Permaculture Tree - Mulberry

On the short list of favorite trees to use in permaculture - Mulberry. Handsome and fast growing, drought resistant even in our dry climate (7"/ 18cm of rain annually), with large canopy that cast much needed shade - this tree also have a lot to offer to critters, birds and people.

 

February Journey - Life Force is Rising!

We are so happy to welcome twin baby boys to our lives, born to my step-daughter on the 8th of this month. I was honored to host her Mother Blessing ceremony - an opportunity to gather women friends and family and acknowledge  the blossoming of the mother-to-be, her morphing into a new person. This ceremony seemed so familiar to me, with many of my own women-friends celebrating their own becoming in that way, asking for strength and beauty in the upcoming birth, drawing in the love and support from their women's circle. With song and poetry, with story and crafts, a special day to elevate and behold the expecting mother. For my dear step-daughter circle of friends that expression was not so-familiar yet became an opportunity to offer an afternoon of something very sweet and supportive. We were blessed with the presence of the 12-year old niece, and a beloved Aunt came for the day too.

                                                   

With candles, flowers, gorgeous silk outfits, hair brushing and rose petal foot bath we were enjoying the day of anticipation, the day when the Mother-to-be was still alone yet holding the life within. She was like the Sun and the Moon, when she entered the room in her glow, in her lei. Today she is nursing and dreaming, and sleeping and gazing at her little ones. She got two sweet peas in a pod, one is smaller and one is bigger - two boys who are still only few days old! 

Sustainable Living in December - Stillness

Stillness is something that is very hard for many of us to embrace or practice. Often we wish for it, search for it but still fail to create space for stillness in our busy fast-paced lives.
Stillness of quiet wonder, observation, inhale.

The earth around us is asleep in December - the days are short, nights are long, and the life force of the world is being drawn in, inhaled by the earth - into its depth. Tree sap has drained to the roots, creatures are hibernating, leaves returned to the ground to cover it with a soft blanket and to give back nutrients and organic matter that was previously held high on branches.

The winds blow low now. They carry snow, leaves. The movement of living things are inward, towards containment. That observation of the living world is something to learn from - and use as a guide both in our own lives and in our work on the land, with living things and other beings.

Fallen Fruit Leather - No Sugar Added

 Sounding slightly unappetizing, this is actually a tremendously delicious way of using fruit abundance as it comes - instead of waiting until all the apples (plums, pears) ripen. The fallen fruit is usually either ahead of the game (i.e. nearly ripe) or at times is damaged by birds, hail, worms. Unattractive perhaps, but still is mostly good and tasty. In a very productive year, dealing with fallen fruit is something quite challenging - it overwhelms the compost and the farm animals pretty fast.

Cucumber Over-abundance and Refrigerator Pickles

When the garden (or farmers' market) is overflowing with fresh seasonal cucumbers, consider this easy and tasty recipe to enjoy the bounty - refrigerator pickles. These are not canned, they are fermented to give them their lovely flavor and to increase their palatability and nutrient content. Summertime fermentation goes so fast, that these pickles can be done as fast as in two days! 

Gardening with Herbs - Tea Time!

 What a delight for senses, all the herbs that come out of the garden all season long - starting in springtime with Nettle harvest, and moving right along with the rich bounty of leaves and blossoms of such garden favorites as Lemon Balm, Strawberry, Rose petals, Lavender and a whole list of plants!

Peach Tree in Permaculture and Peach Chutney in Your Pantry

July and August mean delightful times come for those of us with peach trees.   Great for fresh eating, they also make delectable jams, preserves and chutneys.  Handsome small tree, peach is very easy to grow, and it rewards you with quick returns of affection – fruiting at times the next year from planting! Peaches are reputed to have short lives – only about 15-20 years, they are quick to exhaust themselves by producing fruit with wild abandonment.   A great addition to any permaculture garden, this plant comes in standard (12’ high) and genetic dwarf (6’ high) sizes. The latter one is great for children’s spaces – it is a petite charming tree that produces regular sized fruit. 

Windowsill Garden - Winter Harvest

Early Fruit Compote - Green Apples, Tart Plums and Unripe Peaches Medley!

