The Art & Science of Fruit Culture, Day 9
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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I just uploaded all my pics from my own personal secondary site assessment yesterday. They are found on my flicker:
Sustainable Living Landscape Redesign Site Assessment Photoset
To be continued...
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
propagation types & site planning
The Art & Science of Fruit Culture, Day 8
March 29, 2011
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The first half of class today, we talked about different types of propagation. Stem-cutting, leaf-cutting, root cuttings, auxiliary buds, how to grow rootstock on a stool-bed. I feel like a toddler who has just uploaded the entire dictionary into her brain and who know has to go and try to use all the words. I am excited about what all we are learning, but I wish I had an extra lifetime handy to take a minute to learn and experiment with all this knowledge I have been exposed to for these one and a half weeks. I look forward to 4 week classes again. I wish this class was for weeks. And I wish it was warm right now. Like a little green shoot, I am feeling confused with the weather. Last week it warmed enough to allow me to walk barefoot around town, and now it is back to the cold, biting, go right through all your clothes wind, to snow again! every other day, freezing your face, temperatures in the 20s. I am the little shoot that sprouts at spring and then freezes over, thaws, then freezes over again. My energy is sluggish, and motivation low. This is one reason why some growers opt for greenhouses to grow their crops, to provide more optimal conditions, so that developing little plants don't get confused.
The second half of class we devoted to working on our final project in our small groups. We divided up and my group went to a table, Natasha rolling paper in front of us. Last night after our site-assessment of the entire Library/Sustainable Living building (SL Building, for short), I logged onto Google and pulled up a satellite aerial view of the SL building, blew it up, printed it and brought it to class. We started talking about our ideas while I sketched out the building and surrounding areas. What would grow better in the North side of the building? We didn't really know. Should we keep the current student plots in front of the entrance to the SL portion of the building? What should we put in the two huge circular beds in front of the wall of windows that is the hallway between the Library and the SL department? What is the role of a green wall? What do we do with the dirt if we terrace a slope? What is the best conditions for berries?...
So many questions, these are just a few. After class I took myself on a second walk-around the SL building. It was interesting to have in my mind what we saw on the first site-assessment, and then to spend time in class today talking about some ideas for our plans and then to actually take another look at the site. I took a bunch of pictures. I saw some of our plans as working and perhaps some alterations on our preliminary plans. I definitely feel like to do a full comprehensive re-design of the landscape surrounding the SL building would take at least a few months--minimum; I can see how little a few days really is. I want to get to know the whole building, the total use of the building, and how much the use will change once the new SL Building opens across the way. I want to know how much car and bike parking is needed. What is the human foot-traffic like? How are the season changes like? Does the wind mostly blow from one direction? Can we just decide to drop a living roof on top of this building, or does the building need to be designed for the extra weight on top?
Another question that I thought of today: Is there really a formula for figuring out how much maintenance labor might go into maintaining a forest garden? Say one scalable unit of a forest garden equals one central element plus its proportioned amount of supporting plant guild... How much initial labor is involved in constructing one unit? How much continued labor? It seems like initial training of the fruit tree, making sure it grows properly for a year or two.. And then how much attention after that? Pruning once a year? If the idea is for the plant guild to provide the fertilizer and nutrition for the tree, wound this count for always? or would some plant nutrients and fertilizer be needed eventually?
All of these things are very interesting. I am interested in the social aspect of these designs--obviously how the initial labor and continued labor could be maintained... Typing this blog, I wonder if the forest garden constructed at the SL Building could attract some sort of summer internship program for high school kids who might be interested in learning about Sustainable Living.
So many questions and inspiring thoughts! How to make the most of what we have and how do we work with what we have? What new things can we create with what we have (food, energy, programs..)
March 29, 2011
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The first half of class today, we talked about different types of propagation. Stem-cutting, leaf-cutting, root cuttings, auxiliary buds, how to grow rootstock on a stool-bed. I feel like a toddler who has just uploaded the entire dictionary into her brain and who know has to go and try to use all the words. I am excited about what all we are learning, but I wish I had an extra lifetime handy to take a minute to learn and experiment with all this knowledge I have been exposed to for these one and a half weeks. I look forward to 4 week classes again. I wish this class was for weeks. And I wish it was warm right now. Like a little green shoot, I am feeling confused with the weather. Last week it warmed enough to allow me to walk barefoot around town, and now it is back to the cold, biting, go right through all your clothes wind, to snow again! every other day, freezing your face, temperatures in the 20s. I am the little shoot that sprouts at spring and then freezes over, thaws, then freezes over again. My energy is sluggish, and motivation low. This is one reason why some growers opt for greenhouses to grow their crops, to provide more optimal conditions, so that developing little plants don't get confused.
