Berkey Water Filters

The Berkey family of filters.

http://sunshineworks.com/images/berkey/berkey-family-500.jpg

I thought I would do a quick post describing our water filter system. We use the Berkey Water filter. I think it is fantastic. It is basically a can on top of another. Water is poured into the top, and filters in the top can allow the water to pass to the storage can below. There is a simple lever "faucet" on the storage can to pour the water out - like on a typical office water cooler.

There is a bit high up front cost, but then that is it for a long, long time. The cleaner the water that is placed in the top, the loger the filters last. When the filters start to clog up, they can be cleaned with a regular Scotch pad (like the back of a regular kitchen sponge). Some of the filter material is worn away, but then the filter is like new again. Eventually the filter is worn down to the point it cannot go any futher, and at this point the filter is changed. As the filters nears the end of its life, it does not become less effective either.

We have used our filter every day for about two years, and it is showing no sign of slowing down yet... with no cleaning or scrubbing of the filters at all. It is estimated that the average person will eventually spend only 2 cents per gallon of filtered water using this system in the U.S.

The Berkey Systems are literally used around the world by many mission, humanitarian, and relief organizations as the sole water filter system. Eventually larger, more permanent water filter systems are established (like for whole communities), but often the Berkey is it.

The water is filtered free of bacteria, viruses, and heavy metals. And the water tastes really good.

I make no money and have/will get nothing for my endorsement of this product. I just thought I would share what I think is the best water filter system around today.
Here is a really cheesy promotional video I found on the Berkey Filters, but it does a pretty good job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8FBBw-UQxY

Boys Meet Grasshopper

Isaac trying to figure out this grasshopper.

Over the weekend, the boys and I were in the backyard. I was cleaning up the garden beds a bit, and I came across a rather large grasshopper. They boys have seen little green grasshoppers and crickets before, but never one of this magnitude nor one with such a non-flighty demeanor. They held the grasshopper and just marveled at it. I love the fact that they have no fear. They haven't been taught by squeemish adults that you must be afraid of bugs or dirt or pretty much anything in nature. They are still in awe of the natural world and curious about it and want to touch it and pick it up. I hope they never lose that innocence and wonder.

Elijah wondering why the grasshopper has "spikeys on hims legs".

Permaculture Plants: Ostrich Fern

The Ostrich Fern is more than just an ornamental.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Matteuccia_struthiopteris.jpg

Common Name: Ostrich Fern

Other Names: Fiddlehead Fern
Scientific Name: Matteuccia struthiopteris or pensylvanica

Family: Dryopteridaceae (the "Wood Fern" family)

The edible shoots of the Ostrich Fern are named Fiddleheads.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lg0zoehi641qatfyx.jpg

Description:

Ostrich Ferns are fairly well known ornamental plants throughout much of the U.S.; however, the small tightly wound shoots, known as fiddleheads, that pop up for a very short time each Spring are regional delicacies. These fiddleheads have a taste somewhere between a nutty asparagus and brocolli. They thrive in shade and moist soils where many other plants fail to grow at all, or if they do they fail to produce an edible crop. Its ability to act as a groundcover in the dark, wet corners of a property make it an excellent addition to Forest Garden.

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Illustration from Scandinavian Ferns by Benjamin Øllgaard and Kirsten Tind, Rhodos, 1993

http://hardyfernlibrary.com/ferns/tind%5Cmatteuccia.jpg

History:

Appears to be native to northern temperate climates in North America, Europe, and Asia. While there are a few small commercial producers of Ostrich Ferns, they are almost all for the production of ornamental plants... not food.

Sauteed fiddleheads ready to eat!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SHLjlZiBUSY/SiR886wp7KI/AAAAAAAABVY/mFoNAaSmzIo/s1600/Fiddlehead+Ferns+close+up.jpg

Trivia:

• The scientific name Struthiopteris comes from the Latin (struthio = ostrich) and the Greek (pteris = wing).
• Shoots of the Ostrich Fern resemble the head of a fiddle... hence the name Fiddlehead Fern.
• This is a very popular seasonal delicacy in rural New England.
• Many other fern shoots are eaten, but they have varying levels of safety.

