Mother Earth News Fair

In September we attended the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA.  This is our second year attending the fair.  For those of you unfamiliar with Mother Earth News, it is a publication focused on simple living and includes many articles on gardening, homesteading, animal production, hobby farms and much more.  The “Fair” is actually a three day conference with displays, notable speakers, notable authors and many vendors.  During last year’s conference we were introduced to the concepts of biochar, vermicomposting, home fermentation as well as expanding our knowledge of wild foraging, soap making, and gardening.  Temple Grandin, a very notable animal behaviorist, spoke last year concerning large animal behavior and how natural behaviors can influence your farm’s design.  This year’s conference was some of the same, but also increased our knowledge about cool weather gardening, home remedies with natural herbs, home-made cosmetics and the current food rights battle between large agribusiness and the remaining small market niche farmers.  Ed Begley Jr., who is a well known actor and environmentalist, spoke this year about energy consumption.  It would be nearly impossible to relay every lesson and new concept in this blog, but for anyone with an interest in living a more basic and enriched life, the magazine and the annual conferences are highly recommended.  Stay tuned to our blog as many of the upcoming posts will relate back to the conference we attended.