To All Our Relations............Holiday Wishes: Wishing for You & Yours PEACE, LOVE, & LIGHT in the New Year and the Years to Come!

Finally, in time for the holidays, watch this for yourself and for the children.  An incredibly beautiful film - sadly it is a record of the unintentional consequences of our human species going on blindfolded to the changes we have sowed and our children will reap.   I do hope you will watch the film just out on http://www.chasingice.com/   click on the trailer to watch.  And/or go to link below to hear the haunting original end title song "Before My Time" written and produced by J. RALPH. Performed by SCARLETT JOHANSSON & JOSHUA BELL for the Sundance award winning documentary "Chasing Ice" opening November 9th 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB4UEQzUmWc&feature=colike

10/15/12  I am honored to welcome as a resident (or visitor) in my garden the Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla). He was sitting in the midst of the horsetail that is a part of my water garden. We looked each other over and I told him how pleased I am that he chose to be here. He is tiny -- less than 3" long when sitting and was perfectly camouflaged in the horsetail. I had to look closer to believe my eyes and saw that it was not just wishful thinking on my part. I hear him (maybe other???) serenading from different places in the garden since the rains started.

 

 
As per http://www.northwestwildlifeonline.com/Anura%20Homepage.htm 
 There are several  color variations of the Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla): brown, green, and copper gold. The dark streak running from the nose through the eye is the key to identification of the frog. Despite its name Pacific Tree Frogs spend far more time on the ground than in trees."



Rain chain w spoons



GOOD FOOD & GARDENING in Sweet Home

5th Week 

season extender ?

DIY DESIGN SMALL RAINH20 SYSTEM to provide water for Winter Garden, & Possible Improvements

YOU ARE INVITED!

When: Sunday, October 14, 2012 @ 1:00 PM TO 3:00 PM-ish!

Site is A PERMACULTURE URBAN HOMESTEAD IN PROCESS in Sweet Home

You bring good energy, gloves, rain gear, seeds for winter garden, questions, and plan to have some fun.

The site is home of a Permaculture Instructor in Sweet Home. Location and Directions will be sent when you RSVP!

See the results of the work in past weeks including a mini greenhouse, solar cold frame and herb spiral!

Meet other farmer/gardeners, others who care and plant seeds for winter gardens!

Future DIY DAYS events:  go to www.dawnnorthwest.blogspot.com
 Permaculture/Sustainable Living - Learn by Observing Nature

CARE FOR EARTH, CARE FOR PEOPLE & CREATE A SURPLUS TO SHARE

New to this? Just send an email to dawnvoyager@gmail.com requesting to be on the email list and get reminders for each week's topics/projects! If you like, you will receive a short email with details the Tues or Wed before.
Thanks to all who helped with the past 'Sunday Garden Parties'!
Thanks for your interest!
====================================================

2nd DIY Sunday: Herb Spiral

GOOD FOOD & GARDENING in Sweet Home!

 

2nd Weekly DIY:

When: Sunday, September 23, 2012 @ 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM -ish. 

The site is home of a Permaculture Instructor in Sweet Home. Location and Directions will be sent when you RSVP! 

We can find many spirals in nature's "patterns"
 

We try to mimic nature by creating gardens that become the ideal "home" for plants we desire to make our food and, in turn, our bodies healthy. The spiral pattern gives multi-dimensional spaces for plants and the herb garden functions best near the kitchen so we are always able to reach for those wonderful herbs. So we create a 'form' that benefits each plant in a 'microclimate' we have created (sunny aspect, shady aspect, elevations (top of spiral) that will drain for those plants that thrive in well drained soils, elevations (lowest level in spiral) that maintain some moisture in the soil, and spaces that function somewhere within those elevations. We learn what each plant needs and place it there, with care for the earth, care for people, creating an abundance that we can share. 

 

each spiral we build is unique...

infused with the elements on the site, the gardeners energy, the organic matter in the soil, used and the plants the gardener has chosen... the special energies as you build it and your own spirit as you watch it fill in with an abundance of the herbs you have
within your reach

 
HERB SPIRAL - An Elegant Solution!

YOU ARE INVITED!

Please RSVP by email: dawnvoyager@gmail.com (preferred)  or call 541 367 8896 for location & directions

RSVP by Saturday Please -  if we know how many are coming we can have some handouts ready to take home.

Permaculture/Sustainable Living - Learn by Doing

Thanks for your interest!

