tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.comments2024-02-16T11:34:41.473-08:00Permaculture, Perennial Polycultures & ResistanceNorrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comBlogger352125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-10763394264892702062024-02-16T11:34:41.473-08:002024-02-16T11:34:41.473-08:00Hey Norris, I came here to look up any posts from ...Hey Norris, I came here to look up any posts from you. It’s been ages since we spoke. Hope you’re doing well on your little island corner of the world! Ellen Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-3465295578668260332021-12-05T22:05:14.946-08:002021-12-05T22:05:14.946-08:00Ah, neat! If hot compost piles can reliably work t...Ah, neat! If hot compost piles can reliably work to convert the inulin in garlic into digestible starch, I don't see why it wouldn't for other crops as well. The practicality is another question; with a quick search I only found one YouTube video of someone making black garlic in a compost pile, so it seems unproven? Fun experiment for those so inclined...<br /><br />Thanks for the comment!Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-7139212454740345732021-12-02T05:11:48.315-08:002021-12-02T05:11:48.315-08:00I wonder if the inulin rich roots could be "c...I wonder if the inulin rich roots could be "cooked" in a hot compost pile (similar to how some people are doing black garlic).Steven Gubkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09590466852582554684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-4565970332709122122021-02-17T21:25:31.476-08:002021-02-17T21:25:31.476-08:00I am interested to purchase from you several of th...I am interested to purchase from you several of them for planting on my garden. If you<br />Would sell to me please contact to me cdk56642@bellsouth.net ThanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-40881896096671343572021-02-05T15:48:22.950-08:002021-02-05T15:48:22.950-08:00aw, thanks for the comment, John! I don't reme...aw, thanks for the comment, John! I don't remember that moment with your son, but that's pretty funny. :) At least he gets some benefit from the old folks talking way too long about boring things, by way of skirret!<br /><br />> PS Looks like you haven't posted in awhile.<br /><br />Yeah, a combination of still not having had much opportunity to learn new things worth writing up (though that's changing), and having a pretty bad mood & motivation slump for a couple of years (hopefully that's changing too.)<br /><br />It does help to hear that my past work does have some ongoing value, so thanks again.<br /><br />NorrisNorrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-24642381627791598662021-02-04T18:30:29.563-08:002021-02-04T18:30:29.563-08:00Great post about Eleagnus. I still grow them here...Great post about Eleagnus. I still grow them here in Portland. I was thinking about you the other day. I harvested some of my skirret. I got it from you. Super easy to grow, great pollinating plant. Good one to harvest in winter. I'm bringing some to my school garden. I don't know if you remember, Norris, but my son came to one of your plant gatherings. He said, "You guys just hang out and talk about plants for an hour!" And I was like, "Yes, we do!". He still likes the skirret. Partially, I just wanted you to know that a lot of the good work that you did here in Portland hasn't been forgotten. John Saltveit <br /><br />PS Looks like you haven't posted in awhile.John Saltveitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-58213952789333864082020-04-19T07:07:18.904-07:002020-04-19T07:07:18.904-07:00I would love to have a couple of those for my nort...I would love to have a couple of those for my north Florida permagarden. I have been looking for this edible variety for years, with no luck. If you have any surplus I would be very interested in purchasing some from you. Please contact me @ Tl49burne@yahoo.com. Thanks Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09910873058261447407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-68581495284948967452019-08-08T04:15:40.661-07:002019-08-08T04:15:40.661-07:00I realize this post is old...and even older was ho...I realize this post is old...and even older was how I found you (a video from 6-7 years ago), but I appreciate these sorts of posts countering the theories about how easy it is to grow all one's own food. (I also laugh at youtube videos about "we're entirely off the grid!" because, ahem, they are youtube videos, and if there's anything griddier than the internet, their dozen video recording devices shipped over on container ships from China, and getting financial support from strangers thousands of miles away via youtube for making these ludicrous claims, I cannot fathom what that is.)