The Importance of Heirloom Seeds

Mandan Bride, a North Dakotan Indian Heirloom flour Corn

We always hear about genetic diversity being lost in places like the rainforests, corral reefs, and grass lands. These spots are by far the most important places on Earth to preserve and protect. The rainforests of South America, Africa, and Asia, are the greatest strongholds of genetic wealth on the planet, and we all know the trouble going on in these areas. Countless species of both plants and animals are going extinct everyday because of our encroaching cities, farms, mines and all other forms of “progress”. These issues should always be a reminder to privileged people to live simple lives and walk the Earth with light foot steps. But there is genetic diversity being lost right in our own backyards.

A hundred, or even fifty years ago it was common for not only  farmers, but also city dwellers to grow at least a portion of their own food. Back then the only seeds people had to sow were the ones that had been passed down from generation to generation. When immigrants traveled to new shores they may not have been able to bring their old countries with them, but they could smuggle their countries’ seeds in their boots and socks. People traded back and forth their favorite tomato, squash, bean, and pepper seeds. They traded gardening knowledge and taught each other recipes from their own homelands.

From top clockwise: Hidatsa Sheild Figure, French Climbing, Sultans Golden Cresent, and Cranberry. All Heirloom Beans.

Heirloom varieties tend to show very hardy traits. Many are drought tolerant and resist pests better than hybrids. Some heirlooms show a resistance to disease, and grown year after year, heirlooms will start to adapt to your garden’s micro climate. Another name for heirloom seeds is “open pollinated”, and all that means is that you are able to save seeds from those varieties and they will be true to type. Now be careful, if you are growing more than one type of squash or melon or cucumber, they can cross-pollinate and you will end up with a hybrid. The book Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth can show you ways of avoiding this problem with all sorts of vegetables.

Strawberry Popcorn, a fun Heirloom Popcorn for Kids to Grow!

As you plan a garden this year, keep heirloom seeds in mind. Seed Savers and Baker’s Creek both offer an extensive selection of open pollinated, heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Plant a garden, save the seeds, and boycott Monsanto!

Peak Oil and Urban Homesteading

Here is the Future

I first remember hearing about Peak Oil about five years ago. I had been in my house for a year and a half, we were expecting our first child and still had a lot to learn about life. I was at a coffee shop with friends and strangers alike talking about environmental issues and how the planet is being affected by all the problems afflicting it. This is the first time I had ever heard the term Peak Oil. At first I kind of laughed it off, but in the following days and weeks, myself and a close friend kept talking about Peak Oil. At the next meeting of this same group of people, a woman brought in an essay entitled “The Slow Crash”, written by a guy with a funny name, Ran Prier. I had never read anything quite like it and now I was intrigued. From that one essay, the last five years of my life has been a crash course on gardening, carpentry and construction skills, food preservation, and all things related to survival and old time homesteading.

A quick note on what Peak Oil is and isn’t. First off, Peak Oil is not the end of the world or the apocalypse, but rather a change in paradigms. Our good Earth is a finite planet, and what we call resources will eventually run out, but not likely in our life times or even our kids life times. But what is happening is that demand is starting to out pace supply. This in turn leads to extreme price fluctuations in oil and other necessities, spot shortages, recessions, and eventually unreliable supplies and infrastructure. For more in depth commentary concerning Peak Oil please check out James Howard Knustler, Ran Prier, The Arch Druid Report, The Oil Drum, Dmitry Orlov, Powering Down….

As the description of this blog states, my family lives in an urban setting. We have lots of neighbors, stifling zoning ordinances and laws, and many hurdles to overcome in a world with a lot less oil. When the major symptoms of Peak Oil start to really show themselves, such as food shortages, unreliable infrastructure or any number of related scenarios become apparent, the cities will not just go away. As James Kunstler says, we need to find a new way of inhabiting our landscapes.

What I like to call Urban Homesteading will become the norm for those of us living in the cities and even the suburbs. We will have to start growing our own food again, and raising our own meat. We will need to relearn skills that haven’t been used since the time of our grandparents or maybe even great grandparents. We will have to rebuild actual community; knowing our neighbors, helping each other with projects and harvests. We will have to celebrate together and mourn together. We all have a lot to relearn, but we also have a lot of teachers to learn from.

In the city of Detroit, there are over 40 square miles of vacant land and lots and has a huge number of urban farming projects. In New York City there are urban farmers bringing produce to market. And in Cuba where they have already gone through their own version of Peak Oil because of the Soviet Collapse, has a thriving urban farming movement. All around the world, even in America there are people who have taken food production back into their own hands.

Peak Oil will definitely change the world, but I like to think there are going to be positives that come out of this change. Food and culture will become more localized, peoples diets will consist of real foods which will lead to better health, and we will get out from behind these computer screens and TVs and start to live again.

More Fruit Trees

Ashmeads Kernel, an old English Heirloom Apple

We just put in our final plant order for the year.  Rain Tree Nursery  in Washington state has been one of our favorites over the past couple of years.  They offer a huge variety of fruits, nuts, flowers, and many other plants.  Much of what they offer will not grow or survive up here in Minnesota, but what they have that will survive has always been of the highest quality.  The main aspect of Rain Tree that I love is that they have so many heirloom varieties.  This year we only purchased two trees from them, partly because we are starting to run out of room for trees, and also we are trying to not spend so much money.  The Ashmead’s Kernel is replacing a previous Ashmead’s Kernel that our dog Harvey chewed in half two years ago.

