permaculture

[KNat <knat@sprintmail.com>]

Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:
> Kawaguchi in Japan has done the same, and
> soil scientist Michael Melendrez in New Mexico has devised a competely
> vegan product called "Protein Crumblies": that delivers glycoproteins
> (protein/carbohydrate) to the colonies of microbes that benefically
> "infect" plant roots to shuttle nutrients back and forth. Vegan farming
> is good for entirely pragmitic reasons--it works! No animals need apply.
> Welcome to the age of "stock-free": farming.
>
> I am glad to see a subclass of natural farmers headed in the more
> elegant and safer direction of veganic farming. Gardens are certainly
> part of the food web, and the microbes, worms, and other creepy crawlies
> endemic to this werb are welcome, but we don't need the horses, cows,
> and other big-manure animals or even the medium size ones like ducks and
> chickens to make our gardens work. 
While I'm not there yet, I can see how better storage methodology, diet 
change and year-round growing will alter my perspective of including 
animals in the cycle here. Right now, it is also our safe back up of 
food source year-round not just fertilizer source.

We still need adjustment for grubbing and enjoy eggs and their gifters 
sharing our life. They don't just gift eggs, and cycle peels and insect 
ridden plant parts (and insects) into fertilizer, they also sing, dance, 
and sound alarm. Hard to imagine life feeling balanced with only humans, 
insects and plants. Course, I also spin wool and enjoy fiber animals too.

Now I'm intrigued to think, how much plant matter does it take for a 
warm garment? Silk underlayer from worms in a drawer, I'll totally go 
for, and even eat the larval victims instead of feeding to chickens. But 
what about the bulk insulation? Stuffing besides wool or feathers?

Kathyann