Greywater system seems to be the trick to a successful mini orchard. We grew trees from a twig to 25 feet in 4 years, using greywater; Which is officially legal this month. CA already, but OR just came through. So, we were ahead of our time, we knew Portland was with us. The laundry is set up in the garage, so we popped the pipe outside to a wine barrel, and attached a hose. Dig a mulch basin around each tree, and watch in amazement how well the orchard fruits. Read "Greywater Oasis," and use that water well!
Permaculture is mimicking what happens in nature, like a food forest. We are trying to create a disease free plant environment that is sustainable long term. It's applying the complexity of nature to recreate the vast network of mutually beneficial relationships. There is so much info on this topic, but "Gaia's Garden" is a good place to start...
Our first year with an annual section. We've been drawing sketches of it for years, and it finally made its way off the paper. We have been composting our waste here for 6 years. Now, we are planting seeds for winter harvest. It took that long to make our own soil. So far we have snap peas, lettuces, carrots, chard, beets, cabbage, cilantro, cauliflower, arugula, dino kale, snow peas, green onions, romanesca, basil, mustard greens all popping up. We plan to garden by the moon phases. Also we are very enamored with Biodynamic gardening and suggest using the bd preps on bare soil. No idea how its all gonna go, but I'll keep you posted on what we see...
My motto is "Either pay the farmer, or pay the doctor." I have been proudly called, a health freak by those that know and (sometimes don't) love me. My obsession came on quickly after a short fast in college. That experience taught me a ton, and so I started doing my own research. Fifteen years later, I'm happily hooked on goat Kefir goodness, amongst other health promoting foods. I believe in natural cures and have not taken an allopathic "pill" for anything since I realized that symptoms are there for good reason. I do appreciate emergency medicine and hope it works if I should ever need it. I want to learn as much as I can to help my family get the most out of life by choosing health giving nourishment. After all you are what you eat, and you can only think as far as your food is pure. Dom's Kefir website is a great resource; As well as books like "Wild Fermentation", "Nourishing Traditions," "Mycellium Running," "Omnivore's Dilemma," "Goat Milk Magic," among many other great contributers. My celebrities are Mycologists, Biodynamic Farmers, Anthroposophical Medicine Practitioners, and all those committed to the health of humanity.
Here's the hottest new celeb walking The Green Carpet... Master Pickler Alex Hozven. So, she craved pickles when she was pregnant with her first son, 12 years ago. And the twist: She started her own pickling business. The Cultured Pickle Shop sells pickles ranging from classic sauerkrauts to unusual kimchees and kombuchas—way beyond the sour dill. But it’s the experiments, like the mysterious nuka pot or pickled blood oranges, that really get Hozven excited. There’s plenty of zing, zest, pow in all her pickles, though. I wish she lived in Portland!
So in the mail just arrived photos of me catching a large swarm of honey bees. Sent to me by this hero neighbor man whom witnessed, documented, and rescued me in so many ways. Looking at these spring photos reminds me of that very fateful day, rudely awaken from my state of arrogance coupled with ignorance. A very steep learning curve for me, humbled on a mountain ladder by the presence of bees. I gained the needed respect for these beings that did not come from walking thru the eye of a bee swarm. I learned more than words could express. Long of the short, I had to brush bees off my neck with a soft natural bristled brush, and not one sting. Yes, not one sting; And not that I did not deserve at least one. My children still laugh about mommy running around with bees on her neck. Ha,ha. I fumbled my way from start (falling off the ladder!) to finish (taping up the box wrong). I only noticed the box was mistakenly taped up when I looked in the rear view mirror at my children, and in silent horror I saw a bee flying around the hatchback window. I'm still a "newbee" to the whole process, but for a backyard homestead I recommend a top bar bee hive, to help the bees in more ways than one. My best advice is to buy a proper bee suit. Find a local bee expert, make your own/ build a hive, or buy a golden mean hive, rescue swarms via bee swarm list, be smart and not afraid.
Backyard ducks are a viable option, especially for those allergic to chicken eggs. Duck eggs are more rich in everything and alkaline compared to chicken eggs for all of you health savvy folks. If you're thinking small scale, think small duck, bantam. They are less loud if they should ever get there although chicken cackles seem more of an issue for me. Ducks seem friendly if you keep their feed until morning than they come to you running. If you leave pellets out all the time, they will keep their instinct to avoid any meat eating being with eyes in front of their head (i.e. you). So, don't take it personal if they don't seem to love you. Making judgment on fowl behavior is just looney tunes. To note, drakes do not "rape" their mate; They are simply acting on cues (not mal intentions), that take at least 40 years of observation to understand these nuances, say Dave Holderread. That being said, I will confirm or retract this statement in the far future. Imposing human emotion of these animals so close to nature, is just short of putting a diaper on a goose; Cruel if you ask me. Miniature Silver Appleyards are dangerously low in number, so help the endangered population and pick a breed that needs a gene pool boost. Enjoy the silly smile, waddle, and beautiful plumage.
If you order a straight run, you're lucky if there's not more roos than hens. Every clutch I've ever gotten has had more boys than girls, except for the last one. I got smart and ordered online from My Pet Chicken dot com, and got 6 hens out of 9. They will replace roosters, but by the time they're crowing your beyond chickyhood. To start: You'll need a large, deep box to make a brood, with a heat lamp, chick water trough and feeder. Also wood pellets assure they don't bind up when scratching for bugs. For the scratching they do forevermore, I love bantams. They are the natural size chicken and they pull less mulch off your garden. Some can fly, but good organic layer food usually gets them back on the roost.
American Clay is old world modern with many added benefits. Our house went from drab to fab with a trowel. Kids can do the first layer, parents the second, and wipe to finish.