The second half of class we devoted to working on our final project in our small groups. We divided up and my group went to a table, Natasha rolling paper in front of us. Last night after our site-assessment of the entire Library/Sustainable Living building (SL Building, for short), I logged onto Google and pulled up a satellite aerial view of the SL building, blew it up, printed it and brought it to class. We started talking about our ideas while I sketched out the building and surrounding areas. What would grow better in the North side of the building? We didn't really know. Should we keep the current student plots in front of the entrance to the SL portion of the building? What should we put in the two huge circular beds in front of the wall of windows that is the hallway between the Library and the SL department? What is the role of a green wall? What do we do with the dirt if we terrace a slope? What is the best conditions for berries?...
 |
| The New SL Building, view from the current SL Building, Today |
Another question that I thought of today: Is there really a formula for figuring out how much maintenance labor might go into maintaining a forest garden? Say one scalable unit of a forest garden equals one central element plus its proportioned amount of supporting plant guild... How much initial labor is involved in constructing one unit? How much continued labor? It seems like initial training of the fruit tree, making sure it grows properly for a year or two.. And then how much attention after that? Pruning once a year? If the idea is for the plant guild to provide the fertilizer and nutrition for the tree, wound this count for always? or would some plant nutrients and fertilizer be needed eventually?
All of these things are very interesting. I am interested in the social aspect of these designs--obviously how the initial labor and continued labor could be maintained... Typing this blog, I wonder if the forest garden constructed at the SL Building could attract some sort of summer internship program for high school kids who might be interested in learning about Sustainable Living.
So many questions and inspiring thoughts! How to make the most of what we have and how do we work with what we have? What new things can we create with what we have (food, energy, programs..)
Monday, March 28, 2011
forest gardens & site assessment
Monday, March 28, 2011
SL270, Day 7
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There is a lot to know about Horticulture, way more to be known in a two week course. I am honored to be in the process of beginning to learn. I wish I could know everything all at once. It feels like I am floating into a sea of precious and special knowledge. What a treat this is!
To begin class today, Jeff gave us examples of what he would put in his Forest Garden, for his area, the Pacific Northwest. I am from the west, I am from California, and every time Jeff talks about the West, I forget that I am not there anymore, that I am way deep in the middle of the country now... I think he showed us the list of fruits to give us an idea of how to begin compiling a list of what we would like to do for our final group project. I'm not sure what nut trees could work for us in our area--but Jeff said something about Black Walnut working being good in climates where it gets cold. It sounds like perhaps the Italian stone pine for pine nuts might be a little too labor intensive for yield.
Okay, this is when it gets even more interesting. Two berries--the Goumi berry and Sea Buckthorn berry are both nitrogen-fixers. They would be good for a lower tier of a forest garden. I'm not sure about wolfberry, Lignonberry or elderberry for us, it is sounding a little complicated. When plants are dynamic accumulators, it means that their deep roots can go very low into the ground and bring nutrients back up to the top of the soil. These dynamic accumulators are: yarrow, vetch, watercress, comfrey, garlic (doesn't garlic grow once and then need to get harvested? so this might be a little more labor intensive), lemon balm (which I would really like in my plans), sunflower and strawberries. Strawberry plants I think would also have to be replaced after about 3 years. Other nitrogen fixing plants are: chamomile, chives, comfrey, collards (more harvesting) and ground nuts, such as peanuts. Mulch plants create its own mulch, and these are artichokes and comfrey. So overall, it seems like comfrey is a very good plant to have around--though I believe Jeff said it is very vigorous.
A forest garden is a design of planting that intentionally emulates a forest. This is picking plants that support each other to create a system that is eventually self-sustaining. A plant guild is a selection of plants put together to benefit each other. An orchard guild has fruit tree as a central element, grass suppressing bulbs, insectary and bird-attracting plants, small fruits, nutrient accumulators, mulch plants, soil fumagants, pest repellants and nitrogen fixers.
The following is an ordering of plants for a "Perennial Edible Suntrap:" 1. Canopy, 2. Low tree 3. Shrub layer (Currants or berries), 4. Herbaceous (comfrey, beets, herbs) 5. Rhizosphere (root veggies) 6. Soil surface (ground cover, strawberries.
In some commercial growing situations, we are beginning to see Agroforestry, which is how, for example, when we see "shade-grown" coffee, this is coffee grown in an Agroforestry environment where the coffee lived in the understory of a Permaculture designed growing system. Up until today, I knew that "shade-grown" coffee was supposed to be more desirable, and this is because when you buy shade-grown coffee, you are supporting a system of growing coffee is that is more sustainable for the environment. Agroforestry is a system that leaves ecosystems intact, creates better air, and less soil erosion.
