Upcoming Events
Garden 101 Workshop
Join LEC and Master Gardener Lucas Youngerberg and learn the skills you need to grow a successful garden this year!
Whether you're a beginner or want to improve your skills, this is the workshop for you! Lucas will cover what you need to know to get your garden up and running and share tips and tricks to help you have a bountiful harvest.
Class Size is limited, so register today!
Class is offered on our tiered pricing scale, with current registered LEC Community Gardeners eligible for the Reduced/Student price!
Tiered Pricing Scale:
$45 - Benefactor: purchase your ticket and sponsor 2 scholarship tickets
$22 - Sustainer: purchase your ticket and sponsor a reduced/student ticket
$15 - General Admission: base class price
$7 - Reduced/Student Admission: reduced pricing for students and attendees needing a reduced rate
To request a scholarship ticket please email info@livingearthcentermn.org
Community Farm Open House
Kick off the 2025 Growing Season with Living Earth Center and your community!
The Blue Earth County Community Farm is home to our Produce Donation Program, where volunteers help grow food that is donated to community partners such as ECHO Food Shelf, FOCP Summer Food Program, St Peter Food Shelf, and MORE!
Stop by the Community Farm any time between 1 and 4pm for farm tours and other springtime fun, including planting native plants, crafts, games, and light refreshments!
Everyone is welcome!
Event is FREE with donations greatly appreciated.
Preregistration is not required, but appreciated.
June Community Volunteer Day at the Farm
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm for an evening of volunteering!
Many hands make light work, we will be weeding, turning compost and doing general farm maintenance tasks with...
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
The Community Farm is home to our Produce Donation Program, all food grown is donated to local community partners such as ECHO Food Shelf, MY Place, and the St Peter Food Shelf.
You will be making a difference and helping to feed YOUR community.
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
Container Gardening Workshop
Want to learn how to garden but don't have the yard space? You can still grow food! Learn how to have a successful garden out of pots and containers, including herbs, vegetables and flowers.
Class taught by Master Gardeners Mary Walker and Lucas Youngerberg
Class Size is limited, so register today!
Class is offered on our tiered pricing scale:
$45 - Benefactor: purchase your ticket and sponsor 2 scholarship tickets
$22 - Sustainer: purchase your ticket and sponsor a reduced/student ticket
$15 - General Admission: base class price
$7 - Reduced/Student Admission: reduced pricing for students and attendees needing a reduced rate
To request a scholarship ticket please email info@livingearthcentermn.org
Summer Solstice Celebration
Join LEC for our annual celebration of the longest day of the year!
We will observe the Summer Solstice with our annual reflection, as well as with games, activities, and live performances!
All are welcome!
Bring your friends, a picnic, and blanket or chairs and join us at the Big Red Barn for an evening of fun and celebration.
Event is FREE - with free will donations gratefully accepted
Pre-registration is requested but not required
July Community Volunteer Day at the Farm
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm for an evening of volunteering!
Many hands make light work, we will be weeding, turning compost and doing general farm maintenance tasks with...
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
The Community Farm is home to our Produce Donation Program, all food grown is donated to local community partners such as ECHO Food Shelf, MY Place, and the St Peter Food Shelf.
You will be making a difference and helping to feed YOUR community.
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
Vegetable Dehydration Workshop
Want to learn how to preserve your garden harvest that doesn't involve canning?
Or what to do with leftover purchased produce, like when your recipe calls for 1 celery stalk but you have to buy an entire bunch?
Dehydration is the answer!
Learn the basics and how to get started from LEC Farm Manager and homesteader SkyAnne Walker, who has been using dehydration at home for many years.
If you don't have access to a food dehydrator, alternative methods, such as dehydrating in your oven, will be covered.
Class Size is limited, so register today!
Class is offered on our tiered pricing scale:
$45 - Benefactor: purchase your ticket and sponsor 2 scholarship tickets
$22 - Sustainer: purchase your ticket and sponsor a reduced/student ticket
$15 - General Admission: base class price
$7 - Reduced/Student Admission: reduced pricing for students and attendees needing a reduced rate
To request a scholarship ticket please email info@livingearthcentermn.org
August Community Volunteer Day at the Farm
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm for an evening of volunteering!
Many hands make light work, we will be weeding, turning compost and doing general farm maintenance tasks with...
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
The Community Farm is home to our Produce Donation Program, all food grown is donated to local community partners such as ECHO Food Shelf, MY Place, and the St Peter Food Shelf.
You will be making a difference and helping to feed YOUR community.
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
Native Pollinator Garden Workshop
Support pollinators by learning how to grow native Minnesota wildflowers!
Join LEC and Master Gardener Mary Walker to learn about all things pollinator!
From what to plant to attract pollinators to how, and the benefits of native plants, to how to tend your plants throughout the growing season, learn the basics to get started with your own pollinator garden
Class Size is limited, so register today!
Class is offered on our tiered pricing scale:
$45 - Benefactor: purchase your ticket and sponsor 2 scholarship tickets
$22 - Sustainer: purchase your ticket and sponsor a reduced/student ticket
$15 - General Admission: base class price
$7 - Reduced/Student Admission: reduced pricing for students and attendees needing a reduced rate
To request a scholarship ticket please email info@livingearthcentermn.org
Canning 101 workshop
Too many tomatoes?!? Want to preserve your pickles?!?
Join LEC Farm Manager and owner of Wiimąnį Homestead SkyAnne Walker to learn how to preserve your garden harvest by canning.
Learn the basics, from what equipment you'll need to the importance of food safety.
Want to can but don't have the equipment? LEC has you covered! We have all sorts of canning equipment available for checkout from our lending library for free!
Class Size is limited, so register today!
Class is offered on our tiered pricing scale:
$45 - Benefactor: purchase your ticket and sponsor 2 scholarship tickets
$22 - Sustainer: purchase your ticket and sponsor a reduced/student ticket
$15 - General Admission: base class price
$7 - Reduced/Student Admission: reduced pricing for students and attendees needing a reduced rate
To request a scholarship ticket please email info@livingearthcentermn.org
LEC News and Updates
LEC co-founder and current Board Member, Sister Kathleen Storms recently shared her recipe for Flax-Nutmeg Pancakes in the April edition of the SSND Connections Newsletter.
She graciously agreed to also share it with the LEC Community. Flax seeds are rich in fiber and omega 3's and Sister Kathleen says they are delicious topped with syrup or a variety of fresh fruits!
Read on for the recipe...
Friends of the Living Earth,
Living Earth Center was founded on the values of bringing people from all backgrounds and traditions together to share common ground, grow food, and cultivate connection. During these times that feel vulnerable and uncertain, our adherence to those values remains steadfast and unwavering. We have always been and will always be a place where anyone can come, feel welcome, be empowered to grow good things and be united in common awe of the natural world.
British author Susan Cooper originally wrote her poem, The Shortest Day, as a performance poem that was part of The Cambridge Christmas Revels in the 1970's. It has endured the test of time, and in 2019 was published as a stand alone book with illustrations by award winning author-illustrator Carson Ellis.
The poem captures the beauty, wonder, and tradition of the winter solstice and Ellis' illustrations give this book a timeless quality. From depictions of ancient dance rituals to a modern day family gathered around their fireplace, the illustrations add a layer of depth to Cooper's classic poem...
