Studying organic agriculture was a letdown for me. I had expected to learn about ecology but was instead confronted with the workings of tractors, contribution margin calculations and basically conventional agriculture minus the sprays. I wanted to learn about how to relate to ecology in a sustainable way based on the science of ecology. Instead…
I´ll be holding a brand new seed course on the 11th and 24th January 2022. In it I´ll go through the basics as well as looking at how to save seeds from the following plants and their relatives: Amaranth, Beans, Tomato, Lettuce, Squash, Onion, Carrot and Cabbage. The course will be in English, with a…
Finding real solutions to global warming is THE challenge of our time. So far, we have achieved nothing of significance in reversing the trend to runaway global warming. There are growing cracks in the techno-optimistic belief that a shift of the economy over to renewable energy will save us. Increasingly, faith in consumerist, production focused, globalized,…
Fra Nina Hovden Sæther Leder for Norsk genressurssenter Dette er et notat om klosterbønnas historie og med noen dyrkingstips. Andrew McMillion deler det ut sammen med klosterbønneplanter som har selger og jeg synes det er veldig moro både at han selger disse plantene og at du kjøper dem. Jeg håper du vil like bønnene. Historien Klosterbønnas…
Most people I talk to are unaware that the UN General Assembly adopted “The Declaration on the Rights of Peasants” (UNDROP) in December 2018. The declaration aims, among other things, to improve living conditions and strengthen the food sovereignty of peasants in the fight against climate change and aims for the preservation of biodiversity. Through…
After years of growing on my own, it was with some hesitance that I decided to create a wwoofing account to add more workers to the farm. Wwoofing stands for world-wide opportunities on organic farms and is a platform for connecting organic farms with workers who, in exchange for room, board and education, work about…
Since I started growing my own food, I have stuck to the principle that I should always grow what I like to eat and ignore what its cost in the store is. As I mentioned in Ancient Garlic, garlic prices are artificially low due to Chinese global dominance of the market. Onion prices too are…
Continue reading Diversifying Onions: an update on new onion varieties from the 2021 trial.
The perennial plant breeder and environmental ethicist Wes Jackson once said, “If your life’s work can be accomplished in your lifetime, you’re not thinking big enough.” The joy of working on something that is bigger than you and which connects you to the web of life is shared by all plant breeders and seed savers. Being…
As the planet warmed 11,000 years ago, garlic was traded from what is now Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan throughout Central Asia. Its long shelf life made it one of the earliest tradable items, acting as a form of currency for hunter gathers. It was light weight, tasted great and stored well. Since the time of the…
Stephen Barstow´s Around the World in 80 Plants profiles in detail the 80 best plants that Stephen recommends for growing in his near Arctic conditions at the 63rd parallel. Being several degrees south at the 59th, the following plants are the ones from his book which I have connected to and which I recommend. But…