* * *
The assignment for our final group project is to re-design the landscape surrounding the current SL building, with fruits and nuts and whatever other edibles we would like to include. Though our plans are just ideas, bluesky, and to demonstrate to Jeff that we can incorporate class materials into this design, it is possible that the SL Department will chose to implement some of our ideas if they like them.
To begin preparing for our group assignment, as a class we went outside and did a full 360 degree assessment of the area surround the SL Building. We were all together but semi- divided into our groups. There was a lot to take in. We all took our own notes. I drew sketch after sketch on page after page to try to represent what already existed in the landscape. There are a lot of trees already. Do we want to keep the trees or cut down trees? I didn't have many ideas, I just wanted to take in what I was seeing. After I got home, I printed out a blown up image of the SL building from Google Satellite, and I started making a list of the kind of fruits I would like to put in the landscape.
SL270, Day 7
---
There is a lot to know about Horticulture, way more to be known in a two week course. I am honored to be in the process of beginning to learn. I wish I could know everything all at once. It feels like I am floating into a sea of precious and special knowledge. What a treat this is!
 |
| The Sky above 2nd St. Cafe, Fairfield, IA, March 2011 |
 |
| Some garlic I grew, Davis, CA, 2006 |
A forest garden is a design of planting that intentionally emulates a forest. This is picking plants that support each other to create a system that is eventually self-sustaining. A plant guild is a selection of plants put together to benefit each other. An orchard guild has fruit tree as a central element, grass suppressing bulbs, insectary and bird-attracting plants, small fruits, nutrient accumulators, mulch plants, soil fumagants, pest repellants and nitrogen fixers.
The following is an ordering of plants for a "Perennial Edible Suntrap:" 1. Canopy, 2. Low tree 3. Shrub layer (Currants or berries), 4. Herbaceous (comfrey, beets, herbs) 5. Rhizosphere (root veggies) 6. Soil surface (ground cover, strawberries.
In some commercial growing situations, we are beginning to see Agroforestry, which is how, for example, when we see "shade-grown" coffee, this is coffee grown in an Agroforestry environment where the coffee lived in the understory of a Permaculture designed growing system. Up until today, I knew that "shade-grown" coffee was supposed to be more desirable, and this is because when you buy shade-grown coffee, you are supporting a system of growing coffee is that is more sustainable for the environment. Agroforestry is a system that leaves ecosystems intact, creates better air, and less soil erosion.
* * *
The assignment for our final group project is to re-design the landscape surrounding the current SL building, with fruits and nuts and whatever other edibles we would like to include. Though our plans are just ideas, bluesky, and to demonstrate to Jeff that we can incorporate class materials into this design, it is possible that the SL Department will chose to implement some of our ideas if they like them.
 |
| Our blank slate, the SL Building, from Google Outer Space |
Saturday, March 26, 2011
visceral is a very important word
The Art & Science of Fruit Culture, Day 6
March 26, 2011
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Today, we finished reviewing raspberries and other cultivars related to the raspberry. We talked about what constitutes a good berry. We then moved to discussing the grape. I don't remember hearing in class directly what "table" grape means, but I assume from my past experience (reading "Table Grape" on the outside of case-after-case of grape boxes I stocked at Rainbow Grocery) that a table grape is a grape for the table--therefore, that it is a grape meant for eating--as opposed to a wine grape, that is used for making wine. Upon a quick search on the internet for grape definitions, I saw only two types, table and wine, so I am assuming the distinction I am making is correct.
The training strategies of grapevines was incredibly interesting to me. I thought the two different types of guided growth, cane and cordon, were very cool in each their own appearance, utilization and general effect. It is amazing to me that winemakers control the number of shoots on each cane to try to control the quality of flavor of the grape as much as possible. Jeff said that a higher yield on a grape harvest produces a less-flavorful wine batch. This has to do with the spacing of the spurs and the availability of the sun to each spur. Is a higher-yield harvest less flavorful because each individual grape plant only has so much energy available to put into fruiting? The more fruit, the thinner the energy has to be spread? What is this "energy" I am talking about?
I am interesting in having a wonderful home base when I grow up. I would like a place to return to that is sustainable and beautiful, and it made me really happy to envision having my own landscaping that incorporates grapes like what Jeff was talking about. What is exiting to me about this class is with the large range of things we talk about, I am able to feel what kinds of things about pomology interest me, and what I would like to know more of in the future. For example, Makayla wanted to know what grape leaf was best to use for making dolmas and talking about dolmas made me realize that I want to learn how to make dolmas some day.
