In the meantime, one of the Homespun founders, Ami (me!), will be riding 545 miles from SF to LA on the AIDS/Lifecycle on the big blue tandem that’s been hanging in the shop.  If you’ve ever gotten help or advice or used the community pump or tools at the shop this is a great chance to give back.  Chip in to support my ride with my good friend Mary Ann as we raise funds to make folks lives better every day through the direct services provided by the SF Aids Foundation.

We're riding 545 miles on this beast of a bike!

And the last day our time in the sweet neighborhood on Wesley and Broolyn was made even sweeter by our first harvest of Homespun Honey from the roof of the shop.  In the course of adding a box to make room for the growing hive, we skimmed off a bit of rogue comb and were able to share it with some neighbors at Leaning Tower Pizza and Lottie at Wesley Wash and Fold.

Yum. The bees had been feasting on the jasmine growing along the building, and the honey is amazing.  It’s been a wonderful time in this ‘hood, look out for our next incarnation!

Look for us as “The U.S. Compostal Service,” an mobile compost and food vending system that illustrates the cycle of life on a bicycle, trailing a kitchen garden.

We want to show people the connection between what you eat, what you throw away, and how your food waste can become your garden input.

But on a bike.

And we will be riding it all the way from Oakland to the Golden Gate Park.

People, plants, worms, bikes, unite!

at HOMESPUN BIKES, OAKLAND

In this 2-hour workshop, we’ll talk about bike-portable remedies that you can make yourself to address common roadside ailments like scrapes, sunburn, dehydration, and achy, sore muscles. Once you learn the plants, you can pick them fresh and make your own bike-portable medicine. There will be a demonstration herbal first-aid kit to unpack, and some plant medicine to make and take home. Ride your bike, name more plants, heal more scrapes.

{REGISTER HERE: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/238164 }

For many years gardeners and farmers have used worm composting to convert kitchen scraps into dark, dense, earth-smelling soil that increases the germination, growth, and yield of their vegetables and flowers without any packaging or transportation, yielding healthier plants while reducing landfill space and lowering your carbon footprint.

In this two hour workshop, we will show you what containers you can find for free or cheap that work well for worm composting, what kinds of foodscraps worms can digest and what never to add, how and when to harvest the resulting soil, how to keep your bin smelling fresh indoors and out, and the best uses for your excellent resulting compost.

Because worm composting happens in a closed 2 by 3 foot container (or smaller), you can practice this sustainable cycle of life even in an apartment with a fire escape garden.

FREE:  Learning about worm composting. You can sit in on the workshop and learn about the magic of worm composting at no charge. But please register at the link below so we know you’re coming. 

$12:  WORM STARTER KIT. Sit in on the workshop AND leave with your very own STARTER KIT OF MAGICAL WORMS. Please register and prepay for the worms at the link below, so we know you’re coming and can bring worms for you!

{register here:  https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/234660 }

March 22nd. 7pm at Homespun Bikes/ Leaning Tower of Pizza.
BikeShare is an event where cyclists share ideas, skills, and stories in 10 minutes or less.

Think TED on a bike.

With each event, the theme will change but the format will be the same, good food, good beer, and 8-10 short presentations related to the joys of riding a bike. This upcoming event’s theme is Inspire.

Whether it’s a 1200 km brevet or an epic cross ride, ultra creative art bikes or DIY cargo rigs in Chinatown, incredible tours from around the world or right here in our backyard, this BikeShare is sure to have something that will inspire you. Come join us to hear from cyclists who are pushing the boundaries of human fitness, bicycle creativity, and a passion for adventure.

COLORS FROM NATURE:

Getting Started with Natural Dyes

Sunday March 4, 2012 from 1-4 PM

at Homespun Bikes

ABOUT THE CLASS:

Learn how to make brilliant colors from your local environment with natural dyer and plants-person DEEPA NATARAJAN of the PERMACOUTURE INSTITUTE. In this three-hour workshop you will learn the basic principles of natural dyes, mordanting, medicinal dyes, making patterns on cloth and flower printing.  We’ll also be taking a neighborhood walk to identify some common and unexpected dye plants.  You will get to take home samples in a range of colors and fibers. No experience necessary.  $20- $30 sliding scale includes all materials.

ABOUT THE  TEACHER:

Deepa Natarajan worked with plants and people at the UC BERKELEY BOTANICAL GARDEN for 5 years putting on their public education programs. During this time she cultivated her love of gardening and natural dyes. She has traveled to South India several times during that period learning from master dyers and teaching workshops on local natural dyes. She is currently working with the PERMACOUTURE INSTITUTE  as the ‘Seeds to Sew’ Project Director to partner with local seed banks and tag seeds for their fiber & dye properties.  You can read about her plant adventures on her plantspeople blog below.

Class is $20-30 sliding scale includes a plant walk, hands-on instruction, and plant dyeing materials.

(TO REGISTER visit: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/225804) 

• About the Permacouture Institute: http://permacouture.org/
• About Deepa: http://plantspeople.blogspot.com/
• About the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden: http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/

We will be closed next Wednesday to get out in the streets for the city-wide strike! Come out, come out.