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  • From: negiliblek <negiliblek@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] wild foods ... how many acres per human?
  • Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:58:48 -0800 (PST)

Hello Marjory,

I can't answer the acres/human question but hunter/gatherer is something I've
tried twice for a about a week each try. So, while I can't speak to
wintering, I can give a feel of it and hope it doesn't just sound like
rambling.

In a desert similar to the Sonoran (banna yucca, agave, cane fruit cholla,
prickly pear, juniper berries, velvet mesquite, pinon pine, wild onion, and
indain potato, and four wing salt bush), a single individual could eat well
enough.  WITH THE FOLLOWING CONSIDERATIONS:

-the amount of food varies greatly with location. A three mile difference in
location could mean the difference between life and death This means you'd
have to roam; leaving a good area to regenerate for a season in desert
locations (maybe 60 days in higher rain/foliage growth rate areas like the
Pacific NW)

-when things ripen at a given location is also paramount (I've found mesquite
pods ready to eat at 2,000 feet but still green less than a mile away at
3,000 feet. Pinon puts off a good crop every 4 years)

-and hope you're not vegetarian if you don't do some food preservation for
the winter -even in the desert, the nutrients of the plants are sucked back
in to the roots

-As Larry pointed out, you must also be a caretaker or else you'll ruin your
habitat even if you roam. This means thinning out the weaker stock when you
eat, removing a plant if too many are grouped together in one spot (happens
often as bear and elk scat sprout many species in a very small diameter).
When you eat, swallow a few of your uncooked mesquite beans/prickly pear
seeds/cane fruit cholla seeds and take care where you shit -you're planting
next season's food. It might not hurt to build small compost piles in
micro-habitats your wild foods like.

-Places that have been cattle grazed are truly places to starve to death
unless you like beef.

-mono culture farming are also death lands as the ditches and roadsides are
full of pesticides, insectisides, and other physical trash.

As a farmer, you can look at each acre and see how plentiful your crops are
and even calculate the number of people you can feed that season.

In wild foraging where a body must roam, the crop isn't easily seen and
varies greatly from place to place, such calculation requires years of
experience that is only good for a very specific location with in a given
area like the Sonoran.

If you have land and are wondering how many wild foragers it will support,
begin to learn every single wild plant on your land,if it's edible, and how
to prepare it. Then you'll know which ones you'll want to encourage a lot and
how many plants it'll take you of the variety you've chosen to feed a given
number of people.

I've told you everything I know -I'll go back to sleep now :)




>From lflj@intrex.net Thu Feb 26 00:31:13 2009
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Subject: Re: [permaculture] Indentification of Substances Produced by
Benefical Soil Microorganisms
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=http://lists.ifas.ufl.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0902&L=sanet-mg&T=0&O=D&P0262
=SANET-MG Archives -- February 2009 (#172)
=Subject: Indentification of Substances Produced by Benefical Soil
Microorganisms
=From: Douglas Hinds <[log in to unmask]>
Úte: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:13:25 -0600
=I wonder what percentage of the labs that do soil analysis have the
«ility (and bother) to identify the type, quantity and diversity of
¾neficial Soil Microorganisms present in the soil samples they
=analyze.
=The person in charge of the soil microbiology lab at our local,
=public Agriculture and Biology Faculty mentioned that he had the lab
=equipment he needed to perform such an inventory but lacked the the


=kind of equipment he needed to identify the substances produced by

And functions performed.

And indicators of soil health, fertility and tilth based on viability of
colonies of the various
types of microorganisms found.


êch of beneficial soil microorganisms present or the conditions
=those organisms require in order to produce those substances, as
=well as the activity / utility of each of those substances.

=I also wonder about where this kind of information can be found, and
=what kind of equipment would be required in order to in order to
Êrry out these additional studies. (A confocal microscope is
=available but it's being used in the neurobiology lab, where those
=using it aren't sure how to apply it toward our purpose).
=Any pointers that can be provided will be appreciated.

This seems to have been discussed at length for many years in sanet.

Compost Tea, Soil Foodweb, Soil Quality Discussion
--------------------------------------------------
Archive 1
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/1/maillist.html
Archive 2
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/2/maillist.html
Archive 3
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/3/maillist.html
Archive 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/4/maillist.html
Archive 5
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/5/maillist.html
Soils In Biological Agriculture
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/permaculture/mailarchives/discussion-threads/soil-quality/
Remineralize the Earth
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/orgfarm/remineralization/remineralization.selected-writings

Links, Bibliographies & Services
--------------------------------
PMAC Soil Quality Resources (excellent)
http://www.pmac.net/slqual.htm
Soil Quality Links & Literature
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/soil-links+lit.html
Soil Foodweb, Inc., Elaine Ingham
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/
Woods End Laboratories
http://www.woodsend.org/

The Yahoo EM-Ag and compost_tea lists will have much of the information you
seek.

Dale Wilson may know of sources of info about this as he once mentioned a
university-based
survey of beneficial fungi existing in various localities in Indiana. I would
imagine
that data gathered would have included a basic inventory plus characteristics
of the fungi found.
Methods and equipment used in the study should also be available.





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