Fiddleheads are seasonal delicacies.

http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/kitchen/2008_04_07-Fiddleheads.jpg

USING THIS PLANT

Primary Uses:

• Cooked shoots (a.k.a "Fiddleheads") - steamed, sauteed, boiled
• Dipped in beer batter and fried!
• Pickled 
• Frozen
• Canned

Secondary Uses:

• Ornamental plant
• Shade plant
• Wet soil plant
• Pond edge plant
• Groundcover (plant Ostrich Ferns 2-4 feet apart for groundcover)
• Reports of roots being edible after being peeled and cooked
• Native food source for a few caterpillars of moths and butterflies

Yield: varies on the patch/colony size

Harvesting: Early Spring (it is a short harvest season). Pick when the fiddleheads are tight. They are still edible when taller than a few inches, but they quickly become more tough.

Storage: Up to about a week fresh in a cool place

Fiddleheads about to be pickled.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SHLjlZiBUSY/SiR886wp7KI/AAAAAAAABVY/mFoNAaSmzIo/s1600/Fiddlehead+Ferns+close+up.jpg

DESIGNING WITH THIS PLANT

USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-8

AHS Heat Zone: No reliable information available

Chill Requirement: Unlikely as there is no flowering or fruiting, but no good data

Plant Type: Large Perennial Herbaceous Plant

Leaf Type: Deciduous

Forest Garden Use: Herbaceous Layer, Groundcover Layer

Cultivars/Varieties: No improved varieties

Pollination: Spore producer

Flowering: None. Spore producer

Life Span: Functionally indefinite as this plant will keep spreading through rhizomes

Ostrich Ferns make an amazing, tall groundcover for shaded areas.

http://northwoodalliance.org/pilgrim_river/photos/Ostrich_fern_0027.jpg

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PLANT

Size: 2-6 feet (0.6-1.8 meters) tall and indefinitely wide forming large col

Roots: Running habit based on its rhizomatous roots (underground stems that send out roots and shoots)

Growth Rate: Medium to Fast

Ostrich Ferns can grow at the edges of ponds and streams.

http://www.thegardenerseden.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Fiddleheads-Ostrich-Ferns-%C2%A9-2010-Michaela-at-TGE.jpg

GROWING CONDITIONS FOR THIS PLANT

Light: Part to Full Shade (can tolerate full sun if soil is constantly moist)

Shade: Tolerates Full Shade

Moisture: Medium to Very Wet

pH: strongly acidic to fairly neutral soil (3. - 7.0)

Special Considerations for Growing:

Ostrich Ferns can tolerate wet feet and so they can be planted at the edge of ponds in full sun to full shade. If they do not have consistently wet soil, they will not tolerate full sun.

Propagation: Division (easy). Spores (difficult).

Maintenance: None

Here's a recipe for fried fiddleheads.

This is a vegan recipe... personally, I would replace the tofu with chicken or fish.

http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/2011/06/fiddlehead-fern-tempura-braised-collard.html

Urban Permaculture Institute of the Southeast

http://www.clemson.edu/sustainableag/urban_permacult.html



Clemson University has a Sustainable Agriculture Program. One of the projects under this program is the Urban Permaculture Instititute of the Southeast on a 1/2 acre lot in the middle of the Walterboro, South Carolina. The lead on the project is Shawn Jadrnicek who practices permaculture with chickens, fish, bees, food forestry, vermiculture, insect production, greywater systems, passive solar, mushroom production, rainwater catchment, floating hydroponics, and a partial hydroponic systems.

From their site:
Shawn Jadrnicek started the landscape in 2006 by installing edible perennials that he propagated. He currently has over 50 edible plants growing in a polyculture food forest system. The aquaponics system was created in the spring of 2007 and stocked with tilapia, Gambusia, bass and crayfish. Shawn Jadrnicek is a horticulture agent with Clemson Extension Service. He created the site to give a visual demonstration of permaculture design concepts, provide his friends and family with food, and prepare people for the peak oil crisis.
Here are a few videos giving a tour of their property:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mIYuJePNc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48EkmI0SFDQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oANdNWbQjHY

Plants for Beneficial Insects

Ladybug on Tansy.

http://www.earthtimes.org/newsimage/tansy_herpes_242.jpg

There are a long list of beneficial insects that can aid our gardens and orchards. These insects reduce the number of pests by directly killing and eating the adults, larvae, and/or eggs of these pests. Beneficial insects may also use these pests as hosts for their own eggs and larvae - just picture the movie Alien, and you'll be right on track.

