Workshops around Montreal

TinyHomestead facilitates interactive activities and engaging material to bring people together to build a better world. Interested in having Shona present at your school, company, or group? Email us for a quote.

Many folks think that living in Quebec makes it impossible to eat local food all year round. Actually, with a little planning, you can eat food grown around Montreal throughout the long winter. In this workshop, you’ll learn the basics of several ways to preserve food, including canning, freezing, drying, and fermentation. We will be making dill pickles together.

Beekeeping and urban apiculture is a hot topic today in urban agriculture. We rely on domesticated and wild bees to pollinate much of our food, and some species have complex social behaviour. We'll discuss how a beehive functions and the basics on how to take care of them. Participants will also learn what they can do to help support healthy bee populations. Honey sampling will be included. Optional: participants will make their own native bee house out of recycled materials.

We are exposed to hundreds of synthetic chemicals each day, most of which are untested for safety. Of course we want our homes to smell clean, but what’s actually in those store-bought products we use? In this workshop, we’ll learn the basics of common chemicals we’re exposed to in our house (in food, hygiene products, makeup, and cleaning products) and some simple recipes that you can try at home. We will be making a natural all-purpose cleaner together.

An interactive presentation and discussion on food justice issues. What are some of the ethical questions that surround what we eat on a daily basis? We’ll talk about some of the many ways that racism, sexism, classism, and accessibility shape the gap between who grows “healthy” food and who gets to eat it. The discussion will also focus on how we can incorporate food justice into how we garden, eat, and advocate.

Wild Zones in permaculture are biodiverse regions are crucial to balanced and diverse ecosystems. This workshop will begin with a discussion of rewilding, and lead into an exploration of the types of wildlife that can be found here in our city. How can you support wild zones an urban area, even in downtown Montreal? Option: native seeds to encourage rewilding in your area.

By canning some of your harvest, you’ll be eating your own organic, home-grown food in the middle of February. In this workshop, you will learn how to safely can pickles and jams. Learning the proper techniques will keep your harvest good to eat all year! You will have the opportunity to make and take home some preserves, based on what is seasonally available.

Fermentation is a metabolic process which uses bacteria or yeast to break down and preserve food. In this workshop, we will focus on lacto-fermentation, which is the process that makes sour pickles, kimchi, and sauerkraut. We’ll talk about how fermentation works, its health benefits, and some easy recipes you can try at home. We will be making sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) together.

The forest is filled with the language of plants and animals. Observing animals' traces can tell us so much about their habits and behaviour. Learn more about your ecosystem, by observing those with which you share it.

Most personal care products contain petroleum and other potentially harmful synthetic chemicals. Buying organic or fairly made body care products can be expensive, but making them yourself is often cheaper and safer. In this workshop, we'll talk about the ingredients in synthetic and natural body care products. Participants will make a selection of hygeine products to take home.

There are easy skills we can learn to get back to the land while living in an apartment. ​ Through this series of discussions and hands-on workshops, we’ll learn how to grow and preserve our own food, make our own cleaning products, build a more inclusive community, and lessen our eco-footprint. By learning how we can become more ecologically and socially responsible, we can reconnect to each other and our environment, as well as simplify our lives.