UPCOMING EVENTS
Trade Blanket
Date: May 16th 3-5 pm
Rooted in the spirit of community reciprocity, our Trade Blanket is an honored gathering where participants bring handmade goods, foraged harvests, homegrown produce, seeds, tools, books, and other earth-centered offerings to share and exchange with fellow learners and land stewards.
The tradition is simple:
We gather in a circle around the Trading Blanket. One at a time, someone steps forward and offers a good or service for trade, holding it up for all to see and sharing whatever story comes with it. The circle then moves person by person, and anyone who is interested makes an offer in return.
Once everyone has had their chance to bid, the person with the original item gets to choose the trade they like best , ask to sweeten the pot, or respectfully decline on a trade.
When a deal is struck, the goods change hands and the circle moves on to the next offering.
This is more than a marketplace. It is a reminder that abundance flows through relationship, with the land, and with one another.
Come ready to give generously and receive with gratitude.
What to Bring
Handmade crafts and tools, seeds and plant starts, foraged or homegrown foods, herbal preparations, natural dyes, fiber arts, books and field guides, or any item that reflects a life lived close to the land. Use your judgment . if it carries good intention and honest craft, it belongs on the blanket.
What to Leave Behind
Please no commercially manufactured goods, items in poor condition, or anything you wouldn't be proud to give a neighbor.
Come with open hands and an open heart. The blanket takes care of the rest.
See you there friends.
May Cob Oven Pizza Party
Join us for our monthly wood-fired pizza night at the cob oven!
June Cob Oven Pizza Party
Join us for our monthly wood-fired pizza night at the cob oven!
JULY Cob Oven Pizza Party
Join us for our monthly wood-fired pizza night at the cob oven!
August Cob Oven Pizza Party
Join us for our monthly wood-fired pizza night at the cob oven!
September Cob Oven Pizza Party
Join us for our monthly wood-fired pizza night at the cob oven!
October Cob Oven Pizza Party
Join us for our monthly wood-fired pizza night at the cob oven!
Annual Lumberjack Party + Chili Cook-Off 2026
Our annual lumberjack party and chili cook off is on! Bring your axe, flannel, and your best chili recipe for a day of wood splitting, stacking, and gathering community in the autumn forest at Long Branch.
The Wild Hunt & Ethical Harvest
The Wild Hunt & Ethical Harvest explores traditional hunting and harvesting practices grounded in stewardship and responsibility. Learn the fundamentals of tracking, scoutcraft, ethical decision-making, and humane harvest methods for small and large game. This class emphasizes skill, respect, and sustainable relationship with the land.
April Cob Oven Pizza Party — POSTPONED
Join us for our monthly wood-fired pizza night at the cob oven!
NC BioBlitz at Long Branch
Long Branch is joining Science Across NC for the 2026 NC Bioblitz. The NC Bioblitz is part of the international City Nature Challenge event and will take place Friday, April 24 through Monday, April 27. The goal of the event is to take pictures of wild plants and animals. Then upload the pictures to iNaturalist to create a database for scientists to use. The best part is, you do not have to know how to identify the species you observe!
Your participation in this citizen science project makes an impact on understanding biodiversity and coexisting with nature. Scientists use platforms like iNaturalist to study species trends and distributions. For example, biologists can use the observations recorded in iNaturalist to mark the date that migrating birds return to an area or to track the spread of the nine-banded armadillo in North Carolina.
New to iNaturalist? Don’t worry! We will show you how to tag and upload your photos to the app or website.
You can earn a custom embroidered badge or high-quality vinyl sticker by participating in the NC Bioblitz! Follow these steps to claim yours:
Make observations! You have two options:
Make 20 observations of any wild species in North Carolina April 24-27 and upload them to iNaturalist by May 10.
Make 10 observations and make 15 identifications. Photos must be taken April 24-27, but all submissions and identifications may be done in iNaturalist any time April 25-May 10.
Come to Long Branch to participate in the event and help us identify as many species as possible.