Cornflower (aka Bachelors button) is a stunning flower.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Bachelor's_button,_Basket_flower,_Boutonniere_flower,_Cornflower_-_3.jpg/200px-Bachelor's_button,_Basket_flower,_Boutonniere_flower,_Cornflower_-_3.jpg

While there are a few of these beneficial insects that are completely predatory, the vast majority need food from other sources, namely and chiefly nectar and pollen. The smaller and more numerous the flowers that provide the nectar and pollen are, the more useful the flowers are for the beneficial insects.

Spike Speedwell comes in a variety of colors.

http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-333.jpg

Following is a list of some more common plants that attract and sustain beneficial insects, but keep in mind that this list is not all inclusive. There are many other plants not listed here today. Also, remember Permaculture Principle One: Observe and Interact. Observe what is occuring in your yard and in your area. What plants are covered with Lacewings or Predatory Wasps? Consider growing more of these on your land. Also, keep in mind that many of these plants are beautiful in their own right and also useful in many other ways such as cullinary herbs, edible greens, root vegetables, medicinal plants, etc.

• Basket of Gold
• Buckwheat
• Butterfly weed
• Carpet bugleweed
• Chamomile
• Chervil
• Chives
• Clover
• Cornflower (Bachelors button)
• Cosmos
• Coreopsis
• Cinquefoil
• Coriander
• Dandelion
• Dill
• Fennel
• Four-wing saltbush
• Golden marguerite
• Marigold
• Mustard
• Parsley
• Queen anne's lace
• Scented geraniums
• Spike speedwell
• Sunflowers
• Tansy
• Vetch
• Wild carrot
• Yarrow

Basket of Gold, a perennial alyssum, is a beautiful attractor of beneficial insects.

http://0.tqn.com/d/landscaping/1/0/S/T/yellow_alyssum_large.jpg

 

 

Fractal Patterns in Nature

Romanesco Broccoli/Cauliflower may be my favorite example of fractal design.

http://www.oddee.com/_media/imgs/articles/a302_f11.jpg

Many design patterns in nature, previously described as "chaos" or "chaotic" are now understood to have design, sometimes very subtle yet strict mathematical design, known as fractals. Fractals are found all over nature, and you likely see them every single day without knowing it.

By strict definition (per Wikipedia) a fractal is:
"...a mathematical set that has a fractal dimension that usually exceeds its topological dimension and may fall between the integers. Fractals are typically self-similar patterns, where self-similar means they are "the same from near as from far". Fractals may be exactly the same at every scale, or they may be nearly the same at different scales. The definition of fractal goes beyond self-similarity per se to exclude trivial self-similarity and include the idea of a detailed pattern repeating itself."

Yeah, that's a mouthful!

To me, I know a fractal when I see it represented visually. Here is a classic image of a fractal called a Mandlebrot Set:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mandel_zoom_00_mandelbrot_set.jpg

I am very interested in the forms of patterns in nature. Permaculture is about modeling nature, and fractals are one pattern found in many forms all over the natural world. Maybe these would be design motifs for a garden, an orchard, a wall, hedgerow, irrigation system, paddock system, or... who knows. But they are beautiful.

Lightning is a common fractal pattern.

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/17000000/Stock-Lightning-stock-17004506-1280-800.jpg

River mouths and networks are fractals (Ganges River, India)

http://assets.flavorwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/rivers_3a.jpg

Yes, even clouds are patterned... fractals.

http://www.miqel.com/images_1/fractal_math_patterns/natural-patterns/math_fractal_clouds.jpg

Mountains in Tibet.

http://www.tibetsun.com/images/features/2009/11/glacier-capped-mountains-in-tibet-seen-from-space-pg.jpg

Fractal leaf design.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6880289980_af301ee777_z.jpg

Grand Prismatic hydrothermal spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA.

http://mms.nps.gov/yell/ofvec/exhibits/treasures/images/grand_prismatic.jpg

Cut red cabbage showing a fractal design.

