Medicine Root Gardening Class

The Medicine Root gardening program is a nine-month gardening course geared at educating interested youth, families, and communities in everything you need to know to become a successful seasonal entreprenuer, while becoming self-sufficient. 

Classes begin the third week of January and will continue through the month of October, this class takes a large amount of commitment, but the benefits of becoming self-sufficient is very rewarding. 

Cooking Classes

Cooking classes are held once a week during the months of June through September using fresh vegetables from the Medicine root garden program. Focusing on vegetables unknown to our community such as Kale, Kohlrabi, Eggplant, Swiss chard, leeks, and spinach.

Preservation-Value-Added Classes

Educating students from the Medicine Root garden program in home canning, pressure canning, dehydration, and value added foods.

• Water bath canning: Tomatoes, salsa, peppers, pickles, native buffalo berry, choke cherry, plum jams

• Pressure Canning: Green Beans, pasta sauces, corn, pumpkin pie filling, and soups. 

• Dehydration: Beef jerky, fruit leather, herbs, squash, carrots, onions, potatoes, turnips, traditional drying method for corn (wagmiza), peppers and herbs.

• Breads: Zucchini 

Vegetable Distribution Program

An opportunity for the Medicine Root Gardening students to sell a portion of their fresh vegetables to Running Strong for American Indian Youth as an addition to their monthly food box distribution program, by adding fresh produce we are encouraging healthier eating habits. 

Farmers Market

An opportunity for the Medicine Root gardening students to earn a seasonal income by selling their fresh vegetables, flowers, and herbs.  

The farmers market is set up at various locations across the reservation in Sharps Corner, Pine Ridge, Manderson, Martin, and Kyle. June through September. The medicine root farmers market was the first to start accepting EBT/SNAP Benefits on the reservation beginning in 2014.

Medicine Root Farmers Market Facebook Page:

Food Safety Classes

Providing food safety training. 

• Food handlers training

• GAP (Good Agricultural Practices)

• CPR & First Aid.