Day 10 of the PDC and the final and main design exercise begins today.  Sweltering heat and feverish plans...

DAY 9  

“Don’t forget the one and only (No) Talent Show”. Richard reminds the students that they are expected to share some type of skit or performance this coming Friday evening as part of our final night celebrations. These are always a treat and as Richard explains, also a way of demonstrating community. “The idea is how do we entertain ourselves here in the middle of a field without having to go and buy stuff or go to events, we just make an event.”

“C’mon let’s play a game”. One of the best ways to incite spontaneous reaction and get the blood flowing in the morning is to surprise people and this is one of the best games I know of getting some very, very strange sounds out of people. The Super Hero game begins. Basically there are three super hero powers that come with specific actions or moves and an accompanying sound, which is not so important and usually ends up being invented the split second before the action anyway. 

DAY 7

I fair run to class after breakfast because today is soils day, this is one of my favourites. Richard points out the absolute importance of understanding soils when considering patterns, ecology, and life. 

DAY 6

I cannot believe it is Day 6 already. The PDC here at Ridgedale Permaculture is zipping by with mountains of knowledge being scaled, some incredible insights discovered and droves of dynamic learning opportunities happening at each stage. Since I’ve been writing this blog my creative self has been trying to discover the most efficient way to communicate everything that is going on here it Ridgedale. I guess what is coming out is a kind of stream of consciousness, experiential, data recording… so I just hope it’s nothing too all over the place and somewhat digestible. But hey, as we learned yesterday, lumpy is good so…. perhaps I should have called the blog ‘PDC porridge’.

Our morning review session reminds us that the most productive forest gardens are called mid-succession ecologies due to the fact that this is where we see all layers displayed. At least this is the stage of a forest system that we should be aiming to recreate if we want to factor more cropping into the vertical spaces of our site in the cool and temperate climates.

As PDC#2 rolls at Ridgdale Permaculture, we publishing a daily blog to detail the experience for those who may be interested in what takes place at one of our trainings as we establish Scandinavia's first Keyline Designed farm & dedicated Regenerative Ag/ Permaculture Edu hub at a working farm.  Daniel McGough, one of our pioneer Farm Managers joining us from Australia shares his experience of the (Un)Learning journey over the next 2 weeks.  Here's Day 5...

Beak deep in raked out cow patties, the broiler hens are busily hunting for breakfast… I’m not even sure they went to bed. Expressing their chickeness and scouring for fly larvae, some days after the cows have been through the same field, they look very busy, rather plump and quite happy.  We've split the broilers into 3 groups now to finish them on different feed rations to compile data for running a gross profit analysis before upscaling next year.

Day 5, I can’t believe we’re here already. There is so much tangible information renting space in my brain at this moment having spent the previous four days in a yurt in a field with Richard Perkins and representatives from 15 other nations, learning the complexities and simplicities of totally doable strategies related to Permaculture and Keyline Design.

Today we took what we learned the day before and started to develop a set of Water Layer Design skills. We are set the task of developing a water catchment design for the farm, adopting the catchment calculations for structures, which we learnt and practiced yesterday. Working out drinking water necessary for the summer period, to which we can add any other elements (laundry, animals, showers, etc) if and when we need to.

On the farm we have a Green & Carter ram pump installed that will drive all the irrigation and animal supply for Ridgedale Permaculture. The beauty of this system is that a) it’s living water, coming from an active natural system, and b) it will eventually re-enter the same system, charged from the life in the soil and other flowing elements on the farm. 

We are building the basic skill set required to start identifying key elements on a map, visualising our land shape and then applying strategies at a very comprehensive level. From using selected stationary to concisely convey strategies on plan, to the collection of integral data resulting in the implementation of actionable, multi-functioning elements

We start playing around with keyline design as Richard explains that there is no automated way of doing this. The inputting of the data into a computer aided design program is totally secondary to the initial hand design stage. Good design starts on paper.  Our goal: to create a plow pattern across a complicated terrain that will become a long term Savannah nut planting. The magic of Keyline is in it’s efficiency and gentle interaction, it’s cost effectiveness and it’s stacking of functions: exploding heavily compacted sub-soils, allowing oxygen and water flow, creating life thriving environments for micro-organisms, aiding large scale design in the sensible and beneficial placement of essential elements… I could go on and on but they’re just words. The best way to learn is to do, and to do is to be here at Ridgedale alongside the guidance of Richard. (see - http://www.ridgedalepermaculture.com/k­­­eyline-design-18th--22nd-aug.html)

We’ve now wandered away from what many people would classify strictly as Permaculture,­ which is fine, because the techniques we are learning about here are completely complimentary and practically mirror each others’ intentions (or principles) directly.

