the biggest and best farm to table workshop EVER

Folks, this is a big one.

Lately, there have been a number of people inquiring about my next Farm to Table workshop. I have big plans in 2011 and part of those plans involve taking this workshop to other cities. More on that later.

In Washington, however, I have just nailed down the details for a dream farm workshop and I am here to tell you all about it.

Quillisascut is a fully sustainable goat farm in Northeastern Washington. Not only have they been making and selling aged raw milk cheese since 1987, but they have also been educating the public about growing their own food and living off the land for over a decade. A number of chefs that I love and respect, (like Becky Selengut and Danielle Custer, to name a couple) have attended Quillisascut's Farm Culinary 101 workshop, where culinary professionals live and work on the farm for a week and become more acquainted with the true meaning of "farm to table." Personally, I have been dying to take their Sense of Place workshop for the past few years, and just haven't had the opportunity.

So, as you may imagine, I am pretty darn excited to announce that on June 9-12, 2011, I will be holding a 3-day Farm to Table photography workshop at Quillisascut.

This is a hands-on workshop. Over the course of 3 days, students will milk goats, work in the garden, make cheese, and harvest and prepare a meal made from food produced on the farm. We will talk about how to tell a story through photographs, and students will photographically document a typical "day in the life" of a working farm as well as learn about natural light food photography. There will also be plenty of discussion about f stops and shutter speeds, composition, light, and all that other technical mumbo jumbo. We will critique each other's work and talk about what makes a strong photograph. Because we will all be staying in the same house for 3 nights, there will be lots of time for one-on-one chats.

It should be a blast. Think of it as one big slumber party...where you wake up early to milk a goat. :)

Tuition is $895 and includes accommodations at the farm (rooms are shared), all meals, and all course instruction. Transportation to Quillisascut is not included and is about a 5 hour drive from Seattle OR a 2 hour drive from the Spokane airport if you are flying in from out of town. Carpools can be arranged, if necessary.

Tuition must be pre-paid and reserves your spot in class. If you want to register, email me at clare at clarebarboza dot com.

NOTE: THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS MAY 29th.

Just for a little inspiration, I thought I'd share some of the farm photos I have taken over the past year.

Thank you, Skagit River Ranch, Skagit Sun Berries, Kurtwood Farms, Pipitone Farms, Tahuya River Apiaries, Olsen Farms, Billy's Gardens, Alvarez Farms, Port Madison Farm, Thundering Hooves, Pelindaba Lavendar, Alm Hill Gardens, and Booth Canyon Orchard. I have enjoyed every single second of working with all of you.