<br /><br />Anyway. (Rant over.) I ran across this old blog post: http://livinglowinthelou.blogspot.com/2013/10/can-you-really-grow-all-your-own-food.html which was of interest me to me after moving to the STL area. I grew sunflowers, and all I got out of it was fatter squirrels. :) Still, as an experiment, I continue to convert my lawn. Killed 1500 feet of it since spring, and will continue to see what I can do. Clearly, though, I will never be able to create my own hand-pressed oil. Critters will eat all those crops. I'd have to eat potatoes or sweet potatoes every day to get calories, and without salt, I'd struggle with that. (I don't happen to have a house right over a salt deposit. At least in Hawai'i, you can let the ocean evaporate in a pan, I suppose, to get yourself some salt!) And the fungal diseases in this humidity are brutal. Even my organic treatments of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide aren't something I can create simply on my own land. Is fungal disease a problem in Hawai`i?<br /><br />Good writing, good thinking in your blog. Thank you for writing it. Garden lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07277392336501867570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-54656158675106745792019-08-04T08:20:16.185-07:002019-08-04T08:20:16.185-07:00I agree Sapiens is infused with human supremacy; a...I agree Sapiens is infused with human supremacy; and I still think it's worth reading if you keep your mind alert to that messaging. I think it's a pretty decent reflection on many (not all by far) of the ways we've become human supremacist (whether the author realized that's what he was doing is unknown) and also how we've managed to f things up. Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01373299334433979648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-64224815210366479672019-07-05T14:10:31.853-07:002019-07-05T14:10:31.853-07:00Comment I received via email from someone who live...Comment I received via email from someone who lives on a relatively recent lava flow with relatively little vegetation:<br /><br />Nice presentation in the way you suggest a post industrial problem that can be addressed pre collapse, while there is still time to develop a biological control. I must say that my black ants have been moving into the territories of the fire ants. It seems like removing 2- 100 gallon water troughs caused a collapse of a large area of LFA's and the crazy and other black ants moved in.Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-82150696774256181752019-01-10T11:38:22.285-08:002019-01-10T11:38:22.285-08:00Hello.
I am very interested in getting hold of the...Hello.<br />I am very interested in getting hold of these edible Air potato, Dioscorea bulbifera. D you sell them, have any for sale?<br />I would very much appreciate a few growing bulbs.<br />Please get back to me.<br />T.flfarms@yahoo.comtfarmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08202192136317917715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-52811893177954232042018-06-15T00:28:29.466-07:002018-06-15T00:28:29.466-07:00We moved away in spring 2012, so I don't have ...We moved away in spring 2012, so I don't have much follow up, sorry. I'm not one for recipes per se; I'm happy with fresh food presented pretty much any which way. I was content eating as much as the patch would offer mixed with rhubarb, added to soups and omelets, and as a side dish. I don't remember ever feeling the patch was out of control, though I did dig up a lot to sell as part of my nursery business. If anything, I vaguely recall feeling a little worried that I was overharvesting and scaling back a bit for a time.Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-4639667043751754812018-05-22T19:46:14.727-07:002018-05-22T19:46:14.727-07:00i just visited a garden where the japanese butterb...i just visited a garden where the japanese butterbur had run rampant, and the homeowner was quite annoyed. i didn't realize the plant was edible or i would have suggested he eat the plant. <br /><br />what has been your experience since 2011 with this plant. have you been able to keep it under control. have you been able to come up with any pleasing recipes.Leftyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10385524916936422341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-35455384417155121182017-08-19T09:25:28.417-07:002017-08-19T09:25:28.417-07:00Corum here, i don't remember but efnet #scifi,...Corum here, i don't remember but efnet #scifi, you used to be a regular on that channel too? I think i followed you there from #amber but i'm not sure.<br />I'm still there.<br />Also my email is snir3000@gmail.com<br />I have your siblings as friends on facebook, if you are there.