URBAN FARMING CLASSES AT BIOFUEL OASIS
| Biofuel Oasis is excited to be announcing its urban farm class series for Fall of 2010! We specialize in hands-on, seasonally appropriate classes designed to empower people. Participants go home with an object from the class—a bar of soap, a wedge of cheese, a bottle of honey, a flat of sown seeds—and with the know-how to do it solo next time. |
FUEL FILTER CHANGING WORKSHOP
Biodiesel is a good solvent and running it in your car will clean the tank by dissolving any old diesel deposits. That’s a good thing, but those deposits will end up in your fuel filter, eventually causing filter clogging. If you would like to learn how to save a little money by changing your own filters, sign up for one of our fuel filter changing workshops.
MONTHLY DIESEL CAR MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP Local Biodiesel mechanic Billy Jacobs is once again offering this popular workshop. Participants will work on their own cars under Billy’s supervision…
URBAN FARMING CLASS DESCRIPTIONS & SCHEDULE
Backyard Beekeeping
Sunday, September 19th 9 am – 12:30 pm
BioFuel Oasis, 1441 Ashby Ave, Berkeley
Cost $35
Honey bees are a joy to keep in the backyard simply for their buzzing presence and, on hot days, the smell of honey, wafting through the air within ten feet of the hive. They increase pollination in your yard and therefore increase your yields from fruit trees and vegetables. You may also harvest honey (gallons per year), beeswax, pollen, and propolis from the hive. We’ll cover what you need to know to feel ready to have a Langstroth backyard beehive – how to get bees, what equipment you need, where to put the hive, how to extract honey and upkeep the hive. There will be local honey to try. At the class break, we will take a short walk over to a local beehive.
Instructors: Jennifer Radtke and Margaret Farrow of BioFuel Oasis
City Chickens and Ducks
Sunday, September 19th 2 p.m- 5 p.m
BioFuel Oasis, 1441 Ashby Ave, Berkeley
Cost $30
Almost everyone buys eggs, and almost anyone with a small backyard can keep a few chickens or ducks. They are relatively quiet, they create a wonderful nitrogen source for your garden (their composted poo), and their feed can be supplemented with supermarket scraps and weeds. Most hens lay an egg every day or two, so their fresh eggs will be a source of delight and culinary ecstasy. Chickens and ducks also teach us about our connection to the natural world because their happiness—and ours—depends on our ability to gauge their needs and act on our observations.
In this class, we’ll empower people to make the leap into chicken ownership. We’ll go over chicken requirements and responsibilities, setting up coops, raising chicks, feed and water requirements, legality issues, anatomy, predation and disease, and best breeds for the city.
Instructor: Daniel Miller of Spiral Gardens
Greywater for Backyard Gardeners
Sunday, October 10th, 10 a.m- 1 p.m
BioFuel Oasis, 1441 Ashby Ave, Berkeley
Cost $30
Interested in learning how to keep your garden green while reducing water consumption?
Greywater (water that comes from showers, sinks, and washing machines) is a great source of outside irrigation water. Not only does greywater cut back on fresh water use and save time and money, it is an easy shift towards sustainable water use. In this class you will learn how to choose plant friendly soaps, what kind of systems work best in our area, information about codes, and the parts and tools needed to build these simple systems. There will be some hands on activities, so wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
Instructor: Laura Allen of Greywater Action
Urban Herbalism: Medicinal Plants of the Bay Area
Sunday, October 10th, 2 pm-5pm
BioFuel Oasis, 1441 Ashby Ave, Berkeley
Cost $30
If you are under the impression that you must travel to the far reaches of the wilderness in order to find a variety of edible, medicinal, and other such useful plants…think again. Join us as we explore the rich diversity of useful native and non-native plants growing in and around the metropolis that is the San Francisco Bay Area. Class will include both an interactive lecture/slideshow as well as a field outing to a nearby community garden to meet the plants on their own turf. Topics to be covered include: plant identification instruction, ethical harvesting guidelines and legal issues, poisonous plant awareness and avoidance, plant processing and medicine making tips, plant family characteristics, and much more!
Instructor: Tellur Fenner of Blue Wind Botanical Medicine Clinic
City Goats and Cheese Making
Sunday, October 17th, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
1526 Fairview Street Berkeley
Cost $35
If you’ve been dreaming of backyard goats, come to this class to find out how to get involved–either by keeping your own goats or through a goat collective. The first 90 minutes of the class will cover goat basics, including feeding and milking, setting up for your own goats or how to get involved with local urban goat keepers. The next half of the class we will retire to the kitchen to learn how to make two simple goat cheeses: chevre and ricotta. Each person in the class will go home with a bit of cheese!
Instructor: Novella Carpenter of BioFuel Oasis and author of Farm City.
Fermentation! Kraut, Kombucha and beyond
Sunday, October 17th, 1:30 pm-4:00 pm
1526 Fairview Street Berkeley
Cost $30
Preserve the harvest, strengthen your digestion and immunity, and create intriguing flavors in your kitchen by learning the simple art of fermenting vegetables Further adventures in the simple health-promoting art of fermentation, suitable for beginners and those who are already fermenting. We’ll start with basic wild fermentation and move on to fermenting with a culture, including lactofermentation and making fermented drinks with kefir grains, ginger “bug” and kombucha mothers. Everyone will make a simple lactofermented condiment to ferment at home. Bring a knife and cutting board.