In the afternoon we wander down to where the two streams on the property meet and settle in for a cooling lesson about forest ecology in the shade of a riparian Birch patch.  Convectional, topographic and frontal rain information spills down into our consciousness as we enter mountainside’s of depleted forests to make way for resorts. We deduce the impact that habitat loss has on both the windward and wayward sides of a mountain and how even when reforestation interventions occur below a deforested hilltop, the result is not good.

Deforestation = dropping ground water levels, diversity and habitat loss, drought, flood, erosion, compacted soils, CO2 emission, etc. So the key here is to learn; what can be learned and benefits gained from implementing systems that mimic forest systems.

Moving onto the fundamentals of forest ecology we examine stratification and it’s function with the system. Canopy and understorey trees, shrubs and bushes, herbaceous plants and root crops and potential emergent species such as Date and Coconut Palms. We grasp that a system left to it’s own devices looks very different to a ‘departmentalised’ human managed forest. A natural system is “lumpy” as Richard likes to describe it, with weird things happening across asymmetrical funny shaped edges.  Heterogenous, leading to great diversity compared to our conventional production systems.  Nothing like the “vertical deserts” we witness occupying large tracts of forestry land in places like Australia and Europe, or here in Sweden.

This leads us to succession; primary, which last for thousands of years using factors like fungi, erosion, freezing and moss. We re-educate our language to now describe weeds as friends that are fast carbon pathways, or E.P.R’s, (“earth repair mechanisms” R.P.). What is it that the plants that lead campaigns of succession really trying to communicate with us? Compaction, mineral harvesting, erosion control? All plants exist to fill a very specific function which the express through their form to benefit the entire system. Annual herbs that focus on sexual reproduction to spread seed across every square mile of the planet to ensure that when a natural event occurs and things go a little silly, they are there to recolonise the open space and protect it from rampant soil loss.  The dormant vegetative advance party if you will.

“That’s their function. They are protectors of the soil. This is the pattern of the whole system, to be of benefit to all” R.P.

We also discover that many of the longer term canopy species are also in that seed bank, but are waiting for very specific conditions before the wake up to join the conversation.

The gift of this situation, this moment, is that those species, Oak, for example, are right below our feet. As Richard reveals intimacy of this highly complex and self managed structure, I’m gazing over several hundred thousand biota through just the depths of my visual horizon to the edge of the forest. Reaching down I crumble ancient Scandinavian mulch through my fingers, littered with countless numbers of life forms… and all some 100 metres’ walk from the classroom we were in minutes before. 

As Richard points out that while Perennial plant systems are highly managed and moderate suppliers of produce, they are also resilient, de-compacting, soil creating mechanisms. “This is why we can restore thinks fast! Because we can bring all of these elements onto a site at the same time. Things respond when you put them back in their patterns… sometimes really fast”.

Before the dinner bell (tummy rumbling) we manage a quick tour of Oaxaca, Mexico to a brittle landscape (where evapo-transpiration exceeds precipitation) where Richard runs through a design of an entire property, pretty much from top to bottom. Now, he got super excited here so he started drawing and talking very quickly. From what I got though they protected the buildings from fire by hooking the existing underground tanks up to rooftop sprinkler systems and functioning rainwater collection and dispersal across the site (swales and ditches), sub-soiling, aquaculture, banana foresting in runoff ditches, nursery establishment and perennial forest systems. I may have forgotten one or two elements.

All of these strategies were actionable, doable, beneficial solutions, mostly using resources on site developed through pattern observation and interaction. And there it is...

As PDC#2 rolls at Ridgdale Permaculture, we publishing a daily blog to detail the experience for those who may be interested in what takes place at one of our trainings as we establish Scandinavia's first Keyline Designed farm & dedicated Regenerative Ag/ Permaculture Edu hub at a working farm.  Daniel McGough, one of our pioneer Farm Managers joining us from Australia shares his experience of the (Un)Learning journey over the next 2 weeks.  Here's Day 3...

As PDC#2 rolls at Ridgdale Permaculture, we publishing a daily blog to detail the experience for those who may be interested in what takes place at one of our trainings as we establish Scandinavia's first Keyline Designed farm & dedicated Regenerative Ag/ Permaculture Edu hub at a working farm.  Daniel McGough, one of our pioneer Farm Managers joining us from Australia shares his experience of the (Un)Learning journey over the next 2 weeks.  Here's Day 3...

