International Rewilding Discussion Forum

I know this is maybe a touchy subject with some people. I myself grew up Catholic, which I think damaged me in a lot of ways. When I went to college, religion was the only thing I was ever a part of, so I tried to stick with it, but soon my views changed as my "eyes were open" more to the world around me (I grew up in a very small town, and went to college in the city). I stopped going to church. Even though I didn't go to church or support the catholic (or christian) religion anymore in my personal life, I still believed that something exists like the force that religion has for people. My family remained stuck in their ways, and most of my family members still go to church, my mom even working for one. My mom was so upset that I stopped going to church that she tried to force me to go when I would return home for the weekends. It got so bad that I told her, "If you try to make me go to church, then I just won't come home." This changed her mind a little, and she gave in and did not try to force me to go anymore, but still made it known that she was not happy with my decision. Anyway, I try to stay as far aways from christianity as possible now.

So what I want to discuss here is the thought of Rewilding vs. Repenting. I really want to hear everyone else's thoughts and develop mine some more, so I am just going to leave this open for y'all... Basically what I think is that the "repenters/religious" are going to hold on as long as they can, but I think more and more people will realize that it's pointless... and they are going to feel lost! I think religion is just a figment of our imagination, and another way to separate humans from the rest of the animals, and coming back to Ohio I got a reminder of how strong it is here (They just opened a "CREATION" museum not too long ago!!!!! To give an alternative to the Natural History Museum, which people thought was not good for their children to go to). It reminds me of how it is taught that god created everything else, and then, on the 7th day, he created man, and then rested, because creation was over, there was nothing worth creating after man, the "ultimate" creation (ok so I really didn't think about it like that until I read Ishmael, but it makes so much sense, and seems even more rediculous!).

So, I would love to hear your thoughts, because I feel like I have lost so much of my life to being catholic, and believing in something that deep down I knew didn't exist... and I can't help but feeling angry and aggitated when I am reminded of the strong religious sentiment here where I grew up...

An, I think basically it just comes back to us humans not taking responsibility for the actions we collectivelly take in destroying ourselves and the world around us. We think we can be saved by "god" just like we were saved by our parents when we were young and had no responsibility.

has anyone ever participatied in Guerrilla Gardening or Midnight Gardening? I have wanted to get people together to do this sort of thing, and perhaps I will actually have a chance to do it this coming spring/summer. Seedballs would be an excellent way to do this, without being noticed, but I also want to transplant native plants/flowers/herbs for an more immediate change. I think it would be a really great thing to do in Cincinnati, as there are a lot of lots that are abandoned which would b e perfect for this sort of thing...

Would love to hear any experiences!

-emily

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_gardening

has anyone done this fast? I did it once and it worked good and was fairly easy. Am thinking about doing it again before Thanksgiving, or after... can't decide. Would love to hear other's experiences with it! Personally I could not stand the salt water cleanse (tastes terrible, makes my stomach upset, until it passes through), but it worked great, so I did it every morning. I didn't feel like I was hungry at all when I drank the lemon/maple syrup/cayenne pepper tea, but I had cravings for food that I would never normally eat (at least the TV commercials for the food looked SO Yummy! I don't watch TV anymore, so this probably would not be an issue this time around). Also, I could not stay away from cookbook, and read them with such addiction that I had a whole month's worth of recipes that I wanted to make when I was off the fast (never made them afterwards)... The one thing that I did learn was that food and drink is an integral part of our society, I found it very hard to go out with friends because everything about "going out" included eating or drinking!!

Also, I noticed that my energy was up and I still biked to work, and did yoga every day... I mainly want to do it again to kind of "reset" my body and then I want to start eating paleo again... and maybe finally get this hypothyroid thing under control!

-emily

Has anyone ever grown greens from the tops of carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, etc? I have had a lot of success with this, and you can also use it to harvest the seeds, if you are buying/growing organic produce. Let me explain:

When buying your produce from the grocery store, always try to buy root vegetables that still have the greens on them, or at least, still have the tops on them. Cut the greens off to use in salads, smoothies, etc. and then cut the top 1/2 - 1 inch of the root vegetable off, and put it in dirt, and water! Soon, you will have new greens growing from the tops of the vegetables! You can use this method to harvest the greens, or let them grow and go to seed to harvest the seeds. I have not tested this out for a second season to see if the seeds produce good crops (if you grow the veggies yourself, I bet there's a better chance of getting a good harvest), but it is something I plan on experimenting with. This would also be a good way to cut down on waste (although the waste is good for the compost too). The greens of veggies are very healthy (especially beet greens!) and are often overlooked and thrown out with the compost, but don't forget the vitamins and minerals that are packed in them! Some greens are thought to be toxic, but it's only in very large amounts, so it's safe and healthy if you eat a variety, as with a lot of foods.