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/pix/wp2/29cabbage.jpg

Fractal pattern found in Agate, a type of stone.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5208/5254891704_babefcd202_z.jpg

Yes, even Slime Mold follows fractal pattern design!

http://img.fotocommunity.com/Plants-Fungi-Lichens/Fungi-Lichens/The-Fungi-world-51-Dog-vomit-slime-mold-a18979483.jpg

Permaculture Plants: Saskatoon

The Saskatoon is very similar to the Blueberry.

http://www.about-garden.com/images_data/2764-amelanchier-alnifolia-1.jpg

Common Name: Saskatoon
Other Names: Saskatoon Serviceberry, Pacific Serviceberry, Alder-Leaved Serviceberry/Shadbush, Western Juneberry, Pigeon Berry

Scientific Name: Amelanchier alnifolia

Family: Rosacaea

Saskatoons ready to eat!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UzkZM0jPWuo/TqiSgUBknaI/AAAAAAAAAEE/SzDOU2KDbBQ/s1600/P1080896+Amalanchier+Glacier+NP.JPG

Description:

This medium to very large shrub produces fruit that to many are interchangeable with blueberries. Some think they have a more almond flavor others a hint of apple. I think they just taste like blueberries.

Amelanchier alnifolia

http://www.pfaf.org/UserFilesCms/AmelanchierAlnifolia.jpg

History:

Native to northwestern and north central North America.
Has been gaining popularity over the last decade or so with commercial growers in the north.

Trivia:

Can grow from seal level to over 11,000 feet (3,400 meters).
The city, Saskatoon (in Saskatchewan, Canada) is named after the berry.

Saskatoon pie!

http://thumbs.ifood.tv/files/images/food/saskatoon-pie-01.jpg

Or for a healther recipe, just switch Saskatoons for Blueberries...

Filet Mignon with Blueberry-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

USING THIS PLANT

Primary Uses:

• Fresh eating.
• Cooked.
• Baked in desserts (pies, tarts, etc.)
• Preserves, jams, jelly.
• Dried.
• Main ingredient or flavor component in wine, beer, and cider.
• Can be used to make pemmican (a Native American preserved food of meat and fruit)

Secondary Uses:

• General insect (especially bees) nectar plant.
• Summer food for wildlife (especially birds).
• Hedges.
• Windbreaks.
• Very tough wood, but small - good for tool handles.
• Has been used to make rope and baskets.
• Ornamental.
• Leaves have been used as a tea substitute, although this genus of plants is known to contain a precursor to cyanide in the leaves. It is very likely that heat destroys this toxin, but caution is advised.
• History of many medicinal uses by Native Americans.

Yield: about 10 lbs (4.5 kg) per plant

Harvesting: Summer (June-July)

Storage: Fresh berries can be stored in a cool dry place for just over a week

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3371/3182962549_5378a3cf6b_z.jpg

http://www.wildflower.org/image_archive/640x480/PCD3612/PCD3612_IMG0030.JPG

http://ecologyadventure2.edublogs.org/files/2011/04/Amelanchier_alnifolia050805_11-txci58.jpg

The flowers of the Saskatoon are individually and collectively beautiful.

DESIGNING WITH THIS PLANT

USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-7 (depending on the variety)

AHS Heat Zone: No reliable information available

Chill Requirement: There is a strong likelihood, but no reliable information can be found

Plant Type: Medium to Very Large Shrub

Leaf Type: Deciduous

Forest Garden Use: Shrub Layer 

Cultivars/Varieties: Many varieties available.

Pollination: Self-Pollinating/Self-Fertile

Flowering: Spring. April-June

Life Span:

Years to Begin Bearing: 2-5 years

Years to Maximum Bearing: 12-15 years

Years of Useful Life: 30-50

Autumn colors make Saskatoon an ornamental plant as well.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3153/2297660860_d787efb26c_z.jpg

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PLANT

Size: 6-15 feet (2-4.5 meters) tall and 6-10 feet (2-3 meters) wide

Roots: Spreading and suckering system of roots.

Growth Rate: Medium

http://www.pfaf.org/UserFilesCms/AmelanchierAlnifolia.jpg

GROWING CONDITIONS FOR THIS PLANT

Light: Prefers full sun

Shade: Tolerates light shade (about 50%)

Moisture: Medium

pH: tolerates a wide range (5.1-8.5)

Special Considerations for Growing: Sunshine is needed for fruit to ripen, so plan and plant accordingly.

http://seedsofsuccess.smugmug.com/Other/Student-Conservation/pic-6/279456925_33yjQ-L-1.jpg

Propagation:  By seed (needs 5-18 months cold stratification). Seed produce plants true to type (i.e. almost identical to parent plants). Layering (can take 18 months). Division of at least two year old suckers (in late Winter).

Maintenance: Minimal once established.  Birds love to eat the fruit, so consider netting.

Concerns: Poisonous – Leaves contain a precursor to cyanide (large amounts can cause death).