Biodynamic treechange (homesteading)

This weeks issue of The Current from Near River - 21.5

2009-05-21T14:40:06+10:00

Rain Rain Go Away ...

Once again I find myself writing with rain falling from the sky in vast quantities, and we're told the end is not in sight.

For the third time in two months, we have a low pressure system sitting almost stationary off the northern NSW coast that is driving moist air onto the coastline and adjoining ranges, and moist air is an understatement! Huey's really throwing it down.

I suppose it could be worse!

For us, the frustrating thing is not the day or two (or three) of inclement weather that means wearing raincoats and overpants, it's the following three or four days that we need to wait before we can move vehicles and trailers around the property, collecting piles of green waste, moving compost materials into place, spreading our made compost and leaf mulch around, and even working the soil in the plots.

At least the ducks and geese get to have some fun!

Our New Team Member
The most recent recruit, actually our first, young Angus Hawkens, started with us last Monday and has keenly jumped in to tasks that we've set for him. So far Angus has been shown first hand the finer points of garden bed clearing, compost heap building, and seedling planting. His first bed of planting was some leek seedlings, and whilst his effort was grand his execution was a little crooked!! He will deal with the error of his ways when it comes time to weed the rows with his hoe.

Angus will also be caring for our poultry whilst we're away from the farm delivering the produce down the coast and in Sydney.

We look forward to watching Angus develop his skills and interests through his studies and practical work with us.

Seed Collection

One aspect of what we are doing here at 'Near River' is to build up a collection of seeds from plants that we've grown here. We are doing this for a number of reasons. Firstly, by collecting seeds over a number of seasons from plants with desirable traits (large fruit, early fruit, slow to bolt to seed, etc) we can produce a strain that is specifically suited to this property. Secondly, it means we can vouch for the authenticity of the seeds organic origin; and lastly, it is a way of us participating in the preservation of heirloom varieties of vegetable species.

So far we've selected a good strain of silverbeet, coriander and pumpkin. Over time these and other varieties that we save seed from will develop attributes or even an affinity with the precise microclimate that exists here a 'Near River' that will enable them to perform really well.

Garlic

Many of you have been enjoying our fresh garlic, and yes garlic is meant to be juicy, not the dried, chlorine-bleached, methyl bromide fumigated imported Chinese stuff that the supermarkets pass off.

Given the success we've had with our initial planting last season, we intend to make this one of our core crops, and so have planted 3600 cloves in the last few weeks. They've jumped out of the ground, as the shot at right shows, so for now, this seasons crop is off to a good start.

2/3 of the planting (2400 bulbs) will be used as seed stock for the acre or two we intend to plant out next season, with the remainder being stored and distributed through the CSA.

This week's CSA Box

Oranges Navel 6
Lemon Meyer 1
Lettuce Cos 1
Rocket Cultivated    Bag
Pumpkin        Jap            400 gm
Garlic            Bulb            1
Chili            Med        2
Zucchini            1

Radish French 3
Parsley / Dill Pak

To close this week, a shot of an egg from one of our Rhode Island Red bantams. (It's the one on the right). They have been off the lay for some time now, and this appeared yesterday. When you haven't seen something for awhile, you often forget the marvel that Mother Nature is.

Till next week, cheers.

Fighting Fire With ...... Fire?

2009-02-19T14:00:00+11:00

Recently you would have seen the terrible catastrophe that wild bushfires have caused across the south eastern parts of Australia, with 200 people killed, thousands homeless, and whole communities shattered and destroyed.

Now the blame game has started so we can identify how we could have let this happen, and then, how we ensure it doesn't happen again. And international readers need to know that major bushfires are a way of life for most Australians, so 'ensuring that it doesn't happen again' is a furphy. Just like earthquakes, tsunamis and tornadoes, bushfires are natural occurrences and despite our best efforts, will continue to occur.

The initial reaction from most uninformed media commentators and the like is to blame greenies, incompetent Governments or public authorities, or all three.

Today I've read two articles that go to the heart of the matter, and arrive at a similar answer from differing points.

The first is a short, sharp piece from Celsias titled ‘Man With Bulldozer, Chainsaw, and Woodchipper Knows Best’.

It addresses both sides of the argument by saying, on one hand, "that protecting areas managed as National Parks, limiting logging of native forests, and giving ecosystems a chance to function at all naturally is to guarantee fiery tragedy and ensure that fire crews can’t gain access when it occurs. Basically, ‘man with bulldozer, chainsaw, and woodchip license knows best’."

This is countered by noting that "According to observations and initial reports, all fires - bar one – started in plantations, logging coupes, grasslands, and farms. Namely, areas already decimated and dehydrated by the very practices prescribed by the ignorant, remote, and spin driven parasites happy to exploit yet another fatal catastrophe."

