March 8 – Open Nursery Day at Long Creek Homestead
Growing Gourmet Mushrooms Workshop
April 5 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – $65
Grow your own mushrooms! It is easier to grow mushrooms at home than you think. You can grow delicious and nutritious culinary and medicinal mushrooms in your own garden or home (in apartments, on rooftops and patios, too!) In the workshop we will cover how to inoculate stumps, logs, wood chips, and burlap sacks while improving your garden ecology. In this interactive class you will learn the types of outdoor mushrooms that we can easily grow in our area, the conditions required and the tools you will need. The class will also cover the basics of mushroom science, how fungi functions in nature and how to work with fungi to help restore our local ecologies. The best part is the hands-on experience of inoculating a mushroom log that you get to take home!
Workshops will be outside- rain or shine, and will be a combination of theory and hands-on practice. Please wear comfortable shoes for walking and bring your own water. Whether you have a little patch of backyard or a huge property to work with, the principles you learn in this class will help make your land more diverse, productive, and ecologically friendly than ever before.
Michael Judd has worked with agro-ecological and whole-system designs throughout the Americas for over two decades, focusing on applying permaculture and ecological design. His projects increase local food security and community health in both tropical and temperate growing regions. He is the founder of Ecologia Edible & Ecological Landscape Design, Project Bona Fide, an international nonprofit supporting agro-ecology research, and co-founder of SilvoCulture, a Maryland based nonprofit which is helping plant 1 million nut trees in the Mid-Atlantic region. He is also the author of Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist, and For the Love of PawPaws.
Michael lives with his family on a permaculture homestead nestled along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Frederick, Maryland. The Judds’ homestead consists of 25 acres of mixed woodlands, food forests, gardens, and a nursery designed for experimentation and education.
**Long Creek Nursery Plant pick-ups available after workshop**
**These workshops sell out fast, if you would like to be put on a waitlist please email aharmon@commonmarket.coop**
Herb Spirals
Watch Our Free Herb Spiral Webinar
On-demand Webinar
Discover the benefits of the herb spiral and learn to easily build the best type for your space, with tips on preparing, constructing and planting to create optimum habitat, promoting diversity, abundance and beauty!
Topics covered include:
– Why build an herb spiral
– Dry stack version
– Free form version
– Planting the spiral and filling the niches
– Tips and tricks
The webinar is a short 40-minute illustrated talk that you won’t want to miss with Q&As at the end.
Want to dig deeper?
Check out the chapter on herb spirals in my book Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist
Mid-Atlantic Fruits & Berries with Michael Judd
May 10 @ 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm
$25.00 – $50.00Join edible landscaper, author, and permaculture designer Michael Judd for an engaging exploration of some of the easiest and most rewarding fruits and berries to grow in the Mid-Atlantic region. This presentation will focus on low-maintenance, naturally resilient plants that thrive with minimal effort, making them perfect for home gardens and landscapes. Best part is getting to sample many of these unique flavors through a collection of jams and Paw Paw ice cream!
Michael will also share simple food forest design techniques to help you create a thriving, productive ecosystem that supports both biodiversity and abundance. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced grower, you will gain valuable insights into growing delicious, regenerative food with ease.
Michael Judd is a permaculture designer, author, and founder of Ecologia Edible & Ecological Landscape Design. With over three decades of experience in agro-ecology, he has led projects that enhance local food security and community health. He co-founded SilvoCulture, aiming to plant one million nut trees in the Mid-Atlantic, and founded Project Bona Fide, supporting agro-ecology research. Author of Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist and For the Love of PawPaws, his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and the BBC.
PawPaw Fest!
Date Set – 10th Annual Fest ~ Sept. 20th 2025
10th Annual PawPaw Fest ~ Earlybird Tickets Now Available!
Some of our favorite snapshots of this year’s fest! Credit to Robb Hill Media
What’s this Paw Paw Fest all about?
Watch more about Paw Paw Fest 2023
Join us September 20th, 2025 12-5 p.m. to celebrate our beloved Paw Paw Fruit with tastings, ice cream, jam making, music & fall fun for everyone. All ages welcome.
Live Music, Food Forest Tours, Plant Walks, Earth Based Crafts & More!
The event is all outdoors with plenty of space and flow. Rain or Shine. No Refunds.
What to Expect?
PawPaw Fest 2025 Schedule (subject to change)
12:15 Spirit of the Bees: natural bee keeping 101 with Kypriana
1:00 Permaculture Walk with Eric Joseph Lewis
2:00 Food Forest Tour with Antonette Vasseur
2:30 Talking Pawpaws with Todd Mcree
3:00 Plant Walk with Bohdi Vasilopoulos
3:30 Children’s Paw Paw Story Time
3:30 Gentle Flow Yoga with Hannah Cherry
4:00 Talking Pawpaws with Todd Mcree
4:00 Q&A with a bee keeper Josh Kalo
4:20 Food Forest Tour with Michael Judd
.. and of course we will be celebrating everything pawpaw with multiple cultivar tastings, pawpaw ice cream, rocket stove jam, fruit and tree sales, kids zone, awesome fun music, eco-groovy vendors, circular strawbale and high vibes!
*Kids 12 and under free!
*Not handicap accessible but electric chairs have made it through..
Extras for sale at event:
Paw Paw Trees
Paw Paw Fruit by the Pound
Looking to volunteer at the fest please email us at info@ecologiadesign.com
* Please note that parking is at Brook Hill Church, address listed, and then a short walk down our wooded lane to the fest.
Ecologia shares agro-ecology and permaculture practices through tours, workshops and mini courses. Our educational research site offers the opportunities and experiences of practical ecological design, covering a myriad of focuses that include; mushroom cultivation, food forests, natural building, pruning, grafting, propagation, passive rainwater harvesting, soil building, plant selection, and ecological restoration.
Explore setting up a Workshop, Mini Course or Tour
Workshops, mini courses, and tours can be created and tailored around subjects of interest for groups. We welcome educational institutions to contact us for potential collaborations.
I’ve been taking my graduate-level Applied Sustainability class to Long Creek Educational Center since 2013, because it offers such a wide array of opportunities for students to learn “back to the future” techniques for environmental stewardship and sustainable living. From permaculture to sustainable construction to a philosophy of living with the land rather than competing against it, I highly recommend the center for hands-on higher education learning.
Paul Kazyak
Johns Hopkins University, Advanced Academic Programs
For info on hosting please email info@ecologiadesign.com.