<br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01514993877813645834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-46531059444501844682017-08-17T11:43:28.262-07:002017-08-17T11:43:28.262-07:00Hello Corum-from-half-a-lifetime-ago! Good to hea...Hello Corum-from-half-a-lifetime-ago! Good to hear from you, and thanks! I hope you're doing well; feel free to email me if you want to catch up more - or are you on IRC anywhere?<br /><br />August, the neo-Nazis meant to espouse racism and fascism, and to intimidate people, especially people of color. Their purpose from the start was aggression, so the resulting violence isn't a surprise.<br /><br />Yes, America's history is genocidal and racist, and the environmental movement has mostly been white, so of course (shamefully) it's perpetuated that history. (For a fascinating side trail, read a brief history of Germany's <a href="https://deepgreenresistance.net/resistance/culture/wandervogel-lebensreform-nazi-germany/" rel="nofollow">Wandervogel, Lebensreform, and the rise of the Nazis</a> ― many parallels with the US counterculture.) <br /><br /><em>Deep Green Resistance</em> explains how the fight for the environment and for non-humans is inextricably intertwined with the fight for social justice. Human supremacy, white supremacy, and male supremacy all originate in the perceived entitlement of one class to exploit another. They're all, at root, about <a href="https://deepgreenresistance.net/resistance/liberals-radicals/oppression-and-subordination/" rel="nofollow">power and abuse</a>. To defend ourselves and our loved ones, we need to dismantle racism, patriarchy, and industrial civilization. We all owe big thanks to Antifa and BLM for working against the racism part.Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-33515532415073737102017-08-17T07:10:32.220-07:002017-08-17T07:10:32.220-07:00This is an article I remembered from the New Yorke...This is an article I remembered from the New Yorker:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/environmentalisms-racist-history" rel="nofollow">Environmentalism's Racist History</a>.<br /><br />The accusation has already been made. Please think about how you can defend yourself and your loved ones.Augusthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08758314961163692341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-81691636684672720172017-08-17T06:43:12.242-07:002017-08-17T06:43:12.242-07:00I do hope you figure out this is untrue before the...I do hope you figure out this is untrue before the left does this to you.<br /><br />Those men meant to have a day of speeches. They meant to have a peaceful rally. They went prepared for Antifa, but they weren't prepared for the state and local authorities to violate their rights (and the law) and collaborate with Antifa.<br /><br />As we can tell from this event, they will just through acid on you, or pepper spray you, or beat you down- before you speak. <br /><br /><br /><br />Augusthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08758314961163692341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-43248881857140041012017-08-17T00:06:44.272-07:002017-08-17T00:06:44.272-07:00Hey Scrub.
This is Corum from #amber and #tape_tra...Hey Scrub.<br />This is Corum from #amber and #tape_trade_central.<br /><br />All i have to say to you is Right On!<br /><br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01514993877813645834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-25461728716720754232016-11-14T18:15:53.763-08:002016-11-14T18:15:53.763-08:00Hi Steve,
Apologies for the ridiculously belated ...Hi Steve,<br /><br />Apologies for the ridiculously belated reply!<br /><br />On the trans issue: "biological gender" doesn't make sense in the radical feminist framework, since sex it what's biological, with gender socially conditioned. There are some edge cases of intersex people, but they're exceedingly rare, and don't appreciate having their issues coopted by trans activists to push the unrelated trans agenda. As with cases of trans, if cases came up of an intersex person wanting access to female space, I would support the females in that space setting the boundaries they choose.<br /><br />Mark Shepard is working hard on breeding woody perennial staples; I cheated and moved to Hawai'i where they're already developed and easy to grow. I do want to live on acreage with multiple households, with perennial polycultures supporting us all. And I do have some excitement about experimenting with unusual crops or trying to selectively breed adapted local cultivars of important plants...but I doubt that'll ever be a big focus for me. We already have a wide selection of perennials so the trick is to get people to actually plant them instead of relying on annuals! <br /><br />I foresee my work as a combination of encouraging strategic direct resistance, and educating people who want to learn about perennial polycultures, with my own homestead as an experimental and demonstration site.Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-27015386199510879572016-11-14T17:32:34.289-08:002016-11-14T17:32:34.289-08:00Hi Vibrations,
