of a fruit that is both ubiquitous and under-utilized. This class will cover preparing (and eating!) all of these recipes, and more: apple and cran-apple ciders, apple pie, apple cider…

Have you ever wondered how our ancestors produced sharpened tools of stone-like axe heads, knife blades, and arrow points? Learn how flintknapping evolved and how to identify appropriate base materials from which you can produce a variety of sharpened stone tools. This class will introduce the basic techniques of pressure…

Learn the planning, layout and joinery necessary to construct a traditional timber frame (post and beam) structure, such as North House's blacksmith shop, bread oven shelter, fish house classroom, and other structures around campus. The course begins with the basic mortise and tenon joint, and then expands on these techniques…

Discover the magic of “painting with beads” through your choice of seven different signature beaded lapel pin projects. In a reflection of the art and craft of bead embroidery, artist Jo Wood will lead you through your choice of one or two bead-embroidered projects, time permitting. The birch tree pin…

Using tools and techniques of 19 th century tinsmiths, students will learn how to layout projects using patterns, cut tinplate, and assemble tinplate pieces into items they can take home, such as a tin cup or tankard, a tin sconce, tin ornaments and tinsel, cookie cutters, or a lantern. Students…

Fully experience the craft of making a traditional birch bark basket for the gathering and storage of berries or anything you please. This course includes time focused both on material preparation and on basket making. Day one includes an extended session in the woods to harvest the birch bark in…

Scandinavians & Russians commonly kept small, flat birch bark boxes in their pockets for the then-popular taking of snuff. Large finger and lap jointed boxes often held coffee, tea, salt, even butter. Today they continue to hold keepsakes, buttons, spare change, jewelry, dried fruits, oatmeal or a child's found treasures.…

No patterns to choose from here - we simply offer the personal experience of seasoned weavers willing to pass along their knowledge. Join Julie Kean and Jack Sneve as they tailor the birch bark weaving experience to meet your desired outcome - a simple finger ring, wall baskets and bread…

Most birds are not known for sitting still. By learning to recognize their songs, calls and the habitats they live in, you can have a satisfying birding experience every time you step outdoors, with or without your binoculars! In this one-day workshop we’ll travel to various habitats and birding hotspots…

The black ash pack basket: it's beautiful, highly functional and can be made using simple materials. The first part of the class will be spent preparing black ash splint for your basket by pounding a locally harvested log. Next, you'll weave the basket and finish it with a rim, handle,…

Outfit your own blacksmithing tool chest while developing and refining your skills on the forge. In this course, you will create the set of tools needed to become a backyard blacksmith, while simultaneously learning the basics of blacksmithing. Initial tool projects will include tongs and fire-tending tools. Heat treatment, forging,…