"Celebration, It Surrounds Us"

Hello to all family and friends,

Home is where the heart is, and if you bring your heart with you everywhere...you get the picture. This is why it is such a privilege to have such a steady flow of love from Vermont (everywhere I go I talk about Vermont and my family as if it were my firstborn child), it allows me to bring the same goodness that I've received from my family to anywhere else in the world. Thank you.

I have, as they say, oodles and oodles of knowledge that I am going to share with you. And before I start, I want to say that this knowledge should not be kept a secret, it is to be spread and passed on if you feel inclined to do so! Like the sticky sludge that a potato bug passes on to his neighbor in a potato bed...yes, I've been gardening a lot :)

I'd like to begin with this quote from the sculptor Michelangelo:
"In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it."

A close friend of mine here at the community reminded me of this quote the other day. And each day I seem to encounter the meaning of these words in the day's task.

I'll begin with the topic of Edible Forest Gardens. You might imagine this to mean a fenced in forest of tall tree-sized broccolis or asparagus, but in fact, an edible forest garden is a paradise of trees, shrubs and ground cover that all work in conjunction with one another to produce the most food possible, but here's the catch: if you left it on its own and essentially, abandoned this creation, it would thrive and still be there if you ever returned. The layers of the forest garden include:
canopy, shorter trees, bushes, herbacious cover, ground cover and insectaries (plants to attract insects).

So, let's paint a picture. Imagine a garden with its base layer being woodchips. Not only do these woodchips provide a home for beneficial mycelium (helpful fungal branching) to grow, once these chips break down they fertilize the underlining soil layer and help the ground retain moisture. (One word of caution: NEVER, I repeat, NEVER use walnut or spruce to fertilize. Walnut produces juglans, a toxin that kills out the surrounding plants...eek!). The next layer could include clovers and comfrey, two strong ally plants that any gardener should respect, both having multiple uses medicinally and agriculturally. Above this we can include highbush blueberries and raspberries. In New England, these species can be seen growing in nature frequently and in great abundance. (P.S Always make sure you have a clear idea and understanding of any plant or berry that you feel strongly inclined to take and pop into your mouth). The blueberries and raspberries can be picked and used in cooking to make wonderful treats as well as can be shared with the surrounding wildlife.

I should take a moment to mention here that within the framework of permaculture, sharing and respecting the land and its produce is of great importance. Making sure to give certain preexisting plants their space as well as acknowledging the birds, insects and other friends of the garden that are in need of food. (Of course if you are having a problem with a certain friend, i.e. the all too friendly porcupine that lives around the edible forest garden here, we try our best to work in conjunction with porky's needs without forgetting that we are trying to enjoy the produce of our hard work too). Balance is key.

Your layer of trees can include all sorts of variety including: pear, plum, cherry, pawpaw!, peach as well as vine shrubs such as kiwi and grapes. The assortment and possibilities are enormous.
With care, work, respect and dedication, in giving to the land, one can truly hope to benefit by receiving fresh produce and bounty.

Well now, I see that in my procrastination I've filled quite a storage space of experiences and facts to write about so I think I'll have to select my most memorable and favorable few more for the rest of this entry.

Ever since I took a course with an amazing professor at my university entitled, Dendrology- the study of trees, I have fallen in love with identifying just about anything in nature (if Identifying proposed to me, I'd marry it). The other day, my roommate and I went on a wild edibles walk!
This included not merely identifying trees, but shrubs, grasses, rushes, sedges, mushrooms...if it was outside, it was ID'd. There is so much food surrounding us at every moment. Our ancestors knew so much about every stalk that grew from the earth, its uses and characteristics. It is this information that we have to retrieve for ultimately, I believe our surivival and the survival of the planet depends upon it.

Meet some of your closest and most friendly neighbors:

1. Winecap Stropharia- a mushroom which propagates with a powdery black dust, has a tan cap and simple white stalk. When cultivating mushrooms always place them into a paper bag immediately in order that they can dry out and then can be used in soups, stir frys and stews!

2. Sarsaparilla- (those silent r's) it grows everywhere in New England, a short ground plant with five elliptically-shaped leaves. The shoots between the leaves seem to always spread out at 120 degree angles (so in case you have brought your protractor into the woods with you, you can check). The root can be boiled and used in drinks which help with a variety of skin disorders.

3. Slime Mold- resembling a glob of toothpaste on a log, these fungi will, at some point in their interesting lives, decide that their location is not as great as it could be and so the molds near each other gather together, yes they move, and search for better real estate. If you don't believe me, I don't blame you, I'm not sure I believe myself.

4. Jewel weed- never forget this plant. A moderately tall and light green stalk, this plant is filled with the antidote to poison ivy! Simply pull it from the ground, crush and rub the plant's stalk in your hand and spread it on the infected area.

5. Stinging Nettle- although this plant has a nasty temper, its only trying to protect itself. In fact, the nettle means well for it is chock full of Iron and protein. The stinging prickers only are found on the underside of the leaf, so if you gently fold the leaf top down in your fingers, pull it off the stem and fold it until no stingers are visible, you can eat it raw! Delicious.

Although I could keep going with this list, I will leave you in suspense and encourage you to go out and learn about the wild edibles (make sure you know it's an edible!) in your area. There's so much to discover. A last tip to help in your identification process:
"Sedges have edges, rushes are round and grasses have joints when the cops are not around."

In addition to having been taught the basics to bicycle repair, having experienced a truly beautiful and important holistic healing session, learning how to drive a tractor..STICK SHIFT and having been taught about the herbs that one can plant and cultivate, each day I am learning more and more about life at its essence.

The quote of Michelangelo that I mentioned a few paragraphs earlier seems to relate to the deep aspects of a healthy life. A balanced lifestyle maybe doesn't need to be discovered through a period of enlightenment or a feeling of monumental change. I think it comes from what already exists around and within us. Just as the statue's essence and form already exists within the marble, the essence of health and goodness lie in the world, and if we "hew away the rough walls that imprison" ourselves from connecting to it, we will truly find a beautiful statue that stands there waiting; one which exudes the energies and power of peace and love, exuding whatever your true self identifies with.

As humans, I think we are always changing, progressing and evolving. It's not possible to remain in one state of mind forever. And because I know that, just like a stone wall can only grow taller and stronger if it has rocks that create and steady each layer along the way, every thought and experience, whether positive or negative, is an opportunity to "add a stone" and grow stronger.


Grab onto your inner drummer and find a beat.
Thank you to all.
In deep peace and respect,
Rebekah