Dig In is hosting another season of events and workshops designed to bring folks together around food and farming skills. This year we renamed our class series “Resilience in the Garden” as we focus on deepening our community’s food resilience.
We’re excited to announce our fall unit of workshops! These gatherings span a variety of topics that build skills for beginner gardeners to experienced farmers alike. We’ll gather to connect on these topics at either our farm or various locations throughout Burnsville, so be sure to confirm event details on our Events Page. All of the events are free, and most are family friendly. Some require free registration so we know how many folks to expect.
We are planning up a winter series for the first time, as well, so look out for that in the fall! If you have any workshop suggestions for our team, please contact olivia@diginyancey.org.
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Event details:
Garlic Harvest Party
Saturday June 27 from 10-2
Dig In! Yancey Community Garden- 744 Blankenship Creek Rd., Burnsville, NC
Join us at Dig In! Community Garden on Saturday June 27 to harvest our garlic crop and celebrate summer. We will harvest garlic, clean it up a bit, hang it in the barn to dry, and then have a potluck lunch. Come to help, learn about growing garlic, or just visit!
Attendance is free and open to all ages. Please register at https://signup.com/go/ocUMKWR
Water Bath Canning Workshop
Saturday, July 11 from 1-3 PM
Reconciliation House Kitchen, 20 Academy St., Burnsville
Capture the fresh flavors of the season and enjoy them year-round! Join us for an interactive canning class led by your local Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Niki Maness, hosted by Dig In! Yancey Community Garden. This hands-on session will introduce you to the basics of water bath canning — a simple and reliable method for preserving high-acid foods like fruits, jams, jellies, and pickles. Whether you’re new to canning or looking to refresh your skills, you’ll receive step-by-step instruction, safety tips, equipment recommendations, and plenty of encouragement. Get ready to roll up your sleeves, learn something new, and leave with the confidence to start canning at home. Let’s turn today’s harvest into tomorrow’s pantry staples. We’ll gather at Reconciliation House and use their commercial kitchen.
Attendance is free and open to all ages. Please register at https://signup.com/go/ocUMKWR
Composting Workshop
Saturday July 18 from 10-1
Dig In! Yancey Community Garden- 744 Blankenship Creek Rd., Burnsville, NC
Let’s transform our household waste into black gold! Upcycling food scraps into compost is one of the most impactful ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and almost anyone can do it. Join Jim Smith in our garden to discuss the different methods of home composting. We’ll explore hot composting, cold composting, and vermicomposting setups we have at the Dig In garden, discussing their different management needs, advantages, and disadvantages. Bring a sack lunch if you’d like.
Attendance is free and open to all ages. Please register at https://signup.com/go/ocUMKWR
Cover Crops 101
Saturday August 8 from 9-12
Dig In! Yancey Community Garden- 744 Blankenship Creek Rd., Burnsville, NC
Let’s learn how cover crops can build healthy soils in the garden year-round. We’ll take a look at crop choices, timing considerations, and termination strategies. Cover crops have wonderful benefits such as nourishing your soil food web, increasing organic matter, feeding your crops with nutrients, and attracting pollinators. We may have some cover crop seeds available for purchase. Taught by Patryk Battle.
Attendance is free and open to all ages. Please register at https://signup.com/go/ocUMKWR
Garlic Cleaning Party
Saturday August 29 from 1-4 PM
Dig In! Yancey Community Garden- 744 Blankenship Creek Rd., Burnsville, NC
Come hang out with us as we cut and clean up our garlic crop while chatting and getting to know each other. We’ll have a “snack-luck”, so please bring something to share if you are able (bonus points if the dish contains local ingredients!). All ages and abilities are welcome. Our garden is located at 774 Blankenship Creek Rd, 15 minutes from downtown Burnsville.
Attendance is free and open to all ages. Please register at https://signup.com/go/ocUMKWR
Fermenting Workshop at Pickle Palooza
Saturday September 12 at 3PM
A part of Dig In! Yancey Community Garden’s Resilience in the Garden Series
@ Homeplace Beer Company, 321 W Main St, Burnsville, NC
Make and take your own fermentation creation in this hands-on workshop with April Rainsong, a local private chef and fermenter. We’ll transform seasonal local vegetables into a microbe-rich superfood while discussing the traditions and health benefits of fermentation. This workshop is a collaboration between Dig In and Homeplace’s Pickle Palooza, an annual celebration of all things pickled at Homeplace.
Attendance is free and open to all ages, but spots are limited and registration is required. Please register at https://signup.com/go/ocUMKWR.
Cider Pressing at Old Timey Fall Fest
Saturday September 26 from 9-4
Town Square, Burnsville, NC
Join Dig In at Burnsville’s annual downtown festival that celebrates all things old-timey. We will have a booth demonstrating how to make fresh apple cider using the cider press from our Tool Sharing Library. Stop by to help squeeze, take a sip, and learn more about Dig In’s offerings and programs.
Attendance is free and open to all ages.
Roasting Candy Roasters
Saturday October 24 from 9-12pm (staff come at 8)
Higgins Methodist Church, 101 N Main St, Burnsville
Join Dig In as we roast our homegrown Candy Roaster squashes and pack them up for distribution to families to eat with their holiday meals. We’ll be slicing, roasting, packing, and deepening our social connections with each other, all while ensuring that everyone in our community can eat well for the holidays. Please bring a dish to share for a potluck lunch.
Attendance is free and open to all ages. Please register at https://signup.com/go/ocUMKWR