• From Seed to Pizza

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Follow the story of wheat from field to feast! In this immersive, seasonal program, you'll experience traditional farming and food-making skills step by step - right down to a fresh, handmade pizza created from your own flour. In April Instructor Martin Macica will introduce you to Annie, his gentle plow donkey, who will help us prepare a plot of land on the AFS campus for planting wheat seeds the old fashioned way. In May, Instructor Patricia Goldberg will teach you how to plant a pizza garden in raised beds, choosing herbs and vegetables that will later top your pizza. Return to the field in August with Martin to harvest your wheat and learn how to bundle and store it for drying. Finally, in September start your day with Martin, who will teach you how to thresh your wheat and grind it into flour. Then meet Instructor David Riihimaki, our pizza maker extraordinaire, who will guide you through mixing, kneading, and shaping your pizza dough from your freshly milled flour. Add your garden toppings, some local cheese and watch it bake in our wood-fired oven. Then enjoy your farm-to-table pizza feast together!

  • Woodland Chic Leather Earrings

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Using designs pulled directly from nature, we will be making hand painted leather earrings recreating animal prints native to the North Country. Students will select two different prints, then learn how to stamp patterns, apply dyes to leather, and practice their new skills. Additionally, we will add natural elements with ties to the region, such as pyrite, garnet, and freshwater pearls. To complete the earrings, we?ll add sterling silver ear wires. Rainbow Trout and Halloween Pennant Dragonfly pictured; longest earring length is approximately 3?.

  • Pizza Knife

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    In this hands-on class, students will craft a 12" dual-handled pizza knife designed for precision and durability. Students will start by firing up their coal forge, and then shape their blade from a single piece of mild steel. Once forged, the blade will be hardened using a super quench process to ensure lasting strength. Students will grind their knives to a razor-sharp edge, ideal for slicing pizza with a smooth rocking motion. Inspired by the traditional Eskimo Ulu knife, this versatile tool also lends itself to tasks such as fleshing animal hides, making it both functional and historically rooted.

  • Fire Building Basics

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Do you ever find yourself on a brisk fall hike or hunt where you could suddenly be wet from rain or fall into a creek? How about caught on a rainy day while camping? Starting a good fire isn't a skill we practice daily like people did traditionally, but it can be a lifesaving skill. Come learn the basics to make your fire starting practice perfect. In this workshop we will review different fire setups and safety measures focusing on igniting your own fire with a ferrocerium rod during our hands on portion. Participants will take home their own kits to practice with.

  • Rustic End Tables

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    The Adirondack Style is unique. It combines traditional furniture making with the materials found in this region: birch bark, twigs, logs and more. Found in the earliest Great Camps of our region, the skilled craftsmen who made this unique furniture were inspired by the world around them. In this class you will be guided from start to finish: from the selection of the materials and their preparation, to the joinery required, as well as the aesthetics that will help you make a fine end table suitable for your Great Camp or home.

  • Rustic End Tables

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    The Adirondack Style is unique. It combines traditional furniture making with the materials found in this region: birch bark, twigs, logs and more. Found in the earliest Great Camps of our region, the skilled craftsmen who made this unique furniture were inspired by the world around them. In this class you will be guided from start to finish: from the selection of the materials and their preparation, to the joinery required, as well as the aesthetics that will help you make a fine end table suitable for your Great Camp or home.

  • Open Forge Night

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Interested in blacksmithing but unsure how to start? Open Forge Night is the place for you! Every third Wednesday of the month during our blacksmithing season, come see demonstrations by expert blacksmith Steve Gurzler. Observing the demonstration is free and open to the public. If you want to try your hand at blacksmithing there is a $20 fee to cover the cost of materials. Safety precautions must be followed - including hard shoes with no open toes, long pants, goggles (supplied) and gloves (supplied).

  • Simple Copper Bowl

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    With the use of specialized planishing hammers, a template and an anvil, students will form an old world hand tooled bowl. A patina will be a result of thermalling with an acetylene/oxygen torch. An easel will be provided to display your custom made bowl.

  • A Taste of the Forge

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Would you like to try blacksmithing, and get a taste of the craft? Join instructor Steve Gurzler for 3 weekday evenings to learn how to operate a coal forge to bring metal to incandescent heat and shape it with hammer in hand. This class will use the Artist Blacksmiths Association of North America (ABANA) curriculum to teach the basics of blacksmithing. Students can expect to create 2 or more projects during the 3 evenings. Class size is limited to ensure all can advance at their own pace. Students should be high school age or older. Parents must accompany children under the age of 18.

  • Hummingbird Feeder

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    In this class students will form a large spiral vine with 3/8" copper pipe and taper it to the shape of a wine bottle to create a decorative hummingbird feeder. Hand made leaves, flowers and additional vines will be added for accent. There will be some soldering involved. No experience necessary. The cork and stem will be provided, but students must bring their own wine bottle with the labels removed prior to class.

  • Woodturned Pens

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    In this beginner friendly class, you will learn the basics of wood lathe operation and safety while turning a piece of raw wood into a custom pen. Each student will leave with a beautiful, handcrafted pen and the knowledge to continue woodturning confidently on their own.

  • A Taste of the Forge

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Would you like to try blacksmithing, and get a taste of the craft? Join instructor Steve Gurzler for 3 weekday evenings to learn how to operate a coal forge to bring metal to incandescent heat and shape it with hammer in hand. This class will use the Artist Blacksmiths Association of North America (ABANA) curriculum to teach the basics of blacksmithing. Students can expect to create 2 or more projects during the 3 evenings. Class size is limited to ensure all can advance at their own pace. Students should be high school age or older. Parents must accompany children under the age of 18.