Come learn with us at the farm! We love to learn and to share our experiences and knowledge with others. Let us know if you'd like to see a particular topic offered and we'll see what we can do! We'll continue to add workshops that are relevant to each season, as well as some workshops that are available any time of the year. Check back here to see how we're expanding our offerings!
Contact us (ancientspringfarm@protonmail.com or 336-639-4314) to schedule a private workshop (minimum 2 people, maximum 8 people). Workshop price is listed after description.
Foraging on the Farm
Have you ever looked closely at the wild plants that are growing in your lawn, along the road, and in other disturbed areas? Some people refer to them as weeds but did you know that many of those plants, as well as other vines, shrubs, and trees, are edible and a great source of nutrients and minerals for people? Come forage on the farm with Rebecca to find and taste many different edible flora! Edible wild plants vary with the season so we'll have fun walking the farm and seeing what we can find. We'll talk about how to forage and eat wild plants safely and sustainably. We'll also talk about ways to prepare specific wild plants and we'll eat and/or drink what we've foraged.
Rebecca is a professional archaeologist and historic preservationist, amateur Celtophile and herbalist, and lover of things old, wild, and botanical. She is constantly learning more about the incredible diversity of flora and fauna on the farm and about how to live a mindful and healthy life in balance with the environment.
$20 per person.
Making Mead
Drink of ancient heroes and modern wizards, mead (alcohol made of fermented honey) is known archaeologically to be at least 5,000 to 9,000 years old and found around the world. That antiquity makes mead one of the first alcoholic beverages our diverse ancestors consumed. Unlike grape and palm wine, beer, whiskey, rum, vodka, chicha, and other alcohols made with domesticated plants, mead can be created from completely wild, naturally occurring ingredients. As a result, mead is a very approachable and personable drink that is easy to make and infinitely adaptable to personal taste and experimentation. This workshop will begin with a brief history of mead and its appearance in archaeology and ancient and modern literature. Next will come a summary of the great variety of mead-like drinks that are made. After sampling several varieties, participants will start their own half-gallon batches of mead using pure honey and water, and optionally flavored with one or more flowers, herbs, fruits, and/or woods of each participant’s choosing.
Rebecca is a professional archaeologist and historic preservationist, amateur Celtophile, and lover of things old, wild, and botanical. She learned to make mead from a grad school friend in 2005. Since then, she has experimented with diverse botanically based flavors and has created numerous batches of mead with plants she has collected herself, including some that grow on the farm.
$50 per person. Price includes all supplies to make one 1/2-gallon batch of mead.
Rebecca will be presenting this workshop (titled "Home Brewing Mead!") at Deep River Folk School on July 19, 2025 from 1 to 3 pm. To sign up, visit their website and keep checking on the workshop schedule as they update it with offerings.