This October, the humble wooden spoon is grabbing the spotlight at Mount Wolfe Farm. ‘SpoonMoot’ the annual gathering for spoon-carvers, which is hosted by the Ontario Rural Skills Network (ORSN), is once again taking place at the Farm on 14-16th October.
Carving spoons from green (not seasoned) wood has become quite the thing in the last few years. A simple Instagram search reveals a treasure trove of spoon-carvers of all abilities. Carving is a mindful ‘flow’ activity that’s great for your mental health, but it’s not just the carving that draws people to this- pastime; it’s the supportive community. Spoon gatherings have become sold-out events from the US to England to New Zealand. Mount Wolfe Farm has its own Spoon Club, which meets on the first Sunday every month and, in 2019, held its first one-day SpoonMoot, which nearly 30 people attended. We even kept going online during the pandemic!
We offer a warm welcome to carvers of all proficiency levels. You don’t have to be an experienced carver to come to SpoonMoot, there are a limited number of spaces on our Spooncarving Basics course, and we will provide tools. Children are welcome to come (free), but workshops are only open to those 16 and above.
As well as learning or practising within a rapidly growing community, you can enjoy the beautiful setting of Mount Wolfe Farm, a family-run CSA Farm set in 70 acres of mixed woodland and grassland with a creek running through it.
If you are wondering about the word Moot, it’s an old name for a meeting or gathering of people, usually to debate a question. Remember the EntMoot in the Lord of the Rings? The question we ask ourselves at SpoonMoot is: Shall we do this again next year? So far, it’s been a unanimous YES!
SpoonMoot tickets are available now through the ORSN website at https://www.ontarioruralskillsnetwork.com/spoonmoot. Check out our other workshops on offer such as sweet-grass basket weaving, blacksmithing and hedgelaying.
