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Being the Human Hands for Goldenseal
Goldenseal, Yellow Root, Hydrastis canadensis. It is a plant that has gone by many names and is called Yellow Root for its bright golden yellow root due to the berberine, a potent medicinal component which I’ll include more information on below. Overharvested in the past for its medicinal gifts (alongside ginseng), goldenseal is native and easy to grow in its range where the natural habitat remains intact. It also has a long history of simulated cultivation and for more information on its cultivation I recommend the book Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal and other Woodland Medicinals by Jeanine Davis and W. Scott Persons. Because of its history of overharvest and…
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Shiitake Mushroom Logs Available
I want shiitakes! Click to get your logs. Over the past 7 years, it has been fun and rewarding from late winter to early spring to utilize small diameter oak logs from the forest for shiitake mushroom logs. There is something deeply satisfying about turning wood into a most delicious and nutritious form of protein. This year I completed a Forest Stand Improvement through the Conservation Stewardship Program via the NRCS. This included reducing the forest stand density quite a bit over the 15 forested acres that constitute Mountain Jewel land project. Because of this, I have a lot of trees to utilize for mushroom logs! So this season, I…
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Let the Clay Sing
When I take people on tours of the natural buildings on the land at Mountain Jewel, I tell them that I love to let the clay sing through the exaltation of earthen plaster on the walls. Not only are they beautiful, soft and inviting, earthen plasters are a non-harmful, even health promoting building material deserving of a resurgence. Re-localizing building with valuable materials beneath our feet Clay teaches us that simply because something is pervasive and inexpensive, it doesn’t mean that it is not valuable or useful. It may just be overlooked or that people don’t know how to utilize it within their bioregional context. Earthen plasters are one of…
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2022 Squash Bug Resistant C. moschata Landrace Grow Report
Summer 2022 held some challenges in the garden... ...as we experienced over a month of drought mixed with temps in the upper 90s, many days even over 100! It was very difficult to keep everything alive and many plants stalled in growth. Flowers bloomed and wilted before they could set fruit and many fruits dried on the vine. That said, the squash hung in there! I did water more than 2021- for some weeks in June and July even watering every day or every other day simply to keep things alive.
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Mushroom Log Cultivation Workshop
Purchase tickets here! Come join us for an immersive afternoon learning how to transform trees into high quality, gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. We will get hands on with the entire process from tree selection to inoculation and stacking. You will learn the context, skills and tools you’ll need to engage in this life giving activity to produce high value mushrooms. We’ll be working with shiitake and lion’s mane spawn and learning totem and log inoculation. You will also get to take home an inoculated log. 12 spots available. $50 per person. Purchase tickets here. RSVP to reserve your spot, email ozarkmountainjewel (at) gmail (dot) com. Workshop takes place at Mountain…
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Ozark C. Moschata Grex 2021 Season Wrap Up
2021 was an exciting year in squash growing. I started the year off with anticipation toward the squash project. I was curious as to how the genetics I had crossed in 2020 would fare in relation to the squash bugs. You can read my beginning of the season post to get an idea of the specifics of the project. In short summary of the project’s goals and aims for 2021: I created a Cucurbita moschata grex which is a flock of genetics crossing at random (think pollinators: we thank our 6 honeybee hives, among other populations of native bees, for their ample pollination). I didn’t manage for squash bugs at…
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Community Squash Tasting Day
Saving seed and growing food is inherently place based. The characteristics of the seeds you save becomes the nourishment that fills your and possibly others’ bodies. It is one of the great gifts of growing food. Cooking it and sharing it brings us together and infuses us with a sense of place.
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Pawpaw: From Forgotten Woodlands to Center Stage
Could you imagine a tropical-esque fruit tree native to 26 states falling into obscurity? A fruit with flavor profiles ranging from melon to citrus to custard and a texture akin to mango. Sounds unbelievable but pawpaws nearly suffered this fate and are now enjoying a resurgence in popularity, and for good reason! Once as common and well know as apples are today, pawpaws were nearly forgotten until recently. A massive cultural shift away from land based living compounded upon development and habitat destruction reduced pawpaws’ place in the lives of the common folk. We stopped going to the woods for food and medicine, began participating in a more globalized economy…
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Breeding C. Moschata for Squash Bug Resistance (Introduction to SARE Grant 2021)
If you’ve gardened anywhere where there are squash bugs (Anasa tristis), you know how hard it can be to grow squash when they’re present. The greyish brown armored bugs will mate profusely all over squash and cucumber plants, laying neat rows of eggs on the leaves which spring forth in masses of bright blue young ones. Known for not only damaging the plant itself from feeding on it and sucking sap, they also can spread Cucurbit Yellow Vine Disease (CYVD) which causes the plant to wilt and die. Many farmers spend a lot of time managing this pest whether picking or vacuuming them off, using row covers, planting trap crops,…
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Introducing Air Potatoes
Given our shifting climate, increased drought and flooding events and general instability, I think it is wise to start allying with a myriad of crops- especially those that are notably vigorous. I love potatoes and sweet potatoes a lot, and they do really well for us here, AND diversity is key in creating resilient systems. After a few seasons growing D. batatas and one growing D. bulbifera, I feel encouraged to continue experimenting with these plants. The batatas especially, given its cold hardy nature, would do well in and amongst shrubs and trees. In this instance, it has even taken a liking to one of our common food forest nitrogen…
