Lasqueti Permaculture Collective Newsletter
Lasqueti Permaculture Collective
Newsletter #02 June 4, 2014
As a group we were planning to meet on the 1st & 3rd Sunday of every month. This was a hopeful intention. As we all know spring and early summer is a very busy time for most of us, so these plans have changed...not sure what the future plans will be but until then...
NEXT MEETING: Sunday June 22 @ 5pm
Garden/Site Tour and Potluck
Wendy S’s place
Wendy just attended a Food Forest building with medicinal herbs course, and Jaylene just attended a Hugelkultur workshop, and want to share what we’ve learned! Come join us and bring along a friend!
If you are scratching your head wondering what the heck is ‘hugelkultur’...
Pronounced “hoogle-culture”, this low-tech approach to gardening is essentially raised beds over buried wood. It’s a great way to use up those rotting stumps at the edge of your property, spring fruit tree prunings, or the mountain of yard debris sitting in a pile from last fall.
You may be thinking too good to be true...but it really is and I can’t wait to share my workshop experience...in the meantime if you can please google it as there is lots of amazing online resources and pictures of hugelkultur in action!
Radical Mycology Workshop was held on May 2
Here is a description of the workshop (but be sure to connect with inspiring mycologists now hard at work in the community):
In this full-day, hands-on workshop, we will practice various methods of preparing substrates and inoculating them with shiitake and oyster mushroom spawn, to be installed in permaculture garden systems. We will pasteurize straw, and begin the process of cold-fermentation. We will inoculate alder logs, chip beds and straw bags, for the purposes of food and medicine creation, soil building, the filtration and decomposition of pollutants in soil and surface water, and more. We will discuss (and potentially practice) ways to expand and nurture the mycelium of native fungi already present in the environment, such as making stem-butt spawn, spore slurries, and feeding existing patches of saprotrophic (decomposer) mushrooms. We will learn how to make household waste digesters that turn paper products, coffee grounds and more into food, medicine and soil. We will also discuss culinary and medicinal properties and preparations of these and other mushrooms, as well as basic fungal biology.
New Local Seed Company
Edible Earth Seeds offers vibrant, untreated, regionally-adapted seeds grown using organic practices in Cowichan Valley on Vancouver island. We are committed to ensuring bio-regional food sovreignty through the stewardship of heirloom and traditional vegetable, herb and flower varities.
Why regionally-adapted seed?
Seed grown on Vancouver Island will thrive in BC’s coastal climates. With each generation, a seed has the memory of where it was grown, becoming better adapted each year to our unique climate and soils.
Upcoming Workshops in our Bio-Region:
Natural Cheesemaking with David Asher from the Black Sheep School of Cheesemaking
visit http://guerrillacheese.wordpress.com/
Friday August 15 & Saturday August 16
Time, Date & Cost TBA
The introductory workshop provides a basic understanding of how milk transforms into cheese.
In the introductory class we will make and eat:
Traditionally fermented yogourts, like Kefir
Fresh lactic cheeses, like yogourt cheese
Heat Acid Cheeses, like Paneer
and Rennet Curds, the basis for making many types of aged and fresh cheeses.
The second class gives insight into how diverse types of aged and fresh cheeses all evolve from milk.
In the second class we will make and eat:
Pasta filata cheeses, like Mozzarella
Mouldy cheeses, such as Camembert and Blue
Washed rind cheeses, like Limburger
Alpine cheeses, like Tomme
Chevre and aged goats cheeses, like Crottin
and Whey cheeses, like Ricotta
David Asher is an organic farmer, goatherd and farmstead cheesemaker on the southern gulf islands of British Columbia. A guerrilla cheesemaker, David explores traditionally cultured, non-corporate methods of cheesemaking. Though mostly self-taught, he picked up his cheese skills from various teachers, including a Brown Swiss cow named Sundae on Cortes Island. David offers cheese outreach to communities across Canada through the Black Sheep School of Cheesemaking
Introduction to Permaculture: Designing your property
with Javan K. Bernakevitch of Permaculture BC
Friday June 27-June 29
Cost: $150+ GST until May 15 $250 +GST after May 15
for more information please visit www.cowichangreencommunity.org
Backwoods Basics Program The School of Wildcraft Medicine: Healing Arts & Traditional Lore- Cowichan Valley
for more information visit http://www.hedgewychwylds.com/index.html
June 14 The Breath 9:30am. - 4pm. (beginners/advanced combined class)
focus on; stress and the breath, expectorants
wildcrafting; fireweed, mullein medicine making; traditional use of baths, steaming, incenses and sweats, as medicine.
