Growing Food Autonomy in Olympia, Washington (Nisqually & Squaxin territory)
Chestnut Fest 2022
November 5
11 AM-8 PM
Calliope Farm
1335 Overhulse Rd NW
Olympia, WA
Join The Many Trees Project for a nutty day full of workshops, lectures, and hands-on activities! Come learn about climate-resilient agroforestry and cultural ecosystems, roast chestnuts, press cider and more! Bring your favorite chestnut dish to enter into the recipe competition!
SCHEDULE
11 AM - 2 PM: Nursery Planting
bring tools, work gloves, tree seeds and starts, and help us expand our nursery stock! The more chestnuts, walnuts, acorns, hazelnuts, and other seeds we plant now, the more trees we can give away in years to come
2 PM-5 PM: Speakers & Workshops
Introduction to the Many Trees Project
Maple Sugaring in the Pacific Northwest
Like all maples, our native bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) produces a sweet sap that can be processed into syrup and other sugar products. Learn about the process, regional tips, and how to try it for yourself at home! Presented by Patrick Shults from the WSU Forestry Extension
Finding Our Connection to the Land:
Urban Ecosystems and Plant Relatives
Explore a local Indigenous food sovereignty project and find ways to become better stewards of the land through learning about urban cultural ecosystems and our many plant relatives that inhabit them.
Tessa Halloran is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Cowlitz Tribe’s Community Wellness Garden and has a diverse background working in sustainable food production, food sovereignty, and outdoor education.
5 PM to 8 PM: Chestnut cook-off awards ceremony, chestnut roasting, apple pressing, live music, bonfire. It’s a harvest party!
Want to help?
We also need help collecting viable seeds and stock for propagation. Find your favorite chestnut, Garry oak, hazelnut, walnut, or other tree, collect the nuts this fall, label them, and bring them to plant in our nursery!
We are planting thousands of fruit and nut trees in the greater Puget Sound to develop abundant and regenerative food sources for a changing climate.
Fruit and nut trees can live for hundreds of years, providing healthy local food, biodiversity, clean water, carbon sequestration and shade in a climate-changed world. By planting fruit and nut trees and sharing plant propagation and grafting skills, we are helping to create a community resilient to whatever climate change brings.
Want to plant a tree in your yard?
We need people with yards to adopt trees for the long haul. Do you want to make chestnut cake or persimmon pudding in a few years? Or maybe you want to share future abundance with your neighbors, do your part to sequester carbon, provide pollinator habitat, or have a nice shady yard…
Want to help?
We need lots of volunteer help getting trees in the ground this spring, propagating trees for future plantings, grafting, and more. Let us know if you want to help volunteer on a work day, or if you’re interested in sharing skills with the broader community. Maybe you want to teach a grafting class, or a workshop on native foods, or cooking with chestnuts. Whether you’ve got an abundance of time or an abundance of specialized knowledge, we want your help!
Sign up for our low-volume mailing list to hear about upcoming volunteer opportunities and events.