URBAN FARMING CLASSES AT BIOFUEL OASIS
Thanks to a grant from Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, we are offering a bevy of urban farming classes at the Oasis. The classes are hands-on, seasonally appropriate, and empower people to learn life skills that expand and enrich their lives. Every class participant will 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.
View class schedule
Refund policy
FUEL FLITER CHANGING WORKSHOP With the cold weather, winter is a good time of year to bone up on your filter changing skills. If you need a filter change and would like to learn how to do it yourself, sign up! Next workshop: Sunday, March 28th
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 DESCRIPTION & SCHEDULE
Greywater for Backyard Gardeners CLASS FULL
Sunday, January 31st 10am-1pm
BioFuel Oasis 1441 Ashby avenue, Berkeley
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
Cost $25
Mushroom Cultivation CLASS FULL
Sunday, January 31st 2pm-5pm
BioFuel Oasis 1441 Ashby avenue
This workshop will explore the many uses and sustainable applications of the fungi kingdom.
Each participant will go home with their very own mushroom kit (a $20 value) and the knowledge, resources and enthusiasm to start growing culinary and medicinal mushrooms at home and in the garden. Topics covered include:
- Boosting plant yields with mycorrhizal fungi
- Home-scale indoor and outdoor growing techniques
- Mushroom lifecycle and functions
- Permaculture applications of fungi
Instructor: Kyle Collins
Cost $25
City Chickens and Ducks 3 Classes
Sunday, February 7th 9:30 am -12:30 pm FEB 7th CLASS FULL
Sunday, March 7th 9:30 am -12:30 pm
Sunday, March 7th 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
BioFuel Oasis 1441 Ashby avenue, Berkeley
Almost everyone buys eggs, and almost anyone with a small backyard can keep a few chickens or ducks. They are relatively quiet, create a wonderful nitrogen source for your garden (their composted poo), and their feed can be supplemented with kitchen scraps and weeds. Most hens lay an egg every day or two, so their eggs will be a source of delight and culinary inspiration. Chickens and ducks also teach us about our connection to the natural world.
In this class, we’ll empower people to make the leap into chicken ownership. We’ll go over chicken requirements, responsibilities, setting up coops, raising chicks, anatomy, predation and disease, and best breeds for the city.
Instructors: Urban Eggs; Cooper Funk and Paul Glowaski
Class Fee $30
Valentine’s Day Ginger Beer and Kraut Making Session CLASS FULL
Sunday, February 14th 11 am – 12:30 pm
Biofuel Oasis, 1441 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
Celebrate Valentine’s Day by learning how to make tasty fermented food! In this class you’ll make a delicious fermented beverage called ginger beer–a sparkling, spicy/sweet natural soda. We’ll also have a hands on vegetable fermentation session where you’ll learn how to make crunchy sauerkraut, using a variety of veggies. Each class participant will go home with a bottle of ginger beer and a quart of kraut. Makes a perfect Valentine’s gift!
Instructor: Leslie Outier has years of kraut making experience; she works for City Slicker Farms in Oakland
Cost $25
Backyard Beekeeping CLASS FULL
(Please send us an email if you’d like to be placed on the waitinglist).
Sunday, February 21th 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
BioFuel Oasis 1441 Ashby Ave, Berkeley
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. Featured snack will be apples, cheese, and chocolate dipped in local honey. At the end of class, we will take a short walk over to a local beehive.
Instructors: Jennifer Radtke and Margaret Farrow
Cost: $25
The Complete Rabbit
Sunday, March 21 10am-1pm
BioFuel Oasis 1441 Ashby avenue Berkeley
Rabbits are the new chicken. More and more urban farmers are discovering the benefits of raising rabbits for meat and fur. Bunnies are very low impact in a city environment: they’re quiet, prefer to be kept in shady locations (thus don’t take up vegetable space)
and reproduce quickly. Their meat is low fat and delicious when properly prepared; their tanned hides can be used for many craft projects; and their poo makes a great amendment for your garden. This class will cover rabbit basics: housing, sourcing food for them on a budget, breeding, and harvesting. A quick and humane technique for killing meat rabbits will be discussed. For those with interest, we will do a hands-on demo of how to undress and prepare the rabbit for the table.
Instructor: Novella Carpenter
Cost $30
How to Enroll
Send an email to: email hidden; JavaScript is required with the subject name of the class you would like to take, and your name and phone number. After emailing us, please click the “Pay Now” 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?”)
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 March 28th, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Biofuel Oasis 1441 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
Come into the shop or call during business hours (510-665-5509) to sign up for a 1/2 hour time slot. We’ll put you on the schedule and send you an email reminder. Please be sure to call and let us know if you have to cancel – we turn people away when the schedule fills up.
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.
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 3-6 months, 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.
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