Jeff mentioned how he learned to taste olive oils, and this made me viscerally remember the feeling of the delicious olive oils I had the opportunity to taste through my friends at the bulk section of Rainbow Grocery. Bright green, grassy, light, sweet, nuanced... I am no professional taster of anything. Before Rainbow, I thought you needed to be trained somehow in tasting foods in order to talk about taste, but once I decided to start winging it last summer--customer after customer were always looking for descriptions of the fruits--I realized that all you need is your taste buds, a desire to pay attention, and an honest wish to try to translate what you taste into words, and people will end up understanding what you mean.
I'll never forget sampling fig varieties to a customer this summer who had the patience to taste with me and listen to my descriptions. 'This one is kind of sweet, but sweet like honey... but then there is something that happens in the nose, and little like cinnamon. This other fig is very syrupy sweet, like sugar and it doesn't have much complexity to the taste, nothing really happening in the nose...' Some how he knew exactly what I meant! He could taste what I was talking about as I was talking, and we both were very excited about how the words and tastes were translating. He gave his input, and together we created a collaborative narrative of the fig varieties that day. From that point on, I stopped apologizing to people for not "knowing" what I was talking about with flavors of food. I was unafraid to give my opinion on what the best fruits were and sampling to customers who completely disagreed.
The beautiful thing about taste is that everyone has their very own relationship with flavor. Some people want the sweetest fruit, and others came in asking specifically for the most bitter fruit we had.
My whole life, I always thought that I didn't know what I was doing in the kitchen, but what I realized from this tasting-experience epiphany is that cooking and pairing tastes is less about thinking and more about intuition. When people asked me what to put in a stir-fry, or what to put in their pastry, or what to put in their salad, I would wait...and the answers would come from somewhere deep inside. I would feel the sense of the flavor they knew they wanted and then ideas started coming as to what to add to their dish. This became the most exciting part of my job at Rainbow. The customers who were curious enough and patient enough to wade through different samplings with me in the Produce section were the ones who inspired me to keep learning more and more about produce and tastes and recipes and herbs and spices. The pleasure of food and being an active creator in the tastes of one's daily meals really came to light for me through this process of interacting with customers.
This is where I am after class today. Through this writing process, I have tied what we learned today in The Art and Science of Fruit Culture with an experience from my past that I did not realize was as significant as it was. I am excited to see what the next and final week of this class brings.
March 26, 2011
---
Today, we finished reviewing raspberries and other cultivars related to the raspberry. We talked about what constitutes a good berry. We then moved to discussing the grape. I don't remember hearing in class directly what "table" grape means, but I assume from my past experience (reading "Table Grape" on the outside of case-after-case of grape boxes I stocked at Rainbow Grocery) that a table grape is a grape for the table--therefore, that it is a grape meant for eating--as opposed to a wine grape, that is used for making wine. Upon a quick search on the internet for grape definitions, I saw only two types, table and wine, so I am assuming the distinction I am making is correct.
The training strategies of grapevines was incredibly interesting to me. I thought the two different types of guided growth, cane and cordon, were very cool in each their own appearance, utilization and general effect. It is amazing to me that winemakers control the number of shoots on each cane to try to control the quality of flavor of the grape as much as possible. Jeff said that a higher yield on a grape harvest produces a less-flavorful wine batch. This has to do with the spacing of the spurs and the availability of the sun to each spur. Is a higher-yield harvest less flavorful because each individual grape plant only has so much energy available to put into fruiting? The more fruit, the thinner the energy has to be spread? What is this "energy" I am talking about?
 |
| Some delicious red wine on my b-day, December 2010 |
Jeff mentioned how he learned to taste olive oils, and this made me viscerally remember the feeling of the delicious olive oils I had the opportunity to taste through my friends at the bulk section of Rainbow Grocery. Bright green, grassy, light, sweet, nuanced... I am no professional taster of anything. Before Rainbow, I thought you needed to be trained somehow in tasting foods in order to talk about taste, but once I decided to start winging it last summer--customer after customer were always looking for descriptions of the fruits--I realized that all you need is your taste buds, a desire to pay attention, and an honest wish to try to translate what you taste into words, and people will end up understanding what you mean.
I'll never forget sampling fig varieties to a customer this summer who had the patience to taste with me and listen to my descriptions. 'This one is kind of sweet, but sweet like honey... but then there is something that happens in the nose, and little like cinnamon. This other fig is very syrupy sweet, like sugar and it doesn't have much complexity to the taste, nothing really happening in the nose...' Some how he knew exactly what I meant! He could taste what I was talking about as I was talking, and we both were very excited about how the words and tastes were translating. He gave his input, and together we created a collaborative narrative of the fig varieties that day. From that point on, I stopped apologizing to people for not "knowing" what I was talking about with flavors of food. I was unafraid to give my opinion on what the best fruits were and sampling to customers who completely disagreed.
