Amyrose Foll
Virginia Free Farm
Virginia Farm Consultants, Va. Dept. of Agriculture Equitable Food Oriented Distribution Taskforce, Women's Earth Alliance
Amyrose Foll, the founder of Virginia Free Farm, is a fervent advocate for food sovereignty, earth care, people care, and resource sharing. She works to live out the values of collectivism and community to ensure those around her can eat. She is a US Army veteran and a former nurse who continues to protect and care for others through the farm.
Amyrose is speaking in Texas, Kansas and is a contributor to Mother Earth News Fair Online.Workshops
Check It Out!
Traditional Indigenous Medicine for a Modern Life
Explore easy ways to integrate plant-based health into your busy life. Amyrose Foll (Abenaki/Penobscot) will discuss with you common remedies traditional to the Native People's North America. Follow along and explore simple ways to easily identify, sustainably harvest, and accurately utilize mother nature's medicine cabinet.
Natural Health Hands On
Speaking At:
Sugar Bush Site Assessment: Which trees to tap
Come along through the woods of Virginia as Amyrose Foll describes the decisions necessary when choosing the right area to tap trees. Identify which trees are suitable, what to wear while moving through your woodlot, the ideal canopy for successful sap flow and more.
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
Speaking At:
Stewarding Endangered Corn Cultivars
Explore corn cultivars with Amyrose Foll as she covers how to plant several different varieties while avoiding pesky cross-pollination. What most people commonly group together as “Indian corn” is actually a wonderfully diverse range of cultivars and all are edible. To be completely honest, all corn is, in fact, Indian corn. The simple beauty of corn transformed meals around the globe with the Columbian exchange. Sister corn deserves time in the spotlight for all her contributions to our nourishment.
Speaking At:
Texas, Sunday 10:00-11:00 a.m., Real Food Stage
Kansas, Sunday 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Starting at Square One: Exploring Markets and Profits for your Farm Business
Thinking of starting a farm, but feeling overwhelmed by all the decisions? Have your online searches turned up piles of information, but you still feel a bit lost? Thoughtfully defining your goals and strategy before you begin can prevent wasted time & money. Join Amyrose Foll to learn how to start at square one and explore markets and profits for your farm business.
Modern Homesteading
Speaking At:
Texas, Saturday 10:00-11:00 a.m., Grit Stage
Seeds for Preservation and Perseverance: Native American foodways
Food sovereignty is the right to choose what food to eat, where it comes from, and how it is grown. In the past five centuries, native foodways were used as control, a weapon to wage war on our population, and more recently as a blight on our health. By taking control of our seed, in some cases bringing varieties back from the brink of extinction, and growing our own fresh fruits and vegetables, we are not only preserving our cultural heritage and revitalizing our foodways, but becoming a testament to the resilience of our ancestor's legacy of farming. Native people have faced disassociation with their traditional foods by ways of environmental degradation, legislation preventing traditional harvesting, relocation to areas not familiar and different from traditional homelands, and climate change. Gardening can be a great way to connect back to your culture no matter where you come from or your walk of life.
Nature and Community Hands On
Speaking At:
Process Sap into Syrup
Introduction to Maple Syrup Production
Indigenous Medicine: Violets for food and health
Walk with Amyrose Foll as she introduces you to our plant sister: violet. She gives us both food and medicine. She is an extremely versatile plant, prolific producer, and hardy perennial in North America. Violet is easy to identify and is a great edible to start your journey in foraging and gathering.
Natural Health Hands On
Speaking At:
Indigenous Medicine: Turkey tail mushrooms
Walk with Amyrose Foll as she introduces you to an easy to identify fungus: the turkey tail. It is abundant in North America and widely available most of the year. It has been studied at length by modern medicine, and has proven effective for immune health. It's easy to identify and is a great medicinal to start your journey in foraging and gathering.
Natural Health Hands On
Speaking At:
How to Tap Trees for Sap
Let Amyrose Foll show you how easy it really is to collect sap for maple syrup production. With a few simple tools and pieces of equipment, get enough sap from your trees to make syrup for yourself or to sell. Make the process a family affair as Amyrose does when she teaches her pre-teen son how to tap trees himself.
Hands On Sustainable Agriculture
Speaking At:
Finishing the Syrup Season
Farm Woodlot Management
Learn to recognize the potential value of woodlands and identify how they can support the interests of landowners. Woodlots are a common feature of most farms in the US and are often overlooked for the value they might bring to landowners and farm enterprises. Follow along as Amyrose examines methods to assess forest resources and discusses common woodland activities such as cutting firewood, harvesting logs for mushroom cultivation, and support for wildlife and long-term forest health.
Modern Homesteading
Speaking At:
Texas, Saturday 3:30-4:30 p.m., Sustainable Agriculture Stage
Create Maple Syrup Products
Berry Paradise: Growing Blueberries and Blackberries Organically
Growing berries organically is not for the faint of heart. Dive into the details of growing blueberries and blackberries successfully with no inorganic inputs. This workshop will also address how to merchandise and enjoy up to a 230% higher margin over conventional growing.
Keynote
Speaking At:
Texas, Sunday 3:30-4:30 p.m., Mother Earth News Stage