Recently I re-discovered this fabulous diagram and accompanying notes by Paul Stamets. It’s basically an outline of how to deeply integrate mycology and edible mushroom propagation into a small permaculture farm system, point by point. Thank you, Mr Stamets.
I first encountered this diagram in Paul Stamets’ most excellent book Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. The diagram is sub titled The Stametsian Model for a Synergistic Mycosphere, so I’ll let Paul take it from here. Please read on… Read More »
Earthbags are a great idea for building raised garden bed surrounds because of their simplicity and their strength.
Recently Nick led a community workshop to transform a townhouse patio into an edible landscape, with earthbag surrounds for a set of bathtub wicking beds… Read More »
Yesterday Nick got interviewed about that viral image of Glass Gem Corn, and why the response has been so great: “When you first look at that photo it is beautiful, then there’s a realisation for people where it clicks: “That’s real.”
This is a corn that’s been developed over thousands of years and there’s a level of connection running back through human culture,” he said. Read More »
The latest batch of Milkwood permaculture design students are currently hard at it in Sydney, taking their Permaculture Design Certificate part-time with the fabulous Alexia Martinez. I thought I’d share some of their latest permaculture designs…
These designs are all the student’s first full permaculture design, undertaken using a place they know well as the site. This design exercise is all about working with what you’ve got, both good and bad. Bring on the shady patios, the hot brick walkways, and the unused verges. It’s all potential for abundance, with the help of good planning and design… Read More »
This morning I woke up to a delayed Mothers Day of pancakes, sticky kisses and… a bag of pink oyster mushrooms, just starting to fruit! How amazing are they?
The reason for the delay was that Nick was in Sydney teaching a mushroom cultivation workshop with Will Borowski. But it was worth the wait to gaze apon such an intriguing terrarium of awesome edible fungi all morning. They’ll obviously get a lot bigger than this shortly… Read More »
This one is for all the heirloom corn fans out there (and this completely includes me). The genetic diversity of maize is intense. It’s also the most widely grown crop in the Americas.
About 80% of maize grown in the USA is now GMO, and that makes the heirloom varieties even more precious. Thankfully, there are thousands of varieties. And many of them are exquisite… Read More »
There is nothing quite like a feijoa – they are simply the most amazing fruit. Fragrant, pungent, sweet yet sour, gooey in the middle and grainy round the edges. The original yum in a small green torpedo.
They also tend to appear as a surprise in large quantities when ripe, probably because they’re so darn hard to see on the tree. If you’re planting them, plant them in a high-traffic area, lest you miss their amazingness until it’s too late in the season… Read More »
I’ve been hearing it more and more – questions asked about why folks are looking at self sufficiency, stand-alone power or disaster preparedness, which are answered with the off-hand response of “oh, I’m just preparing in case of a zombie apocalypse”.
On facebook, a picture of a small island with high cliffs and a caption ‘this should keep the zombies out’. It’s like a socially acceptable way of joking about how scared you are of what the future may hold, without giving away just how scared you are. But it’s more than that. And recently I’ve figured out why I find the whole zombie apocalypse thing so creepy. Read More »
Yesterday Ashar and I went mushroom foraging at our local pine forest, just to see what there might be after a rainy day in Autumn. And look what we found! Slippery Jacks. Yum.
Nick was asked by International Permaculture Day 2012 to video his take on permaculture, so here it is. Recorded stealthily during naptime, to avoid the otherwise ever-present soundtrack of a joyful 3 year old.
This International Permaculture Day we’re heading to the city to run an Earthbag bench workshop, but there’s a lot of other things to see and do this weekend, in over 17 countries! Check it all out at International Permaculture Day 2012…
We're a farmstead & social enterprise near Mudgee NSW. We're learning, sharing and teaching skills for regenerative small-farm systems and permaculture futures in both country and city.