June 28/29 Respiratory Health 9:30am. - 4pm. (advanced class)
focus on; addressing issues of asthma, allergies,anxiety disorder through case studies,
wildcrafting; st. John's wort medicine making; continued work with flower essences, steaming, baths and incenses. Energy work.
July 12/13 Bush First Aid 1 9:30am. - 4pm. (combined class)
focus on wild plant identification and use for first aid. Hands on preparing of medicine in the wilds. Antiseptics, Styptics.
Building a first aid kit Poultices, fomentations
July 26/27 Bush First Aid 11 9:30am. - 4pm. (advanced class)
focus on plant energetics in healing; exploring bush medicine through case studies.
Wildcrafting: Oak
Mudgirls Natural Building Collective
for more information visit http://mudgirls.wordpress.com/
Natural Plastering Workshop
July 7-11
On beautiful Salt Spring Island join us as we learn to prepare, gather, and mix the ingredients for three or more types of natural plasters. Each day we will discuss different aspects of natural building as a whole with special emphasis on the breathable natural coatings that go on our earthen structures. Get hands on experience applying lime plaster, pigmented finish coats, and manure plasters, Come and have fun, get dirty and meet some good people.
Cost: $200 meals, camping and childcare provided
all genders welcome.
Homesteading on Denman Island
Week 1: July 21-25
Week 2: July 28-Aug 1
This natural building workshop will give participants hands on experience making and using cob, slip-straw and earthen plaster. Come and camp in the forest on co-operatively owned land and participate in a variety of natural building projects. Daily tutorials will cover the basics of natural building and site planning, the the rest of the day will be spent getting dirty. Lots of one on one attention, so bring your questions. Gorgeous lake and ocean swimming spots nearby.
Cost: $200 for one week, $385 for both, camping, meals and childcare are included.
alll genders welcome.
Janette Cormier- Herbalist & Accupuncturist
https://www.facebook.com/JanetteCormierAcupunctureHerbalMedicine
Introduction to Herbal medicine Weekend Workshop
July 19-20
Port Alberni
Come spend 2 full days with accupuncturist and herbalist Janette Cormier learning how to make your own herbal medicines to stock your home apothecary. Covering 20 plants and fungi in detail.
Cost: $200
Thoughts for the road…
taken from
http://permacultureprinciples.com/
Central to permaculture are the 3 ethics
The ethics earth care, people care and fair share form the foundation for permaculture design and are also found in most traditional societies.
Ethics are culturally evolved mechanisms that regulate self-interest, giving us a better understanding of good and bad outcomes. The greater the power of humans, the more critical ethics become for long-term cultural and biological survival.
Permaculture ethics are distilled from research into community ethics, learning from cultures that have existed in relative balance with their environment for much longer than more recent civilisations. This does not mean that we should ignore the great teachings of modern times, but in the transition to a sustainable future, we need to consider values and concepts outside the current social norm.
From Susun Weed:
Herbs may seem insignificant in the face of the troubles in our nation and in the world, but using green allies to maintain and regain health is a big step toward healthy independence and - I believe - a step toward peace. Instead of making war on weeds like poke, I love them. Instead of making war on nature, I take her as a guide. Instead of making war on myself when I have an injury or illness, a problem or a pain, I nourish myself toward ever greater health, ever greater peace. Green blessings surround us. My green allies uplift my heart and bring me joy even in trying and uncertain times, whether resisting or countering infection, or strengthening the immune system.
***Please help contribute to this newsletter. It will be published every 2-4 weeks depending on content. Please send contributions to Jaylene radicaltreewoman [at] gmail [dot] com***
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