Permie Primer





I'm sure I've talked about it before, but are you familiar with the concept of a food forest? It's one of the foundations of permaculture: provide a sustainable ecosystem for food production. Can you imagine a yard filled with food year round? The thought of not needing to brave the grocery store every week is motivation enough for me!

Search You Tube for "food forest" and you'll get tons of results. Two of my favorites are Ron Finley's urban LA plot and a Eugene, OR tour by Food Not Lawns author Heather Flores.

If you feel inspired, I hope you'll consider joining Patricia Allison, Ryan Mitchell and me for a Permaculture Primer weekend here in Charlotte, NC this October! 





Simultaneously I'm holding onto summer with a firm, red knuckled grip, while eagerly anticipating fall's cool sigh of heat relief and renewal.


Martha Stewart's lengthy series of recipes for summer crop canning is taunting me. Haven't I canned enough!? Over the past month I've put up 2 types of tomato sauce, salsa, tomato jam, spicy red pepper ketchup, blueberry vanilla basil jam, pickled green tomatoes, pickled celery sticks, and whole figs packed in vanilla honey syrup. I'm planning on adding roasted red pepper and heirloom tomato soup to the list, but now I want to pack peaches in a fruit juice reduction, make a giant batch of pickled okra and...and...and...


Considering which leafy greens to fill the garden beds with this fall. While filing this recipe away for the day after the first frost.  (Am I really typing that? Am I actually somewhat excited about the first frost?? I haven't had my fill of tomatoes and squash yet!)

Ready for a Permaculture Primer?




Registration is now available for the fall Permaculture Primer. This beyond-the-basics course will teach you the methods and means behind the practice of permaculture. Friday evening we'll kick things off with a potluck and introduction. Saturday and Sunday will be 2 full days of learning. Our guide and teacher is North Carolina's own permaculture leader, Patricia Allison. She'll cover a brief history of permaculture, ways to reduce waste and reduce petroleum consumption, among many other timely ecological topics. You'll leave with a great deal of knowledge and tools to implement change. Course cost: $150.

Interested? Sign up here!


Some topics we'll cover include: building mulch beds so your garden will be ready for spring, no tilling necessary; creating a polyculture in your landscape to minimize pests and maximize sustainability; and interesting, atypical crops that grow well in the area.




Another weekend passed by too quickly.  There was time spent in the community garden, 5 minutes spent in my own garden, too much take out, and no time at the gym. We also went to Hi-C's first softball game where Mabel cheered him on like a champ, "Go Papa, go! Go Papa, go!"



In the gardens things are growing strong, and I'm not just talking about the plants. There are Japanese Beetles to contend with, ladybugs (thankfully), and some other critters that haven't wreaked too much havoc. The community garden is about 50% tomato plants right now, but this guy seemed to prefer sweet potato leaves. After much screaming and freaking out by a fellow gardener who shall remain nameless, she took it to the creek to let it sleep with the fishes.

If you're not familiar with hornworms, read more here.