Wild Fermentation

I've long been taken by Sandor Katz's book Wild Fermentation but next weekend he's in Wellington in the New Zelaand festival. The tickets to the big night event are $100 including food and drinks but the next day 9:15am they are only $18. I've got to find a way. Dont know how yet, but got to. here's a link and look him up At the moment I have at least 6 live ferments going and that doesnt even include my compost. So I've got Kombucha, Kefir, Caspian Sea Yoghurt, red wine vinegar, wine, sauerkraut, oh and rewana, but I havent done that for a while so it's sitting in the freezer.

Preserve Swap and plan for more swaps

Kia ora Whanau, Well, I've given myself the mish to write a blog a week, and/ or get you guys to help me write them. First up the preserve swap on Feb 15th was a huge success, and on advise to put it out there, rather than just friends, I've put it up on OOOBY. Please check out and feel free to tell your people IF you're in Palmerston North or can get here for the swaps. If this link doesnt work, go to Oooby (Out of our back yard) and go to groups and go to Permaculture Palmerston North Swaps. f you're interested in being part of our swaps, get yourself on the text lists. At the start of the month you get a text to see are you in or not, totally optional, sweet as. You may also want to help with the organising of these swaps- doesn't take much, but means we can have more & different swaps. All swaps encourage sharing, getting in sync with the seasons, the garden, supporting the non-money economy, recycling, intergenerational transmission of knowledge and of course eating well! These swaps are for people in Palmerston North or who can get to Palmerston North for the swap time. Chutney/ Jam swap- next one is 5-6pm 15th March, text me, Donna, 0220687280 if you want to be added to the list, we have a core group & welcome new people with yummy recipes! Bring along labelled 4 jars of preserves, (or multiples of 4) and you get back 4 different ones. My personal fav from the Feb swap so far is the Mushroom pickle. We have a few a year, mainly in the peak of the season, to fill up the cupboards. Ferment swap- for the culture. Bring your 4 x culture and copy of instructions to keep it alive. e.g.Caspian Sea Yoghurt, Mother of Vinegar, Kombucha, Kefir, Rewana, Kimchi, Ginger Beer, Sauer kraut..you get the gist. That'll be April/ May. We have small containers if you need them. There's talk of a wine swap, :o but we haven't got on to that yet. Matariki Seed swap to get ready for spring. Save your locally grown seeds, when we've set the date, time and venue we'll keep you posted. It'll be around June/ July.

Potato variety swap- bring along 4 (or multiples of 4) named seed potatoes- about the size of a big egg, you get 4 different ones back. Save your seed spuds in preparation. Swap around August. Seedling Swap Around mid November. You know when you get 600 lettuce seeds and there's no way you're gonna eat 600 in a season or even two seasons...well bring them along in 4 punnets, and get 4 different punnets back. Or for the bigger seeds, like kamokamo, just two seedlings. Cuttings swap- date not set yet 1. Perennial edible, eg, rhubarb, berry canes, asparagus, jerusalem artichokes, rosemary, passionfruit plants, tamarillo, loquat... 2. Perennial- other uses, eg flowers, or useful permaculture plants like lavender, bamboo, flax, companion plants, Text me 0220687280 Donna indicating which swaps you're keen to be in.

Harvest Festival pics

Te Tinakutanga- Germination

Photos & text by Donna Takitimu.
Glossary:

Tinaku- germinate
Kikiri- embryo
pataka rua- dicotyledon
pataka moke- monocotyledon
Pihi pakiaka- root
pihi wana- shoot

Eco Maori post

Check out this link to the EcoMaori blog, about Biodiversity personified.

EcoMaori

Is Science in Art Technology as practised by Maori artists?

A friend's Dad, an artist I resepct very much asked me if Science is in art technology as practised by Maori, on Facebook, here's my answer;

 

Te Manawa Science Koia ra! Nga mihi ki to patai, Its how you look at it. I think the very word "science" was used & sometimes still is, loaded with academic snobbery. I could just say yes to your question, but Im picking you're trying to spark a bit of thought . The title on my job is "Science Communicator", which is why I just started up this page for work. I get to try & find the words or pictures or interactives or video footage etc for exhibitions to make concepts that mightve used big words to exclude some people & try my best to make them accessible to anyone, in English & Te Reo Maori. I reject the superiority stuff, I like a challenge & a bit of debate. Thats one thing I like about science, you have to question stuff, cant just accept what Im told, Ive gotta see it, try it, & prove it. I want to marvel in the sheer brilliance of the thinking behind stuff & interact with it, have a tutu, acheive mastery & see what we can do with it. But yes, I think weve got a way to go to get acknowledgement that our history in this country is of two peoples meeting as equals, in culture, language, technology, science, art etc....engari me whakapono au, ahakoa te mokemoke mo te hunga Maori, putaiao, reo maori, i tenei wa. He ao ano apopo. Me ngana au te whakatuwhera tenei taha mo nga whakatipuranga e tu mai nei. I look forward to discussions there in maybe a generation or two- in either language, to take our understandings higher. Your comment makes a good wananga Naku noa Donna

19 July at 00:54 via mobile · 1

Be happy when it rains….

Some people watch the weather and when there’s a forecast for sun tomorrow they think “oh goodie… I’m going to be happy” or “oh no, it’s rain… I’m not going to be happy, I’m going to be sad”. In fact, I’m stoked it was raining today. I just came back from a cuppa coffee, walk by myself around my back garden. It’s a contemplative time, the ol’ daily cuppa in the garden time. Today I didn’t whip out a couple of weeds, I didn’t even sit down the seats are wet. I thought about how easy it’s going to be to weed tomorrow, I’ll get so much more done then if I had weeded yesterday. Also how there’s no need for me to do any watering. This morning I looked at my half wine barrel planters and thought about filling two of them up with seedlings now that a couple are over being productive or pretty. One though is a show stealer in full bloom, casting delightful colour across my dewy garden. I thought about how the lawns could do with a mow… but I didn’t feel guilty cause I can’t really do it now… it’s rainy after all!

I’ve checked on the seedlings, given out a few squirts from the mister bottle, noticed a few have popped up and I feel cheerful. I don’t’ let the telly weather guy tell me if I’m going to be happy or sad, or listen when he apologises, “not a good day from Palmerston North down to Wellington, I’m afraid you got showers on and off all day building into horrible heavy rain in the afternoon”. I just look for the amazing, the cool, the beautiful and its there, showing its vitality, strength and vivacious life.

Water is so precious. We don’t currently get billed for it where I live, but here is national and international debate about ownership of water. I know there are times in the peak of summer when the councils put water restrictions on watering the garden, on washing the car and other “frivolous” water-wasting activities. It makes me seriously think about putting in slim line water tanks. One down the South West corner of my house so that I can always water the front garden and one down the back of the garage so I can always water the back garden, when the plants need it. I have no idea how to divert the water from the spouting into a tank… so I guess I have to pay someone who knows. The tanks wouldn’t be cheap, maybe a grand all up each would be my guess. Is it THAT precious that I would spend that much money to secure it? I bet the families in Christchurch who lined up for water day after day and had to pay inflated prices in the shops thought it was. Mmm I think I might look into that, but right now I’m off to brush my car… might as well get a free clean while it’s wet!