This is quite a cool-looking business.

“BTTR Ventures (pronounced Better) is a 100% sustainable urban mushroom farm founded in Berkeley, CA  by two 2009 grads from UC Berkeley. BTTR grows its gourmet mushrooms on recycled coffee grounds from Peet’s Coffee & Tea and is currently diverting over 7000 lbs a week from the landfill. Fresh, local, and healthy food for the community – it’s what we’re all about!”

And the weather was so fine! Magical photography (more here) by Winnie Au.

The Ananda Harvest from Aubrey Hardwick on Vimeo.

Jean Pain (1930 – 1981) was a French innovator who developed a compost based bioenergy system that produced 100% of his energy needs. He heated water to 60 degrees celsius at a rate of 4 litres a minute which he used for washing and heating. He also distilled enough methane to run an electricity generator, cooking elements, and power his truck. This method of creating usable energy from composting materials has come to be known as Jean Pain Composting, or the Jean Pain Method.

Some videos of the method:

A friend just passed me this excellent article from Dmitry Orlov on the fallacy of “community creation”, two words which certainly get slung around carelessly in my corner of the world. I’m particularly impressed by his observations of the diminished role of women in community building. I’m too young to really know this firsthand, but apparently they were THE community builders — and that makes sense. Ever since reading H. L. Mencken’s In Defense of Women I’ve been thinking about this exact thing in similar terms. Completely non-PC, all of it, but that’s probably telltale in and of itself. Ladies, what’s your take?

Astyk makes the excellent point regarding the destruction of community through overwork and the herding of women out of the home and into the workplace. Women can’t just be (unless they are rich) — they have to have an occupation, and the default occupation — “homemaker” — carries a bit of a stigma. Women have always been the backbone of any community, and the regimentation of women’s lives was a brilliant move in the direction of totalitarian consumerism, because it allowed relationships even within the family, such as child-rearing, to be commercialized. Once all social interaction is centered around consumption patterns, community as a notion becomes little more than an advertising gimmick, and self-organizing properties of society become restricted to pursuing the latest commercial fashion.

If you fancy, do read the full article at ClubOrlov here.

So after Matt & Dave’s glowing reviews, I finally got ahold of a copy of Eliot Coleman’s Winter Harvest Handbook and have this morning already devoured half of it. Really a remarkable, accessible work that I recommend to everyone!

I already want to know even more about the history of it so I did a little research based on the bibliography and found a few things that might be of interest:

“The Profitable culture of vegetables for market gardeners” by Thomas Smith

“Fields, factories and workshops: or, Industry combined with agriculture” by Petri Aleks Kropotkin

“Manuel pratique de la culture maraichère de Paris” by J. G. Moreau, J. J. Daverne (Français)

This short photo essay is absolutely beautiful, and makes me want to build a glass beehive. Anyone know if that is possible, or if it would actually be damaging to the bees even if it were out of direct sunlight?

From fizzyenergy.com:

A bell jar was placed on top of a mini hive and bees from the nucleus started to create foundation of a hive in the jar. Once the foundation is laid, the bees work in masses to form the rest of the hive.

Wow. Once again file under “severe nature magic”. This BBC video link is a must-watch.

I sadly wasn’t able to find much more information in English about this amazing vine, but a Google Translation of the Spanish Wikipedia page seems to indicate that it is a type of cucumber in the Cucurbitaceae family and thus related to melons, gourds and, well, other cucumbers.

The seeds, which are produced by a football-sized pod, can glide hundreds of metres across the forest. That ensures that the seeds fall far from their parent, giving the next generation of vines a head start. A BBC team team captured the film of the gliding seeds for the natural history series Life.

Well, all apologies for yet another post about young Eliot Coleman, but as my good friend Dave G would put it, this stuff is pretty much blowing my domepiece right the hell off:

From Chelsea Green (who hopefully won’t mind me cribbing this great information):

Three Basic Components

The winter harvest, as we practice it at Four Season Farm, has three components: cold-hardy vegetables, succession planting, and protected cultivation.

Cold-hardy vegetables are those that tolerate cold temperatures. They are often cultivated out of doors year-round in areas with mild winter climates. The majority of them have far lower light requirements than the warm-season crops.

The list of cold-hardy vegetables includes the familiar—spinach, chard, carrots, scallions—and the novel—mâche, claytonia, minutina, and arugula. To date there are some thirty different vegetables—arugula, beet greens, broccoli raab, carrots, chard, chicory, claytonia, collards, dandelion, endive, escarole, garlic greens, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mâche, minutina, mizuna, mustard greens, pak choi, parsley, radicchio, radish, scallions, sorrel, spinach, tatsoi, turnips, watercress—which at one time or another we have grown in our winter-harvest greenhouses. (The most promising vegetables, those with which we have the most experience, are discussed individually in chapter 8.) The eating quality of these cold-hardy vegetables is unrivaled during the cooler temperatures of fall, winter, and spring. They reach a higher level of perfection without the heat stress of summer.