The second piece is from Real Dirt, and given the pseudonym and depth of the article, has been written by an expert on the subject. Hazard Reduction: The Blame Game goes into some detail about the issues involved, and even discounts the commonly held belief that the Aborigines regularly burned the bush as a way of managing the land.

I invite you to check both of them out.

Given the human tragedy that is intertwined with this issue, there will be no easy solution. As a nation, we love our 'bush' and many of us choose to live right in it. Unfortunately, from time to time, nature let's us know who the master really is.

Image credit: www.firewheel.com

Zucchini + Parmesan frittata

2009-02-18T14:00:00+11:00

Here's a quick dinner dish using all the current summer produce from the market garden.

extra virgin olive oil

6 eggs lightly beaten

sea salt

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted in a saucepan until nutty brown

1/2 of the hugest zucchini I've ever seen, grated

6 scallions

1 white onion

2 golden tomatoes

basil leaves to garnish

1 cup of parmesan cheese

freshly ground pepper

Cook the onion, scallions & grated zucchini in a pan with olive oil. Add to the beaten egg & pour into hot oven proof pan with olive oil. Cook on medium heat until frittata starts to come away from the sides of the pan (only takes a few minutes).

Place in moderate oven for 10 minutes to allow frittata to cook through slowly & not burn. Remove from oven, decorate with sliced tomatoes & sprinkle over with parmesan cheese. Finish off under the grill for a few minutes until parmesan is golden brown.

Garnish with torn basil & pour over melted butter.

Serve with a side of steamed green beans or your favourite green salad & beetroot relish.

Monsanto's Greatest Hits

2009-02-17T11:36:43+11:00

The greater part of the 20th century was about industrial and chemical innovations, and as a leader (?) in various fields, Monsanto was there.

Having spent the entire 20th century in pursuit of profit through science, here's a chronology of MONSANTO's pursuits over their first 100 years; from Saccharin to aspirin, from Agent Orange to Round Up.

1901--Founder John Francis Queeny names Monsanto Chemical Works after his wife, Olga Mendez Monsanto.

1902--The company manufactures its first product, Saccharin. The U.S. government later files suit over the safety of Saccharin, but loses.

1917--Monsanto starts producing aspirin.

1929--Monsanto acquires Rubber Services Laboratories

1935--Monsanto goes into the soap and detergents industry, starts producing phosphorus.

1938--The company goes into the plastic business.

1939-1945--Monsanto conducts research on uranium for the Manhattan Project in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Charles Thomas, who later served as the company's chairman of the board, was present at the first test explosion of the atomic bomb.

1943--Massive Texas City plant starts producing synthetic rubber for the Allies in World War II.

1955--Monsanto buys Lion Oil refinery, starts producing petroleum-based fertilizer.

1959--Monsanto sets up Monsanto Electronics Co. in Palo Alto, begins producing ultra-pure silicon for the high-tech industry, in an area which would later become a Superfund site.

1969--Produces Lasso herbicide, better known as Agent Orange, which was used as defoliant by the U.S. Government during the Vietnam War. "[Lasso's] success turns around the struggling Agriculture Division," Monsanto's web page reads.

1976--RoundUp is commercialized, becoming the world's top-selling herbicide.

1976--Monsanto produces Cycle-Safe, the world's first plastic soft-drink bottle. The bottle, suspected of posing a cancer risk, is banned the following year by the Food and Drug Administration.

1981--G.D. Searle gets FDA approval for NutraSweet (Monsanto completes its acquisition of Searle in 1985).

1982--Monsanto scientists genetically modify a plant for the first time.

1986--Monsanto found guilty of negligently exposing a worker to benzene at its Chocolate Bayou Plant in Texas. It is forced to pay $100 million to the family of Wilbur Jack Skeen, a worker who died of leukemia after repeated exposures.

1986--At a 1986 congressional hearing, medical specialists denounce a National Cancer Institute study disputing that formaldehyde causes cancer. Monsanto and DuPont scientists helped with the study, whose author provided results to the Formaldehyde Institute industry representatives nearly six months before releasing the study to the EPA, labor unions and the public.

1986--Monsanto spends $50,000 against California's anti-toxics initiative, Proposition 65. The initiative prohibits the discharge of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects into drinking water supplies.

1987--Monsanto is one of the companies named in an $180 million settlement for Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange.

1988--A federal jury finds Monsanto Co.'s subsidiary, G.D. Searle & Co., negligent in testing and marketing of its Copper 7 intrauterine birth control device (IUD). The verdict followed the unsealing of internal documents regarding safety concerns about the IUD, which was used by nearly 10 million women between 1974 and 1986.

