L&T News Archives - Land and Table https://landandtable.com/category/land-and-table-news/ Cultivating a thriving local food system in the Lynchburg, VA region Sun, 16 Mar 2025 02:00:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://landandtable.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-land-table-favicon-32x32.png L&T News Archives - Land and Table https://landandtable.com/category/land-and-table-news/ 32 32 39422686 Winter Break ’24 + 2025 Meeting Dates https://landandtable.com/2025/01/winter-break-24/ Sun, 05 Jan 2025 01:57:28 +0000 https://landandtable.com/?p=4799 Blessings in the new year! We hope you had a great Christmas and holiday season. We are currently on Winter Break and are not hosting events but make sure you are on our email list for all the latest Land & Table news and info on when we will be rebooting our monthly events.

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Blessings in the new year! We hope you had a great Christmas and holiday season. We are currently on Winter Break and are not hosting events but make sure you are on our email list for all the latest Land & Table news and info on.

In 2025 we will continue to host our monthly networking / learning potlucks. Our Bedford County potlucks will be on the third Tuesday (6-8pm) of each month and the Amherst County potlucks will be hosted on the third Saturday (5-7pm). Our 2025 potlucks will run from March to November (Bedford County), and April to October/Nov. (Amherst County).

Save The 2025 Meeting Dates:

Bedford County:

  • Tuesday, March 18 (6-8pm)
  • Tuesday, April 15 (6-8pm)
  • Tuesday, May 20 (6-8pm)
  • Tuesday, June 17 (6-8pm)
  • Tuesday, July 15 (6-8pm)
  • Tuesday, August 19 (6-8pm)
  • Tuesday, September 16 (6-8pm)
  • Tuesday, October 21 (6-8pm)
  • Tuesday, November 18 (6-8pm)

Amherst County:

  • Saturday, April 19 (5-7pm)
  • Saturday, May 17 (5-7pm)
  • Saturday, June 21 (5-7pm)
  • Saturday, July 19 (5-7pm)
  • Saturday, August 16 (5-7pm)
  • Saturday, September 20 (5-7pm)
  • Saturday, October 18 (5-7pm)

These potlucks are open to the community. Join us!

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]]> 4799 T-Shirt Fundraiser! https://landandtable.com/2024/08/t-shirt-fundraiser-ends-aug-31/ Tue, 20 Aug 2024 05:56:17 +0000 https://landandtable.com/?p=4667 We want to continue to grow and support the local food movement in the Lynchburg, Virginia region but we need to your financial backing to keep Land & Table going.

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This t-shirt fundraiser is online only. Pre-orders will go until August 31, 2024 and then a print-on-demand batch will be printed and shipped out to everyone by Bonfire out of Richmond, Virginia.

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UPDATE: A SECOND BATCH HAS BEEN OPENED! ORDER YOUR SHIRT BY SEPT. 22
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PRE-ORDER NOW

 For over 12 years we have been networking and supporting the local food movement in the Lynchburg, Virginia region by hosting monthly events. These events have been focused on education, community building, and providing a platform for the sharing of skills, knowledge and wisdom. Since the beginning, we have incorporated potlucks into these events because we are a movement that is all about local food and connection – connection with one another and the land.

Potlucks obviously are free – because we all bring something to the table, but the other aspects of our meetings take a great deal of time to organize, plan, promote, host, and clean up from. Through the generosity of the farms and other venues who host, and the speakers who present or facilitate, we continue to offer empowering content for anyone interested:

  • Ecological agriculture
  • Resilient Living
  • Community Building
  • Local Food

You may be a commercial farmer, a dedicated homesteader, or a passionate local food lover, but we find common ground in our shared values to heal the land, heal our bodies, and re-weave vibrant local communities – through the growing and eating of local food.

None of us does it perfectly but if we are all pointed in the same direction we can transform how our food system works, how healthy our families are, how in harmony our local ecologies are, and how resilient our local economy is.

So, we are built on the pattern of the potluck – we all bring something to the table. But in time and finances only a small portion of us have carried the load. This needs to change if Land & Table is going to continue into the future.

In late 2022 we officially became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with the hopes of expanding how we serve the local food movement and the wider regional Lynchburg area community. We’ve long dreamed about creating a regional local food guide (which we’ve started on), young regenerative farmer mentorship, a ‘school’ of homesteading, and other programming to build a thriving local food system. And – we want to keep hosting monthly events, plus learning intensives for going deeper…

But none of it can happen without a passionate core fueling the movement. And even our monthly events cannot continue without more of us contributing to making it all happen. Like all things – if you feed it, it can thrive. If you don’t it will die.