The beautiful thing about taste is that everyone has their very own relationship with flavor. Some people want the sweetest fruit, and others came in asking specifically for the most bitter fruit we had.
My whole life, I always thought that I didn't know what I was doing in the kitchen, but what I realized from this tasting-experience epiphany is that cooking and pairing tastes is less about thinking and more about intuition. When people asked me what to put in a stir-fry, or what to put in their pastry, or what to put in their salad, I would wait...and the answers would come from somewhere deep inside. I would feel the sense of the flavor they knew they wanted and then ideas started coming as to what to add to their dish. This became the most exciting part of my job at Rainbow. The customers who were curious enough and patient enough to wade through different samplings with me in the Produce section were the ones who inspired me to keep learning more and more about produce and tastes and recipes and herbs and spices. The pleasure of food and being an active creator in the tastes of one's daily meals really came to light for me through this process of interacting with customers.
This is where I am after class today. Through this writing process, I have tied what we learned today in The Art and Science of Fruit Culture with an experience from my past that I did not realize was as significant as it was. I am excited to see what the next and final week of this class brings.
Friday, March 25, 2011
permaculture defined
SL270, Day 5
Friday, March 25, 2011
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Today we spent the first half of the day overviewing Permaculture! Honestly, until today, I didn't know what Permaculture was. It is a combination of two words: Permanent + Agriculture. Permaculture is sustainable land design, which means that instead of land being used in a more temporary, short-term way, permaculture is about using land in a way that is working with the land and the laws of nature. Long term planning for land, building ecosystems, restoring the land to indigenous uses are all aims of permaculture.
The following are some of the ethics of Permaculture. Care of the Earth, Care of the People, Reinvest surplus into the Earth and the People, Limit Consumption, Long & Thoughtful Observation, Observing Patterns in Nature, Design with Nature, Enduring and Stable Design, Indigenous Land Use, Productive Landscapes, and Sustainable Human Settlements.
Jeff showed us a lot of slides of examples of some of the ethics of permaculture, as well as some examples of permaculture design all over the world. We saw lots of pictures of patterns that repeat themselves in nature, like veins on a leave that mirror the waterways of a delta and vice versa. We talked about how there are no squares in nature and we saw pictures of agriculture following the contours of the land.
I found the different designs all over the world to be interesting in different ways. Having just lived in San Francisco for the past few years, I am interested how permaculture design can be implemented into urban settings. I love the idea of green roofs everywhere, and living walls. We even talked about how there is a busline in New York City that has living roofs on top of the buses themselves! I am also interested in how to improve the health conditions of workplaces, and we talked about how there are certain plants that can help clear the air inside of buildings.
I am most certainly interested in how to use the ideas of permaculture in city and community planning, as well as designs of rural and agricultural spaces. Jeff gave an amazing talk last night about his adventures as an international horticulturalist, and hearing his stories and seeing his pictures really made me interested in finding a career in the future that will give me the opportunity to travel around the world to work on projects with the knowledge I end up with when I am finished with school this time around. With an exception of a student trip to Australia in high school, I have not traveled the world much so far in my life. I hadn't really had a desire to, until recently in the last few months, actually. Now I know my interest includes working on projects all over the world, and this includes rural places.
However, I do know that more of my heart right now lies in the urban environment: How can green design be incorporated into existing structures or city layouts? This is the true challenge of sustainability for me. If resourcefulness is a key ethic of sustainability, what do we do in big cities? It is impossible for us to take a pre-existing city and clear it out to start over. There are too many people, families, businesses that need to be operating all the time in order to maintain themselves. So what do we do? I see a huge role of green re-design, roofs, walls, but I don't know what else could be available for urban spaces such as San Francisco, and its surrounding Bay Area.
I loved our discussion of Permaculture today. Between the information today and Jeff's talk last night, it really solidified for me that I am in the right place here at MUM, studying the right thing and the right time. I am so interested in all that I am learning, and if it is a desire for me to continue my education in architecture after my degree in Sustainable Living here, I think that green design is something that could interest me for quite a while.
* * *
This whole journey for me began a few years ago, while I was on a break from making organic pet food in a small kitchen amongst the industrial area of just southeast of the Mission District where I lived, in San Francisco. I was flipping through an issue of Vanity Fair. The cover article was featuring something like 'The 200 Most Influential People of the Year.' I glanced over the mini-profiles of the various artists, designers, and entrepreneurs. One of the profiles that caught my eye was that of William McDonough, a sustainable architect who I believe had done green designs for larger corporations such as Gap and Google. What really interested me is this idea of a living building. The Vanity Fair profile mentioned that McDonough had designed a building for Oberlin College that produces more energy than it uses. At that time, I did not imagine that I would want to learn about sustainable design myself. All I knew was that my interest was legitimately piqued.
