Food for Life Conference in Sequatchie Valley this weekend

Sequatchie Valley Institute is hosting its 19th annual Food for Life Conference on Friday-Sunday, April 28-30. SVI is located at 1233 Cartwright Loop in Whitwell, Tenn., between Dunlap, Tenn., and Whitwell, just off Route 28.

Over three days, the I nstitute will present workshops for adults and children about food, most of them held outdoors in the forest and garden.

Topics will include fermentation, food preservation, the art of cooking, the joy of eating, nutrition, herbal medicine, mushroom cultivation, crop and animal production and harvesting — all directed toward building relationships with the origins of our food.

Food preparation— from butchering your own meat to cooking with wood in outdoor clay ovens — will be presented. Participants will explore various fermentation cultures, such as sauerkraut and kim chi, mead, wine, soda and beer making.

Plant walks will point out local wild edibles and medicinal plants. Children’s programs will teach where food comes from, how it is prepared and the ways in which it is shared.

Tours of SVI’s handcrafted homes, permaculture gardens, solar electricity system and greenhouse will be included, as well as games, theater, live music, sharing circles and bonfires.

The program’s three-day fee is set on an incomebased sliding scale for $100 to $200. On Saturday only, the fee is $40-$100. Children under 9 years of age are free, ages 10 to 16 are $10-$40 per day. SVI members receive a 10 percent discount.

For more information: 423-949-5922 or email education@svionline.org.

STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG STRICKLAND The process of fermentation to make wine or other liquids will be among topics at the conference.