Day 2

I can hear Capoiera music coming from the classroom yurt, “It must be after 6.30, Armando’s morning class is under way” I think to myself. Time to rise for the second day of the PDC here at Ridgedale Permaculture. The ‘welcome’ bell rings at 6:55am and the morning tasks are well under way by 7am with all the new residents moving chickens, tidying compost toilets, and foraging berries from the forest that borders the property.

Over another scrumptious breakfast of farm produced Filmjölk (a mesophilic fermented milk product that is made by fermenting cow's milk with a variety of bacteria from the species Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides… thanks wikipedia) it’s basically fermented milk that tastes like yogurt with the texture of marshmallows (yum!) hand milked the previous day topped with fresh blueberries from the woods. I sit with Bettina and Stephan, a couple from Belgium, and we discuss fascinating experiences from intentional communities we have visited. I learn about a wonderful ‘daily task designator’ mandala game (http://sites.ecovillage.org/en/product/community-mandala), designed by one of the founder’s of the Valle de Sensaciones community in Spain. A quick glance later tells me this may be a fun way to generate interest in turning the compost at Bellbunya, my community back in Australia.

After breakfast we’re straight into class reviewing the Design Principles, extending to other ecological designers whose work is highly relevant and discuss the application of redundancy at Ridgedale, from future plans for crayfish and fresh water aquaculture to the budding ‘medicine cabinet’ already planted along a significant edge adjoining the riparian buffer in the top field.  Redundancy; to meet every need in a variety of ways. I see Richard attempting to do this with almost every element on the farm, sourcing fish from the local lake to eat and fish waste serving as a protein supplement for the broiler chickens as well as freezing down foraged local berries to store for his family over winter. My morning “I did not know that” moment comes courtesy of why berries and Sweden are so intertwined. The long daylight hours during summer means berries are rich in colour, aroma, minerals, and vitamins, especially riboflavin or B2. Keep the sunlight coming I say!

So now we’re starting to stack functions in space & time, which Richard demonstrates using his poly-tunnel. Here at Ridgedale the main tunnel runs East to West due to a dilemma in it’s size, but were it facing north to south it would allow for height in the centre to be utilized as a growing space for longer term plants, perhaps even espaliered fruit trees.  In this instance the tunnel will serve as winter space for animals performing various work so the farmers don't have to; clearing crop residue, fertilizing and cleaning up seed.

How do you really know? You only truly know by doing yourself – “Ideas and concepts are pretty limited in this world without Action… Constant observation and timely interaction are key.” The ‘action’ method of learning, testing out ideas (eg, double dig vs. sheet mulch vs. raised bed), see where it takes you and observe what you learn. I use this method in my own learning, with minimal concern for what some would could failures (the financial ones I try to avoid). Even though Edison said, you’ve just found 1000 ways that don’t work, sometimes what might be perceived as a failure becomes a previously unseen solution to a question you weren’t yet asking…whoa! Back to the practical application method, you may find the questions you need to ask upon implementation of a project; Do I have enough people? Can I apply another strategy (resources)?

We also briefly discuss leverage points, poor functioning elements or positive areas of engagement that can be utilized in such a way so as to effect the most change with least amount effort or output of energy. ADD MORE about leverage??

We look at the Inputs and Output Analysis of morning Fica choices of coffee or peppermint tea, an industrial raised pig and a woodland fed local organic pig. Our analysis of coffee opens up concerns around warfare over oil and the destruction of old rainforests to make way for unsustainable coffee plantations that operate in a way opposite to how coffee actually thrives. Compared to peppermint tea grown here on the farm, which like our woodland fed pig, sees some initial inputs in the form of finance, land and soil analysis, that slowly decline to welcome space for steadily increasing outputs such as education, small enterprise, social capital and piglets. I and many of the class are truly engaged by Richard’s explanation of the re-introduction of environmental triggers to spur on events that were not occurring prior to the trigger, e.g. pigs passing through a woodland encouraging new species to emerge, such as has been recorded at Polyface farm in Virginia.  The same pattern of climatic triggers is emphasized in the tropics in Willie Smitts short "Restoring a rainforest" regarding the germination of hardwood seeds lying dormant in seasonal grasslands.

Back from morning tea we commence with an introduction to Mapping Systems and beneficial technologies in the form of informative websites to assist with observations & data collection for our sites. Observation at a human scale is always fruitful, but sometimes we need data from a much larger area & from a much longer timescale and this is when these additional information networks become essential (Google Earth Pro, suncalc.net, local meteorology sites, etc). What does the sun do in Winter 100 miles to the North compared to my site? What is the size of my watershed?  Can I calculate how much water flows through my site?  What does a 50 yr flood look like?

