theecologistcowboy

Workshops

Acorn Processing WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT Join us March 8th from 2 – 4 pm at Crows End Retreat Center! Email us to register: In the subject line put “Acorn Workshop Registration” and let us know you are coming! Do you also see a sustainable revolution and a return to the most natural; what is all aroundContinue reading “Workshops”

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is an Asian fruit tree in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). I commonly incorporate jujube trees into my orchards in arid, semi-arid, and temperate orchards in California! Another great candidate for Californian and Mediterranean agroforestry! Jujubes can grow as a small tree or shrublike. The branches have thorns,Continue reading “Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)”

Chestnuts (Castanea spp.)

And mimicking that climate, I am just reminiscing about being in an enormous CHESTNUT TREE (!) last November in Skyline Chestnuts. IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. History Although the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) is listed as critically endangered (CR) after a near extinction from the blight in the early 1900s, many countries around the world cherish chestnutsContinue reading “Chestnuts (Castanea spp.)”

Conifer Needles of Pines, Firs, etc.

Jump tp recipe: Pickled Fir Tips, Fir-Infused Syrup, Fir Needle Tea Conifers (or Gymnosperms), one of the two major tree groups, are non-flowering and cone-bearing trees (Angiosperms are flowering plants, composing all other trees). Conifers include the tallest (Coastal Redwood – Sequoia sempervirens), largest by volume (Giant Sequoia – Sequoiadendron giganteum), and oldest non-clonal (BristleconeContinue reading “Conifer Needles of Pines, Firs, etc.”

Sorbus, Service Tree (Sorbus domestica)

The Service, or Sorbus, Tree (Sorbus domestica), another underutilized LEGEND. I made friends with one of the gurus, Ben Kunesh, pushing Sorbus domestica (Service Tree) into the world, while working at Burnt Ridge. He is as passionate as I am about Quercus rotundifolia, yet actively growing out trees if you are “seeking Sorbus“! As PROLIFICContinue reading “Sorbus, Service Tree (Sorbus domestica)”

What is food “sustainability”?

The direct answer is the ability to endure over time (“durabilité” in French). How do we endure with finite resources on this planet? How do we preserve or regenerate our most limited or precious resources (e.g., water in California)? How can we plan and act for the 7th generation? How can we learn from Native PeopleContinue reading “What is food “sustainability”?”

“Sweet” Acorn Oaks

Ballota Holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia) from Spain and Portugal Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) from the Midwest of the US Mexican Blue oak (Quercus oblongifolia) from Arizona and Mexico Emory oak (Quercus emoryi) from Arizona, US Other varieties where some “sweet” acorn-bearing oaks have been found. From California: Valley oak (Q. lobata); from the Southwest USContinue reading ““Sweet” Acorn Oaks”

NOTES: Land Management and Farming with the Seasons

Fall Earth moving and swale building Cover crop sowing Breeding livestock Collecting, ordering, and seeding nuts Harvesting: nuts – acorns, walnuts and chestnuts! Winter Bare root tree and rootstock orders Winter greens: Brassicaceae Asian greens Lettuce Mulching Pruning Cuttings for plant propagation Saving scion budwood Grafting pruned scions to rootstocks Seed starting: summer crop seedingContinue reading “NOTES: Land Management and Farming with the Seasons”

Prickly Pear (Opuntia)

This is my favorite fruit. You probably have it in your neighborhood if you live in California or in a Mediterranean climate – yet it is extremely versatile and grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 to 10. Known commonly to Native Americans and Mexicans, this delicious cactus fruit must be handled properly to avoid theContinue reading “Prickly Pear (Opuntia)”

Eating Acorns: Balanophagy

Jump to recipe: Acorn Bread, Acorn Cookies If you choose to alter your diet for the environment, eating acorns (especially in Mediterranean and temperate climates) is one of the best things that you can do. As the most abundant and climate adapted for drought, wildfires, and low-quality soils, oak trees provide much-needed habitat and produceContinue reading “Eating Acorns: Balanophagy”