 

 

GOOD FOOD and GARDENING on a small urban site in Sweet Home

  1st Weekly DIY:

HOOP HOUSE CONSTRUCTION DEMO

YOU ARE INVITED!

When: Starting Sunday, September 16, 2012

Site is home of a Permaculture Instructor in Sweet Home.

You bring good energy, water bottle, and have some fun

Meet other farmer/gardeners, others who care

SAMPLE WOOD FIRED PIZZA BAKED IN OVEN ON SITE

With veggies from the garden!

 

Future DIY DAYS: find out how to do it &; see all these in action

*AFFORDABLE SEASON EXTENDERS &     WINTER GARDENING *SOLAR COLD FRAME, TINY GREENHOUSE, *MULCHING & COMPOSTING *NO TILL GARDENS *HERB SPIRALS & RAISED BEDS *CREATE A COMMUNITY EXCHANGE: GARDEN TIPS & IDEAS, PLANTS/SEED, GOOD COMPANY *NO-COST MULCHING WITH LOCAL MATERIALS *COMPOST THE EASY WAY *VERMICOMPOSTING (WORM BIN)

*SMALL SCALE RAINH20 HARVESTING   SYSTEMS *EARTHWORKS TO HARVEST RAIN *RAIN CHAINS, BASINS & RAIN GARDENS *MAKE YOUR OWN RICH ORGANIC SOIL *CONVERT YOUR LAWN TO GARDEN *PLANT A ROW FOR THE HUNGRY *GARDENS THAT A CHILD CAN GROW *WATER GARDENS (PONDS) *POLLINATOR PLANTS AND SHELTER *NATIVE PLANTS/WOODLAND GARDENS *BEES FOR THE GARDENS *YOUR IDEAS/RESOURCES?

 


 Please RSVP by email: dawnvoyager@gmail.com
or call 541 367 8896 for address & directions
 Permaculture/Sustainable Living - Learn by Doing

Sweet Home, OR 97386

Thanks for your interest!

See the results of the work last week:

 

Earthen Bread Oven Re-Creation!

A new beginning....! 7/16/2012

First Fire

Ready to Bake!

This oven is now ready to bake great meals.  I have really enjoyed & once again been amazed by the whole process of meeting new enthusiastic oven builders and getting this oven re-built. Thanks again for your help (or well wishes from a distance)  So, yet another day, another year, I am in awe of  what we can create with the earth below our feet that that grows our food, and earth in our visions and hands that we use to build this vessel that will make great meals to feed heart and soul, and good times around the fire!  Here's to more oven building events.  We will soon be celebrating your "handi-work" and all that great energy! 

BACK TO THE EARTH!

EARTHEN BREAD OVEN

Sweet Home, OR

NEW Dates: July 16 & 17th , 2012 9 am to ? pm

Enjoy an opportunity to spend a day or two learning & practicing the basics of
building & baking in a low cost, earthen oven,
with locally sourced, natural materials.

 These ovens have been used for baking since ancient times.
We will build/sculpt and plaster the walls of an oven using clay(earth), straw,
with layers of insulation included.

Site is home of Permaculture Instructor in Sweet Home.
PLEASE RSVP

E-MAIL FOR DIRECTIONS  or MORE INFORMATION  dawnvoyager@gmail.com

You bring good energy, water bottle, snacks and have some fun –

We supply the MUD - other building materials. 

 Water, Tea and Coffee will be available.

If you live locally, we are willing to help you build your own oven,

in exchange for your help.

Meet new oven builders and join in helping make our world more sustainable!

PIZZA PARTY FOR ALL

AS SOON AS WE CAN BAKE IN THE NEW OVEN!

Permaculture/Sustainable Living/ Learn by Doing

APRIL 2012

NEW:  FROM GARDEN TO TABLE 

BY DESIGN 

FOODS TO GO - Main Dish: select one of our meals in a packet, complete with seasonings,  with organically grown ingredients for your everyday meals. Includes recipe. Also available as a lovely gift basket of wholesome foods, easy to prepare and satisfy family and friends.

More: See our Herbal Mixes in packets for dressings, dips, pasta dishes, soups, stews and baked dishes, recipes and instructions included.