This is just a fun thing to do with the tops of carrots and beets and such. It would be a good activity for kids too!

-emily

more info:

Secondary edible parts of common garden vegetables-
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/newsletters/vpmnews/apr02/art4apr.html

Grow a carrot top-
http://www.weekendgardener.net/2007/09/grow-carrot-top.htm
(the above method should work for most root vegtables)

Green Smoothies-
http://www.emaxhealth.com/14/1182.html
(notice how they give a recipe with forageables and call them "weeds"!! haha)

Have fun!

This is a great video on how to make a wooden spoon with an axe. I just came across these videos on You Tube, anyone else seen them? They seem informative to me, but I am also new at all this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFpZJ2ICR5M

-emily

I have been interested in the history of "agriculture" for some time now (mainly because I LOVE gardening and growing plants), which goes hand in hand with the history of civilization... I think that's it's really important to know a little bit about this history to be able to understand where and how it went wrong and how it can be reworked into a sustainable source of food and included, but not depended upon, in rewilding.

The home garden used to be a commonplace, even neccessary aspect of each household. In those times, the plants were the original "heirlooms" of today, or non-hybrid, GMO, etc., and were often adapted to the certain local climate after years and years of growing in the area, people having saved seeds and replanted year after year until a distinct strain was developed naturally. Even native peoples cultivated the land to some extent, although in those cases, it was probably less of an enclosed space, and more likely spread out through the forest, in the plants' natural setting. Kind of like, if you find a wild patch of edibles in the forest and year after year you go back to the same spot to maintain and care for the plants to ensure a good harvest, even collecting seeds and spreading them around...

I have known about the term "permaculture" for a long time, but until recently, never truly understood the full concept of how I might make it work with my gardening interests. I have also stumbled upon the edible foraging garden idea recently, and think that this fits in nicely with my gardening interests. Mainly I want to include a lot of native edible plants in my garden, ones that are perrenial (come back every year on their own), or at least selfseeding (shedding seeds which then sprout the next season). A lot of these do include what many people think of as weeds! These plants are not only beneficial to us as a food, but also to the soil, other animals, and other plants. But I also want to include other plants that are not perrenial, lilke most vegetables we know today. Even in those cases, though, in some climates, these plants can grow year after year from seeds that sprout up after falling to the ground the previous season. We like to call them "Volunteers" and while they may not have the characteristics of the original plants (they are the first step to rewilding domesticated vegetables!), many having been cross-pollinated with other similar plants, they will often be just as tasty or useful (one example of volunteers that do not taste anything like the original plants are melons- which I heard taste terrible once cross-pollinated). It will be an experiment I want to keep track of nonetheless.

Wild plants have a considerable knack for surving and spreading their seeds. One can learn a lot just by observing this. Wether it's wind, birds, insects, water, these plants are highly adaptable to many different conditions. When I lived in Portland, I witnessed an empty lot that was covered in "weeds" be sprayed with who knows what poison in order to kill everything (this was also a few doors down from the Boise Elliott Community Garden!!). A few rainfalls later, there was a new sea of green, mainly clover,and I am sure other edibles, that I would not dare to eat now that the soil had been poisoned. But they still came back! This just proves that these plants are very hard to eradicate (and that can be so dangerous with certain invasive, non-natives).

Anyway, back on track. So in my garden I want to focus a lot on native edibles that can be foraged year after year. This will also help me to identify them in the wild as I will be able to study them more closely. I will also include heirloom vegetables that are commonly referred to as annuals (one growing season) but I will note which ones come back as volunteers the next year, the first step in returning to the wild (this too had a lot to do with the certain heirloom variety- if it is an heirloom from your region, all the more chance of it coming back, as it was developed in that climate). I will encourage those individuals to come back year after year by not tilling the ground (which disrupts the soil structure, and many beneficial organisms), and by not mulching too deeply on top of the fallen seeds (mulch not only helps improve the soil but also adds a layer of insulation, like tree leaves and other debris collecting on the ground, and can extend the growing season for some root vegetables).

Is there anyone else that has been planning these types of garden experiments? If so I would love to discuss thoughts here! All I know is that the love of gardening came from somewhere deep inside us and for me, I just can't stop thinking about it! My plans for the fall/winter are to familiarize myself with local native wild edibles which I can include in my garden as well as find in the wild, and plan my garden around these... it's a great winter project!

-emily