Seed $10 | Sapling $15 | Tree $20 | Forest $35 | Bioregion $50
Earth Day Storytelling with PapaJoe
We invite you to join in on this fun, engaging tale-of-a-time Earth Day celebration at Long Branch! All ages welcomed and encouraged! Get comfy as PapaJoe takes us on a folklore storytelling journey through different times and places with loving Mother Earth as a centerpiece.
Firecraft: One Match to Friction
In this workshop, you’ll learn reliable fire starting methods ranging from one match fires, ferro rods, to bow drill friction fires. Develop confidence in varied conditions while deepening your understanding of materials, preparation, and environmental awareness.
Spring Moonrise Hike
We welcome you to join us for a Long Branch full moon hike up to Little Sandymush Bald at the top of the property on the first full moon of the spring season!
Tracking and Bird Language
Learn to read the subtle signs of the land through tracking and bird language. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll study animal movement, interpret ground sign, and understand how birds signal changes in the environment. Develop deeper awareness, sharper observation, and a stronger relationship with the ecosystems around you.
Spring Equinox Pizza Party & Plant Sale!
Once a month, we gather to light the oven, stretch dough, share toppings, and enjoy slow food and good company. This is an open, family-friendly community evening — bring kids, friends, neighbors, instruments, and your appetite. This is a special one celebrating the spring equinox!
Live Staking Workshop
Live staking is a simple and powerful bioengineering technique that uses dormant cuttings of woody plants to stabilize soil, reduce erosion, and restore ecological function along waterways. During this workday, we’ll be installing live stakes around the perimeter of our trout pond to strengthen the banks before spring rains arrive.
Winter Dreaming: A Solstice Community Dream & Deep Rest Practice
Winter Dreaming is a late season gathering devoted to rest, reflection, and collective imagination.
In the deep quiet of the last weeks of the coldest season, we will be guided into a Yoga Nidra–inspired dream state—an intentional space between waking and sleeping where insight, integration, and creativity naturally arise.
Biochar Workshop
We will talk about what biochar is, how it's made, its historical and cultural significance, how it fits into soil regeneration, and a little about the greater contexts of carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. After the workshop we will share a potluck meal together, so bring your favorite dish!
New Years Day Hike & Polar Plunge
Join Long Branch in ringing in the New Year by a hike to the Sandy Mush Bald and wrap it up with a cold plunge in the trout pond!
THANKSGIVING Potluck 2025
Join the Long Branch fam for a community gratitude potluck. Bring a dish to share to make this a collaborative meal.
Mend & Friend: Hemming, mending, darning and more
Bring your well-loved clothes and gear—and a dish to share—for a night of repair, learning, and connection.
Roots & Fungi for Fall: Fire Cider, Dual-Extraction Tinctures, and Medicinal Broth
Roots & Fungi for Fall: Fire Cider, Dual-Extraction Tinctures, and Medicinal Broth
Saturday, November 8, 11:00am–1:30 PM
As the days shorten and the air cools, nature shifts into a season that has the warm, earthy resonance of roots and mushrooms—a perfect time to prepare nourishing remedies for the months ahead. In this hands-on herbalism workshop, we’ll explore three powerful, kitchen-friendly ways to boost immunity and support seasonal wellness:
Fire Cider – a spicy, root-based apple cider vinegar infusion to warm the body and ward off colds (and throw in salad dressings!)
Dual-Extraction Mushroom Tincture – learn how to extract the full spectrum of medicinal benefits from fungi like reishi and turkey tail using both alcohol and water.
Medicinal Broth – discover how to transform roots, mushrooms, and herbs into a delicious, nutrient-rich broth for everyday seasonal nourishment.
You’ll chop, mix, and pour your own remedies to take home, sample a warming medicinal broth, and gain practical skills for building your own herbal apothecary. All ingredients and materials are provided, and no prior herbal experience is needed.
Click here to register
Cost: $45-$75 sliding scale (includes all materials, recipe cards, and a jar of each remedy to prepare at home)
What to Bring: A notebook at pen. Optional apron.