And then we step into the Zone and Sector Analysis. I have a flashback to my days as a Landscape Architect and create the connection to Ian McHarg’s (Design with Nature, 1969) overlay techniques, by starting to direct you to not only where you can’t put things, but where you can place elements that are perfectly suited in response to your sector analysis. “My house won’t go there because of prevailing winds, so perhaps I’ll plant some Photinia as a windbreak and a fire break, also creating a suntrap and an opportunity to plan a road along a minor ridgeline.”

Reminder to self! contact Hart at Karuna Farm in the western ghats of India where they could use the fast growing, nitrogen fixing leguminous Indian Coral tree knocked down as a hedgerow, and then grow Bouganvillia over the top to create an animal and security boundary fence, giving the spiky characteristics of both the tree and the climber, while providing an aesthetic rainbow of varying colour through their the land.  


The students pick this up very quickly and to support our Zone and Sector analysis we start looking specifically at the logical placement of elements in relation to the human habitat, commonly referred to as Zone 1 (or 0) through the Zone 5. Richard explains the different shapes of zones and that they are not the circular patterns emanating from the centre, as demonstrated in many design books. Ultimately, we can aim for opportunities be place elements in a relative location to create functional interconnections and inspire energy efficiency & stack functions.

Richard consistently highlights tools & techniques He employs in his design work for clients, and is careful to point out weaknesses in some Permaculture approaches, integrating other design frameworks where appropriate; We visit the archives of P.A.Yeoman’s and learn about the Keyline Scale of Permanence, a design methodology that helps solve some of the problems of priority in the design of a farm landscape.

A useful thing is to know is what your climate used to look like (particularly in a very damaged environment) so you can design into what it may behave like in the future as well as connecting with neighbours and experienced residents who can share their knowledge.  We reflect on the patterned human responses in our various climates/ locations, noting this is often the greatest barrier to regenerating ecologies & economies.  We look at the importance of Topographic maps and how this relates to functional placement in Keyline design; which leads us to a detailed explanation of appropriate and very handy technologies in the form of several key software programs for rapid design and generation of a Bill of Quantities.

The subject of landform and mapping takes us briefly to Mexico City to explain the enormous watershed that the metropolis used to be a part of (or actually still is) and the gigantic lake that existed on the site some 500+ years ago during the time of the Conquest. Mexico City is at very high risk in terms of water security and yet there is 715,000lt of annual rainfall per hectare, in a city that has spent millions of dollars draining the now heavily polluted water away from the city, while spending more millions shipping clean drinking and utility water in.  The visit to the America’s also includes a brief paddle through the theory and amazing benefits of their steadily decreasing Chinampa systems, a system that was successfully designed and implemented that in turn led to Mexico City becoming the Mega city that today teeters on the brink of hydrological collapse. This is when your contextual mind goes “Wow, that’s kind of nuts!”

Afternoon tea time includes some general relaxing on the lawns outside the classroom yurt (it’s currently hitting high summer temperatures in Sunne and we’re all a little cozy sleepy after lunch). We take a break from P.A.’s scale (Keyline Design is on Day 4) so we move on to a group discussion of PASTE information generating sheets (Plants, Animals, Structures, Tool & Events) followed by a review of a detailed Design Process.

Richard then takes us to Luxembourg to demonstrate this process in an Urban Design example of  property that incorporates aquaponics, compost toilet systems, obtaining yields (mushrooms & understory crops) in marginal spaces (below Black Walnut trees) with free resources (forestry commission supplies Beech logs) and the management of coppicing Hazel trees to manufacture berimbau’s (a single string percussion instrument from Brazil) to support the residents’ micro business of teaching Capoeira…. I can sense another “Wow” moment building.

In the evening Vigfus presents his project and plans for the straw bale community Youth Centre Facility in Gothenburg followed by Gabrielle’s project home scale project in Arges, Romania (http://www.permacultura.ro/blog/2013/02/10/experimente-permaculturale-la-strambeni/), during which we discover the principle of inclusivity and also what we learned earlier in the day about knowing what your climate used to look like by sourcing information for long term residents or senior members of your community. In Gabi’s case, after talking with local elder’s he discovers the floods his region experienced this year have not been seen in 50 years and through observation added to that information, he can see that so far this year they have had a 50 year flood 4 times.

This is what a PDC with Richard Perkins is like, “Wow” moments funded by super relevant, mind blowing information. Laying to rest after another massive day, having spirited across thriving global climates, dancing with ideas of functional design after exposure to several engineering absurdities, I close my eyes wondering where Day 3 will lead my imagination.  