1990--EPA chemists allege fraud in Monsanto's 1979 dioxin study, which found exposure to the chemical doesn't increase cancer risks.

1990--Monsanto spends more than $405,000 to defeat California's pesticide regulation Proposition 128, known as the "Big Green" initiative. The initiative is aimed at phasing out the use of pesticides, including Monsanto's product alachlor, linked to cancer and global warming.

1991--Monsanto is fined $1.2 million for trying to conceal discharge of contaminated waste water into the Mystic River in Connecticut.

1993--The Food and Drug Administration approves Posilac bovine somatropin (BST).

1995--Monsanto is sued after allegedly supplying radioactive material for a controversial study which involved feeding radioactive iron to 829 pregnant women.

1995--Monsanto ordered to pay $41.1 million to a waste management company in Texas due to concerns over hazardous waste dumping.

1995--The Safe Shoppers Bible says that Monsanto's Ortho Weed-B-Gon Lawn Weed Killer contains a known carcinogen, 2,4 D. Company officials argue that numerous studies have found no link to cancer.

1997--The Seattle Times reports that Monsanto sold 6,000 tons of contaminated waste to Idaho fertilizer companies, which contained the carcinogenic heavy metal cadmium, believed to cause cancer, kidney disease, neurological dysfunction and birth defects.

1999--Monsanto opens its Beautiful Sciences exhibit at Disneyland.

1999--After international criticism, Monsanto agrees not to commercialize "Terminator" seeds.

2000--Merges with Pharmacia & Upjohn, changes its name to Pharmacia Corporation.

Lots of interesting events here, but most telling is the ongoing battle, almost from the very beginning (1902 - The U.S. government later files suit over the safety of Saccharin, but loses) with Government regulators in a number of areas.

Further details can be found at this post and also here

Original source for this post http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/05.11.00/cover/gen-food2-0019.html

Look. Up In The Sky. A Flying Fox. A Fruit Bat. A Possum With Wings.

2009-01-02T06:00:00+11:00

One of the many joys that come from living in the country is the close contact you get to have with the surrounding wildlife.

And from time to time we get to 'share' the efforts of our labour with alot of them - birds eating seed and fruit, wallabies and hares eating grasses and vegetables, and these guys, flying foxes, eating fruit from the plum and peach trees.

As you can see, this guy got caught in the barb-wire fence right next to the orchard, which only goes to prove that unlike true bats, 'fruit bats' don't have radar / sonor to direct them away from such things.

We helped him out of his predicament, and he spent the rest of the day hanging in the tree recuperating.

Further information on these creatures can be found here at Wikipedia, here at Living Harbour and here at Flying Foxes in Australia.

And I still think they should be called possums with wings.

What's in the box? #1

2009-01-01T11:53:38+11:00

HI all and very happy New Year. May it be prosperous and abundant for everyone.

The boxes of vegetables that our CSA delivers each week go to the Port Macquarie and Wauchope region on Thursday afternoon and evening, and then Sydney's far north late on Thursday night. The rest of the Sydney deliveries are made on Friday.

We were up before the sun to harvest today, and here is this week's bounty.

Beans - large handful

Beetroot - medium x 4

Lettuce - Cos x 1

Salad greens (Small beet leaves and rocket) - small bag

Onion - white x 2

Onion - scallions / spring - small bunch

Silverbeet / Rainbow chard - bunch

Tomatoes - cherry - small bucket

Tomatoes - Roma / Grosse Lisse - 4

Zucchini - Green / White - 4 - 5

Fennel - small bulb and leaves

SPECIAL BONUS!!

Avocados - small x 4

These come from a friends farm up on the plateau at Comboyne, and like us, he grows following Biodynamic principles.

Enjoy eating these as much as we've enjoyed growing them.

Have you heard? - The Near River CSA is having a one-off, mid-season intake. You'll need to be quick.

2008-12-30T06:00:00+11:00

That’s right, as the headline says, we’re having a one-off, mid-season intake. So you’ll need to leap at this opportunity. Read on for details.

We supply boxes of chemical-free, wholesome and nutritious vegetables each week to families in the Hastings Valley here on the Mid North Coast, and to families in Sydney, four and a half hours down the highway. This will continue through to the end of this year’s season in late June 2009, before the next season starts in September.

The produce is grown by us here on our 22 acre property, ‘Near River’, and by joining our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) venture, you’ll have a direct connection with who is growing your food, where it’s being grown, and how it’s being grown. And for some of us in this day of global food and beverage conglomerates, supply chains and over processed foodstuffs, this is very important.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is very popular in Japan, where it started in the mid-70’s, in Europe, and in America, where it continues to grow apace with over 2,000 CSA’s listed on various directories.For more information about US based CSA’s and the concept, Local Harvest is packed with details and links.