Over the following couple of years, I paid attention every time I was interested by green design and issues of sustainable living. This September of 2010, I came across an ad for MUM on the internet and I was drawn in by MUM's educational structure surrounding consciousness-based learning. When I found out that the new structure for the Sustainable Living department that was nearing its completion would be completely off the grid, in addition to surpassing all the sustainable design standards, I knew that this was a good sign for me to come to this school and check out the program in Sustainable Living.
The more I learn about sustainable design, the more I know I am going in the right direction. Class today overviewing Permaculture was another confirmation for me that I am doing the right thing! It is amazing that I get to feel 100% certainty with my current life path! I feel very lucky.
Friday, March 25, 2011
---
Today we spent the first half of the day overviewing Permaculture! Honestly, until today, I didn't know what Permaculture was. It is a combination of two words: Permanent + Agriculture. Permaculture is sustainable land design, which means that instead of land being used in a more temporary, short-term way, permaculture is about using land in a way that is working with the land and the laws of nature. Long term planning for land, building ecosystems, restoring the land to indigenous uses are all aims of permaculture.
The following are some of the ethics of Permaculture. Care of the Earth, Care of the People, Reinvest surplus into the Earth and the People, Limit Consumption, Long & Thoughtful Observation, Observing Patterns in Nature, Design with Nature, Enduring and Stable Design, Indigenous Land Use, Productive Landscapes, and Sustainable Human Settlements.
Jeff showed us a lot of slides of examples of some of the ethics of permaculture, as well as some examples of permaculture design all over the world. We saw lots of pictures of patterns that repeat themselves in nature, like veins on a leave that mirror the waterways of a delta and vice versa. We talked about how there are no squares in nature and we saw pictures of agriculture following the contours of the land.
 |
| The living roof of the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, January 2011 |
 |
| The view from my walk to my chiropractor's office, Noe Valley, San Francisco 2009 |
I am most certainly interested in how to use the ideas of permaculture in city and community planning, as well as designs of rural and agricultural spaces. Jeff gave an amazing talk last night about his adventures as an international horticulturalist, and hearing his stories and seeing his pictures really made me interested in finding a career in the future that will give me the opportunity to travel around the world to work on projects with the knowledge I end up with when I am finished with school this time around. With an exception of a student trip to Australia in high school, I have not traveled the world much so far in my life. I hadn't really had a desire to, until recently in the last few months, actually. Now I know my interest includes working on projects all over the world, and this includes rural places.
However, I do know that more of my heart right now lies in the urban environment: How can green design be incorporated into existing structures or city layouts? This is the true challenge of sustainability for me. If resourcefulness is a key ethic of sustainability, what do we do in big cities? It is impossible for us to take a pre-existing city and clear it out to start over. There are too many people, families, businesses that need to be operating all the time in order to maintain themselves. So what do we do? I see a huge role of green re-design, roofs, walls, but I don't know what else could be available for urban spaces such as San Francisco, and its surrounding Bay Area.
I loved our discussion of Permaculture today. Between the information today and Jeff's talk last night, it really solidified for me that I am in the right place here at MUM, studying the right thing and the right time. I am so interested in all that I am learning, and if it is a desire for me to continue my education in architecture after my degree in Sustainable Living here, I think that green design is something that could interest me for quite a while.
* * *
This whole journey for me began a few years ago, while I was on a break from making organic pet food in a small kitchen amongst the industrial area of just southeast of the Mission District where I lived, in San Francisco. I was flipping through an issue of Vanity Fair. The cover article was featuring something like 'The 200 Most Influential People of the Year.' I glanced over the mini-profiles of the various artists, designers, and entrepreneurs. One of the profiles that caught my eye was that of William McDonough, a sustainable architect who I believe had done green designs for larger corporations such as Gap and Google. What really interested me is this idea of a living building. The Vanity Fair profile mentioned that McDonough had designed a building for Oberlin College that produces more energy than it uses. At that time, I did not imagine that I would want to learn about sustainable design myself. All I knew was that my interest was legitimately piqued.
Over the following couple of years, I paid attention every time I was interested by green design and issues of sustainable living. This September of 2010, I came across an ad for MUM on the internet and I was drawn in by MUM's educational structure surrounding consciousness-based learning. When I found out that the new structure for the Sustainable Living department that was nearing its completion would be completely off the grid, in addition to surpassing all the sustainable design standards, I knew that this was a good sign for me to come to this school and check out the program in Sustainable Living.