This 3 Day Introduction to Holistic Management training is designed to give you a good overview of Holistic Management and how you can apply it to your life, farm and enterprise.  Holistic Management is much more than grazing livestock, and can radically empower the efficiency of design & decision making across any context.  We see this as vital in our own work at the farm, as well as the next step for Permaculture Designers looking to work at a farm scale or establish projects of their own.  You will learn how to create an optimal context for your farm or project, and how to reliably make more effective decisions that will move you towards your objectives more rapidly.  We will see how Holistic Management Financial Planning works, and how this can be adapted to any regenerative enterprise.  Understanding ecosystem processes, you will learn how to leverage their free benefits.  In terms of grazing planning you will see how to get your livestock to the right place at the right time for the right reason and plan your grazing to increase your profit and lower inputs.  Utilizing animal impact as a tool along with Holistic Decision Making & Financial Planning can allow you to create the healthy future landscape and life you want.

Keyline Design is a complete design system for landscapes, that we integrate with Holistic Management and Permaculture Design in various settings and climates.  This 5 Day training is designed to empower participants in all aspects of the late P.A.Yeoman's incredible work and leave you confident how to apply this design sequence and topographic patterning of farms and projects in any climate zone.  As part of our 10 Week Internship this training also allows you to join an International group learning & implementing diverse regenerative systems at Scandinavia's first Keyline designed farm.  You can read about Keyline Design in the context of our farm here.

Say you wanted to study Permaculture or Regenerative design and you really wanted to understand how to design your own farm or project; they'd be all these books you should read, maybe some films on the internet, or maybe you download information from the internet, and all that may avail no action. All that could avail is a basic understanding of principles & elements of design, in a way similar to an artist's palette. You could have all the colors and brushes but unless you know how to paint you're going to end up with a big mess. That's where we got to in today's society, a big mess. 

If you are curious about the solutions that will allow us to restore the planets ecosystems whilst maintaining a stimulating and meaningful life living in resilient and mutually beneficial supportive ways then this is for you. Are you looking to develop a career in professional Permaculture design? Wanting to establish your own project or farm? Our Permaculture Design Courses are highly regarded internationally, with 90 hrs+ of curriculum based learning & internationally accredited via P.R.I. (Aus) & P.C. Assoc (UK) here is a chance to take a fully up to date PDC with one of Europe's most active Permaculture Professionals.

As PDC#2 kicks off at Ridgdale Permaculture, we publishing a daily blog to detail the experience for those who may be interested in what takes place at one of our trainings as we establish Scandinavia's first Keyline Designed farm & dedicated Regenerative Ag/ Permaculture Edu hub at a working farm.  Daniel McGough, one of our pioneer Farm Managers joining us from Australia shares his experience of the (Un)Learning journey over the next 2 weeks.

Arrival Day

As people arrive for the training suddenly there are new faces everywhere on the farm and an immediate flood of excitement as new students arrive for Ridgedale Permaculture’s second PDC of 2014, partnering the commencement of the second 10 Week Internship for the season. With sixteen countries represented in all, from Uruguay to Belgium, Iceland to Columbia, Canada, Romania, South Africa and Italy plus many more, this was definitely going to be an adventure!

After everyone had arrived we settled into the main dining yurt (technically a Ger) for a deliciously warming organic vegetable soup, skipping over to the classroom (another Ger) to meet all the students proper, learn names and orientate to the journey our facilitator Richard Perkins, Owner &  joint Director of Ridgedale, will be guiding us on over the coming 14 days.

Before bed was a visit to the farm’s steam room. Now if you’d told me one year ago that in my future I’d be discussing the benefits of broilers and the essentials of egg laying chickens in a caravan sauna in the middle of a field in Sweden, I would have described you as a character of large imaginative capacity. Probably would have sounded something like “You’re crazy.” And yet…

DAY 1

The course facilitator, Richard Perkins: “My role here is really to act as a nutrient to stimulate learning, and help unravel complex systems to leave you with an in-depth understanding of Permaculture and how to go about assembling elements into cohesive and integrated systems” And so our course begins. 









Richard explains how he wants Ridgedale to be a place for education but importantly a functioning viable farm so as to demonstrate what he is teaching; that the designs and strategies explained during the next fifteen days can be demonstrated via practical examples on site. After explaining the objectives & decision making process to determine the property he was looking for (and the magical story behind how he and his partner ended up on this site), we begin the farm tour. Richard spent time explaining how to read the landscape and optimize prioritization & placement of elements without risky "imposing" ideas on the landscape using the Keyline Design Scale of Permanence as a reference.  He explained the appropriate use of new technologies and older traditional technologies like a root cellar and how they can seamlessly function together.  Working with the resources you have access too.