Mexican Bean Soup Mix

Serve as main dish or complete meal. Easy, healthy soups, stews, or salads, with most ingredients included. Some are spicey! Each packet contains: ingredients for organic soup, or stew or salad mix & includes seasonings. Available seasonally and fresh made when you order. Contents include a variety of whole grains, beans & herbs. Very little preparation needed on your part. All have protein rich ingredients (e.g., whole grains, beans, rice, barley) You can serve meatless or add meat (great for using up leftovers), and most can be completed in Crock Pot. Packet serves 2 - 4 adults. Enjoy easy preparation with recipe attached. Or you can add your special fresh veggies, or other favorite ingredients to many of these. Add a salad and freshly baked bread and relax. Dinner's on and you have the satisfaction of serving and eating a healthy, wholesome, hearty meal. Leftovers of soup or stew? Just freeze what you don't eat right away for another quick meal later when you have no time to decide what's for dinner.  Going camping? Toss our handy dandy packets in for ease and delicious meals on the go!

Choose from this month specials:
Mexican Bean Soup Mix (shown above)
Tabouli Salad Mix
Chicken Soup Comfort Food Mix

Sold by the packet @ $5.00 (serves 2 to 4).

+++++++++++++++=============+++++++++++++
Herbal mixes can be stored for long periods to be used for last minute, in your favorite dishes. You never have to run to the store for just one of these ingredients to have the best flavors for pleasing foodies in your family and friends!

Herbal Mixes available this month:
Italian Spice Mix (for spaghetti, pasta or meatballs)
Bouquet Garni
Mild Curry Powder
BBQ Rub for Chicken
Herb Garden Dressing

Sold in ~1/4 cup packets @ $3.00
++++++++++++++
Contact us for Gift baskets with Main Meal Mix includes dishes, basket and gift wrap. Unique - No two are the same, gift wrap included to match the "theme". Basics Basket starting at $20. Shipping cost depends on weight, fragile item packing. To be confirmed at the time of order.

Others available seasonally - watch this blog for more savings and super Foods to Go!

Have any questions? Contact us at dawnvoyager@gmail.com

Ready...set...SPRING...really?

It is threatening to be spring again, which at least starts the urge to get out there and get hands in the mud. Well, maybe at least getting into the greenhouse planting seeds for a year-round garden while it snows outside!    So once again here is your invitation to come join us, learn to live on the Earth in a way that takes care of the Earth, and people and can produce a surplus to share. In all our work, a conscious effort is made to introduce ways of thinking about the design of an entire site, while building and growing our own food and conserving water and other resources. We also offer consultations and personal consultation on whole site design, and sustainable living!

We can organize workshops on this site, or possibly on yours, teaching permaculture strategies, with projects such as rainwater harvesting, organically growing and harvesting your own very good, organic food, land restoration and building affordable small structures with natural materials, and more. We accept work exchange and volunteers for most events, and also will be offering how to build an earthen bread oven, byo pizza fixings and bake in the oven days.

This is for those of us who are willing to share resources, offer classes, demonstrations, exchanges of food, plants and seeds, hands-on DIY just about anything we need for gardening, and for anyone who wants to have your own food grown in a truly local and organic, local, reliable source. We can draw on knowlege learned from our elders, natives, enthusiastic young farmers, and share all the strategies that produce food, community and joy in our lives - and which will work anywhere, for anyone at any level and with the intent to share the surplus we create. Simple, easy, anyone can do this, everything you need to be more self/community sufficient is here and now.

Offerings: instruction, hands-on demonstrations from the following list....and much more. Perhaps the greatest offering is the resources made available to you of all those doing this work. Connection, network comes with the classes, demos and local events.

Cost is what you can afford, timing with nature and Joie de vivre (love of life) ....or what ever you can offer. To name a few possibilities:

• herb spirals, raised beds and no-till gardens,
• hoop house (low cost easy DIY season extender)
• create a neighborhood plants/seeds exchange
• no-cost magic mulch with local materials
• compost the easy way
• vermicomposting (worm bin)
• small scale rainH20 harvesting systems
• rain chains and basins, rain gardens
• build, share bread ovens, baked goods with garden produce and home-grown herbs
• make your own planting soil
• convert your lawn to garden
• winter gardens, cold frames
• plant a row for the hungry
• gardens that a child can grow
• water gardens
• pollinator plants native plants/woodland gardens
  
  
  See garden/small farm, urban homestead, share gardens and learning, and baking days using the bread oven to bake tmouth watering, tasty & good-for-you pizzas and breads and 5-course meals on garden site. Tours of other resources can be arranged...

Posted by dawnvoyager at 10:19 AM March 4, 2012