Friday, August 29, 2008

Permaculture Resources

Permaculture is my passion.
I know that it can heal the Earth.
I spent a great amount of time doing my
research and here are some of my favorite sites,
books, and videos I can recommend.

Sites/Companies





Recommended Viewing

The End of Suburbia

A Crude Awakening

The Future of Food

Establishing a Food Forest

Harvesting Water the Permaculture Way

Crude Impact

Bill Mollison – The Global Gardener Series

Food Matters

How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

Who killed the Electric Car?

Maxed Out

The World According to Monsanto

King Corn

Recommended Reading

Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemingway

Participating in Nature and Living Homes by Thomas J. Elpel

The Hidden Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird

Secrets of the Soil by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird

One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka

Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke

The Mushroom Cultivator

The Ringing Cedars Series by Vladmir Megre

Hidden Nature by Alick Bartholomew

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Any works by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Sea Energy Agriculture by Dr. Maynard Murray, M.D.

The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight by Thom Hartmann

The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Avitabile, Sammataro, and Morse

A Language Older Than Words by Derrick Jensen

The Culture of Make Believe by Derrick Jensen

Heck...anything by Derrick Jensen

The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Kieth

Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken

Any works by Rudolf Steiner


Permaculture Design








This section is to describe the nuts and bolts of my
Permaculture project in Minnesota.
I am dealing with a colder climate than most permaculturists,
but I am making the most of what I can grow.

Dome Greenhouse - This was an essential piece of the overall project. Most greenhouses dont have the height needed to grow fruit trees inside. This 22ft diameter dome gave me over 600 sq ft of growing space, plus 14ft in height needed to grow figs, goumis, gojis, persimmons, paw paws, and the fuzzy kiwi vines. Because of its shape, I can cycle warm air from the top to the bottom quite easily, and it gives a pleasant experience to be in a circle, rather than a square glass box. I will also be able to grow my greens year round, providing me with nourishment 365 days a year, and it will also allow the early establishment of seedlings before the outside ground becomes suitable for tender seedlings. I am extending my growing season by 2 month on EACH side of the summer.
I am pretty sure that eventually I will keep chickens in here during the winter. It is going to get very crowded in there eventually, but with some pruning and conscious arrangement, things will work out.

Wood-heated cedar hot tub -In the back of the greenhouse is the wood-heated cedar hot tub. By filling the tub with rainwater, heating it up, enjoying it, then using that same water for irrigating plants, I am getting much more utility out of the water and it also helps to keep the greenhouse warm and humid in the spring and fall. I am planting fruit trees around the tub so fruit will be hanging over us as we relax on the cool fall evenings.

Deck - The deck is made from recycled wood and pressed plastic. The ultimate in recycling. The base had to be made with wood, but it was minimal. I have it shaped like an octagon in honor of sacred geometry. Along the railings of the deck are gooseberry bushes, grape, and hardy kiwi vines.
This is where we will do our morning workouts and dry our fruit harvests. In the center will be a gazebo or cottage shaped like an octagon. This will be a great place to have ceremonies, sit by the fire, sing songs...you get the idea.

Perennial Polycultures - The vast majority of the plants in my space are perennials. Plants that only need to be established once. No tilling, no pulling and replanting. This is the way nature works, and if we can work WITH her, the natural energy she puts out will make things way easier on us humans. The Earth wants to be covered in forests again. When we strip the land of trees and plant monocultures or even organic annual gardens, nature keeps trying to turn it back into a forest. So by planting lots of shrubs, trees, and herbs that live for many decades, we can use more of our free time to pursure other interests instead of weeding and tilling every year.
And by the term "polyculture" I mean BIODIVERSITY. I never have pest problems anymore. Just deer and raccoons, because all the major predators have been pushed away from our part of the state. However, there are so many predator insects, spiders, birds, snakes, and frogs in my space that nothing has a chance to really do any damage. When someone plants a field of corn, there is no incentive for other animals to be there except the ones that like to eat corn. And with all the poisons used, no predator insect ever has a chance to get established enough to control pest populations.
So what I recommend to you is that you cover your area with perennials that feed both you, and the animal populations around you. You will be creating a real ecosystem, not just a veggie garden. Emulate nature, and use her energy to recreate the Garden of Eden. She wants you to have it again. Stop reminicing about paradise, create it now while you still can.

Square Foot Gardening - I use this method for my annuals because it is the best way to micro-manage the garden and keep the soil in a pristine and unpacked condition. I will grow most of my melons, tomatoes, peppers, and other cultivars in this area. The rest of the site will be more "chaotic", leaving perennial plants to naturally grow where they choose and I will manage them by continuously harvesting whatever I need, without pulling up the plant in its entirety. Whatever is strongest will survive and be present in the garden, so we will only be having the best food available.With the raised bed, I will be able to extend their life by covering them with plastic in the spring and fall to keep things warm. I highly recommend this method for intensive gardens that are low on space.