The more I learn about sustainable design, the more I know I am going in the right direction. Class today overviewing Permaculture was another confirmation for me that I am doing the right thing! It is amazing that I get to feel 100% certainty with my current life path! I feel very lucky.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
pests, diseases and deficiencies
The Art and Science of Fruit Culture, Day 4
Thursday, March 24, 2011
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Yes, we talked about pests almost what felt like all day today. I forgot to mention that we began talking about pests yesterday. For some reason, it is not so fun talking about pests. Looking at slide after slide of little mealy worms and intense-looking winged insects, and what they do to fruit and trees is much like trying to use the internet to self-diagnose your own health issue. Before your eyes materializes a vortex of disturbing pictures that leave you feeling confused, very uncomfortable, and sort of helpless.
Looking at pictures of plants and fruits, and their potential pests, diseases and nutrient deficiencies was a little disorienting, but I wasn't so much left with a feeling of helplessness. For whatever thing that could go wrong, it seems like with the magic and knowledge of Horticulture, there is always something you can do about it. This talk today was our intro into beginning to learn what to do about potential problems for plants.
Apparently any type of plant has its own special type of aphid, moth, fly, borer, blight or burn. Fruit can get sunburned, did you know that? There are things that can affect the tree, the leaf, the fruit, the roots. Too much water can rot the roots. Not enough boron can interrupt flowering and fruiting. Nitrogen deficiencies affect old leaves, sulfur deficiencies affect new leaves. Sometimes you need to spray an element directly to the plant itself to help balances its imbalances and other times you treat the soil.
I forgot to mention slugs as a potential pests. How can they be pests if they are so cute and if some species have such beautiful and eccentric mating rituals? I don't know, but I guess they are. My grandmother has always been a lover of snails, and I must have gotten my love of the snail and slug from her.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
---
Yes, we talked about pests almost what felt like all day today. I forgot to mention that we began talking about pests yesterday. For some reason, it is not so fun talking about pests. Looking at slide after slide of little mealy worms and intense-looking winged insects, and what they do to fruit and trees is much like trying to use the internet to self-diagnose your own health issue. Before your eyes materializes a vortex of disturbing pictures that leave you feeling confused, very uncomfortable, and sort of helpless.
Looking at pictures of plants and fruits, and their potential pests, diseases and nutrient deficiencies was a little disorienting, but I wasn't so much left with a feeling of helplessness. For whatever thing that could go wrong, it seems like with the magic and knowledge of Horticulture, there is always something you can do about it. This talk today was our intro into beginning to learn what to do about potential problems for plants.
Apparently any type of plant has its own special type of aphid, moth, fly, borer, blight or burn. Fruit can get sunburned, did you know that? There are things that can affect the tree, the leaf, the fruit, the roots. Too much water can rot the roots. Not enough boron can interrupt flowering and fruiting. Nitrogen deficiencies affect old leaves, sulfur deficiencies affect new leaves. Sometimes you need to spray an element directly to the plant itself to help balances its imbalances and other times you treat the soil.
I forgot to mention slugs as a potential pests. How can they be pests if they are so cute and if some species have such beautiful and eccentric mating rituals? I don't know, but I guess they are. My grandmother has always been a lover of snails, and I must have gotten my love of the snail and slug from her.
 |
| A still I took from a Youtube video, from a BBC clip of Leopard Slugs Mating. |
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
organic standards
The Art & Science of Fruit Culture, Day 3
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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What does it meant that we dedicate ourselves to Organic Farming? Today, we went over the definition of organic, which includes understanding what the USDA standards are for organic. One initial question I wrote in my notes was "What is the USDA?" I think I know what the USDA is, but I don't think I actually know much about it. What exactly is the certification process, and who are the major certifiers? Who owns the major organic certifying entities?
Some definitions of "Organic" are: Practice-based standards, mandatory certification, required organic system plan, use of only approved substances and on-site inspection. During our discussion of Organic standards, we talked about what constitutes purity of land? Organic certification requires a 3-year transition period... but really, how long is long enough for the "bad stuff" of commercial farming to work itself out of land? (Where does the "bad stuff" go?) An organic system plan includes a distinct buffer zone between the organic land and areas around it. How big should the buffer zone be? Do we account for if land is downhill from a non-organic farm? What about wind patterns?
About a year ago, for my job at Rainbow Grocery, I attended the Eco-farm Conference that was held in a beautiful location on the coast of mid-California. Tons of very interesting lectures and workshops where hosted. Being even more urban-land-locked than I am right now, most all of the information about ecological farming was very much over my head. I do remember how awesome and in awe I was to hear from farmers directly about their experiences in growing. Eco-farm solidified my immense respect for farmers that continues to this day. I do remember some information from one talk given by somebody associated with Lakeside Farms, in Watsonville, California. Rainbow buys a lot of produce from Lakeside, and so it was interesting to hear from somebody directly associated with the farm itself. It was through this talk that I first heard of a buffer zone around an organic farm, and this gentleman described how Lakeside uses buffer zones to grow plants that are beneficial and/or complementary to the neighboring crop. This means buffer zone plants that draw beneficial insects and animals, as well as preventing soil and wind erosion.
