eatcology

From Fencing to Fancy: the Hedgerow in your House

Molly — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:39:01 +0000

What if I said there was a hedgerow in your house? Okay, there’s not, but it’s likely that you are familiar with the aesthetics born of longstanding cultural interactions with hedgerows and coppice lots. Hedgerows are not boxy rows of … Continue reading →

Hedgerows gone wild: the Osage Orange

Molly — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:46:50 +0000

Before there was barbed wire, there was Osage orange, a sturdy tree with comical “green brain” fruit and an intriguing orange strip in the furrows of the bark. And thorns. Tire flattening, predator thwarting, enthusiastically vicious thorns. Those thorns helped … Continue reading →

Mulch on the Mind: Responding to “The Holistic Orchard” by Michael Phillips

Molly — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:02:07 +0000

I’m reading Michael Phillips’ The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way right now: great stuff! He spoke at the MOSES conference a few years back and made it possible to dream again. I love orchards, I love … Continue reading →

From warming earth to the color of butter: why 40°F is so wonderous

Molly — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:07:08 +0000

As the snow melts, the soil warms. As the soil warms, it becomes 40° Fahrenheit (and then warmer). As the soil hits 40F, the bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen to plant soluble nitrogen wake up. As those bacteria wake up, … Continue reading →

Crane drain?

Molly — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 04:15:20 +0000

(Reposted from last year. I meant to be there this weekend, but alas, snow.) I had it planned like a cat burglar: where would the Sandhill cranes be? when would they be where? how should I get there? when should I … Continue reading →

On Sugar Snows and Mountain Butterfly Populations

Molly — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:06:57 +0000

First morning of spring! I look out the window and … SNOW! Oh my. Time to breathe deep and remember how much I like maple syrup. And butterflies. And wild flowers. Okay, that worked: I have gratitude for the … Continue reading →

More “Permaculture on the Prairie” thinking…

Molly — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 15:58:26 +0000

When wind power was getting up and running, there was a lot of angst about the number of birds being knocked out the sky by the spinning arms. That turned out to be a gearing issue- just spin the blades … Continue reading →

Natural dyes for Easter eggs (or Aostara eggs or Passover eggs or “Happy Tuesday, let’s have eggs”…)

Molly — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:56:42 +0000

Natural dyes for eggs are immensely fun: they are not 100% predictable except that the resulting shades will have a harmony with each other than no box of Paz has ever gotten close to. For each color, I list any … Continue reading →

Food (non) forests: Permaculture on the Prairie

Molly — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:30:20 +0000

How do you do a food forest respectfully when you don’t live in a forest? I love permaculture ideas and ethics but, as you may have noticed, I’m wrestling with the practices. I’m out on the tall grass prairie, far … Continue reading →

Thinking Through A Knee Jerk Reaction: Thought-Full Permaculture

Molly — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:11:19 +0000

Dave Jacke is teaching a permaculture workshop in Australia next week (as I write this.) This strikes me as odd. We talked about it (briefly) and I’ll share that at the end, but here’s my thought process: I like … Continue reading →