ECHO Global Food and Farm Festival Mar. 16-22
Celebrate food and farm life at ECHO’s annual festival Mar. 16-22. Tours, experiences and workshops for the whole family.
Here’s the rundown:
Sat., Mar. 16
Saturday Farm Day – 9am–3pm
Spend the day on a 57-acre Global Farm and tour a tropical rainforest demonstration and learn about alternative energies. Kids of all ages can taste, touch and experience their way around the world as they learn about world hunger and ways they can make an impact.
Workshops, interactive demonstrations and live-on-stage cooking shows
• Giant Jenga
• Sugar Cane Crushing
• Grind-your-own Peanut
• Butter Sample
• Innovative Water Pumps
• Moringa
• Mushrooms
• Spinning Wool
• Urban Garden
• Tropical Lowlands
• Monsoon Climate
• Semi-Arid Garden
• Rainforest
• Community Gardening
• Peri-Urban Spaces
Tue., Mar. 19
10am: Bunches of Bananas, a walking tour ($25) – Have you struggled to get full banana bunches at your house? We will be going on-farm to talk about banana management and put it into practice on some of ECHO’s banana clumps! This hands-on practicum will help you better understand banana biology, fertility requirements and corm management. All ticketed participants will take home a banana pup chosen by the presenter.
Noon: Tropical Tasting Lunch ($25) – Enjoy a farm-fresh lunch in the community garden. Offered Tues., Wed., Thur. and Fri.
1:30pm: Up Close with the Goats for Homeschoolers ($10) – Outdoor adventure featuring ECHO’s goats and their diet. Participants will pick some plants to feed them and talk about math problems geared toward animal husbandry. Tickets are needed for guests ages 2-18 but not their grown-ups.
1:30 pm: Bamboo: A Gardener’s Best Friend ($15) – While bamboo can be a valuable resource to the Florida gardener, it is often underutilized. Learn how to make the most out of your bamboo. This workshop will offer hands-on learning opportunities focused on backyard bamboo building techniques.
Wed., Mar. 20
10am: Introduction to Edible Landscape Design ($40) – Explore the possibilities of growing an edible landscape on your own land. Whether you have a quarter-acre lot or several acres, design is the first step to implementing a successful edible landscape project.
What you’ll learn:
• The tools to begin your own design project.
• Plant selection, site preparation and irrigation systems for Southwest Florida’s unique climate.
• Design tips for a resilient landscape.
10am: Plant Propagation Techniques ($15) – Plant propagation is both a science and an art. Propagation techniques including the various types of rooting media and required tools, and the use of common food containers as propagation tools.
Noon: Tropical Tasting Lunch ($25) – Enjoy a farm-fresh lunch in the community garden.
1:30 pm: Moringa Cultivation and Uses ($15) – Moringa is a fast-growing tree that produces nutritious leaves with many uses and health benefits. You can grow moringa in your own yard or garden. You’ll have a chance to harvest moringa leaves, make your own moringa leaf powder, and use the seeds to purify water.! Taught by ECHO staff who have worked with and studied moringa, the workshop will combine factual information with hands-on learning.
Thur., Mar. 21
10am: Tropical Fruit Walking Tour ($20) – Learn how to grow and manage tropical fruit trees while touring ECHO’s farm. Taste some of the fruit that’s in season.
10am: Hands-on Grafting ($20) – Ever wonder how nurseries can guarantee what variety of fruit you will get from your tree? Plant propagators and nurseries around the world use a method called grafting to put desirable and known varieties of a plant onto varieties that are well suited for a particular location. In this workshop, you will learn how to select budwood, basic methods of grafting tropical fruit trees, and how to care for your graft. This is a hands-on learning experience where you will get to practice how to graft buds onto rootstock
Noon: Tropical Tasting Lunch ($25) – Enjoy a farm-fresh lunch in our community garden.
1:30pm: Seed Saving for Gardeners ($10) – This workshop will provide an overview of the basic skills required to begin the art and practice of seed saving in your garden. Relevant for home and community gardeners. Topics covered will include information on plant reproduction, planning for the seed garden, seed harvest, drying, processing, and storage, with hands-on activities to tie it all together.
Fri., Mar. 22
10am: Food and Healing ($20) – We all know fresh, healthy food has the potential to boost our immune systems, and decrease heart, blood and mental illnesses. But did you know that food has also been used to increase community resilience, define geopolitical lines and resolve interpersonal divisions? We’ll explore the power of food in building personal and communal sustainability with simple shared meals and hospitality. This workshop will include a meal prepared with food grown on the ECHO farm.
Noon: Tropical Tasting Lunch ($25) – Enjoy a farm-fresh lunch in our community garden.
1:30 pm: The Beekeeping Experience ($15) – Join expert Steve Eisele on a walking tour of ECHO’s beehives. Want to be more self-sufficient? Want to connect with nature? Learn the basics about keeping bees, or just learn more about these fascinating creatures that mean so much for our ecosystem.
1:30pm: How to Support your Health through Fermentation ($15) – Learn how you can dramatically improve your digestive, immune and hormonal health with live fermented foods. Learn how to target and rebuild your microbiome with fiber and other foods. Get a free sample of Medea’s Famous Organic Pink Ginger Kraut and the recipe for you to try at home.
For tickets and more information, visit ECHO