The first lightbulb moment was seeing Richard demonstrate productive elements in marginal spaces as he explained the planting of Salix species (Willow) along one of the wet farm boundaries to form a alternate row coppiced wind break that will supply a material resource for fencing, baskets and biomass.  From a longer term perspective he’s also planted an avenue of Oak as a future investment for his child's financial interest. This is Permaculture; "future-proof" (as Richard calls it) conscious design being demonstrated at a highly functional level.

With a hearty lunch in our bellies we commence an in depth investigation and discussion of existing global issues people from all corners of the globe are experiencing and the converging crises on the planet. From environmental pollution to educational institutionalization to water catchment and ownership to human health and the existing fascination with pharmaceutical therapies, we brainstorm our way through problems we can see building, but hold back from developing any solutions too quickly. Richard tells us that is for the following days. 

“It’s amazing how many ‘super foods’ are transported around the planet, when we have ‘super foods’ that can be grown in every climate. Clever marketing."  We hear about the "medicine cabinet" planting on the east of the site and the importance of stocking up on high potency medicinal foods before the long winter to maintain optimal health & resilience.  Most modern farms don't eat much of what they produce.  Richard explains how the farm is designed to meet it's own consumption needs first, then supply a surplus. The rapid development of this project begins with providing it's own needs which provides a platform for research & data collection to really understand the specific land characteristics before scaling up production next year.  The ticking of the brains in the room can be heard from the neighbors barn; the discussion continues well into the afternoon and before we know it the dinner bell is ringing.

After dinner I chat with Vigfus, a young fella from Iceland living in Gothenburg who is developing a straw bale house project in the Swedish city called Halm Huset  (http://halmhuset.org/) hoping to provide a community Youth Centre Facility. He is highly motivated to bring this technology to a stronger stage of development and is getting very creative in his resourcing. I’m looking forward to his presentation of his organisation tomorrow night.  Earlier in the day I had spoken with another student, also from Sweden, who is looking to retro-fit his traditionally insulated house with straw bale… Isak, meet Vikfus… perfect match! The students here are from such various backgrounds and cultures, just from the introductions I can hear the wealthy spread of passions and learning interests. It's going to be hard trying to catch up with them all, but hey, I've only got 15 days so I'll just have to try extra hard, and if there's one thing I've learned from Ridgedale, the networks built here are lifelong experiences.

Our facilitator concludes the day with an evening presentation titled "10,000 year history of Agriculture" which explores theories put forward by Jared Diamond (Collapse and Guns, Germs and Steel), who purports it is geography & luck, not biology or race, that have determined the cultural disparities across the globe. An interesting set of theories and certainly ones that deserve to be studied further.  We explore James De Meo's Saharasia and how these two propositions mesh and discuss how extreme and rapid climate change may well have given rise to major cultural & societal shifts in history.  While recovering from how many times is my mind has been blown today, I wander off to hit the sack.

Just from this first day I imagine the incredibly comprehensive journey into the realm of Permaculture Design this course might be, it is priming up to explain the greater workings of the planets complex inter-related systems, with clear descriptions of highly practical strategies that can be applied across all climates. Just what I'm looking for, Gravy! Here we go :)

We will spend the weekend meeting locals and hosting an open day. One of our objectives is to better understand what people locally grew up eating, what they miss, what they wish they could buy regarding local & ecological food.

Långfil (also known as long milk) is a kind of sour milk requiring low souring temperature and long maturation. It has a mild acidity, and texture is chewy almost bubbly like a whipped desert. The bacterial culture consists primarily of Lactococcus lactis ssp cremoris who put together the milk carbohydrates for long exopolysaccharides, which leads to the texture.

Rennet is a complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach, and is often used in the production of cheese. Rennet contains many enzymes, including aproteolytic enzyme (protease) that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids (curds) and liquid (whey). They are also very important in the stomach of young mammals as they digest their mothers' milk. The active enzyme in rennet is called chymosin or rennin but there are also other important enzymes in it, e.g., pepsin and lipase. There are non-animal sources for rennet that are suitable for consumption by vegetarians.

Here we are making simple fresh cheeses with Acid Coagulation as we easily consume all we get from Clover May.  Next year we will have 3 or 4 cows at the farm.

In addition to the existing plantings detailed in the document above we are currently working with the Intern's in designing the Nut Field plantings on a Keyline layout along with proposed Dams for fish/ crayfish production and to benefit further plantings with reflected light and heat sink.  We are also planning a tree nursery to breed hardy nut lines as well as start supplying others in the region with the genetic material required for setting out robust future proof regenerative agricultures.

