I started out with a huge roll of tracing paper and had run out before this exercise. Darn. I tried doing the drawings in paint and they didn't turn out very well. So I improvised by printing and sketching on regular paper. I liked doing the quick sketches as part of this long inhale.
This one was interesting as it got me thinking about access and places that she wants to go with her golf cart.
Where we can build a house is fairly limited because of the flood zones but there are a couple options. I am thinking that a theme is coming out that I hadn't really considered before. It is the public/private space and separation. Building a house closer to the barn area and turning the existing house into a root cellar/market might be gaining support.
Seasonal access is still an issue.
I think this one took me a little longer than 10 minutes. The existing fencing kind of sets some initial boundaries. I really like the idea of trails and developing a pasture system that will extend the season and maybe take pressure off the winter paddock.
I hadn't thought about how much open space we have right around the current gardens. There are also areas in the hay fields that would work well for different polycultures. We have even started to think about the pastures extending into the fields and hedgerows. We could even offer community pasture space.
I keep seeing so much about mushrooms as a specialty crop and we have the resources and space, so I had to do a mushroom bubble.
Our main market garden has a lot of deer pressure. I am going to try to plant things to distract them to other areas and make the main garden less desirable. An interesting aha was that they left the white pumpkins alone last year. I have heard that they don't have great eyesight and may not see them. Fabric softener sheets work a little bit. I have been doing a lot of research around the blueberries. In order to market them and grow organically, I think I may need a special insect netting. There is this insect that has recently infested fruit crops called SWD. It was a little disheartening to hear about, but I think it might be worth investing in good protection. A step up from floating row cover.
Some of my best memories here include giving tours to youth groups. We even have a chicken song for the children to sing. I have been a member of the Farm-based Education Network for a number of years and even did a workshop at Shelburne Farm in Vermont. They have amazing resources.
The edit function worked well when I was just putting points on my map. These are key areas of biosecurity risk. I had to take a series of webinars this winter for our Environmental Farm Plan (a federal and provincial agriculture initiative) and I think the pandemic has influenced the focus on biosecurity. The issues of cross contamination are something we are mindful of having animals and a vegetable market. For these points we are looking at handwashing and access.
Hi Debbie,
I'm really curious about your mushroom bubble. What type of mushroom are you thinking of? I'm experimenting with winecap mushrooms on the north side of my property. When I visited the permaculture site for our assignment last fall, I was given the mushrooms with instructions for growing them. The process seems less labor intensive than growing shitakes. I was told you could grow them in woodchips, so that's what I'm trying. I won't know for a while if my "mushroom patch" will produce anything, but I've got my fingers crossed. Winecaps are a nice tasting mushroom.
Deb
I have ordered shitake mushrooms to try on oak logs. We had a large number of trees dropped off for firewood a little while back and ran out of energy to split it all :) So it made sense to put some under the spruce trees and give the shitake a try. This is a first for me, so excited. I think I would try winecap next year because there are a lot of wood chip areas we could utilize. I thought we should start with one first and the logs were here :)
I hope you get a harvest!
Sounds like a good plan, since you had some logs looking for something to do! ;-) Good luck!
Deb
I have grown Oyster mushrooms in coffee grinds very easily in the past, only to find out that I wasn't a big fan of them. I know I like shitakiis, but have never had winecaps. I dont see them in the farmer's markets around here. Are they fairly common in your area?
Peggy
I have grown Oyster mushrooms in coffee grinds very easily in the past, only to find out that I wasn't a big fan of them. I know I like shitakiis, but have never had winecaps. I dont see them in the farmer's markets around here. Are they fairly common in your area?
Peggy
I have grown Oyster mushrooms in coffee grinds very easily in the past, only to find out that I wasn't a big fan of them. I know I like shitakiis, but have never had winecaps. I dont see them in the farmer's markets around here. Are they fairly common in your area?
Peggy
Hi Peggy,
I can comment on the winecaps from my limited experience - I don't know if they grow wild on the Cape and I don't see them at our farmers' market too often. However, one of the permaculture sites I visited is growing them as part of the harvest they donate to a local food pantry. The same group (Food Forest Initiative of Cape Cod) is also growing them to improve the soil at a new site they started working on last fall. I don't love mushrooms in general, but I liked the winecaps I was given last fall on my permaculture site visit. From a taste perspective, they have a mild flavor and firm texture. They were very nice in an omelet. I've been told that another benefit of winecaps is that they will come up year after year; you don't have to re-inoculate the bed once it gets going. You might check out a company in your area that sells winecap (and other) spawn - catskillfungi.com. Only time will tell if my little mushroom bed made it through the winter!
I hope you and Debbie will let us know how your experience with mushrooms turns out :-)
Deb
Deb,m
Interesting that you mention catskillfungi.com. They say they don't sell spawn, but I actually had one of their hands on workshops that I am considering attending in June on my calendar. .
Their mushrooms and extacts are in a good number of local markets here. Perhaps I can call them and find out when and where I can pick up some winecaps to sample...
Thanks for reminding me about them!
Peggy
Hi Debbie - You've mentioned a medicine wheel on several of your bubble maps. I'm curious to know what that is? You may have described it in more detail in previous assignments, but I must have missed it. Do you mind telling us more about it?
By the way, I love that your mom is driving her golf cart to her favorite spots on the farm. That made me smile!
Deb
Hi Deb
This pic is from about 10 years ago of 'my version' of a medicine wheel garden. I started it about 20 years ago as a teaching framework. Its a circle made of rocks from all around the world and has a peace pole in the center with pathways in the cardinal directions. The key medicine plants are sweetgrass, tobacco, cedar and sage. I also have elderberry, gingko and redbud trees, flowers, etc. There are unlimited concepts represented and discussable, such as colors and races of people and importantly relationships and responsibilities.
Hi Debbie,
Thanks for sharing more background about your medicine wheel garden. It looks like such a peaceful spot on your site. From your explanation, I understand how it exemplifies our interconnectedness with each other and the earth; lessons that some have forgotten along the way.
Thank you,
Deb