Intermediate | Growing Course

Harvesting & Preserving | Saturday 14th August

€95.00
Description

Date: Saturday 14th August
Time: 10am - 4pm
Location: GROW HQ, Waterford
Tutor: Richard Mee & Sarah Browne

Make the most of your harvest with our Harvesting and Preserving course at GROW HQ. Learn how to harvest, prepare and preserve seasonal produce by using traditional and modern techniques to extend its shelf life and reduce food waste. After lunch you will then join Educational Chef, Sarah, who will lead a cookery demo on how to turn homegrown ingredients into delicious foods, make the most of what’s in season, and enjoy the rewards of growing and preserving your own food at home throughout the year.

This is the first course in our four-part Head Grower Bundle. Book individually or save when you bundle all four courses and follow your raised beds through the seasons.

What You'll Learn & Experience

  • How to judge ripeness and harvesting times
  • Home preserving methods - freezing, drying, fermenting, jarring
  • Ways to reduce waste from the surplus crops
  • How to extend a harvest through the off-season
  • Food safety basics for home preserving

What to Expect on the Day

Please arrive on time to settle in, meet your fellow participants and get ready for a full day of learning. You will spend the morning getting a masterclass from Richard on learning how to grow herbs, and after a delicious homegrown lunch Sarah Browne will lead a cookery demo showing how to make the best use of your delicious herbs to elevate even the simplest ingredients in to a culinary masterpiece.

What's Included

Enjoy tea or coffee on arrival before a full day of learning. You’ll also enjoy light refreshments, a delicious homemade lunch at GROW HQ, and a copy of Mick’s book, GROW COOK EAT, to take home.
You'll Learn

Harvesting Techniques: Start your day by mastering the art of harvesting with our head grower, Richard. Learn the best practices for harvesting your crops at their peak freshness to ensure maximum taste and nutrition.

Cooking your Homegrown Produce: Once we've gathered our produce, it's time for your culinary adventure with resident leading Chef, Eimear.

During this masterclass, Eimear will guide you through transforming your freshly harvested ingredients into mouth-watering dishes that celebrate the flavours of the season. Bonus - you'll get to enjoy this feast for lunch!

Preserving the Harvest - Pickling, Fermenting & Chutneys: After you've finished enjoying the fruits of your morning's labour, Eimear will teach you how to preserve the flavours of summer for the months ahead. This immersive workshop will delve into the art of pickling, fermenting, and creating delectable chutneys and ketchups to make your harvest last all year long.

Preserving the Harvest - Old Storage Techniques: It's time to turn our attention to the age-old techniques of storing our bounty for the long winter months. Join Richard for the final part of the afternoon, where he'll uncover the secrets of old storage techniques that have been passed down through generations.
About Your Tutors

Richard:
Richard has been growing since the age of three, learning alongside his dad and building over 40 years of growing expertise ever since. With degrees in Horticulture and Organic Farming, he’s grown crops across the UK, Ireland, Central America and Africa. As our Head Grower, Richard brings a wealth of hands-on experience and a deep passion for organic growing, from nurturing food for his family to producing crops commercially in his polytunnel. For Richard, growing isn’t just what he does – it’s who he is!

Sarah:
tbc
About GROW HQ

Opened in 2016, GROW HQ is the multi-award winning home of GIY. It includes a 50-seat plot-to-plate cafe, organic urban farm and shop, and education centre for growing and cooking. Conveniently located on the Dunmore Road opposite Ardkeen.
Important Information

How to Book:

To reserve your spot, simply add this event to your cart and complete your purchase at checkout.

After purchase, a confirmation email will be sent to the email address used at checkout. This email confirms your booking. No additional tickets, vouchers, or follow-up emails will be issued unless otherwise stated.

If you don’t see the email, please check your spam or junk folder.

Cancellation Policy:
We operate a 14 day cancellation policy. If you cancel your booking at least 14 days prior to the event you will be refunded. Cancellations made less than 14 days prior to the date will not be refunded.

Allergies:
Please advise us of any dietary requirements and allergens when booking (email:hello@growhq.org) as we are unable to change the menu on the day.
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