Visionary Permaculture- Day Two

Another amazing day on the COSM land integrating alot of information. We focused on the Permaculture Ethics and Principles.  We were also blessed to spend 3 hrs on the land with a native plant expert building relationships with only a few of the hundreds of amazing plants on site.

  We began the day in the library where we spoke on the ethics and talked about some of the principles.  For your reference, the 3 main ethics of Permaculture are: Care of Earth, Care of People, Return of Surplus (Always give back).  One of my favourite parts was the learning of a new Ethic that Delvin and crew in Vancouver came up with.  I found the 4th ethic to be really valuable and relevant to our time.  It is: Transitional Ethic (I am calling it Integration Ethic).  This ethic is all about our transition and building compassion in realizing we can't all change overnight.  We need time to integrate new ideas, techniques and visions into our lives and during this time it is ok if we falter a little bit or continue to use some unsustainable means while we are learning, changing and growing. Dropping fear of judgement (self or otherwise) and showing compassion for ourselves and others during this crucial time is super important and will allow for a larger network of beings to integrate Permaculture and other conscious change into their lives in a more meaningful and deep level.  Understanding that we can do things in baby steps is much less intimidating then the big leaps for most of us.  Another thing to remember is that change starts with us, the individual.  The change happens at a pace that works for the individual. Do what feels right in your life and follow the Permaculture ethics the best that you can and you will become inspiring living examples of what it means to be the change you want to see.

After reviewing the ethics and some of the principles we finished the morning outside with more principles.   I really enjoy Delvin's teaching style.  It is very creative, interactive and full of intention and permeation.  He uses alot of hands on methods and gets the class to move around alot which I find keeps me alert and ready to learn and also summarizes beautifully.  For those who are interested, Delvin and a crew of other Permies created these great open sources of learning tools which can be found at www.gaiacraft.com  Please check it out if you feel inclined!

This afternoon we were super lucky to hang out with Dina who really taught us how to start a journey of getting to know the plants here at COSM but also in our own Bio Regions.  The observation techniques she used were super logical and practical, yet also intuitive and integrative.  We would spend about 10 min on each plant really getting to know it from all of the senses.  This tour today is the beginning of our mapping process.  It will be very helpful for us to know the existing plants before we start to implement a design or start any type of implementation. We barely scratched the surface of this 40 acre land, but the wisdom shared with us today empowers us to continue to spend time in the space getting to know more and more as we move forward.

Not only did we spend the day learning from Delvin and Dina, but we also spent the day learning from each other and learning from this amazing land.  I feel such deep gratitude to be here and to share this experience with such charged beings that have such a strong presence and purpose. This experience along with all Permaculture experiences is super special and filled with intention and most of all Vision. I am super excited and humbled to contribute to this space and to the world through the art of Permaculture.

Love and giggles,
Kym Chi

Below are some of the amazing plants we identified. I am going to try and add the latin names, i apologize if they are not spelt correctly. ;) Keep in mind these are plants in this bio region and may not be found in your area :) Dina also explained the importance of naming the plant family, unfortunately I didn't get them down, but I will add them as I do more research.

This is a ground cover called Plantain, the latin name is Plantago Major.  It is a soil rejuvenator and great for inflammation.  It has astringent properties. Also great for bites! It tastes great in salads or fresh from the ground in early growing stages.  May become bitter with age.

 This awesome species is called Calming Blue Violet and its latin name is Viola Papilonacae. It is found in shady areas and on edges.  It smells salady and secretes a sticky gel like substance. It is great for burns, sore throat, cough and is extremely high in Vitamin C. it is also great for inflammation.  This plant flowers for only 2 weeks and when it does, eat the tasty flowers in salads. You can eat the leaves about 6 months out of the year (in the NY bioregion).

This is not the best photo, but this is actually a type of aromatic mint called Ground Ivy. Its Latin name is Glechoma Hederacea. This plant has tiny purple flowers that are long narrow and somewhat square shaped.  The stem is also square shaped. They have a small fuzzy scalloped leaf. It is aromatic, and tastes a bit like lavender and minty. This plant makes a great garnish and is good for congestion, calming and lead removal.  It has diuretic properties.

This is just a nice photo of the group checking out the Ground Ivy :)

 This plant is from the Brassica family and is called Garlic Mustard.  Its latin Name is Alliaria Petiolata. It has a strong garlicky taste, some like it and some don't.  Is good for digestion and is aparient (somewhat laxative).

 This pretty plant is called Dames Rocket and its latin name is: Hesperes Matronalis.  This plant grows on edges and the flowers are edible as well as the leaves when they are young.

 This is the Mustard Garlic in it's second year.  Might be even more strong tasting now.  You may want to eat it in its earlier stages ;)

 I really like the leaves on this one! It is called Great Celandime and its latin name is Cheledonium Majus.  This special plant releases a yellow dye from its veins when squeezed and has an acrid taste.  You only want to use this in small quantities and typically for external use. It is good for the Gall Bladder and for wort removal.

 This is called Jewel Weed.  Latin Name is Impatiens Capensis.  This is great as a Poison Ivy Antidote and Dillon one of my classmates showed me that the leaves turn shiny silver when under water. Very cool!

 This one is Poison Ivy... Quick Run! Just kidding, just be careful and use some of the Jewel Weed to protect yourself!

The above is Broad leaf Bitter Dock.  Its latin name is Rumex Obtusifolius.  This leaf can be a bitter when picked close to the root, but some of the leaves taste good and even sort of sweet. The inside of the stalk is also edible and quite tasty similar to Rhubarb. It is helpful for liver, lymphatic system, clearing skin. It has tonic and laxative properties.

 This is Dina showing is how tall Poke root can grow.  It is great to see if you can find last years fall when you are identifying plants :)

 Here is the poke root in its baby stages.  Its latin name is Phytolacca Americana.  The leaves are edible when young, but in general this plant is regarded as toxic and is a purgative. The root however can be used in very small doses for stimulating a stagnant or non responsive lymphatic system.  it is recommended to harvest the root after 3 frosts.

This is wine berry. YUM! Its latin name is Rubus Phoenicolacius.  This plant is from the raspberry family.  We are unsure of its medicinal properties, but it is edible!  I will update you as I do more research.

This is called Japanese Knotweed from the Buckwheat family. Its latin name is Reynoutria Japonica. Its root is antioxidant and helps with Lime.