Instructor: Allie Mason, herbalist and educator. Allie lives at Long Branch as the education director and has been teaching herbalism for 7 years between the tropics and temperate zones and enjoys melding her experience of different bioregions and cultural herbalism into her offerings here in our temperate rainforest of western NC.
Join us for this cozy afternoon of community, learning, and seasonal medicine-making—and head into fall with remedies in hand and warmth in your belly.
Annual Lumberjack Party + Chili Cook-Off
Our annual lumberjack party and chili cook off is on! Bring your axe, flannel, and your best chili recipe for a day of wood splitting, stacking, and gathering community in the autumn forest at Long Branch.
Chestnutting at Long Branch!
Let's go a-chestnutting! Back in the time of the mighty American chestnut tree, families and friends would gather to go 'chestnutting', collecting the bounty of nutritious nuts and enjoying a fall frolic in the countryside.
Mid-Month Yoga (OCTOBER)
Each month through fall and into winter, we are hosting a hatha yoga class, followed by a community potluck to gather as the days get darker.
LBEEC Closed
We are closed all day to the public today, in honor of the passing of our founder, Paul Gallimore.
Fall Equinox Weekend at Long Branch
Celebrate the turning of the seasons with a weekend of connection, stewardship, and balance. As day and night meet in equal measure, we’ll gather in community to honor the abundance of late summer and welcome the stillness of autumn. Garden workday followed by a ritual bonfire and camping. Sunday sunrise hike followed by a hot breakfast.
Yin + Yum Summer Series - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays (SEPT. 17)
Every first and third Wednesday this summer, we’re hosting a special event to cool off from the summer heat, combining the soothing practice of yin yoga with the comfort of a community potluck.
Yin + Yum Summer Series - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays (SEPT. 3)
Every first and third Wednesday this summer, we’re hosting a special event to cool off from the summer heat, combining the soothing practice of yin yoga with the comfort of a community potluck.
WEED + FEED | Garden WorkdAY & COMMUNITY POTLUCK - AUGUST 30
Get your hands in the dirt this weekend! Join us at Long Branch Environmental Education Center for an afternoon of garden care and community connection.
We'll start the day by weeding and tending our annual garden beds. After our hands-on work, we invite everyone to relax and share a delicious community potluck—a celebration of our collective effort and the Earth we steward.
Men's Gathering - Hosted by Oliver Kristevic
This men’s circle offers a space for honest conversation, mutual support, and genuine connection. Drawing from over seven years of experience with the Mankind Project Australia, Oli will guide the group in a way that honors the unique strengths and skills already present in the room.
Yin + Yum Summer Series - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays
Every first and third Wednesday this summer, we’re hosting a special event to cool off from the summer heat, combining the soothing practice of yin yoga with the comfort of a community potluck.
WEED + FEED | Garden WorkdAY & COMMUNITY POTLUCK - AUGUST
Get your hands in the dirt this weekend! Join us at Long Branch Environmental Education Center for an afternoon of garden care and community connection.
We'll start the day by weeding and tending our annual garden beds. After our hands-on work, we invite everyone to relax and share a delicious community potluck—a celebration of our collective effort and the Earth we steward.
Intro to Herbalism Series - Summer’s Balm: Wild REmedies & Ritual Waters
Let’s meet peak summer’s heat through the eyes of herbal wonders. Join us for an afternoon of experiential herbalism at Long Branch. This class will bring a balance of Fire and Water, honoring the warmth and power of summer’s heat while offering some remedy and reprieve for many of the less comfortable elements that accompany midsummer.
WEED + FEED | Garden WorkdAY & COMMUNITY POTLUCK - JULY
Get your hands in the dirt this weekend! Join us at Long Branch Environmental Education Center for an afternoon of garden care and community connection.
We'll start the day by weeding and tending our annual garden beds. After our hands-on work, we invite everyone to relax and share a delicious community potluck—a celebration of our collective effort and the Earth we steward.
Yin + Yum Summer Series - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays
Every first and third Wednesday this summer, we’re hosting a special event to cool off from the summer heat, combining the soothing practice of yin yoga with the comfort of a community potluck.