F or those of you just now learning of the upcoming Fall Gathering, you can read about other speakers in this post. In addition to the four speakers previously introduced, we have four more who will also be offering educational sessions on various topics. We hope you will come spend the day with us on October 29 2016, sharing your own information and learning from ours.

Shannon Lauderdale of Elderberry Edge, was raised on her family farm near Ash Grove at the edge of Lawrence County. After graduating high school Shannon pursued several interests away from her home in rural Missouri. She and her husband left their jobs as truck drivers and returned to a part of her family farm in Lawrence County in the Spring of 2011. Shannon and her husband, Ron Wick decided to grow Elderberries along with other unique items. Shannon also makes her own line of soaps and has created a unique line, in which she places home grown loofah. While her soaps are wonderful, her knowledge of the Elderberry has grown over the last five years. Her research has allowed her to identify the best time to plant, great ways to avoid chemical use during growth, preservation methods and a variety of uses for the elderberry fruits. Shannon will share her tips for growing, harvesting, and using Elderberries during her presentation. Whether you plan to grow for your own use, grow for a cash crop, or just want to learn some of the many uses for Elderberries, you won’t want to miss her presentation. In addition to her website, she also has a Facebook Page, Elderberry Edge Farm where she has seasonal offerings, and is one of the organizers of the Ash Grove Farmer’s Market.

Melody and Lisa are going to team up to talk about some of the basic differences in water bath versus pressure canning. Lisa (yours truly) learned to can when she and her husband married. In the nearly 33 years since that time, she has canned a wide variety of items. Over the last couple of years she has branched out into canning meats. She will discuss the advantages and uses of home canned meats and plans to demonstrate canning some rabbit during the presentation. She and her husband live on the Matthews family farm near Miller where her husband was raised. Her grown children and grandchildren frequently raid her home canned storage for goodies and most of the home-cooked meals created in her kitchen are made from foods that are raised and preserved on their farm.
Melody’s “homesteading adventure” began 3 years ago when she married her husband Justin and moved to Dade County. They started with chickens and now have chickens, ducks, rabbits, hogs and cattle. In addition to the animals they, have a large garden and are working on establishing an orchard. Melody cans, dehydrates and freezes to preserve the blessings and bounty provided on their homestead. Melody plans to discuss the basics of water bath canning and demonstrate by canning some of the fresh pressed apple cider from the morning’s activities. She will focus on water bath canning and plans to demonstrate that process by canning some of apple cider pressed during the morning.

Dawn Brown of Brown’s Silver Fox, near Rolla, will be joining us for a wonderful day of education on raising and processing rabbits. After a morning of demonstration, Dawn will give a presentation on the Ins and Outs of Raising Rabbits. Dawn will share the story of how she and her husband Nathan progressed into raising Silver Fox rabbits, a rare heritage breed on the livestock conservancy list. Dawn raises rabbits for a part of her family’s meat supply and also shows her rare Silver Fox. Dawn will be sharing what she has learned about raising and showing over the last five years. See more about Dawn’s Rabbit adventures at their Facebook page, Brown’s Silver Fox.
During the morning exhibitions, Dawn will actually be processing some of her rabbits, and some of mine. She will share some of the differences in breeds, various ways to skin, various ways to dispatch, and various preservation techniques. Dawns presentation and demonstrations will be a must see for anyone who is considering raising rabbits, or already raises them. I’ve even heard a rumor that there might be some of Dawn’s favorite recipes shared. 🙂

David Brzyski has recently moved back to Southwest Missouri after spending several years living off grid in Alaska. David has developed some unique natural enzymes for garden health and raises red worms to use in the garden to improve the soil. David will share his knowledge of vermiculture and enzymes during his presentation. Remember, Fall garden preparation is key to Spring garden success. David will introduce himself, and tell more about his experience on Fall Gathering Day.