This 2 week intensive Permaculture Design Course empowers participants with the effective design solutions, skills and a methodical scientific approach to create resilient, synergistic systems that are ecologically sound, economically profitable and meet human needs, regardless of the site and circumstance. Our Permaculture Design Courses are highly regarded internationally, led by one of Europe's leading designer- educators, with 90 hrs+ of curriculum based learning & internationally accredited via P.R.I. (Aus)& P.C. Assoc (UK) here is a chance to take a fully up to date PDC with one of Europe's most active Permaculture Professionals. 
Details & Booking

Fish hydrolysate is an awesome product for promoting plant growth. It’s high in Nitrogen, can be naturally produced, and is an awesome food for microbes. Fungi love it and it is easily produced at home.  We use it as straight fertiliser, animal supplement and an ingredient in compost teas (Fungi: Bacteria balanced- Fungi orientated).

Fish hydrolysate is composed of fish and glucose based sugars and uses lacto bacillus to break everything down using enzymes. Fish hydryolysate doesn’t undergo the heating and skimming process that you get with fish emulsion products.  Heating breaks down beneficial amino acid chains and this cold process also retains the fats and oils that microbes love.

It's Day 2 of our certified Holistic Management training, dipping into the 2nd half of our awesome 10 Week Internship program. The Savory Institute has been updating, clarifying and simplifying their workbooks as smaller & more concise workbooks, available cheaply via their website.  We have been running through Financial Planning and Grazing Planning today, using the farm as a model for planning for the factors, observations and circumstances we have in our situation, to ensure we create the best possible plan to move consistently towards our Holistic Context.

We see managing holistically is key to forwarding effective regenerative enterprises and regenerating degraded landscapes whilst creating resilient & socially just incomes into the future.  We plan to write some series of articles to clarify some of the common misconceptions and explain the process to support others to start managing holistically.  Stay tuned for details.

We have another 10 Week Internship running at the farm July- Sept, with a few spots open, where once again we will be training up a diverse and engaging group in the following areas;

The 10 Week internship includes over 530hrs of curriculum based learning & 5 Certificate Courses;

• 90hr+ PDC certified by PRI (Aus) & PC Assoc (UK)
• 5 day Forest Gardens & Perennial Cropping
• 5 day Regenerating Soils
• 5 day Keyline® Design
• 3 day Holistic Management Training®
• 5 day Teaching Permaculture Creatively

Todays aerial at Ridgedale, note the addition of the awesome contoured medicine cabinet some of the incredible interns planted in the East of the photo.  Cold climate super berries topped with mulberry in a little protected heat pocket adjoining our riparian zone.  We also planted nearly 100 oak along the road, understood by hazel and eleagnus for long term high value pruned timber and windbreak as well as a nice achitectural feature...

This article documents the major patterning of the farm at Ridgedale PERMACULTURE as we laid the Keyline tree lanes and planted thousands of long term perennial crops within our pasture lanes.  For a better introduction to the farm's context you can read an article here.  Water systems and Keyline patterning is also addressed here.  The original plan for the tree layers of the farm design is outlined in another article available here.  So now we explain & assess the actual implementation.  For context, at the time of this work we ourselves had only been on site for 6 weeks and the planning, layout, machine work and major planting all took place in Week 1 and 2 of our 10 Week Internship.  (We have another 10 Week Internship program running July- Sept)

Elin, the Ridgedale Chef, has been lovingly restoring this old cream separator.   We met a lovely old lady who used to be a champion milker at Ag school and had equipment lying around she was willing to sell us.  Compared to modern equipment this gear is super robust, reliable and well engineered (at a fraction of the cost)  We like well engineered stuff, and from the context of only needing dairy for farm needs, there seems no better way to go.

Our lovely Fjällko cows, Viola & Clover are doing great after their arrival to Ridgedale.  They have adapted effortlessly to life in rotational grazing and seem to enjoy all the attention they get along with hand milking twice a day.  With over 30 people representing all the major climate zones here at the farm there is demand for fresh milk and yoghurt, and Clover (who is in the early stages of her 2nd pregnancy and still giving great milk) is supplying it.  Towards the end of the year we will have 3 cows and possibly Viola will be pregnant too, which should supply us with all our dairy needs.  These cattle are well suited to our needs; a small cow that is hardy, comes from a mountain habitat and likes to browse on a wide variety of fodder and produces milk, that whilst not being so plentiful, comparing the yield per kg live body weight, it is on par with the larger breeds SRB and Swedish Holstein. In addition, mountain cow milk is very well suited to cheese production as it contains high levels of "good" protein. Compared with milk from other breeds it is (per kg milk) almost twice as large, which means it only goes to 7-8 kg mountain cow's milk to get 1 kg of cheese, compared with 14-16 kg of milk from commercial breeds.

