The Music of Sarah Stockwell Arthen & Provident Peasant Workshops

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Make use of the abundance of the season! Learn to make herbal remedies and preserve food the quick, easy and healthy way at two workshops given by Sarah Stockwell-Arthen in Cummington.  (TO REGISTER, SEE BELOW)

Traditional Vegetable Pickling – Preserve vegetables the old-fashioned no-vinegar, no-heat way with salt & friendly bacteria cultures.  “The Julia Child of pickling!” (workshop participant).  (Sat. 9/8/12, 2:00 – 3:30pm, West Cummington Church Parish House; and Thurs. 10/11/12,  6:30 – 8:00pm, Village Church Cummington.  Please arrive 15 mins. early!)

Herbal Remedies 101 – Make herbal remedies from your own backyard to nourish yourself and support your health.  (Thurs. 9/13/12, 6:30 – 8:00pm, Village Church Cummington; and Sat. 10/20/12, 2:00 – 3:30pm, West Cummington Church.  Please arrive 15 mins. early!)

More about the workshops…

TRADITIONAL VEGETABLE PICKLING: For thousands of years, we preserved food without the use of freezers or canning equipment. One of the methods, now known as “lactic acid fermentation,” uses salt to create the correct environment for friendly bacteria to preserve vegetables in a way that tastes slightly salty, slightly sour and wonderfully fresh. (This is similar to the way in which friendly bacteria turn milk to yogurt and is similarly beneficial to nutrient absorption and to the digestion generally.)  These pickled foods keep for many months. Cabbage — for sauerkraut and Korean kim chi — beans, carrots, beets and many other vegetables can be preserved in this way. Since the advent of industrial food production these foods have nearly disappeared.  We will make a traditional sauerkraut or kim chi as well as a pickle that requires a brine bath so you can learn to make both kinds.

HERBAL REMEDIES 101:  Lots of great books tell you what herbs to use for nourishment, health maintenance and various ailments, but how do you actually do it? I will show you how to use common weeds to make simple but effective herbal remedies such as a tincture, an infusion, and perhaps an infused oil. We will discuss how to grow, forage and use many of the easiest, most versatile and common plants, such as Echinacea, Calendula, Red Clover, Red Raspberry, Valerian, St. John’s Wort, Yarrow, Nettle, Dandelion and Burdock.  Herbal medicine is an important piece of the self-sufficiency puzzle. Botanical, self-produced health care can help us avoid, or sometimes even retreat from, the use of pharmaceuticals. It’s a way of connecting to the green world and deepening our connection to the Earth — and using herbs is a pathway back to the wisdom of our peasant and indigenous ancestors, wherever they came from.

Locations:

West Cummington Church Parish House, 27 West Main Street, West Cummington, MA 01026,  in the Village of West Cummington (east of Windsor off Rte. 9)

Village Church, 32 Main Street, Cummington, MA 01026, in the Village of Cummington (off Rte. 9)

Cost:  $20 (or what you can: no one turned away.)

Registration:  Please pre-register using PayPal buttons (below), OR e-mail me at music@sarahstockwell.com and I will send you a registration form.  Then you can send in your check (preferably) or make arrangements to pay cash.   (Also, barter for vegetables, or other bounty, may be possible if arranged ahead.)  Thank you.

Workshops will begin promptly — Please come a little early!

Traditional Pickling  – Sat. 9/8/12 West Cummington Church Parish House 2:00 – 3:30  (Button Below)

Herbal Remedies 101 – Thurs. 9/13/12, Village Church Cummington 6:30 – 8:00  (Button Below)

Traditional Pickling  – Thurs. 10/11/12 Village Church Cummington Church Parish House 6:30 – 8:00  (Button Below)

Herbal Remedies 101  – Sat. 10/20/12 West Cummington Church Parish House 2:00 – 3:30  (Button Below)

The Hilltown Community Development Corporation (www.hilltowncdc.org) is a great organization here in the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts — its annual Spring Festival is one of my favorite events of the year.  I’ve been singing Dave Mallet’s “I Knew This Place” for a couple of decades (www.davidmallett.com).  Reminds me of  my family’s connection to my grandparent’s land.

Singing Dougie MacLean’s “Solid Ground” in Kip Sear’s hay field, Cummington, MA.  Video and inspiration by Rose Wessel (www.threesalamanders.com).

Greg Brown’s “Just a Bum” at the Iron Horse Music Hall

in Northampton, Mass. on August 29, 2007.

Sarah sings Bob Franke’s “Healing in this Night” at the Iron Horse

Music Hall in Northampton, Mass. on August 29, 2007.

Sarah sings Michael Smith’s “The Dead Egyptian Blues” at the Iron

Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Mass. on August 29, 2007.

“With her vast and unusual repertoire, Sarah spins a story into a lyrical web of sound that she wraps ever so gently around the listener, moving and changing them. Her presence is as compelling as her performances are unforgettable, awakening the heart and mind of those lucky enough to hear her remarkable song interpretations. She’s my favorite local singer.                                                                                                                 – Penny Schulz

“Her singing is soulful and deeply felt; when she began to sing I felt the mood in the whole room change.”

“I haven’t fall so much in love with a singer since I first heard Kate Bush.”

“My CD player has become a Sarah Stockwell jukebox. I just can’t get enough of her!”

“Eroticism, grace and a deep, loving sensuality are brought to every note.”