September 2nd and 3rd in Sylva, NC!

Join us for two days of hands-on learning about kudzu and how to process the young vines into beautiful fiber that can be used for weaving. Kudzu has been an important plant fiber in China, Japan, and Korea for many centuries, providing a plentiful, perennial source of fiber for making fine clothing and durable garments, paper, wall hangings, and more. Along with learning the details of processing kudzu for fiber, we’ll also explore kudzu cuisine and make special dishes using kudzu root starch we processed earlier in the year, as well as harvest and learn about cooking with kudzu leaves. There will also be a kudzu paper-making demonstration where we’ll make bookmarks for participants to take home.

Instructors and organizers Zev Friedman and Justin Holt, along with kudzu-curious friends and family, have been researching, experimenting with, and teaching about kudzu from a permaculture perspective for the past 7 years.

Our Kudzu Camp workshops are somehow both laid back and jam-packed with goodness. Beyond just learning about kudzu, the Camp is also about experimenting with setting up a seasonal processing ‘village’, working at a scale similar to the traditional Japanese method. We share meals (each participant cooks one meal for the others), sometimes cooked over a campfire, and we each take on a specific small job for a day to keep the processing camp running smoothly. There is no charge for the class, though we do have a suggested daily donation of $15-30 per person.

Message kudzuculture@gmail.com with questions and to register.