We did a little fundraising last year but we need to fund the work on an ongoing basis. We are behind in raising funds this year and are kicking fundraising back into gear by starting with a t-shirt fundraiser and are plotting some other means to put fuel to the fire in the coming months. Help us keep this fire burning. Land & Table has always been founded on a potluck culture and it will only survive with the same.

Stay tuned for more ways to fan these flames in the coming weeks. Thank you!

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]]> 4667 L&T Book Club: Our Wilding Farming Life (8/3/23) https://landandtable.com/2023/07/lt-book-club-our-wilding-farming-life-8-3-23/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 01:58:40 +0000 https://landandtable.com/?p=4164 We will be discussing the book 'Our Wild Farming Life: Adventures On A Scottish Highland Croft' on Thursday, August 3 (6:30-8:00pm) at the Bedford Library. The authors stumble headlong into a life of farming, with one question: "What does farming in harmony with nature look like?"

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RSVP NOW

Join us on Thursday, August 3 (6:30-8:00pm) at the Bedford Central Library for the monthly Land & Table Book Club discussion. We will be discussing July’s book: ‘Our Wild Farming Life: Adventures On A Scottish Highland Croft‘ by Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer.

Please note: you do NOT have to read the book to attend this discussion. Everyone is welcome to be a part, no matter if you’ve read the book or not. This discussion will revolve around the topic of: farming in harmony with nature using a combination of rewilding and regenerative agriculture practices.

From the book:

““The question we found ourselves asking is what does farming in harmony with nature look like? And is it even possible without having some sort of negative impact somewhere down the line? We had ideas of avoiding chemical use, working with traditional and native breeds of livestock, nurturing fields full of grasses and wildflowers, planting trees and selling our produce to our local community. Our land would hum with life in all seasons as we reaped the bounty of food that our partner nature would provide. It was all so clear in our minds and sounded so perfect and idealistic but was it actually realistic?”  (P.75-76)

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The Land & Table book club is a way to engage with the core ideas and topics that are motivating a new generation to create a more resilient food system and vibrant local community life. We’ll be reading books about: eating local, self-reliant living, agrarian culture, growing food, culinary history, community resilience, going back-to-the-land, and more. This is not a book club that will be technical in nature. And if you don’t have a green thumb, you’ll still feel at home. You don’t have to grow your own food or be a homesteader or farmer to enjoy these books. But…you do have to be curious about reviving your connection with the land, with other people, and with the food you eat. And the reality is: tending to those connections is important for all of us.

We meet on the first Thursday of each month and welcome anyone to our meetings – even if you have not read the book we will be discussing

WHEN: Thursday, August 3 (6:30 – 8pm)
WHERE: Bedford Central Library, 321 N Bridge St Bedford, VA 24523
WHO: Anyone! All are welcome – even if you did not finish the book.
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If you or your family members are under the weather, or not feeling well, we ask that you stay home and rest 🙂

VENUE DETAILS:
Bedford Central Library: 321 N Bridge St Bedford, VA 24523

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]]> 4164 L&T Book Clubs! Coming In 2023 https://landandtable.com/2022/11/lt-book-clubs-coming-in-2023/ Tue, 08 Nov 2022 06:11:38 +0000 https://landandtable.com/?p=3870 Books have played an important role for many of us in our journey to embracing regenerative agriculture, eating local, and self-reliant living. We are launching several pilot L&T Book Club groups in 2023.

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This next year we plan on launching a L&T Book Club pilot group at the Bedford Central Library. This will be a monthly event (1st Thursdays) that will be smaller and more low key than our monthly potlucks, but if you love reading and want to engage with some of the ideas that drive the Land & Table community, this will be a great space for you. Topics we will be focused on include: self-reliant living, homesteading, regenerative agriculture, eating local, going back to the land, and related topics.

The first book will be announced in several weeks and the first monthly Book Club meeting will be January 5th in Bedford. The plan is to read one book a month! Stay tuned for more details 🙂

Want to learn more about the L&T Book Club? Or do you want to host an L&T Book Club in your neck of the woods in the Lynchburg, VA region? Fill out the form below to get on the Book Club email list and watch for details in the next couple weeks.