We can think of at least 180 great forest garden & perennial crops for cold climate Sweden.  Want to hear about them? Over the course of the next year we will profile 5 a week on the blog. Perennial plants and crops offer a low energy, oil & resource input based foundation for future-proof agricultures. By default if an agriculture is to be called regenerative the bottom line is that it must be soil building, not soil depleting. Relentless deep tillage & poor soil husbandry (wifery?!) contributes to the majority of the 24 billion tons of topsoil lost every year on planet water.  We are going to be focused on holistic polyculture grazing and perennial production at ridgedale over most of the site as this represents the most effective way to restore our degraded landscape, produce high value produce and ensure the future resource base we are managing holistically for in our decision making. 

Want to be in to win a free copy of this AWESOME book?  As part of our fair share policy we have been giving away free awesome books to people all over the globe every fortnight (well, to be fair, we have been a little slack lately with all that's going on and our current internet connection).  The 2011 Garden Writers of America Gold Award for Best Writing/Book proves soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life; and not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web; the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants.

We can think of at least 180 great forest garden & perennial crops for cold climate Sweden.  Want to hear about them? Over the course of the next year we will profile 5 a week on the blog. Perennial plants and crops offer a low energy, oil & resource input based foundation for future-proof agricultures. By default if an agriculture is to be called regenerative the bottom line is that it must be soil building, not soil depleting. Relentless deep tillage & poor soil husbandry (wifery?!) contributes to the majority of the 24 billion tons of topsoil lost every year on planet water.  We are going to be focused on holistic polyculture grazing and perennial production at ridgedale over most of the site as this represents the most effective way to restore our degraded landscape, produce high value produce and ensure the future resource base we are managing holistically for in our decision making. 

We can think of at least 180 great forest garden & perennial crops for cold climate Sweden.  Want to hear about them? Over the course of the next year we will profile 5 a week on the blog. Perennial plants and crops offer a low energy, oil & resource input based foundation for future-proof agricultures. By default if an agriculture is to be called regenerative the bottom line is that it must be soil building, not soil depleting. Relentless deep tillage & poor soil husbandry (wifery?!) contributes to the majority of the 24 billion tons of topsoil lost every year on planet water.  We are going to be focused on holistic polyculture grazing and perennial production at ridgedale over most of the site as this represents the most effective way to restore our degraded landscape, produce high value produce and ensure the future resource base we are managing holistically for in our decision making. 

We can think of at least 180 great forest garden & perennial crops for cold climate Sweden.  Want to hear about them? Over the course of the next year we will profile 5 a week on the blog. Perennial plants and crops offer a low energy, oil & resource input based foundation for future-proof agricultures. By default if an agriculture is to be called regenerative the bottom line is that it must be soil building, not soil depleting. Relentless deep tillage & poor soil husbandry (wifery?!) contributes to the majority of the 24 billion tons of topsoil lost every year on planet water.  We are going to be focused on holistic polyculture grazing and perennial production at ridgedale over most of the site as this represents the most effective way to restore our degraded landscape, produce high value produce and ensure the future resource base we are managing holistically for in our decision making. 

We can think of at least 180 great forest garden & perennial crops for cold climate Sweden.  Want to hear about them? Over the course of the next year we will profile 5 a week on the blog. Perennial plants and crops offer a low energy, oil & resource input based foundation for future-proof agricultures. By default if an agriculture is to be called regenerative the bottom line is that it must be soil building, not soil depleting. Relentless deep tillage & poor soil husbandry (wifery?!) contributes to the majority of the 24 billion tons of topsoil lost every year on planet water.  We are going to be focused on holistic polyculture grazing and perennial production at ridgedale over most of the site as this represents the most effective way to restore our degraded landscape, produce high value produce and ensure the future resource base we are managing holistically for in our decision making. 

The Core Team are gathering at Ridgedale shortly for our busy first season at the farm.  We're breaking ground on Scandinavia's first dedicated Permaculture & Regenerative Agriculture farm & edu site.  We're establishing a pasture and perennial crop based beyond-organic local food system at 59°N, one of the northern most projects of this ilk on the planet, and the first Keyline designed farm in the region.  We previously advertised this role, and had a bunch of great applications, but our vision was too broad and we did not really know which direction would be most beneficial to take this in....