Succession planting means sowing vegetables more than once during a season in order to provide for a continual harvest. The choice of sowing dates, from late summer through late fall, and winter into spring, keeps the cornucopia flowing. In midwinter the vigorous regrowth on cut-and-come-again crops provides the harvest while late-fall-and-winter-sown crops slowly reach productive size.

We begin planting the winter-harvest crops on August 1, the start of what we call the “second spring.” We continue planting through the fall. The reality of sowing for winter harvest is that the seasons are reversed from the usual spring-planting experience. Day length is contracting rather than expanding; temperatures are becoming cooler rather than warmer. Success in maintaining a continuity of crops for harvest through the winter is a function of understanding the effect of shorter day length and cooler temperatures on increasing the time from sowing to harvest. Thus the choice of precise sowing dates for fall planting is much more crucial than for spring planting. The dates are also very crop specific, and I’ll explain this in more detail in chapter 4.

We aim for a goal of never leaving a greenhouse bed unplanted, and we come pretty close. Within twenty-four hours after a crop is harvested, we remove the residues, re-prepare the soil, and replant. We keep careful records so as to follow as varied a crop rotation as possible.

Protected cultivation means vegetables under cover. The traditional winter vegetables will often survive outdoors under a blanket of snow. Since gardeners can’t count on snow, the best substitute is shelter of an unheated greenhouse. Many delicious winter vegetables need only that minimal protection.

Our winter-harvest cold houses are standard, plastic-covered, gothic-style hoop houses. The largest of our houses are 30 feet wide and 96 feet long. They are aligned on an east-west axis. For the most part the cold houses need only a single-layer covering of UV-resistant plastic, whereas heated greenhouses benefit from two layers, which are air-inflated to minimize heat loss.

The success of our cold houses seems unlikely in our Zone 5 Maine winters where temperatures can drop to –20˚F (–29˚C). But our growing system works because we have learned to augment the climate-tempering effect of the cold house itself by adding a second layer of protection. We place floating row-cover material over the crops inside the greenhouse to create a twicetempered climate. The soil itself thus becomes our heat-storage medium, as it is in the natural world.

Ridiculously cool. Grab a copy of Eliot’s book The Winter Harvest Handbook here: [amazon.com]

More cool press for Ananda Harvest rolls in, this time from the always charming Brooklyn Based:

A group of Brooklynites is getting back to the land in a way that goes beyond rooftops, fire escapes and community gardens, and they want to bring you with them. Ananda Ashram, just an hour out of the city in Monroe, NY, had an operational farm in the 1970s, and started cultivating the earth again this summer after a long fallow period. A crew of self-described urban hippies from Brooklyn, including Matteo Bueno, Jerri Chou, Wendell Davis, Dave Gottlieb, and Stephanie Redlenner (who is from Brooklyn in spirit) organized an agricultural revitalization this summer. Jerri Chou answers some questions for us about Ananda Harvest.

Read the rest on brooklynbased.net!

Found on Chelseagreen.com:

In this video, Eliot Coleman, author of the recently released The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year-Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses, presents the story of the winter harvest. He speaks about how he came to become the nation’s leading four-season farmer and the shock of the industrial establishment when his all-organic cold-weather growing methods proved to be not only possible—but more productive than “traditional” (chemical) methods.

Reblogged from BoingBoing.net:

Recent research suggests that spending time in nature actually makes people “more caring.” The studies, by University of Rochester psychologists Netta Weinstein, Andrew Przybylski, and Richard Ryan, showed that people exposed to nature (well, mostly slideshows of nature) put a higher value on intrinsic aspirations, such as doing good in the world or having meaningful relationships, and lower value on extrinsic aspirations, like making a lot of cash or admired by many people. Now as I mentioned, the participants didn’t actually live outdoors for a while or anything as part of the study. Rather, in three of the studies, they looked at images of either the built environment or landscapes and such. And in the fourth, some participants were assigned to work in a laboratory either with or without plants around them. Then they answered a series of questions or were given tests of generosity. “The result? People who were in contact with nature were more willing to open their wallets and share. As with aspirations, the higher the immersion in nature, the more likely subjects were to be generous with their winnings.”

Simon Gruber brings us news of his new conference, Green 2010: Education & Workforce Development for the 21st Century Economy:

I’m organizing this conference on emerging jobs, technologies and education programs in the green sector.  It includes an afternoon panel discussion about local food and sustainable agriculture, featuring several key leaders working on these issues in the region, including the directors of two non-profit organizations, the Glynwood Center and theHawthorne Valley Farm. The other presentations and panels will cover green buildings, including case studies, energy efficiency, water, and education and training issues.  The conference is next Friday and we are still taking registrations.  If people can’t afford the full price ($75, including lunch, breaks, etc. and closing reception) or just want to come for the afternoon they can contact me about a reduced cost.