Can’t see the form? Go: here.

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]]> 3870 20 Days to Grow Local Lynchburg! T-shirts Now Available https://landandtable.com/2017/02/20-days-grow-local-get-t-shirts/ Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:31:20 +0000 http://landandtable.com/?p=1863

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]]> 20 Days to Grow Local’ campaign to help us fund-raise for 2017. We have designed a custom, vintage-style ‘Grow Local’ t-shirt design that is now available for the next 20 days on the fundraising platform Bonfire. There are several different colors and styles available (including women’s cut/colors and youth sizes). Our goal is to get 115 shirts out there – the donation we are asking per shirt is around $22. The campaign will end on February 28 and then orders will ship around 03/10/2017. With this fundraising push we want to move forward with the following:
  • Pursuing solidifying Land and Table as an actual organization/non-profit. Right now we are only a grassroots network but we can do so much more with some structure behind the vision.
  • Implement a local buyer’s guide for the Lynchburg Area on the Land and Table website. We have already revamped the Land and Table website – next we want to add profiles for direct-to-consumer local farmers, farmers markets, food entrepreneurs and locally-owned restaurants. Once we launch this part of the website we will begin thinking about a print publication to supplement the website.
  • Implement a community calendar that highlights events relevant to the local food movement.
  • Begin the planning process for launching ReSkill workshops – that will feature agrarian, cooking and other skills geared towards anyone wanting to become more self-reliant.
  • Continue to host monthly networking potlucks – that include forums, presentations, and community building.
Do you want to help us ‘Grow Local’? Please consider following the link below, making a donation, ordering a shirt and spreading the word. Help us Grow Local!    

https://www.bonfire.com/grow-local-lynchburg/

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]]> 1863 Land and Table Winter Break https://landandtable.com/2016/01/land-and-table-winter-break/ Mon, 11 Jan 2016 19:48:11 +0000 http://landandtable.com/?p=1477

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]]> We will continue our winter break this month as we ease into the new year. Though we will not be hosting a January potluck gathering we want to hear from you about the kind of forum topics, mini-workshops, skill-sharing sessions, guest-speakers, and work parties that you would like to see us focus on this year. Make your way over to our contact form and email us your ideas! Whether you have been a part of our monthly gatherings for some time or have never attended any of our events, there are a handful of ways that you can get involved in the Land and Table vision and mission: Join us for our Monthly Networking Potluck If you are a farmer, gardener or local food advocate and you have never joined us for our monthly gatherings please consider joining us – mark the third Tuesday (evenings) of each month, sign-up for our email updates and follow us on Facebook to get event details a week or two before each gathering. Host a Land and Table Gathering If you own a sustainable farm, organic garden, homestead or other local food/agriculture-related location in the Lynchburg/Bedford area and you would like to host one of our Land and Table monthly potluck gatherings please let us know. You must be able to accommodate parking and facilities for approximately 30 adults (and varied amounts of children). We often meet at Mountain Run Farm in northern Bedford County be we also like to tour other farms and projects who are involved in local food production and sustainable agriculture throughout the area. Become a Land and Table supporter Because Land and Table is a labor of love that we do on the side we have always operated on a shoe-string budget (or no budget at all). For three years we have hosted monthly networking potlucks but we have a vision to do more. We want to:
  • Develop Marketing Resources: Create a marketing program that local producers and food entrepreneurs can leverage to communicate the value of local food to the community.
  • Create a Local Buyers Guide: Create and publish an online directory and Local Buyer’s Guide for the Lynchburg area with a focus on sustainable and chemical-free farms, etc.
  • Host Regular Workshops: We often include educational aspects in our free monthly potlucks but there is often not enough time to dig in deeper. We would love to host more in-depth workshops on various food production and homesteading topics.
To sink our roots into this expanding vision we will need to re-imagine Land and Table as something more than a grassroots network. We have thrown around the idea of becoming a non-profit and we continue to lean into this possibility. Join us as we consider ways to resource this vision. This year we hope to start fundraising by releasing an original ‘Grow Local’ Land and Table t-shirt and bumper sticker that will be available on a per donation basis. Help us cultivate a lasting impact for food producers and eaters alike. Thank you! It’s been an honor to be a part of the growing Lynchburg/Bedford area local food movement over the past three years and we anticipate 2016 as being another important year of strengthening our regional foodshed and the families that it supports. Thank you to each of you who have and continue to be a part of the Land and Table community.]]>