Honeybees - I have two hives on the site, and by working with the bees, I am able to have my fruit trees pollinated much more efficiently and will have some honey and bee pollen of my own to enjoy. I honor and cherish these bees, and treat them with the utmost respect and dignity. I see myself as their guardian, and I take a very small percentage of what they create for themselves. Vegans will protest, but few have actually worked with bees on their own and understand the relationship between bees and the beekeeper. We take very little, and provide
lots of flowers for them to feast on. "The Ladies" can get feisty sometimes, but they are
a complete joy to have on the property.

Fruit and Nut Trees - I have over 150 fruit and nut trees on the site, most accustomed to the colder climate of Central Minnesota. I have many heirloom varieties, and quite a few tropical as well. - Some of the varieties that stand out are: Spitzenburg Apples, Green Gage Plums, Ranier Cherries, Figs, Hardy Lemons, Guavas, Hachiya and Chocolate Persimmons, Black and White Sapotes, Hazelnuts, Jujubes, Mulberries, Black Walnut, Mountain Ash, and lots of different Pears and Apricots. I also plan to plant Korean Nut Pines and, Shagbark Hickory, and Michigan Pecans next spring for both a border and food which can be stored for many months.

Grapes and Berries - These will be used as natural borders and shade producers. The grapes will placed in the entryway arbor of the property and the deck railing itself. The trellising will provide wonderfully tasty seeded grapes with ease. Because they are growing off of the ground, there will be much less chance for fungus problems. I am growing only seeded grapes and lots of different berries which still have seeds. My internal garden is surrounded by a thick hedge of raspberries, so this will help define the border and provide shade for lettuce and other cooler temp greens. Ive also recently discovered seaberries (Sea Buckthorn) and Buffaloberries, which fix nitrogen into the soil and provide food for birds througout the winter and create a lovely hedge. Others I am using are autumn olive, siberian pea shrub, honeyberries, prinsepia, and many nanking cherries. Highly recommended.

Soil - I am remineralizing the soil by using compost from leaves, horse manure, swamp mud, sea water concentrate, and worm castings. By doing this, I am creating incredibly strong plants what will have more vitamins and minerals, and will be able to fight off pests without the use of any chemical pesticides. Im encouraging a very healthy bacteria and fungal community in the soil as well. I am also using only copper tools after the first excavation in order to keep the magnetic properties of the soil intact. If you can splurge, get copper tools. I highly recommend investing heavily in your soil...spend a few hundred dollars (or much more if you can) on a large load of black soil and compost and start off right.

Water - Water is harvested by collecting rainwater and a well. Water is brought inside by buckets into a reservoir in the kitchen and bathroom whenever needed. There should be no dishwasher needed. The used water will be saved and placed on the fruit trees. Ultimate water conservation will be the goal. We will also be mulching the ground heavily, to reduce evaporation and keep the soil moist and alive. Most of the water will be naturally stored in the soil, and the rest will be in large light-proof containers. I will be using drip irrigation on a timer to keep things automated, and this will give us more free time to be working on other projects besides watering each and every plant on the property if needed.

Culinary Mushrooms - Underneath the deck, we will have a space suitable for the cultivation of mushrooms like maitake and shitake. We are making the most out of all of our space in order to produce the most abundant and varied food available.
I have lots of scrap wood on the property, including oaks, ironwoods, poplars, and birch. All will be used to raise mushrooms. Different trees require differnet mushrooms, so we will have even more variety.



Why Permaculture?

Permaculture is a term coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren that means either Permanent Culture or Permanent Agriculture. Its a way of raising plants and animals, and creating a self-sustaining environment that fosters symbiotic relationships between all plants and animals involved. By designing systems according to Nature's laws, less work is needed for upkeep and the deep biodiversity of the landscape manages itself.

By working with nature by creating biodiveristy instead of against nature by using pesticides and herbicides , there are no toxins or harmful chemicals needed to produce supreme health in the garden and living space. The plants become HIGHLY mineralized and are more vibrant, strong, and fresh than anything else available. They are also much more naturally resistant to pests because of the superior health found within their cells.

I first came up with adopting this idea because I wanted to create a little space where I would have my own fresh fruit and vegetables, and have peace and quiet with my loved ones. I wanted to know the source of my vegetables and fruits, and I wanted them to be the freshest ever. I think we have to go in this direction if we hope to reach optimal levels of health. Items shipped from California to New York aren't exactly fresh. Get it?

