Apple Harvest Workshop

Savor the fruits of your labor as you harvest apples and turn them into cider, jelly, and apple butter to enjoy for seasons to come.
About this Event

Surrounded by late-summer fields, Oxbow’s orchard and outdoor kitchen offer the perfect setting for celebrating the abundance of harvest season. Together, we’ll pick and process fruit right where it’s grown in a welcoming space centered around curiosity, shared learning, and community connection.

YOU'LL EXPERIENCE:

• Food Security & Seasonal Abundance: Discover how approachable preservation skills can help reduce food waste, extend the harvest season, and deepen connections to local food and community resilience.
• Hands-On Practice: Experience the full process from harvest to tasting as you pick apples, press cider, and make wood-fired apple butter and jelly. Leave with practical knowledge and the satisfying fruits of your labor.
• Kitchen Comfort: Build confidence in a variety of preservation methods while exploring the history, science, and modern best practices for safely processing seasonal harvests.

ABOUT YOUR FACILITATOR

Tony Ruby (he/him), Director of Education & Conservation at Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, is a career educator with more than 20 years of experience in teaching, curriculum design, and school leadership. His work has included teaching high school social studies and middle school science, supporting the rollout of the Next Generation Science Standards as a principal, and leading district-wide science curriculum revisions for St. Louis Public Schools. Throughout his career, he has focused on bringing high-quality, standards-aligned science instruction into PK–12 classrooms and supporting educators through professional development. At Oxbow, Tony leads efforts to align OxEd programs with current science standards while keeping them accessible, engaging, and rooted in the unique ecosystems of the farm. He is passionate about sparking curiosity and helping students and teachers connect more deeply with the natural world through hands-on learning. Tony also brings a lifetime of experience with wild fruit and home preservation, practices he has shared with his three children at Oxbow and throughout Western Washington.

GRANT-SUPPORTED PRICING

We’re excited to offer this workshop at just $5, thanks to generous funding from 4Culture’s Doors Open grant! This experience is valued at $50, but the grant helps us make it accessible to more of our community.

We’re deeply grateful for this support, which allows us to connect more people with outdoor learning experiences.

All participants must register in advance—spaces are limited!