Poe Run Craft & Provisions is a working homestead and a nonprofit center dedicated to good food and community empowerment
Our organizational mission is to celebrate and reaffirm Appalachian folk arts, cultural heritage, resourcefulness and health & wellness in the common ground areas of art, food and nature through artist and community workshops, activities and gatherings that strengthen community bonds, personal resilience and workforce development. We strive to serve any and all members of the general public, family, friends, academicians, thought leaders, community leaders, and any one looking for space to breath, shift gears, or be surrounded by nature, learn something new, see art everywhere, or simply break bread
Margaret Bruning
Margaret grew up on a small dairy goat farm and she was a girl scout and 4-H member. Prior to coming to West Virginia, she ran nonprofits and public sector programs in Los Angeles and Arizona. She is an avid outdoors woman, backpacker and arts enthusiast. She loves foraging for food, marveling at the night sky, watching the behavior of water, and being a part of nature. Margaret admires the ability of artists and craftsmen to interpret ideas, and create experiences that help us reflect on who we are and where we’re going.
She believes that to see through a creative lens is the best way to learn about complex ideas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Every day at Poe Run, she is reminded that nature is the most resilient and balanced of all systems, from which we have much to learn if we pay close attention. Margaret completed the Permaculture Design Course in Arizona in 2007. She has her Master’s degree in Art History and 25 years experience in arts administration, grant writing, program development, project management and strategic planning and cross-sector partnerships.
David S. Long
In his early years, David grew up on a walnut farm and raised sheep for 4-H. After 3+ years of college David followed a dream and attend New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. There he learned many skills that are put to use on a working homestead. After cooking professionally for a number of years in San Francisco and Santa Barbara, he opened a successful consulting and professional training business based in San Francisco with four offices in the US.
In 2018, his passion for food and wilderness was reborn into Poe Run Craft & Provisions. With over 20 years as a manager and business owner he’s putting his experiences to the test raising natural foods, building and restoring the homestead, expanding his wood craft, curing meats, and fermenting beverages.
Noteworthy Happenings at Poe Run
Check out our latest activities. Want to know more? Have ideas for us to consider? Contact us for speaking engagements, workshops or partnering on projects here at Poe Run or elsewhere. We are all neighbors working to create a vibrant community and bright future.
The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These apprenticeships aim to facilitate the transmission of techniques and artistry of the forms, as well as their histories and traditions. Margaret’s apprenticeship Sheep to Shawl: The Art of Raising Sheep and Creating Fiber Arts is with master artist Kathy Evans of Bruceton Mills. Evans is a fifth-generation farmer and owner of Evans Knob Farm in Preston County where she cultivates Certified Naturally Grown vegetables and raises sheep and poultry.
Mapping the Legacy Garden
Imagine a garden under restoration. Different plants came up this year than in previous years, ones we didn’t put in, we just cleared space for them to grow. And now we’ve added some 30 more plants from others. Time to keep up with what’s what! We’re attempting to map and do photo documentation as a way to keep track of the plantings and who they are attributed to. Time to learn how to map a garden, and keep good records. We’re also looking for good “natural looking” plant markers. See some of our 2020 Bloom Alert photos on Facebook.
Barn Build
We’d been planning a proper sheep barn for some years, so in mid-2020 we excavated and started planning for a little barn. Of course projects get out of hand, so our little barn has turned into a two-story barn, wool studio and new Airbnb space. We started building the structure in early 2022 and hope it’ll be ready for our first guests end of 2023.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to keep up with the progress
Maple Season
We love maple season as the cool nights and warmer days cause the sap within the trees. We tap about a dozen Sugar Maples. By tapping the tree with a small hole, we are able to extract a small amount of sap, which is crystal clear sugar “water.” David upgraded his process in 2020. Now he starts by collecting the sap and putting it through his homebuilt reverse osmosis system. That step removes a lot of the water and shortens the cooking time. We cook outdoors and then finish the syrup on the stove in the house.
Homestead Renovation
Now that the snow has melted and the temps are warmer, it’s time to replace the siding on Carter House. We’ve ordered about 1500bf of rough-sawn lumber from Helvetia Timberworks. Additionally, we’ll be replacing the oak siding with a bit more forgiving hemlock board and batten and using Zip Systems sheathing to create a rain screen behind. This of course will change the overall look of Carter House, but we think a subtle difference will be welcomed.
Click here to see some of our progress
Built by the the previous owners, the Carters, with their friends and family during the 1970s and 80s, the homestead reflects the American back-to-the-land movement, in which people left the cities in favor of a simpler lifestyle in a rural environment where they could grow their own food and raise their children.
Suggested Gear
They say in West Virginia if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. For navigating slopes and uneven terrain, muck boots are essential footwear, especially those with good tread. Margaret swears by LaCrosse Footwear muck boots, both the winter tall and 3-season mid-calf height.
For working in the thicket or cutting firewood, Margaret likes her Carhartt Women’s Slim Fit Crawford Double Front Pants . She has found Carhartt apparel affordable, durable, and comfortable. But for mind blowing ladies workwear, check out Dovetail Workwear. Comfort, cut, durability, construction, these pants so far are a better option. They are more expensive, but you get what you pay for. Margaret began wearing Dovetail in 2020 and will report back as the pants get more work time!
Some years are better apple years than others. The same goes for any food we grow. So when the going’s good, we do our best to make the most of it. We do a range of canning, dehydrating, fermenting, freezing, air drying, and sharing with others.
Noteworthy Videos
To hear more about our cross country journey to West Virginia in our Teardrop Trailer, click here