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]]> 1477 Land and Table Monthly Potluck Returns To Tuesday Evenings https://landandtable.com/2015/01/land-table-monthly-potluck-returns-tues-eve/ Thu, 29 Jan 2015 18:40:14 +0000 http://landandtable.com/?p=1175

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]]> The monthly Land and Table gatherings returns to Tuesday evenings[/caption] Welcome to the new year friends! We took a break in January but we’re back in action in February with a few important changes. Life is alot like good farming and gardening – alot of experimenting, figuring out what works and what doesn’t and always trying something new. Land and Table has been much like this as well – it’s never been a clean process of having answers and knowing what to do – but experimenting. learning, cultivating and always returning to original intent – connect people, build community, encourage sustainable agriculture in local farms and gardens. New Monthly Meeting Time As a part of the new year we are moving our monthly community potluck gatherings back to Tuesday evenings once a month – third Tuesday of each month. If you have ideas for any community forum topics, workshops, speakers or other aspects of our monthly gatherings please feel free to let us know through our Contact page. Whether you have been a regular attender or have never attended – we invite you to network with other folks interested in sustainable agriculture, local food, intentional living, agrarian skills, and creating a more resilient regional community. Our next gathering will be Tuesday, February 17th at the newly opened Mountain Run Farm Showbarn/farm store in northern Bedford County. Mason Jar Fund Also, since we have always had an open general membership and have operated for years on a scraggly shoestring budget (plus a little elbow grease) we will be putting out the big ole’ mason jar for those of you who would like to make a cash donation at the door each month. Only do it if you want to help us develop Land and Table into something with deeper roots and bigger (or at least juicier) fruit. If you don’t have any cash or don’t feel compelled to help out financially, as always these events will continue to be free and open to everyone.  ]]>

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]]> 1175 Holiday Market and Open House at Mountain Run Farm | Dec. 13 https://landandtable.com/2014/12/holiday-open-house-mountain-run-farm-dec-13/ Thu, 04 Dec 2014 22:11:32 +0000 http://landandtable.com/?p=1151

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]]> Land and Table Goes To The Mtn Run Holiday Open House – Dec. 13th[/caption] This Christmas season make local food and local arts and crafts a part of your gift giving tradition. Our local community here in the Lynchburg/Bedford area is rich with so much to offer for anyone looking for unique, handcrafted and creative gifts for friends and family. Coming up December 13 (10-4pm*) Mountain Run Farm is celebrating their ‘Grand Opening and Holiday Market‘ with the opening of their new farm store location (at their Showbarn) and are kicking it off with local artisans and a holiday open house. We are moving our Land and Table monthly gathering to converge with this event and hope you will join us for a little holiday cheer! *Please note change of time (10am – 4pm) from our normal monthly gathering time – also feel free to come and go as needed and bring a bagged lunch if you plan on coming around lunch time (there will be no potluck). Stock up on grass-only meats and a variety of locally made goods including: Apothecaries, knitwear, stained glass, home goods, metal arts, textiles, soap, jewelry, prints, pottery, and more. Vendors will include: and more! ============================ DETAILS: Where:  Mountain Run Farm Showbarn (near Sedalia Baptist Church and highway 122): 1228 Charlemont Rd. Sedalia, VA 24526 (map) When:  10am to 4pm (come and go as you please – also, note this is a different time from our normal monthly gatherings) What: Bring cash to buy from local artisans, a cooler to stock up on meats for the holidays, and a bagged lunch if you will be coming around lunch time. RSVP for this event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1569575406610021   land-and-table-dec2014-flyer-Web-preview]]>

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]]> 1151 Land and Table Goes To Equine Education Day | Aug. 9 https://landandtable.com/2014/08/land-table-goes-equine-education-day-aug-9/ Thu, 07 Aug 2014 00:14:29 +0000 http://landandtable.com/?p=1083