After studying the issue of Peak Oil and the future of food and GMO's, I realized that this model for living would actually save myself and my loved ones in the not-too-distant future. The organic living space will provide us with living foods as long as we lived there despite any national economic or fuel crisis. If trucks were no longer shipping fruit and vegetables across the country, we would continue to be safe and healthy. And in fact, after eating from our own gardens, we wouldn't even dream of eating second-class, stale, and possibly polluted produce handled and grown by complete strangers. I firmly believe that this way of eating has created nearly ALL of our problems, and that we should be growing our own food and foraging wild plants instead.

So with this method, I am spending no money on food after the initial costs of developing the soil, planting the fruit and nut trees, grape vines, berries, and vegetable seeds. I also keep bees, so we have some pollen and honey to use as well, and the bees feast on the pollen of the fruit trees and pollinate every flower so we will have more abundant fruit harvests.

The freshest, most vibrant, and toxin-free food for FREE. All you have to do is love the plants and pick the harvest. We are safe from recessions and food shortages, and are promoting biodiversity and pollination in our local environment.

Good for our bodies, our bank accounts, and the Earth.

Permaculture, combined with wild food foraging, is the way of survival and optimal health in the 21st century and beyond. We are combining the technology of the present day with the wisdom and growing techniques of the past. True synergy.

And because we are spending less money on food, house payments, electricity, and water, any money we continue to earn will go towards vacations and expanding the planting of more fruit trees and more beneficial methods and ideas for others to adopt.

If you want to VASTLY improve the quality and quantity of your life, invest in some good soil and start a garden with some fruit trees. Not only will you be physically healthier, but your soul will sing and you will reconnect with the natural cycles of life.

I am simply elated that I learned about this at an early age. Get active now! You have been shown a way towards your freedom!!

Green Resources

Green Resources...again, no order of preference.

This is stuff to help rebuild Heaven on Earth.
Not some greenwashing junk.
Email me if youre interested of being on here!


Raw Resources

Two Categories:
Community and Sites to Order products from.
If you are not on this list just contact me and we'll
see what we can do, there is NO particular order
here so dont get offended!
And Ive forgotten many sites,
so just contact me!

Community:


There is no order to the list, so no one get offended.


Products:

SunWarrior Nutrition!

Pure Indian Foods

Mountain Rose Herbs

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Products

(Order directly from them because retailers will sell you rancid hemp seeds!)

Vita-Mix Blenders

Healthy Happy Balance Kefir Grains

Shoprawfoods.com

Gnosis Chocolate

Surthrival





Travel Photos

Luckily, I have been able to travel.
I value adventure over material possessions,
so Ive been able to go to many countries.

Before it might be too late, travel.
You will evolve as a human, and will realize
how little our slice of life in the western world is.

If you know a young person getting out of high school
or college, suggest to them that taking a Gap Year might
be a wonderful idea. They will realize a deeper sense of
themselves and will be better equipped to deal with the world.


















Photos


Here are some photos of mine.

Some are of higher artistic qualities than others,
but all have a special place in my heart.

Please do not steal these photos,
just email me if you want to use them for your site.

My original green smoothie set up:
A crappy $20 blender, pears, and kale. Yikes!

Volcano Apple...I couldnt believe this.

I once salvaged 9 trays of wheatgrass that were going
to be thrown away. I had nowhere to put them but
next to me in bed. How fresh the air was that week!

My old hobby for awhile. I should start doing this again.

Thinking about Permaculture at the moment...

After hanging out in Central Park for an hour;
mulberries, serviceberries, and I think a violet leaf.

Can Higher Consciousness be found in a beverage?
Of Course!

Copper, vines, and snow...FLAWLESS.

Winter Sunset in MN

The Circle of Life taking in place in front of me
on a beach in Costa Rica.

Audio

Here are some audio interviews Ive done.

Click the link to download the mp3.

Check back for more updates, there are more to
be uploaded very soon.

Raw Divas Interview

We Like It Raw Interview 01

We Like It Raw Interview 02


Raw Vegan Radio


Hooked on Raw with Rhio

Rawkin Radio

I hope to do more interviews based on permaculture
in the near future, instead of always talking about food!


Videos

Here are some of my favorite videos.
You will notice that they usually break down into
three simple categories:

1. Raw Food Prep
2. Wild Food Foraging
3. Working on my Permaculture Project

I have lots more on youtube, which can be found HERE.



My Dome Greenhouse in August 09



Transplanting my Miracle fruit and Inca Berry



A Super Smoothie made with Hemp and Wild Greens



Harvesting Spring Water for the First Time



Trying Noni for the Very First Time



Harvesting and Enjoying Black Locust Blossoms from Central Park NYC



A Great Watermelon Juice

Im always making more vids, so subscribe and you'll
never be kept out of the loop!!

Modeling Pics


Yes, this is the same person who was talking
about shoveling horse manure into his garden.






















Raw food and Exercise gets the goods.
You can find more on my NY Agency's website HERE
and my London Agency's website HERE.


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