Allison reminds us that a core aspect of people care is realizing the reality of our limitations. How we design food systems for ourselves and for others has to take into account the many ways in which we are limited.
Read More
In recent years I've become the sort of person that is more likely to ask why something is so cheap rather than why it is so expensive. I realize that asking this question is something I can do in part because of privilege. I am in a position to be able to afford to look at the labels when I shop, eat the occasional meal out, and on that basis somebody might consider me elitist or a snob to suggest that food, on the whole, is priced artificially low.
That's why I felt it was time to lay out, as briefly as possible, a philosophy on the cost of food.
Read More
From the beginning of our own education in farming, we have loved to impart what we're learning to others and to grow alongside the many curious and intrepid people that are working to produce food, eat more healthfully, restore landscapes, serve those in need and build community.
Our permaculture foundations class is designed to give students confidence to look at their back yard, farm or apartment balcony and have some idea of where to start or where to go from here. For those whose thumbs are already decidedly green, this class will be an introduction into the particular principles and approaches that distinguish Permaculture within the landscape of sustainable and organic approaches to food production.
Read More
Last year we had the privilege of being featured in a local food culture publication called Heirloom Magazine. It offers a rough sketch of how we ended up moving out to land and becoming food producers that utilize Permaculture design.
Read More
This is what "Wee Wee Wee, all the way home," really means. The dramatic, hilarious and exhausting story of this year's piggies coming home.
Read More
Since we're pig farmers now, I decided it was time to venture into the world of charcuterie this winter. I use this word lightly since my aspirations are but few, and bacon seemed like the obvious beginners choice.
Read More
Cold and flu season. It has been here for a bit and continues well into the Spring here in the PNW so I thought I'd share a few preparations I made back in October to get us through to warmer months.
Read More
In the design of farm-scale or home-scale properties we cannot overstate the importance of designing for immaterial yields.
Read More
The classroom is here and so are our classes.
Read More
Enjoy these cute photos on this beautiful sunny Friday in January.
Read More
Allison and I are just about to hit our two year anniversary of living here. It's both incredibly encouraging and sobering to see what's been accomplished so far. When we moved here two years ago, you couldn't see off the property in any direction. It was dark and closed in. There was no usable garden space. The place was covered in poorly located ornamental plantings and about half of the property was unusable for anything meaningful whatsoever. There was a pile of trash 6 feet tall, blocking the door to the shop. Blackberrys were swallowing the landscape and rubbish was littered everywhere.
Read More
It's really almost Christmas, and there are tons of things you could buy that are absolute trash. So instead of racing out the door at the last minute to pick out the least lame card you can find and a trinket of questionable origin, consider these possible gift ideas from friends of ours:
Read More
If you're looking to have a more productive and sustainable lifestyle, start with design.
Read MoreAllison and I are admittedly nerds in many ways. When we get interested in something we'll read at least 5 books about it. So having our librarian friend find scholarly articles on Permaculture for us is definitely more exciting than it should be. She sent us an article called Permaculture for Agroecology: Design, Movement, Practice and Worldview by Rafter Sass Ferguson & Sarah Taylor Lovell, published in 2012. It was unusual in that it was an academic article written by people outside the Permaculture world looking, mostly, at what Permaculture might have to offer the transition to Agroecology.
Read MoreWe went to a farm auction today. A Lavender farm was liquidating. They had greenhouses, ladders, hoses, seed trays, tools and a whole field of Lavender for sale. We made a killing and got that 14' orchard ladder above, an amazing plant rack for the bio-shelter we're building, hoses and more seed trays and pots than we will ever need.
That's all well and good, but the real story is that, as country pop music filled the background, we realized these are our people now
Read MoreIf you know me well, you probably know that I am very selective when it comes to owning cookbooks. The art of a good cookbook is not achieved by even some of the best chefs.
Read More