This compote is very timely for in late July when gardens are overflowing with fruit, some it still unripe. Birds are beginning to peck at peaches before they are ready and tasty; racoons are raiding trees for the ripest fruit; plums are showering on the ground - some fleshy and sweet, others still tart and hard. Apples are nowhere near being palatable, yet trees are so heavy with fruit that fruit thinning is needed badly to avoid overproduction. All that fruit and not much to do with it! In permaculture this is called "The Problem is The Solution" - so here is one way to use all the unripe bounty - Fruit Compote for a tasty summer  drink.

May Harvest: Herbs, Chives, Live Freshness

An ode to French Sorrel, Chives and Lamb's Quarters - what a mix of plants to have around, what a delight in the kitchen - and so easy going in the garden. Chives (really, Garlic Chives in this case) are sweet, tangy, with garlic taste and lovely pink flowers - the plant spreads easily, forming fragrant "lawn" of sorts, not suitable for walking but with the similar appearance of succulent green color. Pink flowers taste great with sauteed vegetables and in salads, and are adored by bees and other pollinators. Omelets, soups, vegetable medley - chives are there all summer long!
French Sorrel is a perennial herb, very cold hardy. It expects fair amount of water, and no doubt, it will spread in some situations though is easy contained in semi-arid climate to a cultivated (watered) spot. It likes some coolness as well, as it will bolt otherwise. Leaves are sour, almost stingy in their strong taste that becomes most pleasant in sorrel soup. The soup is summer delight - served cold, with crumbles of cooked egg, and some home-made yogurt - another complete permaculture meal at our farm (i.e. we can produce all ingredients). Recipe is as follows: Boil some water (or use frozen  stock) and cook one or two quartered potatoes. Add fresh onion, chopped and sauteed, and a large bowl of clean sorrel leaves, chopped if you wish. Sorrel will shrink to a very small volume so don't worry about overdoing it. Cook for a few more minutes. Chill and serve. A sprinkle of cheese, sourcream, yogurt, or garlic chive flowers will add to the flavors.
Sorrel cooked by itself can be frozen in glass for use later in season, as soup starter.
Lamb's Quarters is a weedy kind of annual, there are wild and cultivated varieties - the latter have much larger and thicker leaves, easier to harvest. The plant reseeds itself, a valuable (though annoying) quality - depends on where it comes up in the garden, it is either a bother or a gift!
It's other name is Poor Man's Spinach, it grows so well and so tall, and is so productive that it deserves the name of Rich Man's Spinach instead. Not so good frozen, it can be admired all summer long with sauteed veggies, though it is overproductive, that it makes good chicken and goat feed supplement! You get a handfull of leaves for dinner and the rest is enjoyed by the poultry. Not bad.
Happy planting.

May Harvest: Stinging Nettle - Permaculture Plant of the Week

An aggressive tall ground cover, a plant that makes many people wonder why grow it in the first place, it stings indeed quite strongly - this is a favorite in a permaculture food forest! If planted in a well selected spot where it can spread without negatively affecting gardener's comfort, this plant produces heavily, grows without many demands and puts its incredible life force into dark green foliage that is ready to harvest in mid Spring.

Freezing Food in Glass

Knowing how to freeze food in glass comes handy in every season - berries, vegetables in the summer, herbs in spring, chicken, meat and fish stocks in winter. Commercial meat is often wrapped in plastic and can be transferred into glass at home to reduce contamination. Other garden grown or purchased foods, such as grated garden zucchini, grated apples, raspberries, blanched greens, peas, corn, tomato paste, pesto and many others can be placed in glass containers for storage. When orchard stone fruit comes in, it is a good time to freeze some pie cherries or mulberries for midwinter muffins!

Sustainable Wood Lot in Dry Climate

What does it take to meet a household needs in wood - at least when it comes to keeping the house warm during the cold months of the year? A wonderful question to ponder when engaging in permaculture design of a homestead, neighborhood or community.

Chips, Crackers, Crepes

Buckwheat chips/crackers/crepes.

Buying overpackaged foods is something that entices experiments in making them on your own - in your own kitchen, with the ingredients that you can control, and the process totally at your finger tips. Chips and crackers are possibly the worst when it comes to costs, packaging and the ingredients. Finding crackers without sugar (or other sweeteners) is really hard.

Herbs for Dental Health!

A great discovery of my year - this DVD by wilderness man Doug Simmons, talking about his experience in using herbs for healing cavities, maintaining dental health (needless to point out - he does this without dentists and their invasive mechanical methods) - and about so much more related to our use of herbs and plants and body wisdom to stay fit. 

Handfull of herbs - for teeth, gums, cavity restoration

 -

Doug Simons is telling his story.