Instructor: Nishanga Bliss is a licensed acupuncturist and teaches at the Acupuncture Integrative College in Berkeley. The top of her refrigerator is always bubbling with a half-dozen fermentation projects.
Cost $30
Olive Curing
Sunday, December 5, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
BioFuel Oasis, 1441 Ashby Ave, Berkeley
Cost $30
We are lucky to live in a climate that is ideal for growing olives. Sadly, many trees bear fruit that simply falls on the ground and is wasted; meanwhile we find ourselves buying $7 per pound olives at the grocery store. The good news: you can make your own delicious cured olives using salt or brine. Not only is it easy to make olives without using nasty chemicals, it is also a fun way to feel connected to your food. Chef Samin Nosrat (Chez Panisse, Eccolo) has been curing olives for years, and will show you the many ways to go about it. In this one and a half hour class, after a quick talk about the history and science of olive making, the majority of the class will be a hands-on instructional covering the various different ways to go from fresh olives to the finished product. Suggestions for marinating olives to embue them with distinct flavors will also be covered. Everyone will go home with a jar of olives in brine or salt.
Instructor: Chef Samin Nosrat (Chez Panisse, Eccolo)
How to Enroll
Please click the “Add to Cart” button below the class description to reserve your spot in the class via credit card or debit card. (You don’t need a PayPal account – just click “Continue” next to where it says “Don’t have a PayPal account?”)
You can also sign up by calling BioFuel Oasis (510.665.5509) or coming in during business hours.
Our classes often fill up 1-2 weeks before class date, we strongly recommend you sign up early!
Scholarships
Thanks to a generous grant from Rainbow Grocery Cooperative scholarships are available for each class. Please inquire if you would like to apply for a scholarship spot.
Refund Policy
Cancellations must be made seven days in advance in order to receive a full refund. Refunds are not given for classes canceled less than seven days ahead; however you may apply the cost of the class towards another future class of the same value. Credit for a future class must be used within one year of the original class date. No refund or credit is given to cancellations made 48 hours before a class date.
MONTHLY DIESEL CAR MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP
3rd Saturday of every month 12-6pm
2465 4th Street @ Dwight Way, Berkeley 94710
For Mercedes cars 1974-85 240d/300d,td,sd,cd and Volkswagen pre-1985. Others may attend lecture.
Participants are invited to attend Lecture and Lab or the Lecture only.
- Lecture-30 minutes How glow plugs work, fuel filters/lines, fuel injector pump, starter, coolant, how brakes work, how to perform a compression test, and how to improve mileage. Q and A.
- Lab-4 hours Under supervision of instructor, workshop participants will learn how to: perform a car inspection, test glow plugs, remove a tire, and perform a brake check. AND one of the following: change a fuel filter, upgrade fuel lines, or replace fuel tank strainer. Participants will work on own car.
No dino diesel please Please don’t have any petro diesel fuel in your car if you are changing your fuel filter or fuel tank strainer at the workshop. To insure this, don’t run any petro diesel for at least two tankfuls before the workshop. We just don’t want to touch or deal with disposing of toxic diesel fuel.
Instructor: Billy Jacobs, Biofuel Oasis recommended mechanic with 12+ years experience. Billy has a degree in Auto Technology, is a member of Berkeley Biodiesel collective, and a biodiesel homebrewer.
Cost:$140 for lecture, lab, and parts.
$30 lecture only.
Workshop pre-registration and payment required.
To enroll contact: email hidden; JavaScript is required 510-653-9450
MONTHLY FUEL FILTER CHANGING WORKSHOPS [back to top]
Sunday July 11th, between 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm (30 minutes per car)
Biofuel Oasis 1441 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
Interested in learning how to change your own fuel filter? We teach monthly filter changing workshops for
Mercedes 1977-1985 and VWs 1997 – 2007. During this 30 minute workshop you will change your own filter(s) under the supervision of the teacher. Class taught by one of the BioDevas. Sign up below using Paypal. You will be asked to select a 30 minute time slot between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00.
How do I know it’s time to change my fuel filter?
If you’ve just switched to running 100% biodiesel, we recommend waiting at least a month or two before changing your fuel filter. If you’ve been running 100% biodiesel for months (years?), it’s a good thing to proactively change your fuel filter every 1-2 years (or before a big trip), so you don’t end up having to do it on the road. If it’s time to change it, ask us to sign up for this workshop.
What should I bring?
We sell filters for 1977 – 1985 240D and 300 series Mercedes. We also sell filters for 2000 and newer VW TDIs, except for 2006 + Jettas; those must be purchased from the dealer. Please bring your own fuel filter if you have a different model car. If you have them please bring a couple screwdrivers, and possibly a clamp or visegrips and an oil/fuel drip pan. Wear clothing that you don’t mind getting stained.
No Dino Diesel please!
Please don’t have any petro diesel fuel in your car if you are changing your fuel filter at the workshop. To insure this, don’t run any petro diesel for at least two tankfuls before the workshop. We just don’t want to touch or deal with disposing of toxic diesel fuel
Cost: $25 plus cost of the filter
You will be asked to indicate a class time. Class times are every half hour starting at 12:00.