The conference will be held on December 4th, 2009 between 9 am and 4:30 pm at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY. It is sponsored by the Hudson Valley Regional Council, the Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University & Schein Media Green Business+Careers. Contact Simon Gruber for more details at sgruber100@verizon.net or 845-534-5622.

How very sweet! Discovery’s Planet Green gave us a shout out on Thursday, interviewing Dave G and Jerri about their reasons for becoming Founding Farmers. From the article:

Yogic philosophy is deeply rooted in a connection to the planet so it’s no coincidence that this relationship influenced the establishment of the Ananda Harvest, a project which began in order to grow the food for the Ananda Ashram and then took on a life of its own. For founding farmers Dave Gottlieb and Jerri Chou it all started as an escape from New York City. Both Dave, who grew up close to the Ananda Ashram and who’s parents had met there, and Jerri who had spent a bit of time there, felt the need to give back to Ananda. When they realized that a portion of the ashram’s land wasn’t being utilized and in fact had once been a farm, they saw the perfect avenue for a rebirth of what was once there.

A discussion group for Ananda Harvest has been setup over at Google Groups. You can pick your poison: keep it web-based or have the discussion delivered to your email box in a variety of ways.

HOME, the latest work by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, is an amazing visual feast recommended to all fans of Planet Earth, David Attenborough and other natural-world-exploring documentaries and documentary filmmakers. It is available to watch in its entirety for free on YouTube.

So much interest in Ananda Harvest has been building this year that we’ve decided to build a new cabin to house the upcoming flow of volunteers and Wwoofers for the 2010 season. In order to do this, we need your help. We have setup a Kickstarter project that allows small donations to be made. Our goal is to raise $10,000 US in 3 months.

From the always amazing Deconstructing Dinner Podcast:

In January 2009, the Agroinnovations Podcast featured Deconstructing Dinner. Agroinnovations touches many of the subjects covered on Deconstructing Dinner but further offers unique perspectives and subjects worth exploring.

Today’s episode features segments from Agroinnovations featuring well-known figures like Paul Stamets – a mycologist (aka mushroom specialist) from Olympia, Washington, the U.K’s Rob Hopkins who has popularized the Transition Town Movement and Montana journalist and author Richard Manning, who possesses a keen interest in the history and future of the American prairie and agriculture.

Voices:

Paul Stamets, mycologist, Fungi Perfecti (Olympia, WA) – Stamets is on the editorial board of The International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, and is an advisor to the Program for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Medical School. He runs Fungi Perfecti – a family-owned company specializing in using gourmet and medicinal mushrooms to improve the health of the planet and its people. Paul is the author of Mycelium Running.

Rob Hopkins, co-founder, Transition Town Totnes (Totnes, UK) – Rob is the co-founder of Transition Town Totnes and of the Transition Network. He has many years experience in education, teaching permaculture and natural building, and set up the first 2 year full-time permaculture course in the world, at Kinsale Further Education College in Ireland as well as co-ordinating the first eco-village development in Ireland to be granted planning permission. He is author of ‘Woodlands for West Cork!’, ‘Energy Descent Pathways’ and most recently ‘The Transition Handbook: from oil dependence to local resilience’.

Richard Manning, author/journalist, Against the Grain: How Agriculture has Hijacked Civilization (Missoula, MO) – Richard is an award-winning environmental author and journalist, with particular interest in the history and future of the American prairie, agriculture and poverty. He is the author of eight books, and his articles have been published in Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Audubon and The Bloomsbury Review. His 2007 release is titled Against the Grain: How Agriculture has Hijacked Civilization.

Click here to download the MP3.

Dave W pointed out this great-looking seed source for farmers in New York and bordering areas that I thought you guys should be aware of:

The Hudson Valley Seed Library exists to create an accessible and affordable source of locally-adapted seeds that is maintained by a community of caring gardeners. After four years of developing the Seed Library concept, we are ready to blossom–from selling seeds that are grown in distant soils to cultivating a regional seed production network in New York State. In 2009, we will be offering over twenty varieties of locally grown seed, and most of our varieties will be rooted in the history and soils of New York.

Every year we plan on growing additional varieties on the Seed Library farm and contracting with organic and certified naturally grown farmers in the Hudson Valley to grow even more varieties. By 2014, we aim to be 100% New York grown.

Be sure also to check out their events page, with activities ranging from farmers markets to seed-sharing workshops!