We had success with the amaranth &...Hi Vibrations,<br /><br />We had success with the amaranth & chenopods in the first year, but we didn't wind up with any reliable self-seeding polycultures with them. That wasn't as much a priority as the perennial polycultures, so I'd bet there's a way to make them work with more experimentation.<br /><br />Good luck, and please post back here with your own results!Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-41017423523780549772016-10-25T13:39:01.719-07:002016-10-25T13:39:01.719-07:00Hi Jimmy,
I don't know of any dry equatorial ...Hi Jimmy,<br /><br />I don't know of any dry equatorial permaculture resources, sorry. They may exist and I've simply never stumbled across them (I've never actively looked), but I know I've had trouble finding much for humid tropical areas. Many authors have written about permaculture for environments covered by the wealthier countries, but there generally isn't much for the tropics. Mollison's <i>Permaculture: A Designer's Manual</i> has a chapter on arid climates, but I think it's mostly about hot/cold desert areas, not really equatorial. <br /><br />If you find anything good, I'd love to hear about it. Good luck!Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-4857405764193332582016-10-25T09:12:36.087-07:002016-10-25T09:12:36.087-07:00Hi Norris, thank you for the great review. I'm...Hi Norris, thank you for the great review. I'm a newbie to permaculture, could you recommend a permaculture book for ecological area that is ecuatorial dry forest/scrub? Temperatures usually range from 70-85 year round with no winter (live on equator), and little rainfall. Thank you, JimmyTenderloinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01980551189620929095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-28553164374850467512016-07-22T18:33:55.625-07:002016-07-22T18:33:55.625-07:00Not including ducks in the description for meat wa...Not including ducks in the description for meat was just an oversight; they could be integrated in the same way as chickens for both meat and eggs. I definitely think aquaculture has a lot of potential, but as you noted, I couldn't find hard numbers for productivity.<br /><br />I wrote a post about <a href="http://farmerscrub.blogspot.com/2010/09/sustainable-and-humane-rabbit-keeping.html" rel="nofollow">sustainable and humane rabbit keeping</a>, which explains some of my hesitations there.Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790917341588271564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-822834104510632072016-07-22T17:19:32.139-07:002016-07-22T17:19:32.139-07:00LOL, @Sarah, for my Easter Egger chickens, no trai...LOL, @Sarah, for my Easter Egger chickens, no training was necessary, it was completely their own idea to roost in the trees -- and not all that low either. There is nothing quite like going out early in the morning and hearing clucking 10 feet over your head.<br /><br />@FarmerScrub,<br />I am curious as to why you didn't include three of the best sources of meat for small homesteads: ducks, rabbits, and aquaculture. Okay, I see in the comments you don't have productivity figures for aquaculture, and you mention ducks for eggs but not meat. But you obviously are aware of all three from your other posts.John D. Wheelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16203607452410210779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931688.post-66505240248256092702016-06-09T14:19:57.573-07:002016-06-09T14:19:57.573-07:00I too found Paradise Lot's obsession with nitr...I too found Paradise Lot's obsession with nitrogen fixers a bit mysterious.<br />In the natural world nitrogen fixers are largely only present in early successional stages. While not currently engaging in permaculture, I have been looking into carbon sequestration.<br /><br />My research has indicated that even in a relatively wet climate of the eastern US, 80% of the nitrogen remains on sight and converted into organic matter. 3% organic matter can supply most of the nitrogen needs of soil through natural decomposition processes. I've calculated that 7 years of standard fertilizer (Milorganite) at the recommended rates will produce enough nitrogen fertility to start reducing the needs, to less than half the recommended amount at 10 years.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com