In our class today, we also talked about organic requirements for soil and fertility inputs. Compost must follow organic regulations, as well as anything else as anything else added to the soil and/or plants. Naturally-mined fertility inputs are allowed, and organic farmers must use organic seeds and seedlings (no treated or GMO seeds allowed). Burning crop residue and using sewage sludge is prohibited. We learned that some synthetic materials are allowed, like certain kinds of soaps and sticky traps. OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) is an entity that keeps track of most of the allowed and prohibited substances in organic farming, but I guess there are some things that are not on OMRI's list. It is unclear to me how farmers are to fully know what is or isn't allowed, but it seems like to begin or transition one's farm to organic, a farmer should work closely with the organic certification entity that would be inspecting and approving their farm to make sure that everything they are doing along the process matches up.
It is really awesome to learn about what it takes to have an organic farm, but overall, I don't think becoming an organic farmer is a career that I am drawn to. I really want to understand the whole organic system as much as possible and I think that for any future profession, it is helpful for anybody to understand the system through which we are provided with food. Just as an individual interested in one's own health, knowing about how our food is grown is important. Myself, as someone interested in sustainable design, I believe that understanding the organic system will definitely come into play in ways that are currently unforeseen by me!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
---
What does it meant that we dedicate ourselves to Organic Farming? Today, we went over the definition of organic, which includes understanding what the USDA standards are for organic. One initial question I wrote in my notes was "What is the USDA?" I think I know what the USDA is, but I don't think I actually know much about it. What exactly is the certification process, and who are the major certifiers? Who owns the major organic certifying entities?
Some definitions of "Organic" are: Practice-based standards, mandatory certification, required organic system plan, use of only approved substances and on-site inspection. During our discussion of Organic standards, we talked about what constitutes purity of land? Organic certification requires a 3-year transition period... but really, how long is long enough for the "bad stuff" of commercial farming to work itself out of land? (Where does the "bad stuff" go?) An organic system plan includes a distinct buffer zone between the organic land and areas around it. How big should the buffer zone be? Do we account for if land is downhill from a non-organic farm? What about wind patterns?
About a year ago, for my job at Rainbow Grocery, I attended the Eco-farm Conference that was held in a beautiful location on the coast of mid-California. Tons of very interesting lectures and workshops where hosted. Being even more urban-land-locked than I am right now, most all of the information about ecological farming was very much over my head. I do remember how awesome and in awe I was to hear from farmers directly about their experiences in growing. Eco-farm solidified my immense respect for farmers that continues to this day. I do remember some information from one talk given by somebody associated with Lakeside Farms, in Watsonville, California. Rainbow buys a lot of produce from Lakeside, and so it was interesting to hear from somebody directly associated with the farm itself. It was through this talk that I first heard of a buffer zone around an organic farm, and this gentleman described how Lakeside uses buffer zones to grow plants that are beneficial and/or complementary to the neighboring crop. This means buffer zone plants that draw beneficial insects and animals, as well as preventing soil and wind erosion.
In our class today, we also talked about organic requirements for soil and fertility inputs. Compost must follow organic regulations, as well as anything else as anything else added to the soil and/or plants. Naturally-mined fertility inputs are allowed, and organic farmers must use organic seeds and seedlings (no treated or GMO seeds allowed). Burning crop residue and using sewage sludge is prohibited. We learned that some synthetic materials are allowed, like certain kinds of soaps and sticky traps. OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) is an entity that keeps track of most of the allowed and prohibited substances in organic farming, but I guess there are some things that are not on OMRI's list. It is unclear to me how farmers are to fully know what is or isn't allowed, but it seems like to begin or transition one's farm to organic, a farmer should work closely with the organic certification entity that would be inspecting and approving their farm to make sure that everything they are doing along the process matches up.
 |
| A completely organic breakfast I enjoyed last summer because of organic farming. |
It is really awesome to learn about what it takes to have an organic farm, but overall, I don't think becoming an organic farmer is a career that I am drawn to. I really want to understand the whole organic system as much as possible and I think that for any future profession, it is helpful for anybody to understand the system through which we are provided with food. Just as an individual interested in one's own health, knowing about how our food is grown is important. Myself, as someone interested in sustainable design, I believe that understanding the organic system will definitely come into play in ways that are currently unforeseen by me!
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