Here in Australia, CSA’s are yet to bloom, but we think their time has come, and we are looking to lead the way.

You can join our CSA, Near River Produce, by downloading and filling out either the Sydney brochure for people in Sydney’s northern, eastern and inner western suburbs, or the Hastings Valley brochure for people in the Port Macquarie and Wauchope region.

Further information can be found on this site by viewing earlier posts here, here and here, and by visiting the Near River Produce page. Readers from other Australian states who are interested in contacting CSA’s in their local area, can email us at andrew@nearriverproduce.com and we’ll forward you contacts that exist in each state.

And remember, you are what you eat! (Do you want pesticides with that?).

A Truly Most Unusual Panel Pairing

2008-12-29T06:00:00+11:00

Back in September this year, at a suitable conference, the boffins at Google somehow convinced what I consider to be two of the food industries leading opponents to both join a panel to discuss ‘Creating a World That Can Feed Itself’.

One of these people was Hugh Grant, Chairman, President and CEO of Monsanto, and you can imagine the angle he took in the discussion.

The other participant was Mike Pollan, Knight Professor of Journalism, UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and author of ‘In Defence of Food’ and ‘The Omnivores Dilemma’.

I’ve written about Pollan before, and am a keen supporter of most if not all of his ideals. And I’ve written about Monsanto before, and am a keen opponent of most if not all of it’s ideals.

The discussion is most enlivening and interesting. Click below to view the battle!

Our First CSA Harvest at 'Near River'

2008-12-28T06:00:00+11:00

Earlier this month we started our first deliveries for our Community Supported Agriculture project from our 22 acre property, ‘Near River’, in the Hastings Valley on the Mid North Coast of Australia’s eastern seaboard.

I need to say that it has been a very anxious time!

Not too dissimilar to being expectant parents, but in this instance people had put their trust in us, and parted with money, and now we had to deliver what we promised – fresh, wholesome and nutritious vegetables to their door each week.

So many questions and variables came up; would the produce still be fresh and un-wilted by the time we delivered the boxes to our Sydney clients 12 – 24 hours later? Would the handful of hares and wallabies that have yet to discover our crops suddenly realize what they are passing up? Would our customers perceive the amount in each week’s box to be of value to them? And why are the chooks going broody so often and messing with the egg laying schedule we’d been expecting?

The first Thursday in December arrived, and the harvest began. Up early with the sun to pick the leafy greens first - rocket, baby beetroot leaves, and stands of silverbeet and rainbow chard; rinse, and bunch them and then into the fridge to remove the field heat. Then some onions and leeks, move through the zucchini beds,and lastly some beetroot. Later in the day, the herbs and flowers were picked, and similarly, they were washed and packed before storage in the fridge too.

The night before had been filled with activity, taping boxes into shape, stamping our logo on each side, placing a clean sheet of butchers paper in the base, and then the sourcing of recipes and other material to include in the first of our fortnightly newsletters.

And along the way, take a few photos to share here on the blog!

And the response has been most favourable. It seems we’ll become known for our extra tasty beetroot, and a few clients have suggested that we need a warning label on our extra zesty rocket. The recipes have gone over a treat, and the hares and wallabies are still happy with their grasses and weeds. The situation with wilting silverbeet will be addressed in the New Year with the purchase of a small refrigerated van, and an additional flock of chickens is due to arrive in the next couple of weeks.

But it’s not all plain sailing by any means – will the weather stay relatively cool and moist for this time of the year? Will a seasonal hailstorm set us back a few weeks by wiping out the lettuce and other soft leaf veggies out in the open garden? Will the schedule we are using (‘imported’ from the US) work here in Australia?

So yes, it’s a huge learning curve. Are we enjoying it? You bet. Is it fun and exciting? Oh yeah. Do we want to shut up ‘shop’ and head back to the ‘rat race’? I DON”T THINK SO!

Garlic harvest

2008-12-27T05:39:00+11:00

Long time followers of Biodynamic Treechange will know that one of the first crops we planted was a bed of garlic.

Earlier posts detailing the garlic planting and progress can be found here, Garlic's Up and here, Is That A Hardneck, A Silverskin, A Serpent, Or A Purple Stripe? Garlic That Is.

In all we had about 35 sq metres (380 sq ft) planted, mostly with a variety that does well here in the Hastings Valley, as well as a few Elephant's and Italian's.

Now we have to learn that there is so much more to this game than just growing plants - the post harvest operation is SO important. Removing the soil from the bulbs to prevent disease, and drying them correctly meant we had the overhead fan going for virtually 4 weeks non-stop!

But the results speak for themselves.

What has come out of the ground has been so inspiring and pleasing.

I'll let the photo's do the talking.