Food Medicine Season 2021
Each year the perennials in all the swales
compound their interest.
In the foreground you can see our continued progress
with ramial wood chips.
Behind and to the sides are the swales that continue to amaze me in how they perform as nutrient and moisture batteries.
The aspen logs frame the compost piles that were inspired by Helen and Scott Nearing's homesteading work.
Our 70' hoop house allows us to push our zone.
Fully aware its part of the tick tack problem facing us all.
Every year we renew the debate of its environmental costs.
Each winter i dedicate some time and money
to researching the cutting edge
of the fragile system of food security.
The winter of 2020,
browsing the sustainability section of the incredible
Banyan books in Kitsilano, Vancouver,
it was obvious that no-till organic farming
was an exploding theme in world sustainability.
I purchased three books on the subject:
I have to say i thoroughly enjoyed all three of the books.
Andrew Mefferd's 'Organic No-Till Farming Revolution'
is truly inspiring.
He took a year out of his farming schedule to visit
the organic no-till farms across the USA
that are not only succeeding,
but thriving
and paying large dividends
to their workers.
Masanobu Fukuoka's 'One Straw Revolution',
required reading for my Philosophy of Technology focus
at the University of Victoria, British Columbia,
was all but a no-till pipe dream in the 70s, 80s and early 90s
when this book changed the course of my life.
No till farming was,
as many inspired followers of Masonobu discovered,
was difficult, if not impossible to replicate.
Fast forward to 2010-2020
and we are now in a full throttle organic no-till revolution!
Our corn field and styrian pumpkin patch
(see photo below of some of the harvest)
came straight out of this book
and it was amazing to see the no-till results.
It will be exciting to see next years results
as we bear witness to 2 years of soil horizon architecture
now allowed to proliferate.
All 3 books are clear to emphasize
the profound change in soil tilth and fertility
that begins to emerge
when you stop interrupting each years activity and development at the level of the microbiome.
Daniel May's 'The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm'
gives an excellent overview
of how a commercial organic farm hits a powerband
in soil building, production, and profits
when the key elements of efficiency are met.
His farm is profiled in Andrew Mefferd's book mentioned above.
I like how Daniel puts a cap on production and profits
to maintain a happiness co-factor withing his staff.
The continued return and smiles of his staff is a key indicator.
An indictor of the new economics emerging
from the failed neo-classical economic systems of our time.
A nod to Charle's Eisenstein's Sacred Economics.
Lots of great learning in this book.
Will Bonsall's 'Essential Guide to Radical, Self-reliant Gardening'
is a gem.
His stubborn, witty, and humorous insights
in self-sufficiency since the 60s
are priceless.
His no-till revelations in ramial wood chips and leaf mulch are excellent.
Greens glorious Greens!
As we age and venture
into the pros and cons of vegetarian and vegan lifestyle,
and relearn how to eat within the seasons,
these edible solar panels
have become the centre-piece of our diets
from March to December.
The hoop house
allows us to extend this season
into the early and later months of the year.
Elliot Coleman has inspired us with these tricks
and we aspire to put a glass house on our home
as we get more settled.
lettuce and strawberry
lettuce and cilantro
collards and lettuce
spinach and chard
birch bowl by Rob Adamson
multiple greens with cukes and tomatoes from the hoop house
steamed chard with hearts ease flower garnish
birch bowl by Rob Adamson
multiple greens with cukes and tomatoes from the hoop house
steamed chard with hearts ease flower garnish
I love the compassion and empathy that comes out of a child.
It reminds me of the importance that we are all connected.
Many a mouse nest gets uncovered in our working the forest and meadow edges.
Some survive the interruption of life and some get decent burials with painted stones and flowers
to mark their transition to other worlds.
still life with tulips
May is my birth month
which means i get to ask the family for a favour.
It usually revolves around walking somewhere,
meditating, chanting or giving thanks,
not getting in a vehicle,
going for a picnic
and wildcrafting some sort of food or medicine.
'Indian' celery.
A local First Nations elder
showed us how to harvest this great mineral rich seasoning
with respect so it keeps coming back.
There is a window period of about 4 weeks
where this low growing herb sits in succulent abundance.
Right around my birthday :).
Chamomile
Calendula
Red Clover
Burdock
Foti
Marsh Mallow
Oyster Mushroom
Styrian Pumpkins, from Styria, Austria.
Sasha, the cat, liked hanging out with them for some reason.
Known for its green emerald seeds
that are a great source of zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, and essential fatty acids-
all of which are essential for a healthy male prostate.
Our first attempt at organic no-till proved to be very successful
for the long row of corn,
pumpkin hills
and summer squash.
The beans did not do so well,
i needed to start them earlier i think?
email us a michael hollihn, one word, at gmail dot com if you would like to purchase seeds or root cuttings
Piling up the snow
to insulate the worms
and richly bioactive compost piles.
Putting wood ash from the stove
on the newly planted raspberry patch.
Wishing you all the best
for the upcoming planting season.
Time to rest by the fire,
meditate,
read,
visit with friends and family
and do a little work in the woodlot.
Forest fire season is just around the corner.
My culture got us in this mess.
It's my responsibility to correct it.
Namaste,
God Bless,
Hare Krsna,
To all our relationships.