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]]> Join us for BEA’s Equine Education Day this Saturday, August 9th[/caption] Land and Table Goes To the BEA’s: Equine Education Day (starts at 10:00 am) In place of our monthly Land and Table potluck we are encouraging everyone to head out to the Bedford Equine Association‘s Equine Education Day at the Sedalia Center this Saturday, August 9th (gate opens at 10am). You will need to pay $5 per person (children 12 and under are free) but this is a great way to support BEA (Bedford Equine Association) and a great way to enjoy an incredible line up of horse demonstrations, horse professionals, activities and meet folks in the area who are passionate about horses. From the BEA:
“The BEA is hosting an equine education day to provide hands on education to everyone interested in learning more about horses. Join us for a fun filled day with beautiful animals and lots of great information. We plan to have guest speakers and a clinic type environment with a lot of opportunity for up close and personal contact with horse professionals and the animals. Please share this event with anyone you feel might be interested in getting some valuable hands on experience with horses.”
Horses have played an integral role in human society and farming throughout history and they are no less significant today. Even though the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the car diminished our dependence on horses – we continue to recognize their importance for agrarian living, sustainable farming, ranching, sports, urban law enforcement, and recreation. And who knows…maybe someday we’ll all be trading in our machines for horses once again! Back at our December Land and Table gathering we featured the wisdom and insights of Marshall Cofer of Triple ‘F’ Farm. He is Bedford County’s premiere teamster and horsemaster. We look forward to seeing Marshal and his beautiful team of Percherons this Saturday as well as these other great featured horsefolk:
  • Jason Rutledge of ‘Environmentally Sensitive Logging and Logging Co.’ and Ridgewind Suffolk Farm with his team of Suffolk Punch horses (featured on PBS and cable on A & E (Documentary “In the Company of Horses”), RFD-TV (Rural Heritage TV) and History Channel’s Ax Men & in Mother Earth News magazine (1987)
  • Eric Hilgartner, a local farrier and owner, along with his wife Heather, of Windover Equine Services. He has experience with navicular and laminitis and will be on hand to discuss hoof care and answer questions.
  • Mark and Deb Burke from Amethyst Acres Equine Center will be joining us for the day. Mark and Deb run a full service all breed reproduction facility in Buchanan, VA.
  • Dr. Martha Moses will be on hand to provide a demonstration in Equine Chiropractic care.
  • Clint Goodwin is the author of, “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, US Civil War Horse Perspective: 1861-1865”, a novel that chronicles the story of Civil War battles through the eyes of a black stallion. Clint will join us for the day to do a book signing and reading from his book.
  • And much more!
A big thanks to the BEA for hosting such an awesome event! If you have any questions about the Equine Education Day please contact Shelby Stewart (her phone number is here). Remember: cost is $5 per person (children 12 and under are free). If you use Facebook – the BEA event page is here – the Land and Table event page is here. And If You’re Not Worn Out: Land and Table Hang Out at The Village Farm (at 5:00 pm) After you’ve enjoyed the Equine Education Day, if you’re not too worn out and the kids aren’t having a meltdown – head on over to The Village Farm (which is right around the corner from the Sedalia Center) for an informal Land and Table hangout. Bring a picnic dinner for yourself and your family (this will NOT be a potluck), some lawn chairs or blankets to sit on, and enjoy the scenic mountain beauty of The Village Farm (historically known as the village of Curtis – and the former residence of Doc and Annis McCabe). If it’s not too hot we may even have a fire in the fire pit and if you’re up for playing in the creek bring a change of clothes for the kids! Please let us know if you plan to attend this informal hang out by RSVPing L-and-T-aug-web-preview]]>

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]]> 1083 Bedford Ag Board Presentation On Industrial Livestock Production https://landandtable.com/2014/06/bedford-ag-board-presentation-on-industrial-livestock/ Fri, 06 Jun 2014 22:50:53 +0000 http://landandtable.com/?p=983

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]]> Bedford Ag Board presentation on bringing industrial livestock operations to the county.[/caption] (June 9th is the public hearing concerning zoning regulation changes related to bringing CAFOs to the county – please come and say a few words about your support or opposition of bringing this industry to the county.) There are many people on both sides of the debate concerning opening the door for CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) in Bedford County. Some people say farmers should have the freedom to take advantage of all forms of agricultural opportunities. Others of us contend that industrial livestock production is more manufacturing than agriculture and that it will dramatically change our community forever. This is a watershed moment in this county and every citizen needs to be a part of the conversation. Below, we are making available a powerpoint presentation that was made by the Ag Board to the Planning Commission regarding the industrial livestock production industry that they want to bring to the county. To download it as a PDF: click here.   [gallery type="slideshow" ids="998,999,1000,1001,1002,1003,1004,1005,1006,1007,1008,1009,1010,1011,1012,1013,1014,1015,1016,1017"]]]>

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