Wow, these guys in Greenpoint, New York seem to really have it figured out! From their site:

The view from the rooftop is still one of verdant deliciousness!  Walk down Eagle Street in Greenpoint this Sunday, from 10am-5pm for the last market of 2009.  We’re on Eagle just past Franklin and before the East River–look for the Farm sign and our open door!  We’re looking to garner 100% of next year’s seed budget, so come support, eat well, and take in the gorgeous view of hundreds of marigolds still blooming on the Rooftop.  The Farm stand features spicy mesclun, pickled peppers, nasturtium pesto and three kinds of kale on just the short list!  You can pick up your sweet “I’m a local foodie” market bag and t-shirt, too, designed by the talented volunteers here at the Farm.

What a disaster. From Democracy Now:

President Obama’s nominee for the Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the office of the US Trade Representative, Islam Siddiqui is currently a vice president at CropLife America, a coalition of the major industrial players in the pesticide industry, including Syngenta, Monsanto, and Dow Chemical. He was previously a lobbyist for CropLife and also served in the US Department of Agriculture under President Clinton and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. A coalition of over eighty environmental, family farm and consumer advocacy organizations have sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee urging them to reject his nomination.

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Greening the Desert II: Greening the Middle East from Craig Mackintosh on Vimeo.

“This example has to be set so that the world can have a positive future. Unless this soil management is fully demonstrated, extended and enhanced, then we don’t have any future. The world is just going to turn to dust.” — Geoff Lawton

This half hour video documents the ongoing work of Permaculture gurus, Geoff and Nadia Lawton, in the Dead Sea Valley, and is an update to the famous ‘Greening the Desert‘ clip.

You’ll get to see and learn about the original Greening the Desert site and see some of the spin-off effects of its influence throughout Jordan, and you’ll also be introduced to a new educational demonstration site that was started last year.

This film is really a must-see for anyone interested in what happens when the oil really does run out:

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba’s economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half – and food by 80 percent – people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. It is an unusual look into the Cuban culture during this economic crisis, which they call “The Special Period.” The film opens with a short history of Peak Oil, a term for the time in our history when world oil production will reach its all-time peak and begin to decline forever. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis – the massive reduction of fossil fuels – is an example of options and hope. The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil is a project of The Community Solution, a non-profit organization that designs and teaches low-energy solutions to the current unsustainable, fossil fuel based, industrialized, and centralized way of living.

Note: There are some audio sync problems for me in the Google Video version. You may alternatively try this version, hosted on Dailymotion: PART 1 and PART 2.

Michael Judd and his team seem to be doing some truly incredible work over at Project Bona Fide, and we certainly hope to have him as a guest lecturer this coming year at Ananda. From their website:

Project Bona Fide is a non-profit organization working toward sustaining culture through organic agriculture, community correlated outreach, and re-forestation projects in Nicaragua. Project Bona Fide has been created out of a need to support rural Nicaraguan farming communities so that they may gain self-empowerment and economic stability. In addition to offering farmers financial and technical support toward gaining international organic certification, Project Bona Fide focuses on establishing much needed fair trade export market* opportunities, preserving natural environments, and focusing on local health and nutrition projects.

Michael and his team also teach Permaculture PDC courses in both Nicaragua and New York. Thanks once again to Janaka for pointing all of this out!

Though certainly not the most energy-efficient model I’ve ever seen, this Discovery Channel how-to on growing commercial lettuce using a hydroponic technique is quite interesting, and for me at least was the source of a few nice ideas!

Found an interesting article on Utne’s website today entitled “Detroit: Farming Paradise?“. I have long wondered about the potential of turning an increasingly abandoned urban environment into a vital, producing, self-sustaining environment. Not surprisingly, it looks like a number of smart people have been thinking about this same thing for years already. From the article:

If thinking about Detroit conjures up depressing images of battle-scarred landscapes, you must read Mark Dowie’s proposal to turn the city into an “agrarian paradise.” Writing for Guernica, Dowie lays out an ambitious argument for why this maligned city—which is home to zero grocery chains or big-box stores and is very nearly a complete food desert—“may be best positioned to become the world’s first 100 percent food self-sufficient city.”

Some other interesting articles on this topic can be found here and here.

“The artist is the confidant of nature. Flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him.”

— Auguste Rodin

This is the video that first got me interested in the potential of advanced Permaculture, and I doubt that I am alone in that respect! It shows a technique of combining guilded planting and intelligent water harvesting to essentially reverse desertification, making such lands productive for growing food. The experiment was done in Jordan, just off the dead sea, and is pretty remarkable. As I understand, it is still there, and still producing without much additional human interaction.

Highly recommended viewing for everyone.

vbs.tv has created an absolutely mind-melting production about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Highly recommended viewing. From their site:

Come aboard as the VBS crew takes a cruise to the Northern Gyre in the Pacific Ocean, a spot where currents spin and cycle, churning up tons of plastic into a giant pool of chemical soup, flecked with bits and whole chunks of refuse that cannot biodegrade.