Harvey, another Tree Killer!

 The other new addition to our urban orchard is this Mount Royal Plum.

 This plum is from European stock, is self-fertile and is suppose to be a very vigorous grower.  It can be eaten fresh, canned, or dried.  I am very excited.  We should be receiving our order in early May.

More on Rabbits and Fruit Trees

Not so Cute, when Eating my Fruit(Trees)!!

After a little research, here is what I’ve come up with.  Tularemia seems to be the disease most talked about related to wild rabbits.  Transmission of the disease to humans occurs in several ways; cleaning the animal with bare hands, eating uncooked or under cooked meat, or by being bitten by a tick or deer fly.  There are definitly other diseases associated with rabbits, and one that I was surprised to see on this list was the plague, who would of thought!  I think the question of eating a wild rabbit comes down to personal preference, what kind of homework and research you’ve done, how healthy that rabbits lifestyle and diet was and finally, how hungry you are.  As of right now I am still mad about  my fruit trees being eaten and something has to be done to protect the trees.  I think I will follow Bill’s idea of a tree fortress and save eating wild rabbit until times get really tough.

Let’s Stay Warm

Staying warm for almost free!

I think I’m starting to get cabin fever; I really want to write about green and growing things,but I look out my window and it is white with dirty spots of brown and gray.  So here is something to warm us up.  I thought I’d write about our wood burning stove.  I put  this in our house about four years ago and to this day it is one of the best projects I’ve done.  It paid for itself within the first year and a half.  The stove itself was about $300, and the hardware for it ( black stove-pipe, double walled stainless steel stove-pipe for the exterior of the house, and the fireplace screen) was about another $300.  Most of the tile, grout, and mortar we got off Craigslist for barter.  All of the lumber used for the stove inset/stand was salvaged.  So this whole project cost just under $700.  As far as the wood we use to heat with, it comes from all over.  We have purchased wood twice from a local nursery for about $315 for a full cord.   I sometimes can get wood from the local compost for free, and I scavenge as much as I can.  Having a wood stove in Minnesota sure makes the winters more pleasant, and the heating bills a lot less stressful.  There is a lot of work involved, but it gets you outside in the winter and heats you twice from all the splitting that has to be done.

The Rabbits must Die!!

I am not a vegetarian, but I do respect animals and their right to live a full happy life.  But if you are a rabbit and have decided to eat my apple trees ( and a cherry tree), then it’s war.  I am not sure exactly what I’m going to do about this situation, but right now an air rifle or a bunch of snares are starting to sound good.  Don’t get me wrong, if I was successfull at taking out a few of these neighborhood rabbits the meat would not be wasted; they would be enjoyed in every culinary way possible.  I realize it is winter in Minnesota so these critters are hungry and fruit trees must taste good right now, but if any one has suggestions on how to deal with this situation, please let me know.

A HoneyCrisp being decimated by their Shock and Awe Campaign!

You can see the lateral branches being chomped on.

Here is a close up.

Headed For the Landfill

2×4’s and more!!

Here are a few pictures of salvaged lumber collected in the last two months.  Some of it came from where I work, and some got pulled out of a dumpster at a dentist office that was being remodeled.  The majority of the lumber is 2×4’s that are about four feet long, plus a few odds and ends that are much longer and/or shorter.  I also scored a bunch of half inch by six inch boards that will be used for a wood paneled wall in my basement.  I feel really fortunate to have rescued this much usable lumber in such a short time, but it breaks my heart knowing that forests are cut down just to end up in a dumpster.  Keep your eyes open and maybe you can help rescue perfectly usable lumber that would otherwise be trashed.  

2x4's and a window!

Lumber that still needs to be unloaded!

Seeds for the New Season

It’s not quite spring!

All of our seed orders are in.  Seed Savers Exchange, Baker’s Creek, and Territorial Seeds.  We plan on doing a lot of the same variety’s we’ve done before, but we always try something new.  For me gardens always seem like an old slate but with fresh chalk.  New seeds, new ideas and plans, but the same borders and rocks.  But over the years, those borders and rocks start to migrate; sometimes physically, sometimes mentally.  Sometimes you think that plants aren’t enough…Sometimes you think something more is needed…Sometimes you think chickens!  I suppose that this post is just a prelude of what’s to come.  Gardens, chickens, rabbits, who knows.  Aquaponics and green houses, winter gardening, mushroom hunting and home remodeling with scavenged materials.  It is winter in Minnesota, so for me it is a time for dreaming and planning.  Right now I am dreaming a lot and working on my basement;  but once spring gets here it will be time to get our hands dirty and reconnect with the outdoors on a regular basis.

Welcome to Autonomy Acres

Kids eatin’ watermelon down by the river

Welcome to Autonomy Acres.  Just like everything in our lives, this is a great experiment.  It is hard for a Luddite to embrace the internet, much less a blog,  but I feel more good than harm can come from this.  We don’t need anymore experts in our lives, just real life accounts and stories and trials and errors.  This blog is about providing more confidence and energy in projects we can do ourselves, lives we can live on our own, and dreams we can make real.  Join us on this adventure and we can all learn something.