Emmalee at her loom. PHOTO BY TINKY WEISBLAT
Innoculating the mushroom logs. PHOTO BY TINKY WEISBLAT
Kate Stevens adds sugar to her batch of strawberry jam. PHOTO BY TINKY WEISBLAT
Susan Gruen in the weaving room. PHOTO BY TINKY WEISBLAT
Ed Anderson drills holes in a mushroom log. PHOTO BY TINKY WEISBLAT
Hawlemont School in Charlemont is justly renowned for its pioneering HAY program. HAY stands for Hawlemont Agriculture and You. Taking inspiration from the rural area in which the school is located, the program teaches elementary school students the basics of agriculture.
The students grow crops, tend a greenhouse, care for animals, and learn traditional crafts such as cheesemaking and weaving.
On Saturday, June 4, I attended the school’s annual HAY conference. Once a year the school opens its doors to offer workshops to the public — adults and children — on subjects such as crafts, gardening, tree care, and cooking.
The HAY conference was suspended for the last two years because of the pandemic. At this year’s event, masks were optional, and many activities took place outdoors.
Workshops included basketry; the creation of seed pods; soap making; worm composting; forestry for wildlife; and any number of food-related sessions, from making kimchi and salsa to the creation of several kinds of cheeses.
After being signed in by principal Amber Tulloch, I began the day with a quick tour of the school’s weaving studio with Susan Gruen and Jean Bruffee, who organize this endeavor.
The studio includes a huge array of looms in different sizes. I got to watch a couple of students at work on what struck me as complex and beautiful creations.
Next, I attended my first workshop. Liz Billings of Billings Brook Farm led a small group through the ins and outs of jam making. Liz explained that she prefers small-batch jams herself and noted that she hopes to market her own brand of unique jams and jellies in the future.
Meanwhile, she helped each of us make a batch of strawberry jam. Although I have made jam many times before, I haven’t used pectin to do it. This is Liz’s preferred technique.
It took less time (even on a small electric burner!) than my traditional method of boiling the jam until it reaches the desired consistency, and the end product struck my mouth with intense, sweet strawberry flavor. This method also produced a bright red color.
Liz’s relaxed attitude and knowledge of home arts made the class a great deal of fun. Her students even got to taste a few of the jam flavors she is thinking of selling. The clear favorite was peach jam with just a hint of lavender.
After the jam class, I peeked into the HAY kitchen, where Sheila Litchfield had been teaching the basics of making mozzarella to eight happy cheese lovers. Her students were justly proud of their creations.
I moved on to lunch, which featured a variety of soups, salad greens grown by students in the HAY program, and rolls made by school nurse and baker extraordinaire Sherry Hager.
After lunch, I joined several others to learn from Ed Anderson of Hawley about preparing and inoculating logs to grow mushrooms.
Ed isn’t a professional mushroom grower, he explained. He is an engineer for an agriculture-related company. He is engaged to one of the HAY instructors, Sienna Valente-Blough, however, who clearly shares her love of nature.
I have to admit that I probably will never make my own mushroom log, but it was fascinating to observe and help Ed. The process, as he laid it out for the class, is threefold.
First, one uses a power tool called an angle grinder to create holes in a hardwood log; Ed recommended red oak and sugar maples as superior types of wood.
Happily, no one expected an on-duty reporter (and power-tool phobe) to wield the angle grinder so I didn’t have to drill any holes. Most of my fellow students took a turn with the small machine, however. We all ended up with a little sawdust on our hair and clothes, but no one was injured.
Next, Ed led us through the process of using a long tool to “inoculate” the logs with mushroom spawn. Finally, we covered the inoculated holes with wax to make sure that nothing else got a chance to grow in the holes while the mushrooms were developing.
Each of us took home a log to place in a cool, damp spot. I opted for the smallest log; it may not generate a lot of mushrooms, but it was easy to carry.
Next year, I hope to try more classes … and even teach one if the school will let me. Meanwhile, the day left me with a warm feeling toward Hawlemont School and the people who run it, as well as with several jars of jam and my mushroom log. I look forward to harvesting a few mushrooms in the fall … if I’m lucky.
Meanwhile, as strawberries are almost upon us, here is Liz Billings’s strawberry-jam recipe.
2 tablespoons powdered pectin or 1 packet liquid pectin
In a large, non-aluminum saucepan combine the strawberries, the sugar, and the lemon juice. Let the mixture stand for at least 10 minutes to allow the berries to juice up.
Place the pot over high heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the jam from the heat, and stir in the pectin.
Ladle the jam into hot, clean jars, and process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes about 6 half pints.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning writer and singer. Her next book will be “Pot Luck: Random Acts of Cooking.” Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.
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