Nanabush Food Forest Stories

Mushroom Day with Nutty Folks

Mushroom Day with Nutty Folks

Last year, we joined the Eastern Chapter of the Society of Ontario Nut Growers (ECSONG).  At our first meeting, two separate members introduced themselves as 'nutty', so just giving context into our most recent mushroom workshop.  In addition to inoculating logs with Lion's Mane and Shiitake mycelium, wood chips with King Stropharia and staw with Pearl Oyster mycelium, we were also able to bring lots of fresh King Stropharia mushrooms to fry up and try, as all of our patches fruited heavily this year... If you have done a workshop with us before, now is a good time to check your...

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Planting Days at the Just Food Community Food Forest

Planting Days at the Just Food Community Food Forest

Time to summarize the activities of the beautiful October weekend that saw much activity at the Just Food Community Food Forest... To summarize Day 1, the volunteers, mainly an energetic set of Environmental Studies students from U of Ottawa and Carleton universities, prepped and planted nearly 30 fruit and nut trees, established a pollinator garden and King Stropharia mushroom patch.  Day 1 photos...

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Edible Landscapes to Feed Bodies, Minds and Spirits

I had the pleasure of presenting at a reunion to some of my college classmates on the topic of food forests, check out the recording of this talk...

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The Giants of the Garden

The King Stropharia mushroom beds we created last year are starting to fruit!  It's fun to watch them push through the wood chips and rise up...  it will be very difficult to leave one in order to see it grow to its true potential.  These delicious mushrooms are also known as the Garden Giant, and can grow rather large, imagine a small umbrella... For now, we will harvest them at a more appropriate size of 6" in height, while the cap is still a pretty shade of burgundy wine. This mushroom is very beneficial in a food forest, as it...

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Spring has Sprung

fruit

Spring has Sprung

From a distance the food forests still appear somewhat dormant, or at least sleepy...  but as you walk around and take a closer look, you see a tremendous amount of activity, beauty and promise. Haskaps and strawberries are flowering away, currants and gooseberries soon to follow... rhubarb is a serious go, and a new find, the lingonberries have joined the race!  Such sweet little plants...  

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